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difficult to read. Why is that? Where I grew up in a world where Santa and his ilk were all very real, she did not. She knew it was her father who brought the presents on Christmas. Where I awoke once a year to find chocolate hidden about the house (and would still be finding those chocolates hidden a little too well months later), she did not. There was never an Easter Bunny. No one collected her teeth and left money under the pillow. Where my parents read Lord of the Rings to me as a young child, hers did not. How much did these differences shape the adults we became? My employment history looks like the random wanderings of a schizophrenic. I’ve flipped burgers, been a short-order cook at a pub, hung out the window of a Cessna at one thousand feet doing aerial photography. I’ve done front-of-house sound for over ten thousand bands, and Produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered countless albums. I ran a mobile recording studio, worked in another as an in-house engineer, and played guitar in a gothic metal band. I’ve written web content for lawyers, boutique butcheries, corporate coaches, software companies, and multi-national engineering and manufacturing firms. I’ve been employed, unemployed, self-employed, and self-unemployed. I went to university to study philosophy and dropped out after a year and a half to drop acid, smoke pot, and drink beer. I went to college to study audio-engineering and dropped out just before graduation because I’d landed a regular gig mixing bands for $50 a night. I wrote 70,000 words of a fantasy novel back in the mid 90s and gave up with no real reason. I also wrote several short stories and did nothing with them. Twenty years later I rewrote one (Intellectual Property) and sold it to Interzone in the UK. I grew up being told I could be whatever I wanted, though my parents neglected to mention how much work was involved and I’m a little slow. My wife went to college to become a pharmacy technician, graduated with honours, and became a pharmacy technician. As a child she learned the importance of a good income and wise investments (she’d purchased a condo before we even met). She is why we own a house. She is why I can bash away at this mad dream of being a writer. That night as we put our daughter’s tooth under the pillow and I explained how the Tooth Fairy’s magic worked, I wondered what I was doing to my child. I don’t pretend that what kind of person she turns out to be is up to me, but I suspect I have some influence. I know she will do and be whatever she wants. Maybe she’ll pursue the arts but do it far more intelligently than I. Whatever choice she makes I will back her with all my heart. That said, what kind of person do I want her to be? Knowing my own struggles and the difficulties one faces when choosing a non-standard life-path—and let’s pretend it was a choice rather than a meandering path I stumbled along while fleeing responsibility—I hesitate to promote that to my daughter. Would she not be better off with regular employment and a reliable source of income? I want her to know security. I want her to be able to vacation in the tropics instead of Brantford. I want her to know a stability I never had. But then I wonder, would I be happy with an office job? Could I even keep one? Do I really give a shit that all-inclusive vacations at five-star resorts are usually beyond my means? How much do I love daydreaming and writing? Would I be willing to give all this up? Back I come to the Tooth Fairy and Santa. My daughter flat out asked me if the Tooth Fairy was real. I stalled and distracted her. I’m not sure I can lie and yet I want her to have some magic in her life. Even if I don’t believe in magic, I love the idea; I miss it. What would you do? What do you tell your children? Is magic and fantasy an important part of childhood? Do your small children believe in Santa? If your five year old asks for the truth, what will you say? About Michael R. Fletcher: Michael R. Fletcher is a science fiction and fantasy author. His novel, Beyond Redemption, a work of dark fantasy and rampant delusion, was published by HARPER Voyager in 2015. His début novel, 88, a cyberpunk tale about harvesting children for their brains, was released by Five Rivers Publishing in 2013. The next two Manifest Delusions novels, The Mirror’s Truth, and The All Consuming, are currently in various stages of editing while Michael tries to be the best husband and dad he can be. Michael is represented by Cameron McClure of the Donald Maass Literary Agency. About Beyond Redemption: Faith shapes the landscape, defines the laws of physics, and makes a mockery of truth. Common knowledge isn’t an axiom, it’s a force of nature. What the masses believe is. But insanity is a weapon, conviction a shield. Delusions give birth to foul new gods. Violent and dark, the world is filled with the Geisteskranken—men and women whose delusions manifest, twisting reality. High Priest Konig seeks to create order from chaos. He defines the beliefs of his followers, leading their faith to one end: a young boy, Morgen, must Ascend to become a god. A god they can control. But there are many who would see this would-be-god in their thrall, including the High Priest’s own Doppels, and a Slaver no one can resist. Three reprobates—The Greatest Swordsman in the World, a murderous Kleptic, and possibly the only sane man left—have their own nefarious plans for the young god. As these forces converge on the boy, there’s one more obstacle: time is running out. When one’s delusions become more powerful, they become harder to control. The fate of the Geisteskranken is to inevitably find oneself in the Afterdeath. The question, then, is: Who will rule there?In Florida, people are still rebuilding after Hurricane Irma. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post) After Hurricane Irma pounded the Florida Keys, flooding waterfront homes and shredding docks, Brett Ekblom's phone kept ringing with homeowners desperate to rebuild — and fast. “I’m hearing from people who have had quite a bit of destruction," said Ekblom, who owns Native Construction Contracting in Key Largo. On a typical day, he'd get one inquiry about a renovation. Now, he's getting four. But Ekblom is struggling to grow his staff of 20, who had a packed schedule before the storm hit the Keys and tossed seaweed everywhere. The chances of finding a skilled carpenter today, even with a Craigslist ad offering higher than usual wages? “Slim to none,” he said. From late August to mid-September, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma destroyed property across Texas and Florida, causing up to $200 billion in damages, according to an early estimate from Moody’s Analytics. Maria brought further devastation, setting Puerto Rico's economy back decades. However, the island commonwealth has an 11.4 percent unemployment rate, which makes for a different labor situation. Economists fear the otherwise tight U.S. labor market could hold back reconstruction, compared to previous disasters. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina wrought about $108 billion in damages. Demand in New Orleans soared for carpenters, electricians and plumbers. Immigrants flocked to the city for the blue-collar work. At the time, the country’s unemployment rate was higher — 4.7 percent when Katrina struck, compared to today’s 4.4 percent. More people were looking for jobs, particularly men. Male participation in the workforce was 73.3 percent in 2005, while today’s is 69.2 percent. Opioid use, now seen as a factor keeping men out of work, wasn't yet regarded as a national crisis, and immigration restrictions weren’t as tight. That made it easier for construction firms to find laborers in a hurry when it came time to fix things up. In contrast, monthly job openings in the United States reached a record high this summer at 6.2 million. Then came the hurricane season's aftermath, adding on to those vacancies as communities began to put themselves back together. Employers nationwide are complaining about a labor shortage, especially in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as manufacturing and construction. Business owners say a lack of skilled workers who can pass a drug test has stalled their growth. Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, said post-hurricane reconstruction will prove especially challenging because of the tight labor market. “There is not a significant surplus of labor ready to re-enter the workforce to take relatively higher paying construction jobs that will be available in Houston and across much of Florida,” he wrote in an analysis ahead of Friday’s job report. “While it is understandable that the focus is still on the human costs to hurricanes in Texas, Florida and the U.S. Caribbean, the likely economic narrative going forward will be: Where are all the workers necessary to rebuild?” Charles “Chuck” Mason Jr., president of Mason Construction in Beaumont, Tex., said people are still trying to dry out their houses after Harvey. Starting work while the walls and floors are still damp, he explained, would seal in mold. So church halls remain full of people sleeping on donated mattresses. “This is going to be the biggest demand probably ever in this area for the housing trade,” he said. “And there’s a severe shortage of qualified workers.” Houston, about 85 miles west of Beaumont, has swept up many of the area’s craftsmen, he said. Mason Jr., 67, is having trouble hiring just one more carpenter to help clean up the area’s petroleum plants. He’s looking for an extra 25. “When you add in all the demand in Florida, there’s going to be a shortage nationwide of people with those skills,” he said. The labor shortage is already boosting salaries. Median pay for construction workers in the United States is $16 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ekblom, who runs the Key Largo construction company, said he’s offering between $17 and $20, depending on experience. He’s looking for at least ten more workers. Many are still fixing their own homes. Ekblom cleared a tree off a neighbor’s roof for free. Now his staff faces sand all over construction sites, tipped port-a-potties, flipped dumpsters, broken gates, trashed roofs and soaked basements. “Almost every dock in the entire Keys is gone,” he said. “We’re just getting started.” Correction: An earlier version of this post said Houston was east of Beaumont. It is west. Read more: In this Midwest city, the problem isn't China. It's too many jobs. Trump tried to save their jobs. These workers are quitting, anyway. Less than a third of Florida's mobile homes were built to withstand a hurricaneFun fact: My father delivered me. There was no one else handy and fortunately he was an obstetrician by trade, so if we can skip past what I know you’re thinking — that it’s totally gross — I’ll tell you about a puzzling thing he used to say to me. “I’m the first man you ever saw.” “So what?” I thought at the time. I bet he wouldn’t have said it if I were a boy. He seemed to think it created a loving bond between us, which was fine, but also implied some kind of special relationship between male and female. Yeah, I’d think, like the alleged one between Britain and the U.S., where the Americans still bully that small island. But that’s the kind of snarky kid I was. And now I’m a skeptical woman. Let me make my case. I always regretted being born female. True, it has its moments, but it is lesser. This is a weird thing for a feminist to admit, but who better to notice how much glossier life still is for men and who more likely than a woman to brood about that fact and speculate about an impossible reversal of fortune? The inbuilt failure of womanhood is brought home to me every time a list is published. Recently a digital magazine published a list of the greatest magazine features “of all time.” An American list, it betrayed its insularity by choosing almost all American writers. Article Continued Below This offended several Canadian journalists, but what positively slayed me was that no one noticed there were only about 26 women in a list of 225. We are more than half the population but only 10 per cent of us win, I said. Men looked at me blankly, which proves my point. Time magazine recently published a list called Best 100 Novels of All Time. There were only 16 women on it. I always assumed that things would improve, possibly even at the quicksilver speed of technological change, a new woman president or prime minister every year, along with a Nespresso iPhone and an iPad that can change a tire. But they haven’t. Men are still the gold standard and successful women are the deviants, the ones who made it on sufferance. A tiny female anthill. Every now and then, men rub women’s faces in their irrelevance. What galls me is that even good men don’t notice they’re doing it. Take Penguin Canada’s recent series of brief biographies entitled Extraordinary Canadians. Of the 17 planned or published, the pompous series editor John Ralston Saul has deemed that only three Canadian women so far are extraordinary — Emily Carr, Nellie McClung and L.M. Montgomery. Worse, only four women were considered to have sufficient gravitas to write the biographies at all. Ralston Saul included some writers I admire, Douglas Coupland for one, but their worth is not the point. It is a male series written by males. Only 22 per cent of Canada’s MPs are women. There are 35,000 works of art in the Louvre’s collection and only 13 are by women. In 2002, the Canadian novelist Carol Shields wrote a novel, Unless, her last before her death, about the erasure of women in public life. “But we’ve come so far; that’s the thinking,” she wrote. “Well no, we’ve arrived at the new millennium and we haven’t ‘arrived’ at all. We’ve been sent over to the side pocket of the snooker table and made to disappear.” Article Continued Below I’m pleased to report that the great Michele Landsberg, the journalist I most admire, doesn’t agree with Shields and me. “What a shame,” she told me. “You were born too late to savour the full glory of how far we have come!” She lists a number of horrific things meted out to women, and to her personally, since her birth in 1939 and then she rejoices. “We still have a distance to go, but I think that never in humanity’s history have things been better or fairer for women than they are right here in Canada, right now in 2010.” She’s right. But all I can think is that if this is the best they’ve ever been, I am doomed. Yes, I greatly enjoy being a woman, a state that comes with delights that elude men. It was Jon Stewart of the Daily Show who said we are the only sex that doesn’t look weird naked. So there’s that. Private domestic life pleases me. My two daughters, now grown, give me such intense joy that when I lie awake at night I sketch them in my head from forehead to toes. I love reading, generally accepted as a female pastime run by a male industry. I have a deep interest in visual pleasure — architecture, everyday design and fashion. Sneering at women’s clothing is a licensed form of misogyny that runs wild today, and I despise anyone who displays it. But my earning power would be much higher if I had entered journalism as a man. I would not be constantly assessed on the basis of my face and hair by readers, which is tiring. I’d be competitive rather than fretfully compassionate. Getting dressed in the morning would be cartoonishly simple, for my wife would buy my clothes and oversee the fiddly bits of home life. I would have what an acute female friend called the eternal “completely unjustified self-confidence of the young, not-very-talented man” who will best you just by being himself. Sounds good to me. As a man I wouldn’t have to be good-looking. Believe me, women don’t care about this. They like a humane man with a good sense of humour. In a rare moment of sympathy, Erica Jong once wrote that women want men to be “a giant (organ) spouting money.” It’s no longer true. And there’s sex, which is always good for men in the sense that it always has a good outcome, let’s say. Bruce Springsteen once wrote a song called Reno about a lonely man sodomizing a prostitute. Okay, it wasn’t the best he’d ever had, not even close, a point he made with some gloom, but he got what he came for. Women tend not to. Here’s the nub. Being born a woman, Shields writes, means that we choose goodness over greatness. She’s dead right. A woman I admire (big family, big career) tells me she secretly yearns to tell ambitious women to become nurses. Give up on being head nurse. Give up on the hospital board of directors. Just work at a job you love and savour what contentment you can find. What she means is this: Regard life as a jigsaw puzzle. Men see it as a ladder, always looking up. A jigsaw puzzle, “a simulacrum of meaning, order and design,” as one writer put it, is slowly assembled. It doesn’t contain the possibility of failure. My friend never does tell women this of course. She doesn’t dare. Here’s what I always secretly told myself as a child. Should have been a boy. Of course it’s not a secret any more. I just told you. [email protected], I guess the atheist bus ad strategy is catching on. Though someone was definitely not thinking strategically in this case. Not only are there now bus ads for Islam, they’re appearing on buses in San Francisco… Two immediate thoughts: First of all, I better not hear of any atheist protesting those signs being allowed on the buses. If we want our ads on buses, we need to support free speech for them, too. Secondly, that sign is *so* ineffective. Atheists are clearly much better at designing catchy, welcoming, pleasant bus advertising 🙂 Good for us. What Does Islam Say About Homosexuality? … Islam teaches that homosexual acts are sinful and punishable by God. This teaching comes not from human beings, but from the Creator of all humans. God tells us in His own words how He punished the people of Lot for their homosexual behaviour. Not only that, but if you go to the website in question, the gay people in San Francisco will be happily enlightened, I’m sure: Yep. I’m convinced. I’m sure the gay people are, too. Anyone else ready to convert? … What other religious advertising will we see in the near future? Where would be a good place (or not-so-good place) for that religion to advertise? (via Zomblog)In an episode of Tina Fey’s Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Ellie Kemper and Jane Krakowski visit a plastic surgeon played by Martin Short. In an obvious parody of plastic surgery-obsessed people, Short’s character has an improbably smooth and ageless face, a curtain of equally smooth blond hair, references eating his children’s placentas, and offers to help Kimmy replace her entire face. It was, by most accounts, pretty funny. Well, it was, at least until we found out he was based on a real guy— celebrity dermatologist Dr. Fredric Brandt—who was found dead earlier today. Brandt, whose famous clients included Madonna and model Stephanie Seymour, was apparently known for practicing experimental plastic surgery techniques on himself. His publicist confirmed his death to Page Six, saying, “He was suffering from an illness. Everyone who knows him is devastated…not only was he a brilliant doctor, be he was the kindest human being.” Brandt reportedly killed himself at his home in Florida. Advertisement Now, making matters worse, his resemblance to Short’s Kimmy Schmidt character is very hard to deny, and that fact wasn’t lost on Brandt. According to tweets from a writer for the Miami Herald (via Gawker), Brandt was “devastated” by the impersonation. Also, his publicist told Page Six that the show “deeply hurt him,” as “he was being made fun of because of the way he looks.” However, despite referring to the show as “mean” and “bullying,” she did acknowledge that Kimmy Schmidt “was not the reason for [Brandt’s] depression, and it was not the reason he would take his own life.”According to a number of FCC filings, robotic vacuum maker iRobot is working on an automatic lawnmower – and they’re irking radio astronomers. The project, which is still under wraps, uses low power radio beacons to delineate the corners of your yard, ensuring your robotic mower doesn’t scoot into the back forty. Unlike other automatic systems – which use wires or barriers to keep the robots corralled – the beacons emit in the 6240-6740 MHz range. This, according to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), is used to spot methanol – “interstellar wood alcohol” – in space, the presence of which means a star is being born. The FCC even states that “all practicable steps shall be taken to protect the radio astronomy service from harmful interference.” The best part? The NRAO and its astronomers are talking back to iRobot in the FCC comments. For example: iRobot: “Use of the iRobotRLM [robot lawn mower] will increase lawn mower safety. An estimated 1,517 lethal accidents occurred with lawn mowers through the years 1997 to 2010. It is reasonable to assume that many of these injuries and deaths would not occur if consumers used a robotic mower. More than 17 million gallons of fuel, mostly gasoline, are spilled each year while refueling lawn equipment. Abattery poweredRLM will reduce emissions, gasoline spills, fires and other such accidents.”NRAO: “iRobot cited multiple statistics of grim accidents and spilt gasoline to assert the public benefit of approving its wireless robotic lawn mowers. However, there is already a competitive market for robotic lawn mowers using wire loops [buried edge wire], which has somehow failed to stanch the stream of ghastly accidents and spilt gasoline that iRobot associates with the mundane practice of lawn-mowing.” Given that Colin Angle, founder of iRobot, has a MS in Computer Science and a deep background in artificial intelligence and robotics, it’s clear that this is a battle of the megaminds. It will be interesting to see both the new product – purported to be called the iRobot RLM – and how Angle and his team prevent the masking of interstellar wood alcohol spectrography. You can check out the entire document here. via SpectrumStory highlights Lake Superior State University releases its 37th annual list of banished words and phrases "Amazing," "baby bump" and "man cave" are among those people asked not to be used Others on the list include "ginormous," "win the future," and "thank you in advance" The roster of unwanted words first came about at a New Year's Eve party in 1975 If you're thinking of setting up an amazing man cave or showing off a ginormous baby bump next year, think again. A northern Michigan school on Friday released its 37th annual list of words and phrases that it believes should be "banished" from the English language, and it suggests that some classic -- and perhaps hackneyed -- should get the ax. Lake Superior State University once again solicited people online to nominate terms they consider tired, overused or simply annoying. Based on those submissions, the arbiters at the school decided to put the following on this year's chopping block: "amazing," "baby bump," "shared sacrifice," "occupy," "blowback," "man cave," "ginormous" and "the new normal." "Pet parent," "win the future," "trickeration" and "thank you in advance" also have been unofficially sentenced to linguistic exile for the crimes of excessive and inappropriate usage, according to the university in Sault Sainte Marie on the Canadian border. "Worn-out words and phrases are the new normal this year, but with some shared sacrifice, we can clean up the language and win the future," a school representative said in a written statement. "With the addition of this year's nominations, the list of words and phrases banished over the years has become ginormous." "Amazing" -- arguably one of the most overused adjectives in the English language -- topped this year's list of submissions, according to the university. "Banish it for blatant overuse and incorrect use... to stop my head from exploding," begged Paul Crutchfield from Great Britain, according to the press release. "Anderson Cooper used it three times recently in the opening 45 seconds of his program," said Sarah Howley, a resident of Kalamazoo, Michigan, referring to the CNN anchor. "My teeth grate, my hackles rise, and even my dog is getting annoyed at this senseless overuse. "I don't even like 'Amazing Grace' anymore," she complained. David Hollis from Hubbardsville, New York, insisted that not all men are enamored with the concept of the traditional man cave. "It is not just overused, it is offensive to we males who do not wish to hunker (another awful word, often misused) down in a room filled with stuffed animal heads, an unnecessarily large flat-screen TV and Hooters memorabilia," he said. "Not every man wants a recliner the size of a 1941 Packard that has a cooler in each arm and a holster for the remote. So please, assign'man cave' to the lexicographic scrap heap where it so rightly belongs." Jim Eisenmann from Madison, Wisconsin, had some free advice for politicians hitting the campaign trail in 2012: dump "win the future" or you may not win the race. "On its very face, it's an empty, meaningless phrase," he explained. "It basically says that anyone who opposes anything meant to 'win the future' must want to 'lose the future,' which is highly unlikely." "Ginormous" seemed particularly irritating this time around, with contributors complaining that its usage shows a lack of proper education. "This combination of gigantic and enormous makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck every time I hear it," said Gina Bua of Vancouver, Washington. "Each utterance reminds me of the high school drop-out that first used this offensive word in my presence." "This word is just a made-up combination of two words," adds an Andover, Maine, resident named Jason, who refused to offer his last name. "Either word is sufficient, but the combination just sounds ridiculous." As for "baby bump" -- a term used to describe a pregnant woman's rounded belly -- this "is a phrase we finally need to give birth to, then send on its way," declared Mary Sturgeon from Vancouver, British Columbia. "I'm tired of a pregnancy being reduced to a celebrity accessory. Or worse, when less-than-six-pack abs are suspected of being one," said Afton, a respondent from Portland, Oregon. Lake Superior State University's annual "word banishment" list was first created at a New Year's Eve party in 1975. The school now claims to receive tens of thousands of nominations every year.According to the National Football Post's Aaron Wilson, the Indianapolis Colts have scheduled a workout with USC linebacker/safety Su'a Cravens. Wilson notes that Cravens has a lot of visits lined up. In addition to the Colts, Cravens also has visits scheduled with the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, and New Orleans Saints. Wilson adds that Cravens has already met with the Patriots, Chargers, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions. Cravens is a hybrid player, having spent time both at outside linebacker and at safety at USC and projecting to play a similar hybrid-type role in the NFL. During his career at USC, he started 26 games and recorded 120 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, ten passes defensed, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, and seven interceptions (returning one for a touchdown). He said at his pro day that he is drawing more interest from NFL teams as a safety than he is as a linebacker. According to CBS Sports, he is projected to be a second round pick. One of the most interesting questions is where Cravens will play, as he does have the ability to help a team at both linebacker and safety. That could limit his suitors in the draft as only certain teams will have interest in a hybrid player like that, but he should find a fit at some point on day two of the draft. The question the Colts would need to ask as they contemplate Su'a Cravens is what role he would have in their defense, which could very well be the reason they want to meet with him. The Colts would likely utilize him more as a safety while still maintaining that hybrid type role.I think the New York Times has this one right. "For more than five months the United States has been trying to orchestrate a political transition in Pakistan that would manage to somehow keep Gen. Pervez Musharraf in power without making a mockery of President Bush's promotion of democracy in the Muslim world. On Saturday, those carefully laid plans fell apart spectacularly." Not since Hamas' dramatic victory in the Palestinian elections has the disconnect between Bush's democratic rhetoric and reality of U.S. policy been so starkly exposed. In the former case, Washington responded to democracy with rejection, and support for the Fatah coup. How will it respond to Musharraf's assault on the fading facade of incipient Pakistani democracy? Recall that Musharraf toppled the democratically elected president of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, in 1999. The year before Pakistan had conducted nuclear weapons tests, and been slapped with U.S. sanctions. Relations with the military dictatorship were cool until 9-11, after which Musharraf became a key U.S. ally in the "war on terror" and recipient of massive U.S. aid. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, through his deputy Richard Armitage, told Musharraf: "Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age," if he was unwilling to cooperate in the destruction of Afghanistan's Taliban regime. That regime was largely a creation of Pakistani military intelligence, and Pakistan and Saudi Arabia its main supporters. But Musharraf agreed to break ties, host U.S. forces, and even to suppress any (democratic) anti-U.S. demonstrations in his country. Using Pakistani military bases as part of its campaign, the U.S. swiftly overthrew the primitive Taliban apparatus, chased al-Qaeda and some of the Talibs across the border into Pakistan, allowed the reemergence of the Northern Alliance warlord regime with a Pashtun fig-leaf figurehead, proclaimed a great victory and then without skipping a beat shifted its attention to the wholly unrelated target of Iraq. In the border area, often described as "lawless" and never fully controlled by the central government of Pakistan, tribal leaders met the routed Afghans as well as the al-Qaeda Arabs with hospitality. In the interim, the latter have not only survived, regrouped and facilitated military opposition to the Karzai regime in Kabul, but acquired a following within Pakistan. There is now a Pakistani Taliban movement that in coalition with other anti-government Islamist movements in the country (alongside "moderate" democratic movements as well) seriously challenges Musharraf's regime. In July, in an effort to crack down on Islamist forces, the government stormed the Red Mosque in Islamabad, killing 183 according to the BBC. Tensions between the Islamists (who are well represented in the military) and Musharraf are at a boiling point, recently obliging him to reach out to political rival former prime minister Banazir Bhutto The U.S. put Musharraf in a very difficult position. "You must agree," it told him in 2001, "to help us overthrow Pakistan's own creation, the Taliban." After he did, he was told, "You must send your soldiers to places in your country they have never been deployed before, to crush the fleeing Afghans and al-Qaeda terrorists. Or we will do it for you." The region where these forces have taken refuge is, as Eric Margolis recently wrote in an excellent column, "under express constitutional guarantee of total autonomy and a ban on Pakistani troops ever entering there." Pakistani army efforts to crush them have met with dismal results, forcing Islamabad to in effect sue for peace a year ago. In September 2006 the government signed a pact with tribal groups, including the "Islamic Emirate of Waziristan" whereby the latter would prevent cross-border movement of militants into and out of Afghanistan in exchange for the government's cessation of air and ground attacks against militants in Waziristan. This met with some concern in Washington, and Voice of America announced that the pact had Mullah Omar's blessing. But Bush spokesman Tony Snow at the time said that the agreement was aimed at combating terrorism and that Islamabad had assured the U.S. the accord wouldn't undermine the hunt for Osama bin Laden. In any case, the attack on the Red Mosque led to reprisals on government forces in Waziristan and the collapse of the Waziristan Accord. The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), the collective product of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies concerning national security issues, was released last July just as the accord broke down. It declared that al-Qaeda has regained the same strength it had as of the 9-11 attacks due to (1) the "safe haven" it has enjoyed in parts of Pakistan and (2) its association with "al-Qaeda in Iraq," which has allowed it to "energize the broader Sunni extremist community, raise resources, and to recruit and indoctrinate operatives …" That set the neocons chattering about a U.S. attack on Pakistan. "I think the president's going to have to take military action there over the next few weeks or months," Bill Kristol said on Fox News. "Bush has to disrupt that sanctuary. I think, frankly, we won't even tell Musharraf. We'll do what we have to do in Western Pakistan and Musharraf can say, 'Hey, they didn't tell me.'" It got the White House talking tough. Tony Snow answering reporters' questions refused to rule out striking at targets inside Pakistan. Asked if the U.S. would seek Pakistan's permission before a strike, he said "We never rule out any options, including striking actionable targets. … Those are matters that are best not discussed publicly." He declared that Musharraf is "going to have to be more aggressive" in going after al-Qaeda in Pakistan. In fact, the U.S. had already conducted strikes. One in January 2006 a military airstrike targeting the village of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal area of northwestern Pakistan killed at least 18 people, including women and children. It apparently targeted al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. The U.S. government denied responsibility, which suggests this was a CIA operation. During the same month a missile attack killed eight people in a village in North Waziristan, prompting protests throughout the country and two official letters of protest hand delivered from the Foreign Office to U.S. embassy officials. His American allies' disregard for Pakistani sovereignty was becoming an acute embarrassment for Musharraf. Only July 20 Pakistan's Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam called US officials' comments about striking targets along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border "irresponsible and dangerous," adding, We cannot, nor should we be expect to take indiscriminate action over a large territory without any precise information about any Al Qaeda or terrorist hideout." But the following day Bush in his weekly radio address stated he was troubled by the report that al-Qaeda was gaining strength in the Pakistani tribal region. Then Frances Fragos Townsend, Bush's homeland security adviser, told CNN that if the U.S. has "actionable targets, anywhere in the world, including Pakistan, then we would respond to those targets. … There are no options off the table." This produced an immediate angry response from the Pakistani Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who told CNN: "Some people are talking irresponsibly of attack in the tribal areas by the United States. People in Pakistan get very upset when, despite all the sacrifices that Pakistan has been making, you have the sort of questions that are sometimes asked by the American media… [But] indiscriminate attacks could only undercut efforts to win hearts and minds." On July 25, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Peter Verga told an unusual joint session of the House Armed Services Committee and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, "If there were information or opportunity to strike a blow" on Pakistani territory "to protect the American people" U.S. forces would act immediately. On the same day at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, State Department Undersecretary for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns declared, "Given the primacy of the fight against al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, if we have in the future certainty of knowledge, then of course the United States would always have the option of taking action on its own." Of course this sort of talk did not go down well in Pakistan, and it had to worry the general. His goal was to survive assassination attempts and serve a third term as president. To do that, he had to get the parliament to change the constitution and prevent the Supreme Court from declaring such a move illegal. Thus, he suspended the Chief Justice in March. But the judge, Iftikhar Chaudhry, was reinstated by the Court in July, handing Musharraf a setback just as the U.S. was ratcheting up pressure on him. Thereafter, Condi Rice has been twisting his arm to accept an arrangement whereby Bhutto, back in Pakistan, can organize her Pakistan People's Party to work with him to support the "war on terror." That deal requires that he leave his Army post. Last month Musharraf won the parliamentary vote for president, but the Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether he can legitimately hold the post without resigning from the army. Perhaps anticipating a negative decision, he has now declared a state of emergency and is busy locking up political opponents and shutting down
Police's Judea and Samaria District Commander Moshe Bareket. Mike Huckabee visits Joseph's Tomb (צילום: גרגורי באדו) X "It's an amazing experience to have to come to this type of difficulty just to be able to come to a holy site for Jews and frankly even for Christians, who pay tribute to Joseph," Huckabee said. "To have to do it in the dead of night, under armed guard, with the smell of tear gas in the air, burning tires along the route, it's a stark reminder (to how different) it is in the heart of Israel, where the Israeli government protects every Muslim that accesses their holy site," he added. "In Judea and Samaria Jewish people do not have unhindered access to holy sites without having to go to extraordinary lengths in order to be able to access these places for prayer," Huckabee bemoaned. Huckabee, right, with GOC Central Command Roni Numa, center, and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, left (Photo: Meir Bracha) Dagan, who also met with US Ambassador in Israel David Friedman ahead of his nighttime visit to Joseph's Tomb, said of his guest Huckabee, "We were fortunate tonight to enter Joseph's Tomb with a Zionist man, Israel's friend Mike Huckabee, who can teach many of us about God's love. People from all across the country and all over the world came here to realize their natural right of worship." "We regret that we have to come here at such a late hour," Dagan went on to say, adding that he wishes the Israeli government acts in a way "that honors the Jewish people and the State of Israel and apply its sovereignty (here)." "A moment before the US president who is Israel's biggest supporter lands here, it's important we remember to protect our interests, because no one will protect them for us," he continued.The name Elaine Benes is but one important vowel away from “Elaine Bones.” This is among the things one learns when visiting jerryseinfeldsskeleton.com, and it comes as close as anything to supplying a raison d’être for the stubbornly odd, defiantly meaningless Tumblr, which recreates memorable moments from the television show Seinfeld with walking, talking skeletons in place of Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine. Other characters in the series, like the Soup Nazi, are typically represented as flesh-and-blood human beings. Newman, naturally, has been replaced by Shrek. The Tumblr, which is currently nearing 10,000 followers in only about a month of existence, is created with the sandbox physics game Garry’s Mod, which proudly declares itself to have no objectives and no winners, making it a perfect fit for the famed “show about nothing.” The artist behind the Tumblr is one Bryce Maciel, who also seems to be something of a gamer and must be tired of answering how he generates these images, since the title of his site as it appears today is “I Make These With Garry’s Mod Stop Asking Please.” Generally, however, the artist is surprised and pleased by the response to his work and is open to requests. “Thank you guys,” he tells his followers, “for loving my stupid hobby so much.” Maciel claims to spend anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour per image and is currently working on a way to animate the skeletons. As of now, however, visitors to the Tumblr will have to content themselves with eerie, unsettling, computer-generated tableaux in which four neurotic, selfish New Yorkers go through their very familiar routines, only without the benefit of skin, muscles, or internal organs. Even though they’re normally hyper-focused on minutia, this particular development does not seem to have phased them one bit. Advertisement [via Mashable]Yes, you read that title right. As reported by Ars Technica, the Russian hack group Turla has found a unique way to keep the URL of their command and control server secret: by posting it on Britney Spears's Instagram. The command and control server is what malware typically communicates with to receive instructions and where it offloads stolen data from the victim. On the surface, creating a C&C server seems simple but it's actually a difficult problem for malware makers to solve. The malware needs to know what server to communicate with but simply coding that in doesn't make for very good malware. Security analysts can simply go through the source code, find the URL, and issue a patch that blocks traffic to that server. This is similar to what helped bring down the WannaCry ransomware attack. To ensure the malware knows who to talk to without anyone else knowing, Turla implemented a simple yet brilliant approach to locating the control server. The group deliberately placed comments on certain Instagram posts that could be referenced by the malware. The software would then scan and hash each comment until it found one that returned a certain value (183 in this case). Then by simply running an mathematical expression on the characters of the comment, the C&C URL was able to be obtained. Since the server is never directly referenced in the comment or the source code, the malware was very hard to detect. The actual comment in question was "#2hot make loveid to her, uupss #Hot #X" and contained several non-printable Unicode characters to help create the URL.Caffeine is a most widely consumed physiological stimulant worldwide, which is consumed via natural sources, such as coffee and tea, and now marketed sources such as energy drinks and other dietary supplements. This wide use has led to concerns regarding the safety of caffeine and its proposed beneficial role in alertness, performance and energy expenditure and side effects in the cardiovascular system. The question remains "Which dose is safe?", as the population does not appear to adhere to the strict guidelines listed on caffeine consumption. Studies in humans and animal models yield controversial results, which can be explained by population, type and dose of caffeine and low statistical power. This review will focus on comprehensive and critical review of the current literature and provide an avenue for further study.Image caption The PLA is the largest army in the world China has banned its 2.3 million soldiers from internet blogging, state media report. A new regulation prohibits the People's Liberation Army (PLA) from creating websites or blogs, citing confidentiality concerns, the official Xinhua news agency says. China operates vast internet censorship, dubbed the "great firewall of China". Websites deemed sensitive by the government are routinely blocked. "Soldiers cannot open blogs on the internet no matter (whether) he or she does it in the capacity of a soldier or not," Xinhua quoted Wan Long, a political commissar of the PLA, as saying. "The internet is complicated and we should guard against online traps". The directive, which went into effect on 15 June, also banned military employees from placing job-hunting or lonely hearts advertisements in the media.“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” – Carol Burnett Chаngе is оftеn thе tаllеѕt mоuntаin fоr us. We fight change, find it diffiсult, аnd find it оnе оf the most challenging еvеntѕ. Thе quеѕtiоn iѕ why iѕ change ѕо еxigеnt? How often do we hear thе wоrdѕ; “I dоn’t wаnt tо сhаngе. Why dоеѕ еvеrуthing hаvе tо сhаngе? I wаnt thingѕ tо ѕtау еxасtlу thе wау thеу аrе.” Wе find сhаngе diffiсult, but it iѕ a nаturаl lаw thаt gоеѕ оn with оr withоut оur agreement. Nothing stays the ѕаmе, nо mаttеr how it might appear on the оutѕidе. Thеrе iѕ nоthing in thiѕ knоwn universe thаt еxiѕtѕ without change. If you lооk tо nаturе, you will nоtiсе thаt nothing in nature ѕtауѕ thе ѕаmе. It is thе natural оrdеr оf thе universe tо gо forward. Bесаuѕе оf оur consciousness, wе аrе thе оnlу ѕресiеѕ thаt resists and fears change. In thаt соnѕсiоuѕnеѕѕ wе hаvе соmе tо knоw fеаr; fear оf thе unknоwn, fеаr of the future, аnd fear of change. Sometime you hаvе tо sacrifice whаt you аrе fоr whаt уоu may become. Thаt is whаt сhаngе iѕ аbоut. Lеtting go of whаt no longer works for you in уоur lifе and embracing what givеѕ уоu joy аnd реrѕоnаl fulfillmеnt. Whеn I wаntеd to rеtirе frоm mу business оf 25 уеаrѕ, but was nоt rеаllу rеаdу tо “rеtirе”, I was оvеrwhеlmеd with thе fear thаt thеrе was nоthing еlѕе I could possible do. Thеrе wаѕ definitely fear of сhаngе and of bringing in thе nеw, but I knеw that withоut some kind оf сhаngе I wоuld juѕt ѕtаgnаtе аnd bесоmе resentful. Hаvе you еvеr rеаlizеd that a раrtiсulаr thing or ѕituаtiоn in уоur life nееdѕ to сhаngе, but you juѕt саnnоt сrеаtе thе motivation to mаkе that сhаngе? It саuѕеѕ уоu pain, but thе fеаr оf thе unknоwn keeps уоu dоing thе ѕаmе old thing with the ѕаmе оld rеѕultѕ. Thе еаѕiеѕt wау to mаkе any сhаngе iѕ firѕt tо сhаngе уоur mindѕеt. Bе willing to accept сhаngе in your lifе. Chаngе iѕ all about еvоking уоur соnѕсiоuѕnеѕѕ. It iѕ thаt ѕimрlе, but nоt always that еаѕу to dо. The bеѕt wау tо change your mind is through rереtitiоn, whiсh iѕ how уоu created thе the ѕituаtiоn in the first рlасе; bу fосuѕing аnd thinking thе ѕituаtiоn intо reality. If уоu wаnt tо change, thеn thrоugh a repetition of thоughtѕ, your ѕubсоnѕсiоuѕ will ѕtаrt сrеаting thе new аnd letting gо of thе оld. It iѕ аll in thе hardwiring оf thе brаin. Your ѕubсоnѕсiоuѕ iѕ likе thе gеniе in thе bоttlе whо wаntѕ to grаnt your еvеrу wish. The important раrt is tо mаkе ѕurе уоu send уоur gеniе consistent, сlеаr and intеntiоnаl соmmаndѕ. Thеrе аrе a lоt оf confused аnd messed uр gеniеѕ waiting fоr clear directions. Accept change as a wеlсоmе guest, because lifе dоеѕ ѕuрроrt uѕ аnd change bringѕ in nеw орроrtunitiеѕ fоr grоwth, renewal аnd jоу. If we саn change оur реrѕресtivе аrоund change, thеn wе bеgin tо еxраnd оur opportunities. Without сhаngе, thеrе саn bе nо еxсitеmеnt, adventure оr раѕѕiоn. I bеliеvе сhаngе iѕ imроrtаnt to еmbrасе in оur lives. Withоut change there iѕ stagnation аnd then death. Gоing forward mаkеѕ сhаngе a divinе mаnifеѕtаtiоn. Change iѕ thе grаnd adventure of self. Embrасе сhаngе and trаnѕfоrmаtiоn bеginѕ. “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale Benefits оf Embracing Change I have come tо realize thаt the оnlу thing that will make a person ѕuссееd frоm past fаilurеѕ iѕ tо allow ѕоmе сhаngеѕ on life. I hаvе hаd to change mу lifе in a big wау bу аgrееing tо dо thingѕ diffеrеntlу. Tаking a different direction from thе one thаt iѕ nоt hеаding tо ѕuссеѕѕ is very nесеѕѕаrу. Pеорlе who succeed in lifе dо so because they take step towards thе right direction. Thеѕе аrе tеn rеаѕоnѕ сhаngе iѕ good fоr уоu; 1. Change bringѕ new орроrtunitiеѕ You саn соmрlаin оf gеtting thе ѕаmе rеѕult if уоu continue dоing thе same thing thе ѕаmе wау. If уоu dеѕirе tо сhаngе, уоu have gоt tо start dоing thingѕ diffеrеntlу. I оnlу hарреn to change my life whеn I gеt to think аnd dо things diffеrеntlу. 2. Change mау be fast аnd nоt раinful Pеорlе fеаr сhаngе bесаuѕе they mау not bе aware оf whаt it may bring. Thеrе are still others whо hаvе a ѕоrt оf a ‘burеаuсrаtiс mind’. Thеѕе are the реорlе whо do not allow change еаѕilу. Tо thеm, change iѕ rаthеr ѕlоw аnd раinful. I wаѕ in that саtеgоrу but I саmе to rеаlizе that to сhаngе mу life, I hаvе to реrсеivе сhаngе as fast and painless exercise. At the mоmеnt, I view change as a рrосеѕѕ that I wоuld wiѕh tо bе раrt оf mе. 3. Chаngе орtimizеѕ уоur роtеntiаl Chаngе iѕ very nесеѕѕаrу tо optimize уоur роtеntiаl. If you wiѕh tо have thе bеѕt of hеаlth, уоu will hаvе tо сhаngе уоur diеt if nоt good. If уоu аrе ѕеt tо mаkе gооd mоnеу, уоu will hаvе tо rееxаminе thе money making ѕtrаtеgiеѕ thаt уоu have in рlасе. It may require уоu tо сhаngе thе wау уоu do buѕinеѕѕ. 4. Make rооm fоr more ѕuссеѕѕ Your success only еxраndѕ аѕ fаr аѕ уоu еxраnd. Chаngе аllоwѕ уоu tо grоw аnd expand уоur реrсерtiоnѕ, beliefs аnd реrfоrmаnсе – аnd that’s what you wаnt because your ѕuссеѕѕ will соmе in dirесt рrороrtiоn. In оrdеr to make rооm fоr thе nеw, уоu must dо аwау with the old. Look аt embracing сhаngе as your орроrtunitу to embrace thе ѕuссеѕѕ you hаvе аlwауѕ desired. Of соurѕе, уоu could аlѕо lооk аt it another way. Fоr еvеrу piece of rеѕiѕtаnсе thаt уоu рut uр against change, уоu are аlѕо rеѕiѕting a рiесе оf your ѕuссеѕѕ. Don’t lеt limiting beliefs hоld уоu back оr fеаr of the unknоwn. Think – what’s the worst thаt can hарреn? Mоrе times thаn nоt change will have a vеrу роѕitivе оutсоmе in уоur business. Nоw whаt dо you think about embracing change? 5. Change саn gеt уоu out оf a rut. Rоutinеѕ can bе comfortable, аnd саn make уоu fееl likе уоur lifе iѕ in control. But thеу саn аlѕо lead tо you fаlling intо a rut. A сhаngе саn ѕhаkе thingѕ uр in nеw аnd exciting wауѕ. 6. Change еnсоurаgеѕ grоwth. Dеаling with thе сhаngеѕ in уоur life ѕоmеtimеѕ mеаnѕ ѕtеррing “outside оf the box.” In оrdеr to dеаl with the сhаngеѕ, уоu might hаvе tо сhаngе, grow, аnd learn, аll оf whiсh can make уоu a bеttеr, mоrе fulfillеd реrѕоn. 7. Change саn mаkе уоu fееl good аbоut уоurѕеlf. True, an unexpected сhаngе can mаkе уоu fееl uncertain, even раniсkеd. But еmbrасing the сhаngе enough to dеаl with it еffесtivеlу can mаkе уоu feel рrоud аnd ассоmрliѕhеd, giving you thе sense thаt you can hаndlе аnу сhаllеngе lifе dесidеѕ to throw at you. 8. Embracing сhаngе increases your ability tо be flеxiblе. Thе mоrе оftеn уоu expose уоurѕеlf tо сhаngе, thе mоrе likеlу you аrе tо bесоmе аn еxреrt in flexibility. You will lеаrn tо adapt tо nеw ѕituаtiоnѕ, nеw еnvirоnmеntѕ, аnd new реорlе, ultimаtеlу hеlрing you ѕtау саlm as a сuсumbеr nо mаttеr whаt life thrоwѕ уоur wау. 9. Chаngеѕ kеер things intеrеѕting. Lifе would be inсrеdiblу bоring if everything аlwауѕ stayed thе ѕаmе. Yes, уоu would рrоbаblу be happy еаting a Nеw England Classic еvеrу dау for thе rеѕt of your life, but wоuld уоu really wаnt tо wait in the dinnеr lines аt Lоwеr every dау fоr thе rеѕt of уоur lifе? Didn’t think ѕо. Bу еmbrасing change, уоu аrе guaranteeing yourself аn intеrеѕting life full оf unеxресtеd оссurrеnсеѕ. 10. Chаngе helps you develop values аnd bеliеfѕ Learning a nеw thing, оr finding оut ѕоmеthing iѕ different to уоur оriginаl реrсерtiоnѕ mау involve rе-аѕѕеѕѕmеnt оf уоur bеliеf ѕуѕtеm. Being ореn tо nеw thinking аnd nеw wауѕ tо аррrоасh diffiсultiеѕ will always dеlivеr knowledge, even if that knоwlеdgе ѕimрlу reaffirms уоur еxiѕting bеliеf system. A win win ѕituаtiоn. Cоnсluѕiоn Chаngе can ѕоmеtimеѕ bе ѕсаrу, but it really is thе kеу tо ultimate success both in lifе аnd in buѕinеѕѕ. What are уоu really аfrаid of аnуwау? It mау not always feel соmfоrtаblе, but thе more willing you аrе to embrace change, thе lеѕѕ раinful it uѕuаllу is and thе mоrе ѕuссеѕѕ уоu will еxреriеnсе. Thеrе iѕ no single key to overcoming thе anxiety уоu mау fееl whеn еmbrасing change. The imроrtаnt thing to rеmеmbеr is thаt there аrе vеrу еxсiting results wаiting fоr уоu on the оthеr ѕidе, уоu juѕt nееd tо embrace сhаngе with a wеlсоmе mаt. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill SaveSaveFor anyone who’s ever been motion sick, this advice should sound familiar: “Look at something that isn’t moving”. For some of us it works like a charm, and to this day the medical profession…isn’t really sure what’s going on. With the advent of consumer grade VR, the unfortunate prevalence of simulator sickness might require a large segment of us to keep a can of ginger ale and a wastebasket at arms reach. Such was the case for Dr. David Whittinghill and his research team at Purdue University, after enthusiastically taking the Oculus DK1 for a whirl and almost losing their lunch in the process. According to mainstream research, simulator sickness and motion sickness are actually two distinct phenomena, albeit with several overlapping manifestations and triggers. Dr. Whittinghill presented 3 popular theories to explain sim-sickness: 1) Sensory Conflict Theory, which is when your eyes and inner ear are sending conflicting information to your brain. 2) Postural Instability Theory, which claims that uncontrolled instability in your posture can induce nausea and other symptoms. 3) Oculomotor systems theory, which speculates that the body’s attempt to adapt to the unnatural movement and stimulus of a simulated reality causes fatigue and the onset of sickness. The Doctor was understandably crestfallen when he found he couldn’t spend more than 10 minutes inside the DK1 before the onset of severe discomfort. His team didn’t fare much better. One day, one of his researchers happened upon a demo that put the player inside the cockpit of an enormous battlemech. To his surprise, his sickness tolerance improved significantly. The rumor became that having a fixed visual reference point directly in the player’s field of view, (in this case, the cockpit frame and dashboard of the piloted mech), provided 3 key alleviating effects: 1) A focal point for the eyes to rest on as needed when motion outside the cockpit was disorienting 2) A more natural replication of a real physical context (sitting in a vehicle with a static foreground and dynamic background) 3) A simulation that allows for the brain to anticipate movement, and set expectations for the effects, by giving full locomotive control to the player. Eureka! This example, along with many other pieces of anecdotal evidence, suggested that a method of incorporating fixed visual references into VR games could have a big impact on the frequency and severity of sim-sickness in VR. However, the solution couldn’t be intrusive or distracting – it needed to blend into the scenery as a subtle but universal reference point. In a stroke of ingenuity, Dr. Whittinghill came up with…Noses. Using the popular Tuscany Villa and Roller Coaster demos as templates, Dr. Whittinghill and his team subtly incorporated the contours of a nose on each corresponding side of the display, exactly where it would appear in ones’ peripheral vision. In real life we’re hardly ever aware that the sides of our nose actually take up some real estate in the inner corners of our visual field – it’s always out of focus and our brains are used to ignoring it. They were curious as to whether that perception would both translate accurately into VR and if it could serve to reduce sim-sickness by serving as the subtle fixed reference point they were looking for. A basic study was conducted, with an experiment group (nose) and control group (sans nose). Not only did the presence of the nose increase the sickness-free playtime for the experiment group, but bizarrely enough, not one participant realized the nose was there until the researchers pointed it out on a flat-panel monitor. Indeed, the VR nose was just as quasi-invisible as our real ones are, and yet seemed to have an actual effect on the onset and severity of sim-sickness. So what have Dr. Whittinghill and his team proved? Unfortunately there are still more questions than answers. Perhaps there’s a mechanism at work related to proprioception that helps calibrate our sense of spacial orientation, giving us a buffer against other sensory conflicts. Perhaps it’s something else entirely. Larger studies need to be conducted to rule out a multitude of variables. Nevertheless, one promising and verifiable result showed that there was absolutely no variance in effect based on race, gender or age, suggesting that whatever is going on affects everyone in largely the same way. We know we get sick when “seeing” and “feeling” are out of sync. Palmer Lucky has been quoted saying that “things that make you sick in real life will make you sick in VR”. But even avoiding those kinds of experiences is no guarantee of relief. Our bodies are finely attuned and accustomed to the normal physical forces that act on us every day. We generally aren’t conscious of these forces, but our sensory systems anticipate their effects and rely on their predictability in order for our brain to process and interpret those signals accurately. Otherwise we get eaten by a lion and evolution wins. In virtual reality, merely the illusion of discordant sensory input can tie a stomach in knots. The exact physiological pathways and root causes of why we respond in such a nasty way to this kind of discoordination are still unclear. It’s also a mystery why there seems to be significant variance in individual susceptibility to sim-sickness. For as long as these issues persist, it presents a significant hurdle to mainstream proliferation of VR. At the very least, Dr. Whittinghill’s research ought to prompt more experimentation in incorporating visual elements that help alleviate disorientation and nausea. You don’t need a VR nose to realize how much sim-sickness stinks.Hillary Clinton gave the go-ahead for outside groups to have Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stalked by operatives in Donald Duck costumes in a possible violation of federal election law, according to an undercover video released Monday. The latest footage from Project Veritas Action showed Robert Creamer, a campaign consultant with Democracy Partners, saying that the Democratic presidential nominee asked to have Mr. Trump followed by “Donald Duck” at campaign events to ask why he was “ducking” the release of his tax returns. “And, in the end, it was the candidate, Hillary Clinton, the future president of the United States, who wanted ducks on the ground and so, by God, we will get ducks on the ground,” said Mr. Creamer in the video conversation with a Project Veritas investigator. Mr. Creamer added: “Don’t repeat that to anybody.” Donald Duck look-alikes appeared on the campaign trail at rallies for Mr. Trump and running mate Mike Pence holding signs with messages such as, “Donald ducks releasing his taxes.” Scott Foval, national field director for Americans United for Change, said in the video that he actually wore the Donald Duck costume himself at an event. James O’Keefe, president of Project Veritas, accused the Clinton campaign, Democratic National Committee and consultants of running afoul of election law by coordinating on the strategy, describing it as an “illegal dark-money conspiracy.” He said a campaign expert told Project Veritas that the video showed “political activity opposing Trump, paid for by Americans United for Change funds, but controlled by Clinton and her campaign.” “The connection between Creamer, President Obama and Hillary Clinton is undeniable, as are the campaign law violations,” said Mr. O’Keefe on the video. “If it looks like a duck, if it talks like a duck and it walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. They broke the law.” The video was the third released in the last week after a yearlong undercover operation into behind-the-scenes Democratic chicanery led by Mr. O’Keefe, who has promised to post more footage by the Nov. 8 election. After the release last week of the first two videos, Mr. Creamer said he had stepped down from his role with the presidential campaign, while another Mr. Foval was fired. Mr. Creamer, who is married to Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky, Illinois Democrat, was linked to President Obama last week after visitor logs showed he has visited the White House 342 times since 2009, including 47 trips to the Oval Office. Mrs. Clinton told reporters Thursday that she knew nothing about the dirty tricks shown in the videos, while other Democrats have called into question the veracity of the footage, arguing that Project Veritas has a history of selectively editing its posts. “It’s a video of someone who has a track record of doctoring videos,” said Clinton strategist Joel Benenson on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “These people have resigned; whether they were talking to him on camera or whether they had some snipped there that’s been manipulated and taken out of context, I don’t know.” He also said he was “pretty confident” that there were no other Democratic operatives engaged in similar secretive activity. The liberal group ThinkProgress reported last week that the Trump Foundation paid $10,000 to Project Veritas in May 2015, using data provided by the foundation to The Washington Post. Project Veritas spokesman Stephen Gordon said that the Trump donation “didn’t impact our actions one way or the other,” saying that the group has a “multimillion-dollar budget, and the cost of this video series alone is way up there.” Mr. Trump pointed to the videos last week as an example of sleazy tactics designed to disrupt his campaign. “James O’Keefe makes all of the major editorial decisions here,” Mr. Gordon said in an email. “We rely on donations and have thousands of generous people all across the country who help us expose the truth that the mainstream media refused to cover.” Project Veritas and the Public Interest Legal Foundation filed complaints last week with the Federal Election Commission asking for an investigation into illegal campaign coordination between the Clinton campaign, DNC and third-party groups. The latest video offered more evidence that Democrats hoped to incite Trump supporters at rallies in skirmishes that would draw media attention. “Provide protection. Because, I got to tell you, I think this duck is going to get roughed up somewhere,” said Americans United for Change president Brad Woodhouse in the footage. Mr. Creamer responded, “Oh, I’m sure,” while Mr. Woodhouse added, “Somewhere someone is going to rip his costume off.” Mr. Foval said he personally encountered aggression while wearing the duck costume. “Because once they pull out these signs, Trump supporters literally start throwing punches at you,” Mr. Foval said in the video, adding later, “I almost got punched on Monday morning. I mean, I was in a duck costume.” The video featured long discussions about copyright issues with Disney regarding the duck, which looks like its character Donald Duck, and DNC involvement with the project. DNC spokeswoman Jenna Price said on hidden camera that the party and Americans United for Change were working together on the duck project, even though the DNC told The Wall Street Journal in September that it no longer had responsibility for the campaign tactic. “We kind of divvy up responsibilities,” said Ms. Price. “So sometimes it will be like campaign-owned.” One reason for the switch was DNC interim chair Donna Brazile’s relationship with the Disney-ABC Television Group, said Mr. Creamer. “They [Disney] said it was a trademark issue. It’s not, but Donna Brazile had a connection with them and she didn’t want to get sued,” Mr. Creamer said on the video. “You know, something. So we switched the ownership of the duck to Americans United for Change, and now our signs say, ‘Trump ducks releasing his tax returns.’ And we haven’t had any more trouble.” Ms. Brazile served as an ABC News commentator before taking the interim DNC post in July, and while the network has suspended her role, she continues to make appearances on programs such as “This Week.” But Mr. Creamer made it clear the Donald Duck strategy was green-lighted by Mrs. Clinton herself: “We originally launched this duck because Hillary Clinton wants the duck.” Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Jesse Jackson: After Dallas and Baton Rouge, we need action Police guard the emergency room entrance of Our Lady Of The Lake Medical Center, where wounded officers were brought, in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday, July 17, 2016. Multiple law enforcement officers were killed and wounded Sunday morning in a shooting near a gas station in Baton Rouge, less than two weeks after a black man was shot and killed by police here, sparking nightly protests across the city. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) As the Republican Party holds its national convention in Cleveland, Americans have been shaken by the shootings of police in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La., following the police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge and Falcon Heights, Minn. I spoke at the funeral of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, weeping with his family and friends, as they remembered and mourned their loved one. I spoke later at the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, leaders of the police in different communities, and witnessed their tears as they mourned the deaths of their fellow police officers in Baton Rouge. Advertisement: Replay Ad Ads by ZINC There is a national call for mourning, for a conversation, for peace. But we need more than a conversation, more than weeping for our lost loved ones. We need common sense and action. The police now are stupefied. They face people armed with weapons of war — assault rifles designed for battlefields, not for American street corners. There is no defense against snipers armed with such weapons. These weapons can take down planes. They can slaughter crowds. They can pick off police. Incredibly, people have the right to carry these weapons of mass destruction openly in various states. No police chief in America supports easy access to military style weapons. They want these weapons banned. The ban used to have bipartisan support. Now the gun lobby has turned it into partisan gridlock. Those who bluster loudly that they are champions of law and order and of the police vote at the same time to allow their enemies to be armed to the teeth. But the police are crying out even as they are being buried: Protect us from these weapons. Some on the right denounce Black Lives Matter, blaming the protesters for fanning antagonism toward the police that triggers the attacks on them. This doesn’t make sense. Black Lives Matter’s nonviolent demonstrations began after numerous
State wrapped up the national championship in Urban Meyer's third season (2014), Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh. The look, feel and future of the Big Ten changed right then and there. If nothing else, it then had two rock-star coaches -- one with an itchier Twitter finger (Harbaugh) than the other, but we digress. Not only were Harbaugh and Meyer competing with each other, the rest of the conference was trying to catch up with them. Don't forget Mark Dantonio beat both last year en route to a third Big Ten title in five years. After the Notre Dame win, it doesn't look like the Spartans are going to give up the title easily. Iowa stepped up financially with coach Kirk Ferentz who seemingly can lose to North Dakota State a few more times and still be safe. Ferentz has an extension now out through 2026. Nothing else was working for Illinois, why not hire a former NFL coach (Lovie Smith) and pay him $21 million over six years? You can't judge a conference without scraping the bottom. The bottom of the Big Ten isn't... terrible. Only the state of Illinois (both Northwestern and Illinois) is under.500. The SEC will kick and scream at this assertion. The league has seven ranked in the top 20 itself. But remember, we're only talking about in the moment. The Big Ten's body of work is superior even if it is only Week 4. In this age of the 140-character reaction, nothing is forever. Much will be revealed as conference play unwinds. Wisconsin will fall out of it or not with consecutive games against Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska. Michigan doesn't go on the road for the first time until Oct 8 (at Rutgers). Nebraska has a chance to start 7-0 before an Oct. 29 trip to Wisconsin. Ohio State has won by more combined points (133) than all by 14 have scored. As for Appleby and Etling, well, they just didn't make it at Purdue. But it's a good thing for the SEC they transferred. Etling was 2-10 as a starter for the Boilermakers but seems to be the guy to replace Brandon Harris. Appleby? Someone must be concerned about him. A Tennessee fan started a GoFundMe page for the quarterback's impending "funeral." Credit the all-powerful Big Ten, cradle of backup quarterbacks? More, please, of Action Jackson: Bobby Petrino revealed to CBS Sports this week a surprising nugget regarding his superstar quarterback. Petrino offered Lamar Jackson having not seen the Boynton Beach (Fla.) play in person."That's been one of my golden rules," Petrino said, "Don't take anybody unless you see them throw in person. You don't really know until you see the ball come out of his hand." Petrino admitted to being a bit bowled over by Jackson as a person, that the athletic ability was almost secondary. "The first time I watched video of him, I thought, 'Man what an athlete. So quick, just great feet,'" the coach said. "I got to talk to him. I really liked his personality because he never saw anything negative. To be that positive an outlook, I was really happy about. "Then he wanted to commit and I've never taken a quarterback I didn't see throw the ball in person before. We went ahead and took that commitment." The results have been amazing. Jackson would be the overwhelming winner of the September Heisman (if there were such a thing). As a freshman, Jackson set Louisville's career record for quarterback rushing. This season, he is No. 2 nationally overall in rushing (next to San Diego State tailback Donnel Pumphrey). "The running style, I don't know if there is anybody you can compare it you," Petrino said. "There have been comparisons to Michael [Vick]. The way the ball comes out of his hands, the way it snaps out of his hands reminds me of Jake Plummer." Petrino was Arizona State's quarterbacks coach in 1992 when Plummer came through the program. Plummer eventually played 10 years in the NFL. "He's so far ahead as far as his knowledge of offense and defense and drops and timing," Petrino added. "Last year we played him because he had such great athletic ability. He didn't know a whole lot of the offense. We'd have a couple of formation packages for him... He's developing now into a real quarterback." What happens when this kid really matures? Big 12 piling on: If you're a senior at Texas Tech, you've seen Kliff Kingsbury's amazing offense score an amazing 208 touchdowns in his 41 career games. That's an average of 5.07 touchdowns and 39 points per game. Logic would dictate the Red Raiders could -- at worst -- outscore most teams. Not even close. On defense, Texas Tech has given up an equal amount of touchdowns in that span -- 208, the most by a Power Five team since 2013. Kingsbury is 21-20 in those 41 games at the beginning of his head coaching career. That stat begins to explain the Big 12's current downturn. The league has a whole has had to outscore folks to win. When it doesn't, embarrassing things happen. Since 2013, the Big 12 has finished no worse than second nationally in scoring. This season it leads everyone by far averaging 39 points per game. But the Big 12 is down, probably out of the playoff in September. We all know that. The bottom has fallen out, defensively, in a defensively challenged league. It wasn't too long ago Baylor had a top 25 defense. TCU usually fields top 10 defenses under Gary Patterson. In the Horned Frogs last 16 games, they've given up more than 28 points per game. The last three quality teams Oklahoma has played (Clemson, Houston, Ohio State) have exposed the Sooners' defensively. It is 93rd currently in scoring defense. The current situation, though, has to be worse than 2014. On Pick 'Em Day that year, both TCU and Baylor were left out of the first College Football Playoff. Combined record, 22-2. As of now, the Big 12 has 10 more weeks to suffer the virtual certainty of not having its name called on this year's Pick 'Em Day, Dec. 4. Not all bad at UCLA: Adrian Klemm has been shamed. He admits -- as does the NCAA -- the UCLA assistant arranged for two recruits to train in Arizona at a facility operated by a former NFL player. But why couldn't the NCAA include in its report that, according to a source, Klemm reported the violation to coach Jim Mora? The violations were Level II, not major. The case was dealt with through summary disposition meaning no one disputes the findings. So why not preserve a guy's reputation by at least including in the findings he turned himself in?Two-in-three Canadians say the Senate is “too damaged” to ever earn their goodwill Four-in-ten call for Red Chamber to be abolished, even at cost of a constitutional fight May 3, 2016 – As Mike Duffy returns to the Red Chamber this week for the first time in three years, a new public opinion poll from the Angus Reid Institute (ARI) indicates most Canadians believe progress has been made on the spending and other issues that have plagued the Senate for decades. That said, they’re far from convinced that changes made in the wake of several senate-related scandals mark the end the institution’s perception problems. Indeed, two-in-three Canadians (64%) say the Upper House is “too damaged to ever earn their goodwill”, while nearly two-in-five respondents call for the Senate to be abolished altogether – the vast majority of whom are willing to re-open a constitutional can of worms in order to see it happen. Key Findings: More than nine-in-ten Canadians continue to call for further Senate reform (55%) or outright abolition (39%). Six per cent say the institution should be “left alone” The majority calling for abolition also say they’re willing to open a Constitutional debate in order to see it happen (71%) Most Canadians (58%) say implemented Senate reforms help solve some of the Red Chamber’s problems, but most (64%) say it’s too damaged to overcome any malice Canadians feel End of Duffy doesn’t end Senate troubles: During the three-plus years he was under investigation, suspended, on trial and fulsomely acquitted, Mike Duffy became the poster-child for all the ills of Canada’s Senate. Even after being cleared of any wrongdoing, the P.E.I. Senator – and the institution itself – remains the subject of skepticism. Canadians followed the trial closely – particularly during the 2015 election campaign, when three-in-five reported at least seeing some news and having the odd conversation about it. Attention has ebbed slightly since then, but most (53%) still say they’ve followed the news of Duffy’s acquittal at least somewhat closely. The conclusion of these legal proceedings appears to have done little to shore up public confidence in the institution for which some have said it was a proxy trial. As seen in the following graph, two-in-three Canadians (64%) agree with the statement “the Senate is too damaged to ever earn my goodwill,” fully four times more than the number (15%) who think there wasn’t much wrong with it in the first place. Older Canadians have the most jaded view of the Senate. Fewer than one-in-ten (8%) of those 55 and older say the chamber wasn’t in need of reform, compared to nearly one-in-four younger Canadians (23%) who feel the same – a generation gap likely attributable to the older generation’s fatigue with an institution that has arguably been plagued by scandal for most of their lifetimes, compared to younger Canadians who may be less engaged by – or familiar with – the history of Senate scandals. Reforms already underway For all their skepticism about the Senate’s ability to change, however, most Canadians say the Senate Duffy returns to this week is already better than it was when he was suspended in 2013. Since the expenses scandal began, members of the Red Chamber have set about a modest program of self-reform, updating and clarifying the rules that Duffy, Pamela Wallin, and Patrick Brazeau were all accused of violating. Among the examples: senators are no longer allowed to charge the institution for the cost of international travel; they must provide copies of their tax returns, drivers’ licenses, and health cards if they maintain a second residence; and they will soon have their attendance records posted online. Most Canadians see these changes as improvements, and nearly half say the same about the Trudeau government’s new process for appointing Senators as independents: Again, there is an age divide in responses to this question, with older Canadians much more likely to say each change is an improvement, and younger Canadians more likely to anticipate that they’ll make no difference or to be unsure. Interestingly, this age divide does not show up in responses to a similar question about the efficacy of Senate reforms already underway. Asked whether they agree or disagree with the statement “these changes will help solve the problems with the senate,” some 58 per cent of respondents agree, and this proportion is roughly the same across all three age groups (see comprehensive tables for greater detail). Most want even more reform … Though most feel steps in the right direction have been made, few Canadians are satisfied that enough has been done to “fix” the Senate. Indeed, many don’t deem it fixable at all. When presented with three main choices for the future of the nation’s chamber of sober second thought, more than half (55%) say the body must be reformed further, and another four-in-ten (39%) say, ultimately, the body will need to be abolished. This leaves just six per cent of Canadians who say they’re satisfied with the Senate as it is. Canadians’ desire for abolition is unchanged in the past year, but has declined since the outbreak of the latest scandal. In November of 2013, driven by the suspensions of Brazeau, Wallin and Duffy, fully half of Canadians said abolition was the right route to pursue. This dropped to 41 per cent in March 2015, and is statistically unchanged – at 39 per cent – in this most recent wave of polling: … And they’re willing to change the constitution to get it Any significant changes to the Senate – examples of which may include electing Senators – require a constitutional amendment. Such a change must have, at minimum, the support of seven of the provincial legislatures, and the representation of 50 per cent of the population, the so-called “7+50 formula”. Abolition, in fact, must be unanimously supported by the provinces. And while this formula has frustrated previous governments’ attempts at reform, those most strongly in support of major change have few qualms about the potential struggle changing the constitution could entail. Canadians overwhelmingly support efforts to change the constitution in order to further reform the Senate. Fully seven-in-ten (71%) say that Senate abolition or reform is important enough to justify attempting to amend the constitution for the first time since the failures of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords more than two decades ago. The appetite for a constitutional amendment is particularly high among those who support abolition. Here, more than eight-in-ten (82%) support such an endeavor. Just over two-thirds of those who support reform measures say the constitution is fair game, while among those few who say the Senate should be left as is, the opposite is true: 69 per cent in this camp say this isn’t a high enough priority to wade into a constitutional battle. Provincially, constitutional change garners majority support across the country. Saskatchewan residents are particularly enthusiastic – 82 per cent see the issue as worthy of constitutional amendment. British Columbians, who arguably stand the most to gain from changing the Senate – provided such a change includes more-proportional representation – are also broadly in favour of a constitutional amendment. Meanwhile, Quebeckers, in the province where the term referendum (référendum) arguably invokes the strongest emotions both positively and negatively, are least supportive of constitutional action. Two-thirds (67%), however, still say this is a fair course to pursue. The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research organization established to advance education by commissioning, conducting and disseminating to the public accessible and impartial statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to Canada and its world. Click here for the full report including tables and methodology Click here for comprehensive data tables Click here for the questionnaire used in this survey MEDIA CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] Image Credit – Dave Chan/Reuters Related Posts Share this article: LinkedInA married lesbian couple from India who have lived legally in the UK for many years have had their request to continue living in Britain rejected despite the fact their relationship will not be legally recognised in the south Asian country. Judges at the court of appeal rejected their application to remain in the UK on Thursday. It is the first ruling in a case where a couple have attempted to rely on the status of their same-sex partnership to be granted permission to stay in Britain. They arrived in the UK as friends in 2007, then embarked on a relationship, entering a civil partnership in Scotland in 2008, which they converted into marriage in 2015. They applied to extend their leave to remain in 2011 on the basis that India’s lack of recognition for same-sex relationships violated their human rights. They both completed master’s degrees in Scotland and then found work, and have always lived legally in the UK. India to review ruling on law banning gay sex Read more The court of appeal analysed country background material on India and ruled that the married couple cannot resist removal, even though it accepted that India provided no legal protection or recognition of same-sex couples. The court said returning them home would not be a violation of their right to a family life and would be proportionate on the basis of the United Kingdom’s right to immigration control and a lack of evidence that the couple will suffer violence on return. One of the two women told the Guardian that if she and her wife were forced to go back to India they would suffer dire consequences. “My family do not know that I am a lesbian or that I am married. If I return home they will treat me as a single woman and start looking for a suitable husband for me,” she said. “I won’t have any legal protection for who I am because my marriage will not be recognised in India. In India we will both have to hide who we are. In the UK we enjoy our family life together. “My wife means the world to me, we are well integrated into UK culture and can live openly as a married couple here. At the end of the day all we want is to live somewhere where our marriage is recognised as having the same legal status as a heterosexual marriage.” She added: “In India we wouldn’t be allowed to live together or see each other. I can’t imagine life without my wife. The expression of our love for each other is being snatched away from us. It’s a very scary thought.” S Chelvan of No 5 Chambers, who represented the couple, said: “This is a landmark judgment, as it is the first case from the court of appeal to address the balancing of the rights of migrant same-sex couples to legal recognition and protection, with immigration control and economic interests of the UK.” The couple are expected to appeal against the decision to the supreme court.Three-way: Spurs and PSG in for Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye (Picture: Getty Images) Laurent Blanc says he’s still keen on luring Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye to Paris Saint Germain, but revealed Tottenham are also in the hunt for the French international. The Ligue 1 champions have been making noises about the midfielder all summer, which has already earned Blanc a telling off from Magpies manager Alan Pardew, but the Frenchman remains undeterred in his pursuit. Blanc told le10sport.com: ‘He (Cabaye) is a very good player. I have not changed my mind (about him). ‘For now, he is at Newcastle. I have also read he is in Tottenham’s plans. ‘Newcastle, Tottenham or Paris – I hope he will still be at a big club in September.’ Pardew is unlikely to be impressed with Blanc’s latest remarks given it was only a month ago he last criticised the former France boss for speaking about Cabaye. Advertisement Advertisement At the time, Pardew said: ‘I don’t think that’s right. ‘He can get on the phone to me, or make a bid. I think that’s the right way to do it. ‘I think the way it’s come out isn’t perhaps respectful to Yohan.’ Blanc, though, is unlikely to be concerned with Newcastle’s objections to his approach, and may even find his path to Cabaye has been cleared by Spurs, who are close to sealing a deal for Toulouse midfielder Etienne Capoue.October 16, 2017 / by Lucas McGlamery Motorcycle track days — something every street Rossi should experience. For those who have only ever ridden on the street and have some irrational belief that they have outgrown their 600cc modern sport bike, the supermoto/minimoto events hosted by the GAMRA/NSMGP group at the NOLA Motorsports Park should seriously be considered. Why? Because it is less of a race and more of a motorcycle control clinic. Of course there is friendly competition within the group and that is the other key point for attending; friendship. The atmosphere of a GAMRA event can be likened to autocross events. It is a vehicle control clinic whose participants are adrenaline filled enthusiasts who can’t wait to discuss their runs of the day as well as give and receive advice. This is where you need to be if you want to grow as a rider and have the best time on two wheels without being seriously maimed or killed. Read moreGet the biggest Liverpool 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 Now comes the true litmus test of Liverpool’s spirited revival. Having made a habit of brushing aside the Premier League’s also-rans in recent weeks, Brendan Rodgers’ side face a step up in class at Anfield on Tuesday night. Old foes Chelsea lie in wait. Once again Jose Mourinho stands between the Reds and a showpiece final. There is currently no bigger test in English football. The Londoners’ ruthless 5-0 thrashing of Swansea City on Saturday cemented their place at the top of the Premier League table. Yet there is no need for Liverpool to approach their Capital One Cup semi-final tie with a sense of trepidation. Yes, they might lack the predatory instincts of Diego Costa or the individual creative genius of Oscar or Eden Hazard. But as a cohesive unit the Reds are starting to click. Rodgers has once again found a formula to ensure that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Chelsea will certainly encounter a very different Liverpool to the one they swept aside with relative ease at Anfield in November. Back then – following successive defeats to Newcastle and Real Madrid – uncertainty and anxiety ruled. Emre Can’s deflected strike put the Reds ahead but Chelsea ultimately won with a swagger as the hosts’ defensive frailties were exposed. It was a world away from the smash and grab raid Mourinho had overseen in April when Liverpool’s title dream went up in smoke. In the autumn they were two clubs heading in opposite directions but two months on Rodgers has put his Anfield reign back on track. “We’ve regained our identity,” the manager said in the wake of Saturday’s 2-0 win at Villa Park which extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight matches. That was showcased not only by the quality of some of the Reds’ approach play but also by the character and camaraderie on display in the Midlands. The switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation has led to Liverpool recapturing their creative spark. Where earlier in the campaign their build up play was painfully slow and predictable now they are moving the ball at pace and getting in behind teams. The counter-attack is once again a deadly weapon for them. The balance of the side looks right. The in-form Philippe Coutinho has a licence to thrill from a central role, while the rock-solid Lucas Leiva gives the flair players around him a platform to deliver. The high intensity pressing game has been revived and that has enabled the Reds to force errors high up the field and take control. Whisper it quietly but even their Achilles heel appears to have been addressed. For the first time since 2008 Liverpool have kept three successive away clean sheets in the league. The three-man backline of Emre Can, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho barely put a foot wrong against Villa. Can has blossomed since he came off the bench at Burnley on Boxing Day. His future may lie in the centre of midfield but he has showcased his versatility. The young German is strong and combative, and he dealt brilliantly with the sizeable threat of Christian Benteke. Sakho is another who has grasped the opportunity to come out from the shadows and play a leading role. His confidence is growing and he’s an increasingly commanding figure. Skrtel has certainly looked more comfortable with Can and Sakho for company. Behind them, Simon Mignolet enjoyed his best afternoon in a Liverpool shirt since the opening day win over Southampton. His stunning block to deny Benteke when it was 1-0 was crucial but there was plenty else to admire about his performance. The much-maligned Belgian commanded his box so much better than he has done for most of the campaign. He came off his line to cling on to a host of set-pieces and ease the pressure. He deserved the bit of luck he got when one corner eluded him and Nathan Baker nodded over. “He looked like a Liverpool No 1 today,” Rodgers said. “I hope it’s a turning point for Simon.” Mignolet’s Reds career appeared to be in tatters when he was dropped for last month’s trip to Old Trafford. But a thigh injury to Brad Jones quickly handed him a shot at redemption and his response has been impressive. Liverpool’s search for a new keeper won’t end as Jones is out of contract this summer but Mignolet has shown he has the stomach for a fight. The same goes for the Reds’ two goal scorers, who gleefully ended their respective droughts. Fabio Borini has taken plenty of stick for refusing to heed his manager’s advice to sign for either Sunderland or QPR last summer. But Borini will believe his decision to stay put as a squad player at a club challenging for trophies rather than starting every week in a grim relegation battle has been vindicated. The Italian expertly tucked away an inviting cross from the outstanding Jordan Henderson to notch his first goal for the club since April 2013. Henderson, skipper in the absence of the injured Steven Gerrard, led by example throughout – mixing total commitment with an eye-catching range of passing. If Raheem Sterling hadn’t chipped a golden chance tamely at Brad Guzan, Liverpool would have been cruising. Rodgers’ side had to deal with a sustained second-half onslaught but rather than wilt they dug in and repelled Villa’s advances. That spirit was epitomised by the scenes of jubilation after substitute Rickie Lambert drilled home his first goal in nine appearances to wrap up the points late on. Lambert raced towards the away end to be mobbed by the travelling Kop before his team-mates joined the party. Within seconds of the final whistle the chants about Chelsea began. Mourinho will discover that at Anfield belief has been restored. MATCH FACTS Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan, Hutton, Okore, Baker, Cissokho, Sanchez, Westwood (Gil 59), Delph, Cleverley (Weimann 59), Benteke, Agbonlahor. Not used: Given, Bacuna, Richardson, N’Zogbia, Lowton. Liverpool (3-4-2-1): Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Sakho, Markovic, Henderson, Lucas, Moreno (Enrique 71), Sterling (Ibe 85), Coutinho, Borini (Lambert 71). Not used: Ward, Manquillo, Lallana, Williams. Referee: Mark Clattenburg Attendance: 39, 758 Goals: Borini 24, Lambert 79 Bookings: Okore, Lambert Man of the match: Jordan Henderson. Outstanding performance from the stand-in skipper who created the opening goal and showcased his range of passing throughout.Copyright 2019 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (News release) - State Representative Trevor Drown of Russellville officially announced his campaign for Arkansas Secretary of State during a monthly meeting of the Pope County Republican Committee on Tuesday night. Drown is a two-term State Representative from District 68, which includes parts of Pope and Van Buren counties. As a U.S. Army Green Beret, he has served in special forces operations in Afghanistan and South Sudan. In addition, he retired from the United Parcel Service in 2016 after a 27-year career. “My entire career has been centered around organization, logistics, and budgeting,” said Drown. “I want to use that experience in the Secretary of State position to help save tax dollars, ensure fair elections, and to make it easy to conduct business in Arkansas.” Drown maintains reserve status with the Army National Guard, where he continues his military service as a Master Sergeant with the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Training Detachment. He has many decorations, including the Bronze Star for Service and the Army Commendation Medal for Valor. The next Secretary of State will play an important role in redistricting, the process of updating legislative districts every ten years to meet population shifts. The Secretary of State has one of three votes when finalizing the new districts, the other two votes belonging to the Governor and Attorney General. When asked about his outlook on redistricting, Drown said he believes the partisan politics of the Democrats in control during the 2011 redistricting resulted in a lot of poorly shaped districts. “Many voters are losing faith in our political system due in large part because of political gerrymandering. I believe it should be done in a consistent and uniform manner that considers geography and regional input first.” Drown stressed that his experiences as a Green Beret make him best suited to oversee the security of the capitol grounds, another job of the Secretary of State’s office. He plans to work closely with the Capitol Police in working to enhance the current security protocol. “Every day our capitol has visitors from around the state, nation, and world. With all the unfortunate acts of violence and terrorism happening today, Arkansans need to know they can visit the capitol without fear of attack,” continued Drown. Drown said he plans to also use his military experience to expand a veteran’s outreach program within the office that will “ensure veterans have another avenue for obtaining answers to questions about our state’s government and the many programs available to them.” Drown and his wife Kara have been married for 17 years. They have two children, Ayden, 16, and Ella, 8. Drown is a member of the National Rifle Association, Arkansas Cattleman Association, Special Operations Association, Special Forces Association, and the American Legion.Looking for the right ball? We put together this beginner’s golf ball buying guide to help you find the best golf balls for beginners. If you’re beginner golfer and looking for similar guides, I suggest checking out the Beginners Golf Guide with tips for buying gear, swing tips, golf etiquette + more and the list of best golf clubs for beginners. Later in the guide we list and review the best golf balls for beginners we found in our research. These are the best golf balls for beginners Callaway Supersoft Nike PD 9 Wilson Staff Fifty Elite Srixon Soft Feel TaylorMade Distance Plus Pinnacle Gold Srixon Marathon When first getting started in the game of golf, there is a lot to learn. You have to find places to play, learn how to swing the club, find people to play with, and much more. In fact, it can be a bit overwhelming if you are a true beginner. One of the biggest challenges is getting the right equipment in your hands and in your bag. You need clubs, shoes, balls, a bag, clothes, accessories, and more. Simply picking out all of this gear can be a time consuming process, and it can be costly as well. With that in mind, we are going to look at the best golf balls for beginners. Golf balls are one of the most confusing pieces of equipment to shop for, simply because there are so many options on the shelves of your local pro shop. However, if you know what you are looking for and you know where to find it, picking out golf balls will quickly become an easy task. If you’re looking for a ball that gives you more distance. You may want to also check out this guide on the best golf balls for distance. The Best Golf Balls for Beginners As a beginner you want to look for golf balls with two-piece construction. Two-piece balls are made for casual rounds of golf, not competition play. Two-piece golf balls are the best for golfers with handicaps from 15 36 and with swing speeds in the range of 70 to 85 mph. Another benefit of 2-piece balls is they are significantly less expensive than three or four-piece balls. Two-piece balls spin a lot less in flight. Because of the limited spin, two-piece balls tend to go a bit straighter off the tee but a down side of the limited spin is you will have less control around the greens. For any beginning golfer, ball flight and distance are usually common issues. A another benefit of two-piece balls for beginner golfers is they give more distance. Most beginners would be fine with additional yardage. Prices Matter Good news! One of the best ways you can find the right golf ball for you as a beginning player is to look at the price tag. If a dozen golf balls of a particular brand is going to cost you more than $20 or so, you can move on. There is simply no reason to spend a lot of money on golf balls when first getting started, so you should only be shopping among the cheapest models on the shelf. Why should you go bargain hunting for golf balls? Well, for one thing, you are going to lose these golf balls rather quickly in all likelihood. Beginning golfers tend to be wildly inconsistent, so you will probably hit some great shots followed up by some terrible ones. Buying cheap balls will help you stomach the fact that you are likely to lose at least a couple in each round. Also, you don’t yet have the skills to take advantage of the characteristics offered by an expensive ball. High end golf balls – the ones that cost $40 or more per dozen – are meant for accomplished players who can handle the spin they are going to produce. A high spin ball like this in the hands of a beginning golfer is only going to make the game more difficult. In summary, buying cheap golf balls will both save you money and make the game a little bit easier for you as a beginner. It’s a win-win situation! Our list of Best Golf Balls for Beginners Want some tips on the best ball for you? We put together a list of the best balls for beginners to help you buy a better ball for your game. Callaway Supersoft This ball is soft and is popular with both beginners and senior golfers because of the distance slower swings can see. Callaway’s marketing states this ball is designed to go straight and long and golfers seem to agree. Golfers with a clubhead speed slower than 95mph off the tee with a driver will love the Callaway Supersoft ball. Golfers with a clubhead speed over 100mph may find the Supersoft balls travel shorter than some other high compression balls on the market. Balls in this price range are not designed to perform great around the great, but the Callaway Supersoft is better around the green than most similarly priced balls. 35 compression is the softest golf ball on the market Ultra Low Compression reduces spin for increased distance Low spin results in straight ball flight Read More ReviewsBuy from Amazon.com Nike PD 9 (Long or Soft) The Nike PD 9 promotes excellent distance off the tee while still providing the necessary feel for your short game. This is all aided by a low compression core for optimal energy transfer and a 314 dimple, softened, durable Ionomer cover which helps the ball stand up to rough courses and hard hitting swings. Softer than most average golf balls, the Nike PD 9 is designed more so for golfers with slower swing speeds who want to add distance to their game, straighten out their flight path, and do so without losing the all-important feel in and around the green. Longer distance off the tee and from the fairway Penetrating ball flight and added roll 2-piece ball: high velocity core and ionomer cover Read More ReviewsBuy from Amazon.com Wilson Staff Fifty Elite The Wilson Staff 50 Elite balls are good off the tee, great on approach and putting. The best part is these very competitively priced balls performance compares to much more expensive balls. Golfers typically report getting additional distance with these balls. Lively core that’s 22% softer than the other balls on the market Flat bottomed, shallow dimples for a more stable, penetrating ball flight. 2008 Golf Digest Hot List, Silver Award winner. Read More ReviewsBuy from Amazon.com Srixon Soft Feel The Srixon Soft Feel composite 2-piece high visibility golf ball is designed for a range of players, but specifically those with lower swing speeds. It utilizes a resilient, low compression Energetic Gradient Growth core which helps to maximize energy transfer for improved distance off the tee. The Srixon Soft Feel also offers excellent ball speed and lower spin while driving, adding even more distance to your game. This is further enhanced through higher trajectory flight and greater lift. A high Moment of Inertia means off-center shots will remain fairly accurate and its 344-speed dimple pattern helps maintain accuracy in strong winds. Two piece value golf ball for 70+ mile per hour swing speeds Feels softer while maintaining optimal launch conditions and increasing ball speed 344 Speed Dimples Read More ReviewsBuy from Amazon.com TaylorMade Distance Plus Good Value but you may need to add your all putting line to the ball if you relay heavily on those. The marking used on these don’t stand out great in the sun. As typically with 2-piece balls the Distance + balls have good distance but are a bit more difficult to control around the greens. Some golfers report to seeing 40+ more yards off the tee. 2 piece 342 dimples IOTHANE cover 60 ball compression Read More ReviewsBuy from Amazon.com Pinnacle Gold The Pinnacle Gold balls use the same cover as some more expensive Titleist balls, so hopefully you won’t see as much wear and tear on the cover. You won’t get tremendous spin with these, but if you hit the ball decent enough you should be able to get them to stop on the green. The limited spin should help most play with slicing or hooking the ball. Powerful distance from tee-to-green Softer feel Short game control around the greens High Optix technology makes it easy to see ball Read More ReviewsBuy from Amazon.com Srixon Marathon This 2-piece ball with a 98 compression rating is known for being aerodynamic and highly durable. At its center, you will find the Energetic Gradient Growth Core which provides a high coefficient of restitution resulting in the ability to fly great distances without sacrificing control. Protecting the core, is a.071 inch thick ionomer cover with a 333 dimple design. This ball is recommended for swings of any speed and will hold up for even the hardest hitters. For those looking for mid to high launch angles when using your driver, and low to mid spin when using your wedge near the green, this is the ball for you. 333 dimple design Large Energetic Gradient Growth Core Superior aerodynamic performance Maximum distance Read More ReviewsBuy from Amazon.com Each of these options typically sells for less than $20 per dozen, so they are a great way to get started. Used Golf Balls Know that you’re going to lose the dozen or more balls this week
and paste it into the commander. Hit Enter to begin following them, then refresh the page to start seeing their updates. If you'd like to try, here's my Rotonde feed URL: dat://6fd46b20841eb9652081894a16014f12e19f47b97af4ab10c093284fba611d15/ Create a new post In order to create a new post on your feed for others to see, you can simply enter new text into the commander, then hit Enter to begin distributing it to your followers. Editing a post You can edit your posts by clicking on their timestamp, which will populate commands into your commander. It may look something like this: edit:0 <post_goes_here> If you alreaady know the ID of the post you'd like to edit, you can type this command out manually. Deleting a post You can also delete your posts in the same way you would edit them. To delete the post we just edited, we could type the following into the commander, or click a posts timestamp and edit the command that way: delete:0 Distributing your feed Beaker Browser is built on top of a p2p protocol called dat which allow users to distribute and share websites directly between each other. As explained earlier, the fundamental method of sharing your p2p websites (and in this case, your Rotonde feed) with other Beaker users is via the dat:// URL that you can copy to the clipboard from your Beaker library. When a friend visits your URL, both your Beaker Browser, and your friend's Beaker Browser, will talk directly to each other and funnel data from one side to the other. Your friend can choose to seed that same URL with Beaker, so that if you go offline, and your friend is still online, your site will still be available to other users. The idea of a p2p network is that users will seed websites and data they are interested in, allowing distribution of that information to be more resiliant and available to others, without a central repository. In order to seed another user's Rotonde feed or Beaker p2p website, you can add it to your library by clicking the dropdown menu on the right side of Beaker's address bar and click "Add to Library". You may want to be able to seed your Rotonde feed to other users, even if you are offline, and nobody else is available to seed for you. We can do this using a p2p website hosting service called Hashbase. Seeding your website with Hashbase Hashbase is a hosting service built by the creators of Beaker Browser, which can act as another seed for dat:// based websites. Register for Hashbase, and then Login to their dashboard. First, copy your Rotonde feed's dat:// URL from your Beaker library to your clipboard. Next, on Hashbase's dashboard, press the blue Upload archive + button. Paste your feed's dat:// URL into the URL field, and set the Name field to "rotonde". Then, press Add Archive. After your Rotonde feed has finished seeding to the Hashbase servers, your site will continue to be served to new visitors even after you close Beaker Browser, and go offline.From most people's perspective, March was the month of the Samsung Galaxy S6. However, that won't be the case from HTC's perspective. From their point-of-view, March was very much the month of the HTC One M9. Their latest flagship device has been long in the headlines, thanks to a massive pre-announcement build up of speculation and rumors. Even once the device was released, the speculation and rumors did not stop as it was largely expected that like Samsung, HTC would be releasing two variants of the device, the One M9 and the One M9+. Although, the latter did not seem to make its scheduled appearance. That said, if March was the month of the One M9 for HTC, then in spite of the One M9 actually seeing its official release this Friday, April is very much going to be the month of the One M9+. This is because the Taiwanese company are planning on officially unveiling the One M9+ in a special event tomorrow (April 8th) in Beijing. According to the rumors, the One M9+ is likely to come equipped with a 5.2-inch Quad HD display (2560 x 1440 resolution). Inside, the One M9+ is rumored to be equipped with 3GB RAM and powered by a MediaTek (MT6795T) octa-core processor along with a PowerVR Rogue G6200 GPU. Memory wise, the One M9+ is expected to come with 32GB internal storage while on the camera front, there is an expected 20.7-megapixel offering coupled with a 4-megapixel Ultra Pixel front facing camera. Not to mention the device will come running on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) underneath HTC's Sense 7 UI. Well, they were the specs and thanks to the abundance of leaked renders and images, the look of the device has also been largely assumed to be a forgone conclusion. In fact, the last week has seen a ton of renders making their way online. Even with the event only hours away, it seems the renders have still not finished coming either. Known tipster @upleaks who has already been leaking renders of the One M9+ this week, sent out a couple more renders this morning, for people to digest prior to the Beijing event.The New Jersey borough of Leonia has a novel solution to for its traffic problems: Ban outsiders from using its roads. Come January, the borough government will prohibit all nonresidents from driving on Leonia's roads—save one thoroughfare—from 6–10 a.m. and 4–9 p.m., including on Saturdays and Sundays. (There are also two state-maintained roads in Leonia that don't fall under the borough's jurisdiction and thus aren't subject to the new ordinance.) People who live or work in Leonia will get a sticker to let police know their vehicles are allowed in the town. That irks Dan Eldridge, a nonresident who nonetheless frequents the borough and will be affected by the new law. "My gut reaction was just another example of outrageous government overreach. Using a hammer when what you really need is a scalpel," says Eldridge, who is often in Leonia to see his girlfriend. Come January, such visits will come with a risk of a traffic stop and interrogation from Leonia law enforcement. Walling off the town to through-traffic presents some pretty startling civil liberties implications. The new ordinance says any nonresidents found driving on the borough's streets during prohibited hours will have to be ready to "demonstrate or document a need to access a residence on the street." Any nonresidents stopped by police will have to explain their reason for being in the town, and what business or resident they plan on visiting while there, or risk fines and court summons. The ordinance does not describe what counts at a "need" or what kind of demonstration or documentation will be required of travelers to proceed on Leonia's roads unmolested. Mayor Judah Zeigler says extra law enforcement personnel will be on hand to "aggressively enforce the new laws." This, Zeigler says in an email to Leonia residents, will allow "the word to get out that Leonia is no longer to be considered the cut through for the entire eastern part of New Jersey!" Zeigler has not responded to a request for comment. Given Leonia's location at the New Jersey entrance of the George Washington Bridge—which connects the state to Manhattan Island—the town sees its fair share of commuters making use of local roads. That has left a lot of residents frustrated, and looking for solutions to the borough's traffic problem. Eldridge sympathizes, but he says the new restrictions go too far: "Closing off the entire borough with the exception of one main artery for these times seven days a week seems to me to be overkill." Traffic congestion can certainly be a serious problem. There just might be solutions that do not involve turning local law enforcement into border guards or requiring drivers to carry papers describing their need to be on particular road."A True Discovery of the Empericke with the Fugitive Physition and Quacksalver, who Display their Banners upon Posts." Title page, published 1617 Title page, published 1617 John Cotta (1575–1650)[1][2] was a physician in England and author of books and other texts on medicine and witchcraft. Life [ edit ] He was a native of Coventry, and his mother is believed to be Susannah Winthrop, aunt of John Winthrop.[3] In 1590 he was admitted a scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge, and five years later, after taking the B.A. degree, he moved to Corpus Christi College where, in the following year, he proceeded to the M.A. degree.[4] He obtained the M.D. degree in 1603, and then took up residence at Northampton, where, through the patronage and influence of Sir William Tate, he acquired a considerable professional practice. Works [ edit ] Cotta wrote extensively about quack doctors, and exposed several in his book Ignorant Practisers of Physicke (1612). He put a traditional Galenist argument, to the effect that experience alone of was of limited value to medical practitioners.[6] With his medical colleague James Hart from Northampton, he argued the case for learned medicine (the early modern tradition descending from Galen) and the requirement of a university degree for its effective use.[7] He believed in evil spirits, sorcerers and magic. He begins his book The Triall of Witch-craft (1616) by stating that these phenomena were beyond human knowledge, and that only by conjecture and inference is it possible to understand these events. He did warn readers that many suspected witches were really imposters, or unwitting agents of the devil. He presents as evidence that evil spirits exist the standard classical history and biblical texts. He even uses reason to dismiss the "water test" for witches, where a purported witch would be submerged in water, and if she had renounced her baptism and was a true witch, the water would reject her and she would float. Cotta did still agree with others like Reginald Scot that magic was clearly a factor in day-to-day life because many diseases displayed symptoms they could not understand, or did not respond to standard remedies. Also he asserted that eyewitness accounts were sufficient to charge a suspected witch with witchcraft.[8] Cotta wrote in The Triall of Witch-craft (1616): Hence as Wítches doe strange and supernaturall workes, and truly vnto reason worthy of wonder; so the Impostor doth things voide of accomptable reason, in shadow, shew, and seeming onely supernaturall, wondred and admired. And hence it commeth to passe, that with vndiscerning mindes, they are sometimes mistaken and confounded.[nb 1] one for another. Nickname in Maine [ edit ] The name "John Cotta" was given as a nickname by early English settlers to an individual of the indigenous peoples they met in the Damariscotta River area in what was to become the state of Maine in the United States. This was because John Cotta was renowned as expert in witchcraft, in the context that it was felt by the settlers that the natives practised a form of religion that could be classed as witchcraft.[9] Selected publications [ edit ] John Cotta. A short discouerie of the vnobserued dangers of seuerall sorts of ignorant and vnconsiderate practisers of physicke in England : profitable not onely for the deceiued multitude, and easie for their meane capacities, but raising reformed and more aduised thoughts in the best vnderstandings: with direction for the safest election of a physition in necessitie: by Iohn Cotta of Northampton Doctor in Physicke, Imprinted [by R. Field] for William Iones, and Richard Boyle dwelling in the Blacke-Friers 1612. Reprinted Walter J. Johnson, Inc., 1972, ISBN 90-221-0445-1 by Iohn Cotta of Northampton Doctor in Physicke, Imprinted [by R. Field] for William Iones, and Richard Boyle dwelling in the Blacke-Friers 1612. Reprinted Walter J. Johnson, Inc., 1972, ISBN 90-221-0445-1 John Cotta, The triall of witch-craft" (The English experience, its record in early printed books published in facsimile), Da Capo Press, 1968, ISBN B0006BWK6A John Cotta, Cotta contra Antonium: or an Ant-Antony: or an Ant-apology, manifesting Doctor Antony his Apologie for Aurum potable, in true and equal balance of right reason, to be false and counterfait, Oxford: J. Lichfield & J. Sort for H. Cripps, 1623. , Oxford: J. Lichfield & J. Sort for H. Cripps, 1623. John Cotta, The poysoning of Sir Euseby Andrew: My opinion at the assises in Northampton demaunded in court touching the poysoning of Sr Euseby Andrew more fully ratified. Reprinted by Taylor & Son, 1881, ISBN B0008C722E . Reprinted by Taylor & Son, 1881 John Cotta (1616). Triall of Witch-Craft Shewing the True Methode of the Discovery. George Purslowe. ; Reprinted January 1968, ISBN 90-221-0039-1 ; Reprinted January 1968, ISBN 90-221-0039-1 John Cotta, A true discouery of the empericke with the fugitiue, physition and quacksaluer who display their banners vpon posts: whereby his Maiesties subiects are not onely deceiued, but greatly endangered in the health of their bodies: being very profitable as well for the ignorant, as for the learned: by I.C. Doctor in Physicke., John Cotta, Imprinted at London : By William Iones, and are to be sold by Edmund [Weaver] at the great North doore of S. Pauls Church, 1617. , John Cotta, Imprinted at London : By William Iones, and are to be sold by Edmund [Weaver] at the great North doore of S. Pauls Church, 1617. John Cotta, A Short Discoverie of Several health, and an vniuersall antidote..., (publication details unknown) See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] ^ [See Reginald Scot in his discouerie of Witchcraft, where in regard of the seeming likenesse of Impostures and Witchcraft, erroneously he confoundeth them as one and the selfe-same sinne.] References [ edit ] Attribution This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Vian, Alsager Richard (1887). "Cotta, John". In Stephen, Leslie. Dictionary of National Biography. 12. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 288–289. Further reading [ edit ]As a Notre Dame fan and student, I have no idea why I’m writing about college football when I need to push it out of my mind and deny that this season ever happened. I must say, though, the 2013 Iron Bowl is the greatest college football game I’ve ever witnessed live, and in honor of another huge Auburn upset win, I figured now was the appropriate time to take a look back at the 2013 Iron Bowl. Auburn was coming off of an electrifying win over #25 Georgia thanks to this unbelievable 4th and 18 TD pass from Nick Marshall to Ricardo Louis. Auburn fans hoped that the luck wouldn’t run out next week against #1 Alabama, the perennial college football juggernaut. Heading into the Iron Bowl, I thought that no game could have been better than Auburn-Georgia. I knew Auburn could make an improbable title run, but the craziness of that Georgia game seemed unable to be replicated. Here’s a little summary of the game before the last play. Auburn opened the scoring with a 45 yard Marshall scamper, but in the second quarter, Alabama scored 21 straight. Auburn did score before the half, though, on a Tre Mason touchdown run. At the half, Alabama led by a touchdown. Before this game, Bama had been 73-3 under Nick Saban when leading at halftime. Auburn opened the third quarter with a long touchdown drive to tie the game, but A.J. McCarron countered with a 99 yard touchdown strike to all-world receiver Amari Cooper in the fourth quarter to take a 28-21 lead. This was the score until, with 32 seconds left, Sammie Coates caught a 34 yard touchdown to tie the game. Crazy enough, right? It gets one hell of a lot crazier. Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon seemed to run out of bounds as time expired, but replay showed that there was one second remaining. Saban elected to try a 58 yard field goal with his freshman kicker Adam Griffith instead of Cade Foster, who had missed two field goals earlier in the game. Gus Malzahn sent Chris Davis out to potentially return a missed field goal. He did just that. Griffith missed just short, allowing Davis to return the kick with only Alabama offensive linemen in his way. Davis took the kick around the left side, tiptoeing the sideline to stay in bounds. He turned it back up to the middle of the field, and chaos erupted inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. This monumental victory catapulted Auburn into the SEC Championship against Mizzou, which Auburn won. The Tigers (of Auburn, not Mizzou) lost 34-31 in the National Championship to Jameis Winston and Florida State. The legacy of this game lives on forever in the hearts and minds of every college football fan. The last quarter was must-watch football regardless of how the game ended, and the Kick Six was the extraordinary grand finale. I remember watching it live and losing my mind, even though I had no dog in the fight. There were aftershocks for a full week as the football world tried to process what exactly had just happened. Not only had Alabama just been defeated by their biggest rival, but it happened in the most unbelievable, shocking way. There were videos of fan reactions, Auburn and Bama alike, and I sometimes still go back and re-watch them. The magnitude of this finish can never be replicated. The only game that comes close is “The Play,” when the Stanford band came onto the field as Cal scored on an unreal lateral-filled kick return to end the game. It is the most famous play in college football history, and Joe Starkey, the Cal play-by-play announcer, nails the call: “The band is out on the field!…The Bears have won!” That’s where another parallel is drawn. The call in the Kick Six is just as memorable. “They’re not gonna keep ’em off the field tonight!” The call is delivered by the local announcers again, which always reminds me of the John Tyler vs. Plano East game, a Texas high school football championship game. These guys have their entire lives invested in Plano East football, and the “greatest comeback of all time” is ripped from them on the last play of the game. It may be the single saddest clip on YouTube, but it still never fails to make me laugh. Those poor announcers. We’ve all been there. Anyway, Auburn’s win cemented a magical season for Tigers fans and gave the rest of us viewers yet another reason to love college football. If you watch any sort of “greatest college football moments” video made after November 30, 2013, the Kick Six is guaranteed to be in it. It was fun to watch Alabama lose while also witnessing history. Nothing beats this game.Responsible Shooting: Teaching your Child to Shoot with Airguns Many of us first learned to shoot on BB and pellet airguns we were given as children. The feel of the gun, the jump of the recoil, and the satisfaction of plinking cans had many of us hooked with our first trigger pull. Using airguns as a teaching tool makes as much sense then as it does now, as they handle, resemble, and shoot in a similar way. If your child shows interest in shooting, use airguns to teach them respect for the power of any gun and a lifelong love of shooting sports. The Right Age Around age 10, your child may be ready to start shooting, but that's not always the case. Ultimately, your child's maturity is more important than their age, and it's your role as a parent to decide if your child can handle the responsibility of firing BB and pellet guns. Airguns are not toys, and serious injury or death can result from improper use. However, if you train your child to shoot safely, airguns don't have to be scary! Shooting airguns help teach firearm responsibility and learning the techniques needed to place accurate shots. First Steps Before shooting with your child, explain each part and function of your airgun. For young shooters, an air rifle is a great place to start. Air rifles are easy to hold, sight, and fire accurately--even after a few minutes of training. Many lever-action spring rifles, like the Red Ryder, Lil' Sure Shot or the Lil’ Duke, are simple enough for children to operate. Educate them on loading, using the sights, and the safety function, before they pull a trigger. Next, children need to understand how to shoot safely. The first rule? Remember eye protection! A set of safety glasses can easily prevent injuries that last a lifetime. Lead contamination is also a risk of handling pellets. Be sure your child knows to not touch their face, or eat and drink before washing their hands. Pay special attention to instilling proper trigger discipline and to never place their finger near a trigger until ready to shoot! Additionally, to teach your child how to carry an air rifle safely: with the safety on, finger off the trigger, and the muzzle pointed downward and away from people and animals alike. Range Ready Now that safety is out of the way, it's time to hit the range and have fun! Fun is what airguns are really about! The first target a child shoots should be easy to hit so they aren't discouraged from repeated misses which will be early and often! As they progress, reactive targets like Air Venturi's Spin-O-Matic or shooting games like AV's Dueling Tree targets can make shooting exciting and challenging. Over time, you child's shooting proficiency will improve and you can show them more advanced techniques, such as controlling their breath and different shooting stances. Making Airgunning Last a Lifetime By teaching your child to shoot and maintain airguns, you can make sure they know the proper methods of handling, shooting, and maintain their airguns for a lifetime. Shooting airguns is a rewarding and exciting pastime that's been enjoyed by millions worldwide, and if you've done your part, your child will handle any airgun with the respect they deserve.05.12.2013 Slides about an in depth analysis of CVE-2013-3906 exploiting a TIFF bug inside a Microsoft Office Winword file. This bug was exploited in a targeted attack in November 2013. masTIFF - An in depth analysis of CVE-2013-3906.pptx 25.11.2013 A new version of Officemalscanner/RTFScan has been released. This update includes a generic decryption loop detection, enhanced shellcode patterns and bugfixes. Enjoy! OfficeMalScanner.zip 12.09.2012 The new version of the OfficeMalScanner suite introduces RTFScan. As you might know, there are several samples in the wild, using the RTF format as OLE and PE-File container. So here is a very first version of RTFScan. It currently is able to scan for malicious traces like shellcode, dumps embedded OLE and PE files and other data containers. Buffer decryption in RTFScan is not supported in this release, as OMS and RTFScan will be enhanced to a cryptanalysis feature to break keys up to 1024 bytes in seconds. The old brute force feature in OMS will be kicked then. OfficeMalScanner.zip 10.08.2012 I found some time to update OfficeMalScanner lately. So here is Version 0.54! Next to bugfixes, it now has its own RtlDecompressBuffer library to support VB-macro extraction on WINE. Further the document format is detected (word, ppt, excel) and is able to extract embedded flash files (compressed and uncompressed). OfficeMalScanner.zip 20.12.2011 Last week i had a speech at the CAST forum about hunting malware with volatility 2.0. On 40 slides i will introduce the main features of this powerful forensic framework. All memory dumps being discussed are snapshots from infected machines with modern malwares and rootkits. Hunting malware with Volatility v2.0.pdf 03.10.2011 H-online released my next article of the CSI:Internet forensic series. In this part it's kernel debugging time. Learn how to find the TDL4 rootkit in live memory. CSI:Internet - Open heart surgery 12.09.2011 H-online just released my article contribution for the 2nd season of CSI:Internet. As you might know from former releases of this series it combines a story close to reality with technical stuff. This time i introduce you the usage of an awesome malware forensic framework called "Volatility". Hope i can inspire people with this little contribution as it inspired me. The features i use in this article are just a small set of what is possible with this framework. CSI:Internet - A trip into RAM 20.01.2011 Today i had a talk at the Ruhr University of Bochum "Hunting rootkits with Windbg". I'll introduce several ways to find well known rootkits like Rustock or TDL Versions 3+4 with Windbg and scripts. Enjoy! Hunting rootkits with Windbg.pdf 16.01.2011 Just released a small Windbg script i use while rootkit hunting and searching for kernel callbacks. See the readme.txt for usage infos. WindbgScript-KernelCBFindx86.rar 15.07.2010 While investigating a new malware i came across strange requests to a Siemens SCADA WinCC + S7 database. This was the first time i've seen malware which targets process control systems and their visualisation components often used in critical infrastructures and manufacturing. Read more here Trojan spreads via new Windows hole and here Experts Warn of New Windows Shortcut Flaw 10.06.2010 Believe it or not. I'm not dead. Just horrible busy with thousands of things in the last months. I shortly wanna point out, that Sebastian Porst from Zynamics an me have done a detailed analysis on the latest PDF / Flash 0day currently being spread. If you are interested in that stuff follow that link here A brief analysis of a malicious PDF file which exploits this week’s Flash 0-day 28.09.2009 I made several new updates for OfficeMalScanner, including a new "inflate" feature for Ms Office 2007 documents. You can download the package from the code section. Enjoy! 30.07.2009 Finally i'm happy to release my paper Analyzing MSOffice malware with OfficeMalScanner. This paper describes all features of the OfficeMalScanner suite in detail. Further i've updated some features since my PH-Neutral talk, fixed bugs and replaced bin2code with MalHost-Setup. A much smarter way to analyze the inner workings of shellcode in a real life session. Both malicious samples described in the paper are included in the package. For sure additionally compressed and with extra password safety. Switch to the paper section and enjoy reading! 31.05.2009 PH-Neutral 2009 is over and it was a great conference. My new tool called "OfficeMalScanner", a MS office forensic util can be downloaded from the code section now! 07.05.2009 Thorsten Holz and me are giving a talk on "Analyzing exploitable file formats" at the next PH-Neutral. A 31337 invite-only conference from FX and the gang in Berlin. Thorsten and i will introduce several ways to analyze exploitable file formats, ranging from PDF and Flash to malicious Office files like PPT, DOC or XLS. We will show some of the popular tools used for analysis and will also present 2 new tools developed especially for malicious Office-file analysis. I hope to meet a lot of interesting people again this year! Cya on 29th and 30th May 2009 in Berlin! 20.11.2008 Today i read an article on the New York Times website called A sneaky security problem, ignored by the bad guys I had a conversion by phone and mail with its author Robert McMillan from IDG News before and i've answered him some questions about my Rustock.C research as he planned to write the above story. There are some quotes by Al Huger from Symantec in this article i would like to comment, as i disagree to most of his statements regarding rootkits. Quote 1: "It's extremely difficult to write code for your kernel that doesn't crash your computer," said Alfred Huger, vice president of Symantec's Security Response team. "Your software can step on somebody else's pretty easily." I think this statement comes from the mentioned crashes that Rustock.C produced while analyzing it. But in fact it just crashed if the decryption failed because the rootkit gets analyzed on another box, than the original infected one (check my slides for details). The Rustock familiy has proven to have stable code, as well as other creatures from its author like MEBROOT. If it crashed victims boxes all the time, they had reinstalled their OSes very quickly, but in fact i know people who had this beast on their boxes for 1 year without any crash and without even knowing about its existance. Quote 2: "Huger agrees that while rootkits are still a problem for Unix users, they're not widespread on Windows PCs." Yep, sure. How old is the last well known rootkit on Unix please? 3 or 4 years? And what about rootkits on Windows? Rustock, Srizbi, Ascesso, Mebroot (Here is a bigger list: Antirootkit.com Stealth Malware List Quote 3: "Rootkits make up far less than 1 percent of all the attempted infections that Symantec tracks these days." If i just count all those useless malwares created with lame kits or code written by some kiddies, then rootkits might be only 1 percent, but if i take a look at the real effective SpamBots, Banking Trojans and so forth, nearly all of them use rootkit techniques to hide its tracks. Ok, that's all for now. Sorry for being so rude on Al's statements, but i had to clarify this. 24.10.2008 Just came back from the hack.lu in Luxembourg. It was a great conference, with fine speeches and a lot of fun. The slides of my talk are up now and can be downloaded from the papers section. Enjoy! 15.10.2008 Everyone wondering why i haven't published my analysis results for Rustock.C? The main reason was i'm giving a talk about my research on the hack.lu 2008 on 23th October in Luxembourg. Right after the speech you will be able to download my slides on this site, in case you are interested. Hope to meet some interesting people at hack.lu! 18.05.2008 Today a friend from Threatexpert posted a blog entry on unpacking the top-notch rootkit RUSTOCK.C! We shared some tricks and ideas before unpacking was possible and are both really glad we finally managed to get inside this beasty. Be sure there will be more details on its hooking tricks, infection ways and C&C communications in the next few days or weeks. Rustock.C - Unpacking a Nested Doll 10.03.2008 Just updated the ClassAndInterfaceToNames package. The classes and interfaces list has grown a lot. Thanx to Sirmabus for adding all these new entries. Sorry for being lazy at the moment, but since some weeks i have permanent problems with my spinal disk, making it impossible to do some cool research. I really hope the doctors get this fixed very soon. 19.02.2008 Just added some links to interesting sites. Check them out in the links area. 14.02.2008 With "More advanced unpacking - Part II" i show you how to decrypt an infamous reallife malware called WSNPOEM aka Infostealer.Banker.C The binaries are usually created with a tool called ZEUS Builder and there exist lots of different versions in the wild. I found samples with and without rootkit functionality, as well as ontop packed binaries, meaning they are additionally protected/packed with tools like Aspack, ACProtect, Polycrypt and so forth. We will discuss all 3 types and how to deal with them in 3 different ways. - 1. Manual unpacking + import fixing - 2. Manual unpacking + Auto import fixing - 3. Auto unpacking/import fixing - Stage 2 introduces a nice tool called "Universal Import Fixer" and Stage 3 shows how to automate unpacking/import fixing with OllyDbgScript. More advanced unpacking - Part II.zip 21.01.2008 Unbelievable but true. After 4 months of getting owned by other things making my life mad, i finally managed to release a new unpacking tutorial. This one goes far more into depth as the beginners tutorial i have released last year. It aims to show some generic tricks and tools, that can be used on many other protectors. Enjoy! More advanced unpacking - Part I.zip 21.09.2007 No, i'm not dead. Just too busy in the last weeks. But today i have a new paper for you. It's an analysis of the malware Peacomm.C aka StormWorm. It mainly focuses on extracting the native Peacomm.C code from the original crypted/packed code and all things that happens on this way, like: XOR + TEA decryption, TIBS unpacking, defeating Anti-Debugging code, files dropping, driver-code infection, VM-detection tricks and all the nasty things the rootkit-driver does. Peacomm.C - Cracking the nutshell.zip 17.07.2007 Right after finishing my COM reconstruction helpers, i present you today a movie, that aims to be a practical COM code reconstruction tutorial. The analysed function of this malware dumps the windows protected storage to steal account data like member site passes, outlook express accounts, autocomplete fields and so forth. And as it makes heavy use of the COM interface, it was the perfect candidate to show you how this nasty code can be restored to a far better readable code. Enjoy! Practical COM code reconstruction.swf 16.07.2007 On the flight back from New York i had some time to write a small python script, which generates IDAPython code from vtable structures inside the include files of the Microsoft PSDK 2003-R2. The generated script adds all known vtable structures from the PSDK to an IDB file to save time while reconstructing COM code. Hope it's useful for others as well. Enjoy! VtablesStructuresFromPSDK2003R2.zip 16.06.2007 This small IDAPython script scans an idb file for class and interfaces UUIDs and creates the matching structure and its name. Unfortunately IDA doesn't do this automatically, thus this little helper. It personally helped me alot, while reversing several malwares using the COM interface, e.g. for browser or outlook manipulation, BITS file transfer or dumping the protected storage. The script was tested with IDAPython v0.9.0 and Python 2.4. Make sure to copy interfaces.txt + classes.txt + ClassAndInterfaceToNames.py to IDADIR, e.g. C:\Program Files\IDA ClassAndInterfaceToNames.zip 03.06.2007 MFC42Ord2FuncNames is a small IDAPython script which converts MFC42 functions into its realnames. Normally IDA Pro should do this automatically, but in some cases the IDA auto-analysis fails. Watch the short flash movie included in the package for details. MFC42Ord2FuncNames.zip 14.05.2007 Brian Krebs from "The Washington Post" wrote a nice article on his blog about BITS here: New Attack Piggybacks on Microsoft's Patch Service 13.05.2007 VMEDetect v0.1 is a small commandline tool written in assembly, which makes use of the RDTSC trick to check for the presence of VMWare and VirtualPC. VMEDetect v0.1.zip 11.05.2007 This is a little proof of concept code to test, if your application-firewall alerts when bitscode.exe tries to download and execute fwbypassalert.exe from this site. bitscode.zip Also check out Elia Florio's blog for more information on this problem. Malware Update with Windows Update 22.03.2007 There's a new version of SYSER available, a SoftICE like kernel debugger with a nice GUI. Supported OSes are Windows 2000, XP, 2003 and VISTA!!! Software and Documentation can be found here: http://www.sysersoft.com/download/ Also check out the Links section. Added a bunch of nice sites. 21.01.2007 I put a new paper online. It is an analysis of the Rustock.B rootkit. The rootkit used several proprietary obfuscation/packing methods to hide the native driver code from prying eyes. I have divided the paper into two main parts. The first part, which is divided in three stages, describes how to extract the native rootkit driver code without the use of kernel debuggers or other ring0 tools. The second part basically does the same, but much faster and with lesser efforts using the SoftICE kernel debugger. Each part shows various possibilities for solving the different problems facing the researcher when analyzing Rustock. All the code and IDB files are included in the package! 13.12.2006 There's a new flash movie on manual unpacking and Auto-IAT fixing UPX
overnight clean-up, but officials weren’t sure if more tar would show up. They planned to assess during low tide at midday. Public health officials told people to avoid contact with the water, wet sand or any material that washed up in the area. They warned that contact with petroleum products can cause skin irritation and result in long-term health problems. Lifeguards chased a handful of surfers out of the water, but beach life was otherwise normal for people exercising, playing volleyball, skating and riding bikes along the shore. US Coast Guard and state officials said samples of tar and water would be analysed to identify where it originated, but it could take days to get the results. Nothing has been ruled out, including last week’s coastal oil spill that created a 10-square-mile (26-sq km) slick about 100 miles (160km) to the north-west, off the Santa Barbara County coast. There is also a refinery and offshore oil tanker terminal nearby, but the coast guard did not find a sheen from a spill after the tar started to accumulate on Wednesday. No problems with wildlife have been reported, said Sau Garcia from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.Many people cringe as they approach the age of 30. For some reason, these milestones tend to get people thinking. Am I old? What should I have done differently? Am I really happy with this person I married? Etc. Second guessing is normal and I don't have to remind you of the 20/20 hindsight rule. However, as I approach 30, I'm taking a different tact. I am viewing age as a positive simply because I have learned a ton of lessons that not only help define me, but will make future years enormously successful — emotionally, professionally, and socially. Often times we don't realize how powerful our lives can be until we reflect and share our experiences. That is why I took some time to write and submit this article; I want to reflect on my life and be sure to enjoy the lessons learned instead of regretting whatever outcomes I didn't like at the time. So here goes! This article originally appeared at Dumb Little Man and is republished here with permission.At BlackBerry World 2012, RIM is bumping up the stakes for its developers by putting more money where its mouth is, announcing a $10,000 guarantee to get potential coders excited to hop onto Team BlackBerry. If you get your app certified on App World and don't earn ten grand in the first year, RIM will cut you a check for the difference. Of course, incentive programs are nothing new in today's increasingly competitive development world -- Research in Motion has offered free phones and PlayBooks in the past, and Microsoft is known for throwing cash at big-name developers to beckon them to Windows Phone, for instance. The guarantee, however, is certainly a unique approach to entice new devs to BlackBerry 10. As these programs often do, there is one catch: to qualify, you'll need to not only earn quality certification, you'll also have to generate $1,000 on your own accord. All of this is part of a $100 million investment in its new ecosystem, and should help spark some developer interest in the lead-up to Waterloo's upcoming platform refresh. If you think you've got what it takes, start thinking up those million-dollar ideas right now. Joseph Volpe contributed to this report.Brendan Eich, We’ve Failed You. I’m Sorry. Alan Klement Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 4, 2014 We value ideas such as free speech and freedom of expression; yet, we criticize yours. I’m sorry. We encourage others to be tolerant; yet, we have been intolerant of you. I’m sorry. We claim to be a meritocracy; yet, we judged your capabilities as CEO not on merit, but on something else. I’m sorry. We work hard to be inclusive and to have diversity in our community; yet, we have chosen to push you away. I’m sorry. You are a pillar of the open source community; yet, when it came time to support you, we didn’t. I’m sorry. Brendan Eich, the community which you have been instrumental in creating has failed you. As a member of this community, I’m sorry.News in Science Law of nature 'not so constant' after all One of the fundamental laws of physics does not appear to be constant throughout the universe and may change depending on where you are, suggest researchers. Professor John Webb, from the University of New South Wales, and colleagues, say their findings could help explain why it was possible for life to develop on Earth but perhaps not in other parts of the universe. According to standard model, the strength of electromagnetism - one of the four fundamental forces of nature - should be constant throughout the cosmos, but Webb and colleagues have found otherwise. "The strength of electromagnetism... seems to vary across the universe," says Webb. The work, reported in the journal Physical Review Letters, looked at gas in 300 distant galaxies up to 12 billion light years away when the universe was just a fraction of its current age. Webb and colleagues studied the light from even more distant quasars, which had passed through those galaxies. Quasars are powerful energy beams generated by supermassive black holes and are among the brightest objects in the universe. As this light passes though galaxies, specific wavelengths are absorbed by the gas, resulting in an absorption spectrum telling scientists about the chemicals the gas consists of. Webb and colleagues first used the 10-metre Keck Observatory telescope in Hawaii to examine this ancient light and detected changes in electromagnetism. Fine structure constant not so constant This initial research found the fine-structure constant, which measures electromagnetism, varied across the universe. "It appears to get stronger in one direction and weaker in the other, meaning the universe appears to be dipolar," says Webb. In order to rule out equipment aberrations with the telescope, Webb and colleagues collected data from a second observatory the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile's Atacama Desert. The VLT looked at a different part of the sky, but came up with findings consistent with Keck, showing the same rate of change, and in the same direction. "The discovery if proven, would have profound implications for our understanding of space and time because the fine structure constant determines the strength of the electromagnetic interaction which keeps electrons attached to their atoms," says Webb. "If this is different in different parts of the universe then different laws of physics could mean different properties for chemicals and even biology. A four per cent change in the fine structure constant would mean differences in the production of elements, which would affect how stars burn, changing the production of heavy elements such as those needed for the formation of life". Webb says: "If correct the findings would answer a question that's puzzled scientists for decades: why do the laws of physics seem to be so finely-tuned for the existence of life?" "The answer may be that other regions of the universe are not quite so favourable for life and the laws of physics we measure in our part of the universe are merely 'local by-laws', in which case it is no particular surprise to find life here." Call for further investigation Cosmologist Professor Matthew Colless, Director of The Australian Astronomical Observatory says it's an "intriguing" result which needs to be followed up and replicated by other researchers. "They've been extremely careful in their analysis to try and rule out problems from things like subtle systematic effects," says Colless. "If the fine structure constant does vary not just with time but also space then that would require a major rethink of quantum mechanics and our standard model of physics."Knoji reviews products and up-and-coming brands we think you'll love. In certain cases, we may receive a commission from brands mentioned in our guides. Learn more. The Myths and Legends of the Vikings: The Battle at the End of Time By Mr Ghaz, December 16, 2010 Image Credit The Myths and Legends of the Vikings: The Battle at the End of Time Image Credit The dramatic account given of the end of the world in Norse mythology is unique; no other tradition except perhaps that of the biblical Book of Revelation has such a detailed vision of how the final catastrophe will occur. The story is hold allusively in two poems, in each case from the perspective of an individual with access to hidden knowledge; in the V?luspá (ca. 1000), the longer of the two, and the speaker is a female seer described as being cunning in magic. Image Credit The story of Ragnarok, the Doom of the Gods, had a profound effect on the Norse worldview, contributing greatly to its characteristic mood of fatalism. It told how, ultimately, the worlds of gods and men would be swept away. Even Odin and Thor, the mightiest of Asgard’s defenders, could do no more than delay the onset of the final battle, in which they must inevitably meet their own deaths. Image Credit The prelude to Ragnarok is the death of Baldur, son of Odin and Frigg and the best-loved of al the Aesir. Having heard that her son is destined to be killed unwittingly by another of Odin’s sons, the blind Hod, Frigg asks all things animate and inanimate to swear not to harm him. However, Loki, who has now become a figure of pure evil, discovers that Frigg had forgotten to ask the mistletoe. He hands a branch to Hod and directs the blind god’s aim toward Baldur-the mistletoe pierces Baldur and he dies. Image Credit When Frigg goes to the underworld realm of Hel, Queen of the Dead, to request Baldur’s resuscitation, it is Loki again who thwarts her mission. In retaliation, Loki is bound with the entrails of his own son Narfi and left pinioned on three sharp rocks to wait the day when Ragnarok shall dawn. Image Credit Image Credit A fragment from northern Iceland, thought once to have formed part of an 11th-century Doomsday from Holar cathedral, shows a beast swallowing the human figure. For the island's surviving pagans, the image would no doubt have recalled the wolf Fenrir swallowing Odin in the shadow at Ragnarok. As Snorri and the poets tell the story, Ragnarok’s coming will be heralded by a time of savage warfare among men-“an ax age, a sword age, a wind age, a wolf age.” Then there will be a terrible winter lasting for three whole years. The wolves that have long pursued the sun and the moon will finally catch and devour their prey; the earth itself will quake and trees and crags will be uprooted. Image Credit Three cockerels will crow, one on the gallows tree, one in Hel, and one in Valhalla, to signal that the forces of evil have finally been unleashed. The wolf Fenrir will break its fetters, and Jormungand, the World Serpent, will rise up from the sea, scattering venom from its mouth. All the Aesir’s enemies will gather for battle. Surt will lead the fire giants from Muspell; as they approach Asgard, the rainbow bridge Bifrost will buckle under their weight. Stirred up by Jormungand, the ocean will flood into Hel, tearing the ship Naglfar from its moorings; this terrible vessel is made of nail-clippings taken from the dead (humans can delay its completion by sending corpses to the grave with their fingers and toes trimmed). Oki will burst free from his bonds to pilot it toward Asgard, accompanied by Hrimir and the frost giants and all the champions of Hel. Image Credit In a detail from one of the picture stones found on the Swedish island of Gotland, of which a valkyrie with a drinking horn greets Odin as he arrives at Valhalla. Image Credit Meanwhile in Asgard, Heimdall, the divine watch man, will blow his horn to signal the alarm. The World Tree will tremble, and giants and dwarfs alike will quake in fear. Odin will seek counsel at the Well of Knowledge. The gods, in company with the human heroes gathered over the ages in Valhalla, will take up arms and proceed to the battlefield to confront the foe. Image Credit In the battle itself, Freyr will be cut down by Surt’s flaming sword. Thor will kill Jormungand but will then collapse, poisoned by the serpent’s venom. Odin will fall to Fenrir, which will itself be stabbed in the heart by Vidar, the god’s son. Tyr will confront Garm, the Hound of Hel, and the two will destroy each other, as will Heimdall and Loki. Then sparks from Surt’s brand will set fire to the earth. The sun will be darkened, the firmament will split open, and the stars will fall from the sky. The ocean will break its bounds and the earth will sink into the sea. Image Credit Yet life will continue beyond the final cataclysm. A fresh earth will emerge to replace the lost one, and a new and brighter sun will rise in the sky. Two of Odin’s sons will survive, as will two of Thor’s; and they will be joined by Hold and Baldur, released from Hel at last. In Midgard too a couple will live through the holocaust, hidden in Homimir’s Wood-from their children the Earth will be repeopled. And yet, in the Voluspa’s vision, the seeds of evil will be present even in this new age of innocence; the seeress’s last words before she falls silent tell of a winged dragon risen from the depths, bearing on its pinions the corpses of dead men.Leicester have had a £25m bid for Islam Slimani turned down by Sporting Lisbon, according to Sky sources. The Portuguese side rejected the bid in the early hours of Tuesday morning - they want £34m for the striker. Sky Sports News HQ understands the Algeria international is keen on moving to the Premier League champions, who look set to sign his Sporting team-mate Adrien Silva. Slimani scored 27 times for the Lisbon club last season. West Bromwich Albion are monitoring the situation and may yet put in a bid of their own. Slimani, 28, scored twice for Algeria at the 2014 World Cup. He joined Sporting in 2013 and has made over 100 appearances for the club. Sporting have already brought in a possible replacement for Slimani by signing Bas Dost from Wolfsburg for an undisclosed fee. The 27-year-old, who joined the Wolves from Heerenveen in 2012 and scored 36 goals in 85 Bundesliga appearances, made his final appearance for the German club in their 2-0 win at Augsburg on Saturday.By Bettina Fimio There is something about autumn leaves and crisp air that makes me want to curl up in front of a fire with savory foods and spend evenings with my family. But with all the fun activities that fall brings, who wants to be stuck in a kitchen for hours on end? This is an easy one pot roast beef recipe that is full of color and incorporates seasonal root vegetables that I think is the perfect end to an active day. We love how the saltiness of the bacon counterpoints the sweetness of the roasted beets. Bacon Wrapped Roast Beef with Root Vegetables Serves: 6 Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour, 15 minutes What You Need: 3 lbs roast beef (boneless) 6 strips low sodium bacon slices 4 medium red potatoes, chopped coarsely 4 medium red beets, peeled and chopped coarsely 3 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped coarsely 1 medium yellow onion, chopped coarsely 4 cloves garlic, whole 1 can chopped tomatoes 2 tsp rosemary 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 2 bay leaves 1½ tbsp Italian seasoning blend 1 tsp salt What You Need To Do: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place roast in large roasting pan, sprinkle with rosemary and drape with bacon slices. Place bay leaves and garlic in the bottom of the pan and top with the potatoes, beets, parsnips and onion. Sprinkle pepper, Italian seasoning and salt throughout. Open can of chopped tomatoes over the vegetables only and distribute evenly. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and stir the vegetables to ensure that they remain moist. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 150°F for medium rare or 160°F for medium. Remove roast from pan and let sit for 15 minutes to let juices redistribute. Remove bay leaves, stir vegetables again and cover until ready to serve. Slice roast finely and spoon the vegetables juices over the roast once plated. Enjoy! After you have made and enjoyed this delicious dish, let us know what you thought of it! Share this: Facebook Twitter Pocket Pinterest Email Print More LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit Like this: Like Loading...Two puzzles today - one asks you just to identify the odd one out, and the other needs to be done in 20 seconds Can you solve it: are you smarter than a Hong Kong six-year-old? Hello guzzlers. Welcome to the second instalment of my new puzzle series. Last time I asked you about Denise and her birthday. Today it’s a totally different style of problem In colour! Look at the image above. Which is the odd one out and why? You want more? Okay, here’s a second puzzle. It’s from the first grade admissions test for the Hong Kong Elementary School. So it’s for six year olds. It went viral a year ago - but many of you will not have seen it. Which parking spot number is the car parked on? Can you solve it in 20 seconds, as the children were expected to do? Twenty seconds is all you get... I’ll be posting the answers on this blog later today. If you’d prefer to watch the video of this problem, here it is: Odd-one-out puzzle devised by Tanya Khovanova. I post a puzzle here on a Monday every two weeks. If you like this sort of thing check out my other Guardian blog Adventures in Numberland. You can also check me out on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and my personal website. If you create puzzles and fancy seeing one published here get in touch.Chinese President says will align with Russia in global affairs February 3, 2015, 10:10 am Even as Washington and its allies intensified their harsh rhetoric against Moscow, Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed that Beijing will step up cooperation in global affairs with Moscow in 2015. Xi said China will aid Russia in preparing for the BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Ufa in July where the two nations will jointly maintain emerging economies’ interests and promote global economic governance reform. Xi met visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday in Beijing. The leaders of five of the world’s largest emerging markets are showcasing a new $100 billion currency reserve fund and $100 development bank. The BRICS have evolved from the original term coined in 2001 by then-Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economist Jim O’Neill to describe the growing weight of the largest emerging markets in the global economy. Meanwhile, Chinese and Russian officials are preparing to jointly commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII this year. They should use it to “celebrate the historic contribution the two countries, as main battlefields in the east and west, made in the war, and to maintain postwar peace and security”, Xi told Lavrov. US President Barack Obama said in December that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not change his “nationalist, backward-looking” policy until the full force of economic sanctions against Moscow hit home. Military tensions between NATO and Moscow have escalated steadily since April, when the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea reunited with the Russian Federation following a referendum a month earlier. The United States accuses Russia of arming and supporting pro-Russian forces fighting in the predominantly Russian-speaking areas in eastern Ukraine. Moscow calls the accusations “groundless.” Meanwhile, on Monday, Lavrov said “cooperation between Russia and China is important for the world’s peace and stability”. Lavrov is in Beijing for a regular trilateral meeting among the foreign ministers of China, Russia and India. TBP and AgenciesCostco seeks approval to come to East Lansing Costco Wholesale’s site plan for 5800 Park Lake Road, the former Four Winds Golf Course, was approved by the planning commission. A public hearing for the site plan and brownfield plan is set for the Dec. 6 meeting. The warehouse will be 157,000 square feet with an adjacent gas station, director of planning, building and development Tim Dempsey said. It will also feature a tire center within the warehouse. If the plans are approved by the council, Meridian Township also has to approve the site plan because of a requirement of the annexation of that land from the township in 2001. The zoning changes in the proposed project have to be approved by the township. “Originally that land was in Meridian Township, then under the annexation in 2001 it became part of the city,” Dempsey said. “It still borders a Meridian Township neighborhood.” After East Lansing approves the site plan and brownfield plan, Meridian Township’s planning department will have to approve it. Peter Menser, senior planner in the department of community planning and development for Meridian Township, said they aim to make the process move quickly. “We’re going to try to turn it around as quick as possible,” Menser said. “Our typical process is 30 days.” Once approval is given, the project will begin in the spring and finish by fall 2017. This Costco will be the 14th in Michigan, according to a Meridian Township memo. Menser said the township and the city are looking forward to the warehouse. “We’re excited about it and we’re working closely with the city of East Lansing to make it possible,” Menser said. City Manager George Lahanas said a Costco Wholesale would add to the city’s local economy. “Costco would be a great addition to the retail offerings already in the City and the region and is an amenity frequently mentioned by our residents,” he said via email. “They would also add about 150 well compensated jobs that benefit the entire region.”Kevin Riley attends the Best Buddies Jobs Vanguard Reception at UTA on June 11, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Joe Kohen/Getty Images) Photo: Joe Kohen/Getty Images In this week’s TV-themed issue of New York Magazine, Fox chief Kevin Reilly explained his plan to make his network more competitive with cable and Netflix by killing off the traditional “pilot season” process of making shows. For the story, Vulture writer Josef Adalian spent two hours at lunch with Reilly, discussing a wide range of topics beyond his pilot plan. We dug into the transcript of the interview, as well as our notes, and found a slew of bonus content. Here, then, are 17 more things we gleaned from our conversation from Reilly, including news about the next season of The Mindy Project, his thoughts on Almost Human and Enlisted, why Dads might not be dead, and whether Fox has any plans to get into late night. 1. While The Mindy Project will be back for a third season, fans might not get as many episodes as they’re used to. “I’ve done less this [season],” Reilly says. “We’ve ordered 15 so far.” Reilly thinks some shows can work better in smaller doses: “I think for a contemporary audience, less is more. I think it ends up becoming a really digestible amount where the end is always in sight.” (Not that Reilly is opposed to 22-episode seasons for some comedies. New Girl will still be 22, he says.) Related Stories Why Fox’s Kevin Reilly Is Canceling Pilot Season 2. As recently as a month ago, Reilly seemed to be leaning toward a renewal for Almost Human. At one point during our lunch, I noted that Human should be included among Fox’s successes for this season: “Almost Human is an asset,” I say. Reilly’s response? “Yeah, I agree.” But things can change quickly in Hollywood: Last week, Reilly opted against renewing the show. Fox isn’t commenting on why, but industry insiders are saying the network wanted producer Warner Bros. Television to charge less for the show, since Fox was losing money on it (and had no chance of recouping those losses, since Warner Bros. will get any syndication or Netflix money). When the studio declined, Fox apparently walked away. 3. Fox hasn’t officially announced it, but yes, American Idol will return next season: “It’s coming back next year,” Reilly says. I ask him if thinks the notion of having Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson return as judges might be a good one. “Yes, possibly — for the last season,” Reilly says. “But I’m not yet in that place where [next season] would be the last season.” 4. Industry insiders were shocked that Fox didn’t extend the first season order for Sleepy Hollow when it came out of the box strong. And given Fox’s Monday woes later in the season, the network absolutely could’ve used more episodes of the over-the-top fantasy series this season. Reilly says he has no regrets. “This spring, when … I desperately could use Sleepy Hollow on the air, I’ve thought, ‘Oh, it would have been nice to have it around’,” he admits. “But it was the right thing to do for that show. They were doing $4 million little mini-movies every week on a crazy schedule. We missed airdates, so we had more preemptions. [And] the audience wants to watch 13 episodes in a row. They don’t want to watch two on, and then one off, and then three on, and then two off.” Reilly believes Sleepy will benefit from having more time to prepare for its sophomore year: “We’re in series production now. We’ve got our writers’ staff up and running. We’ll start shooting in May. I’m going to make somewhere between about 15 or more, maybe a maximum of 18 next year. Those will air all in a row. There will be no preemptions [except maybe] one over the World Series or a holiday.” 5. Fox has high hopes for its new unscripted series Utopia, in which contestants could live for months or years in an artificial environment. “We’ve made a very big bet on it,” Reilly says, adding that the show could “start out [airing] two times a week” when it debuts (probably in late summer, though nothing’s been announced). “In success, the show can be on year-round.” Noting how few new breakout unscripted hits have come along in recent years, Reilly says he’s given new unscripted chief Simon Andreae wide latitude to experiment. “I’ve got six or seven original things that Simon has coming up, original ideas that he’s either seeded with producers or things that were internally developing,” he says. The goal: “To get back to where reality started — roll up your sleeves and do some crazy things.” 6. Reilly believes a growing segment of the viewing audience no longer simply kicks back on the couch and grazes TV content by flipping through channels, and are instead “increasingly becoming much more active in their watching. They’re no longer doing that passive, ‘Oh I’m going to watch Tuesday night, and I guess I’ll watch this show that I’ve never heard of after this one I like.’ You still get a little bit of that. But we’ve got more than 50 percent of the audience [with DVRs] right now. You’ve got these on-demand platforms that are growing exponentially. Hulu is up over 40 percent on our air this year. VOD service is up 45 percent this year in terms of Fox viewership. It’s a great television viewing experience — binging, catching up, deep-diving into the show you want to see.” 7. Military comedy Enlisted has gotten some of the best reviews of any new comedy this season, but Fox pretty much burned the show off on Fridays. There’s been some buzz in recent days that the show may yet secure a second-season pickup, but it’s still considered a long shot. Reilly’s decision to bury Enlisted on Fridays would seem to suggest he didn’t like the series: “Not at all,” he says. “I actually kind of like it. To me it was just neither fish nor fowl. I did not personally think it was broad enough or outrageous enough to be in that camp, and I didn’t think it was grounded enough and real enough to be sort of — I did like it. The truth is, if I had more shelf space, if I had more cover, there’d be a way to figure out how to do that.” Does all the critical support and fan love on Twitter matter with shows like Enlisted? “You take it in, and it helps inform my opinions at times,” he says. “Sometimes it’s had a big influence, where I’ve given a second thought about something, or I start to get excited that I’m not the only one that believes in something. And other times I just have to say, ‘You know what? I’m going a different way.’ Because you can’t please everybody all the time in television.” 8. Don’t expect Fox to jump into the late-night wars any time soon. “I think it’s unlikely,” Reilly says. “It’s never off of our agenda, but I think it’s unlikely just because of the challenge of launching these [shows] in this fractured universe.” 9. One of Reilly’s biggest issues with the traditional pilot process is how little time it leaves to market new shows. “When we pick up a series in May and it’s got to be on in a matter of months, that’s a very short ramp up to get people aware of it,” he says. This wasn’t an issue back when networks dominated the TV universe, since broadcasters could “just simply turn on our own promo machine. Now it takes so much more than that. You need so much more time to get out into the culture and let things percolate.” By approving projects long before they premiere, Reilly thinks he’ll be better able to increase awareness of new Fox shows. 10. Reilly doesn’t deny Fox has had a rough season, conceding the network is “skidding our way into the finish line.” But he laughs off the notion that his pilot-season pronouncements have been a way to divert attention from those woes. “That’s just silly Hollywood finger-pointing,” he says. “I mean, we have not had the strongest year — but that’s neither here nor there.” 11. One possible pitfall of making few pilots could be that Fox misses out on an expected hit from a new voice. Making a pilot episode of a show from an unknown writer is relatively low risk; it’s much less likely Fox would give a “nobody” a straight-to-series order. Reilly concedes this is a danger of his plan: “The risk could become that if you’re making these big bets, the Larry Davids of the world, the Anthony Zuikers — that guy who was a nobody when they started writing television — they will somehow be disadvantaged,” he says. “That’s something we really, really have to guard against. [But] that’s something that’s always a part of [the business] anyway. If you look on every network slate every year, the vast majority are people who have done it before.” 12. Reilly has won the affection of critics by keeping low-rated fare, such as The Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, on the air. Some industry observers have wondered, however, if Reilly’s willingness to embrace niche shows means Fox is too quickly turning into a cable network — a not unreasonable question to ask given the network’s recent microscopic ratings on Tuesdays. Reilly pushes back against the notion that he wants to turn Fox into some sort of boutique channel. “Our comedies, which are not at the top of the ratings heap — of the 80 comedies that were on television last year, seven of [ours] were still in the top 20,” he argues, adding that he wants Fox to create big hits. “Network television has really been the driver of worldwide value that really floats a lot of the economics of the entertainment industry,” he says. “You can do a very, very cool niche show — but that’s not nearly going to have the worldwide impact anywhere near what The Simpsons or 24 has. In a perfect world, every [show] delivers a broad audience.” But while he hunts for bigger hits, Reilly says he thinks it’s smart to stick with at least some smaller shows. “Everything in television is a balancing act,” he explains. “I can have a handful of shows where I just say, ‘We’re giving that the benefit of a doubt.’ Friday Night Lights was never a break-out hit; I’ll never regret doing that show. That said, you do have a finite amount of those as well, because I do need to keep the circulation up. We have only so many places — unless we’re really going to turn [Fox] into a completely niche service. I can only fall on my sword for so many.” 13. In fact, while Reilly seems to be turning Fox into the new home of NBC-style comedies — i.e., quirky and critically loved — he insists his real intent is to make the exact opposite kind of half-hour work. “The one thing that I’m really obsessed with is multi-camera comedy,” Reilly says. “It is a form that is unique to network television. And then, for whatever reason, it fell out of vogue at networks. And talent is afraid to get back in. I see so much comedic talent that seems like they would rather do a [single-camera] show that by definition less people are going to see.” Noting that multi-cams such as All in the Family and Seinfeld were “the coolest shows of all time,” Reilly says it’s surprising more showrunners aren’t looking to jump into the form. “I don’t know why you won’t aspire to do that,” he says. Not that some aren’t trying: “This year we have John Mulaney doing a sitcom for us, and Tina Fey and Matt Hubbard and Robert Carlock doing a multi-camera sitcom. Even the much-maligned Dads, where it became the poster child [for] everything that was wrong on television.” 14. The above mention of Dads wasn’t an accident. At least when I talked to him last month, Reilly seemed to be laying the groundwork for a renewal of the Seth MacFarlane–produced show. “It actually held its own relative to [Fox’s] other comedies,” he says. “Seth’s next movie, which I’ve already seen, is going to be another big success. That’s just top talent willing to do multi-camera, and I want to keep playing in that water. And that’s something we’ve got to do. Because I still think that on broadcast, that’s one form that can provide a bigger tent.” 15. One of the biggest frustrations for Reilly and other broadcast execs has been how few shows these days grow in their second and third years. In some cases, series are starting to suffer serious erosion by their third seasons. “We would always count on a sophomore bounce,” Reilly says. Now? With most shows, “It’s a sophomore slump. And that’s been really, really debilitating. I thought The Following would bounce, and it didn’t. I think there was only one show that bounced in its sophomore year, which was Chicago Fire, which is up a couple of tenths. Scandal is one of the only shows that the network has seen a growth over the last three years. Unfortunately, the vast majority of shows have trended down.” Reilly thinks networks need to find a way to make returning shows events every year. “Every year cable relaunches their top franchises like Game of Thrones as a big event,” he says. “We tend to put the subsequent seasons on autopilot, and there’s a point where the audience then just views them as autopilot.” 16. Fox has made so-called “series commitments” to projects, leaving many to believe the network will absolutely turn these projects into shows. Reilly, however, cautions that this might not always happen. “At some point, if I read six scripts and a bible, and they’re a disaster, we’re going to stop,” he says. 17. Reilly wouldn’t mind having the FCC’s content restrictions disappear, but he doesn’t seem all too concerned about the current double standard by which cable can air shows with nudity or adult language. For one thing, “We have plenty of creative latitude without it, and most advertisers will not buy it,” he says. But with cable collectively drawing far more viewers of all ages than broadcast, and viewers not drawing a distinction between the two forms of TV, “It is very, very silly, some of the constraints that we’re under. People are simply watching television,” whether it’s “broadcast” or “cable.”As we get closer to the 10th anniversary of WordPress, people have been asking me if I know of any WordPress trivia plugins or games that they could use for their 10th anniversary birthday party. While I don’t know of any plugins, there is a WordPress Jeopardy style website you can use that if nothing else, can help generate some trivia questions. It’s called WP Gameshow. The concept was created by the organizers of WordCamp Detroit, 2011. When I originally wrote about the site, Anthony stated in the comments: I’m glad everyone is enjoying the game! It was a lot of fun performing it live and we really would like to see what others can do with the platform. So yes, we do plan on releasing a theme which will allow for you to create your own questions and such. No time on release, but it is in the works. To this day, nothing has been released although the domain is still active, complete with a game board. I got in touch with Anthony to see if he has made any progress on releasing this as a theme or plugin. This is one of those things that we never finished for release. I just sent an email to my friend who I worked on it with for the most recent version. As soon as I hear back from him, I’m going to take another run at it and see if it’s “good enough” for use and we’ll try to post a copy of it for download on the trivia site. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back from him and have the opportunity to put it up for release. Once I hear from Anthony about a download link being established, I’ll pass the word along. Until then
example, you can mine it, use LocalBitcoins, or earn it by doing work. But these methods can be cumbersome for the average person. What if you can’t find someone willing to pay you in bitcoin or don’t know how to set up a mining rig? Many people in the world prefer to buy digital currency with a common payment method such as a credit card, wire transfer, or bank transfer. These remind them of services they already use (like Amazon.com, Paypal, or Fidelity) and lower the barrier to entry. Enabling convenient payment methods requires digital currency companies to comply with existing laws. We can’t have one without the other. If we want a convenient way for people to move large amounts of money into digital currency, we need digital currency companies who embrace and excel at compliance. Specifically, they need to be able to block criminals from using their systems to stay in business. Once this new network is thriving, there will be many opportunities to create new products and services in a purely digital currency world (without any ties back to finance 1.0), and some of those will appeal to privacy advocates. But the network needs to be bootstrapped first to have a chance of succeeding. To put it simply: if you own bitcoin, you should be supportive of people buying bitcoin in any way they can (whether you use those services or not), because the network effect makes the value of your bitcoin go up. Or to make it even simpler: compliance will make you money! Building A Bridge The Bay Bridge connecting to Treasure Island near San Francisco, CA. You can think of digital currency as an island, and an exchange like Coinbase is a bridge to that island. In the early days, this island didn’t have any convenient bridges (maybe taking a small raft or an expensive helicopter were the only ways to reach it). Some early bridges were hastily constructed and have long since collapsed. But as sturdy bridges have come into existence, the flow of people to and from the island has dramatically increased. Coinbase alone has helped 4M people exchange about $4B into and out of digital currency (at the time of this post). An important quality of bridges is that they are connected to the mainland. Bridges require stable and secure footing on both ends, so bridge builders need to understand and respect the cultures and norms on each side, speak both languages, and adhere to local laws and customs. The bridge builders may not be just like you, but they are your ally and can help you accomplish your goals on the island. ISPs are to Web Browsers as Exchanges are to Wallets While Internet Service Providers (ISPs) provide connectivity to the internet, digital currency exchanges provide connectivity to blockchains. It’s no accident that many early bitcoin entrepreneurs have also started ISPs (Wences Casares, Joi Ito, Justin Newton, and Austin Hill). Web browsers speak the underlying protocols to help people use the internet, just as wallets speak the underlying protocols to help people use digital currency. I think it’s an important feature of web browsers that they offer you some level of privacy. The same is true for digital currency wallets. These are just pieces of software that you can run on your own devices (aka clients). But ISPs and exchanges are different. You have a personal relationship with these entities, and although you have data privacy and other legal rights, your use of ISPs is not anonymous or unrestricted. In the early days of the internet, ISPs and web browsers were sometimes linked as one (AOL), but they eventually separated, and with good reason. If you’re looking for anonymity, you probably won’t find it in any exchange that links to the traditional financial system. But you may find it in a bitcoin wallet. And one enables access to the other. As I’ve written elsewhere, Coinbase is an exchange and not a wallet. Conclusion A compliant digital currency exchange that links to the traditional financial system is a necessary piece of infrastructure to help digital currency grow. And it is quite difficult to build (look no further than the various enforcement actions and security breaches in the industry to get a sense — BitInstant, Ripple, Bitfinex, etc — in addition to the multitude of regulations such as BitLicense, eMoney, MTL, FinCEN guidance, etc). At Coinbase, about 20% of our staff works on compliance in some form. There are many difficult and exciting problems to solve (especially from a data science and machine learning point of view) to measure and mitigate risk. If you’re an engineer or compliance/risk professional who is interested in helping build this bridge we’d love to speak with you. We’ve spent many years and millions of dollars working to become the best in the industry at compliance, and we’ll continue to work tirelessly to keep the bridge open. Please join us in being supportive of compliant digital currency companies. They are a necessary component to make digital currency a success for us all. Thanks to Dan Romero, Erin Coppin, Fred Ehrsam, John Yi, Juan Suarez, and Soups Ranjan for reading drafts of this post.For decades, sexism in higher education has been blamed for blocking women from landing academic positions in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. But a new study by Cornell psychologists suggests that era has ended, finding in experiments with professors from 371 colleges and universities across the United States that science and engineering faculty preferred women two-to-one over identically qualified male candidates for assistant professor positions. Published online April 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the paper, “National Hiring Experiments Reveal 2:1 Faculty Preference For Women on STEM Tenure Track,” by Wendy M. Williams, professor of human development, and Stephen J. Ceci, the Helen L. Carr Professor of Developmental Psychology, both in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology, argues that the academic job market has never been better for women Ph.D.s in math-intensive fields. Williams and Ceci conducted five randomized controlled experiments with 873 tenure-track faculty in all 50 U.S. states to assess gender bias. In three studies, faculty evaluated narrative summaries describing hypothetical male and female applicants for tenure-track assistant professorships in biology, economics, engineering and psychology. In a fourth experiment, engineering faculty evaluated full CVs instead of narratives, and in a fifth study, faculty evaluated one candidate (either a man or identically qualified woman) without comparison to an opposite-gender candidate. Candidates’ personalities were systematically varied to disguise the hypotheses. The only evidence of bias the authors discovered was in favor of women; faculty in all four disciplines preferred female applicants to male candidates, with the exception of male economists, who showed no gender preference. In some conditions, Williams and Ceci also matched applicants on job qualifications and lifestyle characteristics such as marital and parental status and used contrasting lifestyles in others. They examined attributes such as being a single mother, having a stay-at-home partner and past choices about taking parental leave. These experiments revealed that female faculty preferred divorced mothers over married fathers and male faculty preferred mothers who took leaves over mothers who did not. “Efforts to combat formerly widespread sexism in hiring appear to have succeeded,” Williams and Ceci write. “Our data suggest it is an auspicious time to be a talented woman launching a STEM tenure-track academic career, contrary to findings from earlier investigations alleging bias, none of which examined faculty hiring bias against female applicants in the disciplines in which women are underrepresented. Our research suggests that the mechanism resulting in women’s underrepresentation today may lie more on the supply side, in women’s decisions not to apply, than on the demand side, in anti-female bias in hiring.” “Women struggling with the quandary of how to remain in the academy but still have extended leave time with new children, and debating having children in graduate school versus waiting until tenure, may be heartened to learn that female candidates depicted as taking one-year parental leaves in our study were ranked higher by predominantly male voting faculties than identically qualified mothers who did not take leaves,” the authors continue. Real-world academic hiring data validate the findings, too. The paper notes recent national census-type studies showing that female Ph.D.s are disproportionately less likely to apply for tenure-track positions, yet when they do they are more likely to be hired, in some science fields approaching the two-to-one ratio revealed by Williams and Ceci. The authors note that greater gender awareness in the academy and the retirement of older, more sexist faculty may have gradually led to a more welcoming environment for women in academic science. Despite these successes, Williams and Ceci acknowledge that women face other barriers to entry during adolescence and young adulthood, in graduate school and later in their careers as academic scientists, particularly when balancing motherhood and careers. They are currently analyzing national data on mentorship, authorship decisions and tenure advice, all as a function of gender, to better understand women and men’s decisions to apply to, and persist in, academic science. Ted Boscia is director of communications and media for the College of Human Ecology.More time to think: Slept on what I wrote about Sears (SHLD) on Tuesday evening. In case you missed it, Sears announced it was pushing out a debt maturity from 2018 to 2019. For a company that is bleeding cash, this news is a HUGE negative, an indication of how the dying retailer's holiday season is fairing. It's a huge negative on how the company views its 2018 potential. All in, it's a huge sign that Sears could be hanging "going out-of-business" signs in many more stores in 2018. Sears stock tanked almost 6% on Tuesday as the plans were likely leaked (this stuff is always leaked) -- it would be shocking if the stock doesn't dive again Wednesday. Here is the reality on Sears as we look toward 2018: The company is running out of money, customers and time. Early 2018 will likely see more stories of suppliers cutting bait with Sears over fears of not getting paid. That will send Sears off on a losing PR campaign that will attempt to reassure suppliers, while it continues to burn through cash and lose more business. More store closings will be announced. The vicious cycle will spin even harder and Sears will file for a reorganization in 2018. Ugly. Look what Apple is doing: Unsure why nobody is talking about this, but they should be: Over the course of one week mighty Apple (AAPL) has spent a reported $400 million to acquire music tech company Shazam, while Wednesday brings news that Apple has invested $390 million in laser chipmaker Finisar (FNSR). In effect, Apple has signaled a few things to the market. First, it will need help to engineer the next groundbreaking product. This doesn't mean Apple is done innovating, it means Apple realizes that to stay ahead of strengthening rivals it must use its biggest advantage -- its balance sheet. Can't wait until Apple buys Salesforce (CRM) to take on Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) in the cloud. Another aspect is that tech valuations may not yet be frothy despite a year of big gains for FAANG (Facebook (FB), Apple, Amazon, Netflix (NFLX) and Alphabet (GOOGL) ) and various robust valuations on tech IPOs. From a pure investing standpoint, these are favorable signals. Thanks Apple! Surely, Apple investor Warren Buffett is happy about all of these things. To receive the FREE "Morning Jolt" daily newsletter, click here. Around the horn, because it's hump day: Here are some rapid fire thoughts on stocks, markets and whatever. After dropping over 20% from mid-September to early November and going sideways for about a month afterward, Tesla (TSLA) has risen over 10% since Dec. 5 pointed out TheStreet's Eric Jhonsa. This may be why Tesla bulls are back. With all due respect to the Nvidia (NVDA) bitcoin tie-in, the graphics chipmaker continues to prove it's way more than just a bitcoin play. Nvidia said Wednesday it's teaming up with heavy equipment maker Komatsu to create artificial intelligence construction fields. All about worker safety... and fewer health-related lawsuits. What's Hot Bitcoin, Naturally When a reality TV star talks about people buying homes in bitcoin, it's time to move to cash and vacate to Bermuda. Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Nvidia and Facebook are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells these stocks? Learn more now.] More of What's Trending on TheStreet:WASHINGTON — The new headquarters of the United States Institute for Peace occupies a magnificent site on the National Mall just around the corner from the State Department and within sight of the Lincoln Memorial. But a visitor yesterday was politely turned away because the Moshe Safdie-designed building isn’t quite finished and the institute won’t open to the public until October, apparently a victim of Congressional budget squabbles. The greater irony is that this city, which is the capital of the world in so many positive respects, is also the world capital of war. While the U.S. Congress may have trouble funding the completion of its own institute dedicated to peacemaking, it has no trouble at all spending hundreds of billions of dollars on America’s two never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are within months of being able to close one of those sad chapters in our nation’s history. The United States is scheduled to withdraw its final 46,000 troops from Iraq by the end of this year. We must not miss the opportunity. It’s a war that did not need to be fought, and it is also a war whose many future pitfalls were clearly forecast in the months and weeks leading up to the March 2003 invasion. And those pitfalls are on glaring display in Iraq today: rampant sectarianism, rising Iranian influence over the Iraqi government, intense hatred of the United States as an occupying force, and an Iraqi democracy that is as tenuous as any in the region. More from GlobalPost: America's longest war should end Almost nine years have gone by since the start of the Iraq War and the trail of death, destruction and vast expenditure is tragically long. American forces have lost 4,474 soldiers, of whom 1,287 were younger than 22. More than 32,000 U.S. troops have been wounded, many grievously. Thousands more carry the psychological scars of this war, and most will carry them for as long as they live. June was the deadliest month of 2011 with 15 fatalities, and it was the worst month for the United States in two years, since June 2009. We’ve asked the young men and women of our all-volunteer military to do the unthinkable — to go back to Iraq, or Afghanistan, on one combat duty tour after another, sometimes four and five times. It’s an outrage so profound there simply are no words for it. And then, of course, there’s the cost: nearly one trillion dollars in direct expenditures in Iraq alone. That, too, is an outrage for an America ravaged by unemployment and facing enormous unmet infrastructure needs. But our suffering pales in comparison to what the people of Iraq have had to endure. Iraqi civilian casualties totaled 114,939 through May of this year, according to the Brookings Institution Iraq Index. Two weeks ago, a series of 42 attacks across Iraq killed 90 people and wounded 315, both civilians and Iraqi security forces — the deadliest day of 2011. The attacks included suicide bombs, car explosions and gunfire, and took place from northern Iraq to the south in what appeared to be well-coordinated attacks. And this past Sunday, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Sunni mosque in Baghdad, killing at least 28 people and wounding dozens more. This has been a vicious, bloody war with no mercy shown even to the civilian population. Shiite militants have been linked recently to the killing of U.S. soldiers, and Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia (AQM) is behind other attacks on both civilians and military forces. The AQM spokesman, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, was quoted in The New York Times as saying, “We have men who have divorced themselves from life and love death more than you love life, and killing is one of their wishes.” If that weren’t sad testimony enough on the futility of the Iraq War, the country’s prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, has shown his true colors as no friend of the United States. Maliki is backing Syria in its brutal, bloody repression of that country’s freedom movement while America and many other nations have called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. In this, of course, Maliki is doing what his most important ally, Iran, directs him to do. Shiite Iran — and the Shiite majority in Iraq — want the ruling Shiite minority in Syria to continue their 40-year-long autocratic rule over the Sunni majority population. What a cruel but entirely predictable irony that Iraq’s leader should side with a Saddam Hussein-like dictator in a neighboring state after the enormous suffering this war has imposed on so many in Iraq, in America and in other countries. U.S. military forces in Iraq reached their peak strength in October 2007 at 171,000. Today, there are fewer than 50,000, and none has an active combat assignment. Iraqi security forces have grown from less than 10,000 in the spring of 2003 after the U.S. invasion to more than 650,000 today. Ready or not, it is time for America to lay this burden down and bring our troops home. The U.S. government has said it will do just that unless the Iraqi government asks America to stay. After a long period of silence on the subject, the Maliki government recently said it would negotiate about retaining some U.S. troops beyond the December deadline. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned in early July that weapons supplied by Iran to Shiite militia in Iraq posed “a tremendous concern” for the United States — a position echoed by the American ambassador to Iraq and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We would be fools to take the bait. The Iraq War was a staggering error of judgment on the part of the Bush administration and its Congressional supporters. It has achieved little. Prolonging it will achieve nothing. The successful conclusion of the war in Libya has shown us that there is an alternative to unilateral military intervention. If the United States is really serious about the stated mission of the Institute for Peace, which is to increase the nation’s capacity to manage international conflict without violence, let’s celebrate the public opening of this gleaming new edifice by announcing the final and irretrievable withdrawal of all United States military forces from Iraq. Let’s get our troops home for Christmas. Philip Balboni is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of GlobalPost. He writes a column each Tuesday.More than 30 million crows fly around the U.S., but the black birds may be among the least understood animals in the country. Now, new research is providing insight into their soaring intelligence and surprising warmth, reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy. Crows have always been a bit creepy. It probably doesn't help that a group of them is not-so-sweetly referred to as a "murder," or that films such as Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" turned them into attempted murderers. Professor John Marzluff studies urban birds at the University of Washington's Aviation Conservation Lab, and he says forget the notion of dark and scary -- crows are actually smart and friendly. "I always call them flying monkeys," Marzluff said. "I think they're a very small flying monkey. "Neurally, mentally, cognitively, they're a flying monkey." A crow's brain is the size of a human thumb, huge relative to its body, putting their intelligence on par with primates and allowing them to solve complex problems. The PBS series "Nature" showed an experiment where a crow figured out how to use a small stick to retrieve a larger stick and then use that to retrieve a piece of food that was well out of reach. Marzluff and his team conduct research with masks, wearing them on campus and recording what kind of sounds the crows make. They discovered crows recognize and remember individual faces. By sedating the birds and putting them through a PET scan, they found different areas of a crow's brain light up when they see a person they perceive as friendly or threatening. "They recognize individual people that are important to them and when somebody does something dangerous, they mark that person, remember that person, as far as I can tell, for their life," Marzluff said. Crows in 8-year-old Gabi Mann's Seattle, Washington, backyard seem to remember her for a good reason; she and her mom Lisa feed them. Gabi said she thinks the crows are very smart. "They actually ran these tests to see if a crow was as smart as a 7-year-old," she said. Turns out, they are; smart enough, it appears, to keep a good thing going. Gabi has a carefully cataloged collection of more than 70 trinkets her neighborhood crows have left on her bird feeder, including earrings, a heart and a "best friend" charm. Gabi said she thinks they're trying to tell her she's their friend. Marzluff said more likely they are telling her to keep the food coming. He wrote an entire book called "Gifts of the Crow." He said the behavior is part of a courtship with humans. Crows and their relatives, ravens and magpies, have been known to form close bonds with people. When the birds first starting bringing her those gifts, Gabi had a good feeling that if she gave them more, they might be inclined to return the favor.NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The attorney for suspended New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma says a ledger of under-the-table cash bonuses and fines for Saints players shows no proof of bounties placed on targeted opponents. Lawyer Peter Ginsberg said the leaking of the ledger to the news media shows how "misguided and irresponsible" NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been in handling the bounty investigation of the Saints. People familiar with the ledger told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday that the document indicates payments of $1,000 for plays called "cart-offs" and $400 for "whacks," as well as $100 fines for mental errors. Ginsberg asserted that the commissioner interviewed the person who kept the ledger, and knows "the 'whacks' and 'cart-off,' though regrettably named, were descriptions of good, clean, legal plays, and that any dirty or penalized play resulted in fines." NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said he had no comment on the latest statement by Ginsberg, who is representing Vilma both in the player's appeal of his season-long suspension as well as in a defamation lawsuit against Goodell. The defamation lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans and Goodell has until July 5 to respond to it. The NFL has suspended four players — all of them either current or former Saints — in connection with the bounty probe. Vilma was suspended for the 2012 season, Green Bay Packers defensive end Anthony Hargrove was suspended eight games, Saints defensive end Will Smith was suspended four games, and Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita three. All four players have appealed their suspensions. Ginsberg's statement about the ledger is the latest of several instances in which players or their representatives have debated the significance of evidence gathered by the NFL in its probe of the bounty program that the league said ex-Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams ran from 2009 to 2011. The NFL, in its initial report, highlighted an excerpt from an e-mail in which an associate of Saints coach Sean Payton said "put me down for $5,000" on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, marketing agent Mike Ornstein, the author of the e-mail, said the comment — which was part of an e-mail sent from federal prison to a team spokesman and forwarded to the coaching staff — was part of a running joke he had with Williams, dating to when the Minnesota Vikings suggested the Saints had placed a bounty on then-quarterback Brett Favre in the January 2010 NFC title game. In May, Mary Jo White, a former U.S. Attorney hired by the NFL, said a signed declaration by Hargrove confirmed the existence of a bounty program, and that Hargrove was instructed to lie about it — and did lie about it — when first questioned by league investigators. But Hargrove later said the NFL mischaracterized his statement, which the AP also obtained. The declaration does not go into specifics about what Hargrove knew or did not know about a bounty program in New Orleans, and it does not explicitly say that he lied. The NFL has not discussed the ledger in any of its official reports or public comments, but the document's existence appears to support the league's contention that the Saints operated an improper pay-for-performance program. Whether it confirms that actual bounties were placed on targeted opponents is not yet clear, as the document has not been made public. "The truth is that Jonathan Vilma gave no money, incentive or encouragement ever — not at any time in his eight-year career — to injure or knock out of any game any player with a dirty or unsportsmanlike hit," Ginsberg said in a statement. "The facts are plain and simple. During the three seasons in question, Jonathan Vilma was one of the least penalized players not only on the Saints, but in the NFL." According to STATS, LLC, Vilma has played in 42 games since 2009 and has been penalized three times in that span. Two-thirds of NFL defensive players who played in 40 or more games during that same period were penalized more than Vilma.Cosplay Showcase Kotaku's Cosplay Showcase is a feature that highlights the unique work of cosplayers, artists and photographers as they seek to tell new stories and push the boundaries of the craft. Cosplay has always prided itself on its ability to transform fans into their heroes, wherever and whoever they are. In theory, at least. In practice, things haven’t always been that perfect, especially when a fan is black. This piece originally appeared 2/10/16. The cosplay scene is full of cool people who are committed to making sure everyone involved has a good time, but there’s no such thing as an official Cosplay Police Force. Like every other pursuit on Earth, assholes can and do find their way into cosplay communities and discussions, and when they do, they do their damnedest to try and ruin things for anyone caught in their crosshairs. While the problem of cosplayers being treated as meat is a widespread and well-publicised one, it’s not the only obstacle those in the scene face from jerks and bigots. From cosplay’s earliest days, black fans have faced constant struggles on multiple fronts, both as cosplayers and as people. Advertisement That’s not to say there aren’t prominent black cosplayers. Far from it. Indeed, some of the best cosplayers on the planet are folks like Knightmage and Chaka Cumberbatch. But the success of some doesn’t eliminate the struggles of others, nor somehow magically remove bullshit “criticism” of their own cosplay. In an attempt to raise awareness of some of these issues, and to promote some of the fantastic work found in the community, a number of events and movements have emerged. One is the #29daysofblackcosplay hashtag on Twitter, which was started by Cumberbatch last year and acts as a spotlight and rallying point for amazing photos of amazing cosplayers. Writing on Black Girl Nerds Chaka says that she hopes, after its initial success in 2015, that 2016's version “will be a rallying call to arms for a group of people who are consistently subjected to derogatory comments and outright racism in response to doing little more than proudly displaying their love for this hobby.” Advertisement “When we call out racism in this subculture, we are often ridiculed, silenced and told to make a space of our own if we want to see our faces. Challenge accepted. This is how we’ll represent ourselves. This is how we’ll uplift each other. This is how we will make this hobby open, inclusive and welcoming to everyone.” Another showcase, timed like #29daysofblackcosplay to coincide with Black History Month, is a series of cosplay photo shoots that photographers Kayhettin and Anna Fischer have been working on. Advertisement “This project got started when we were putting together a group shoot at Colossalcon”, Fischer tells Kotaku. “We were looking at tons of cosplayer applicants. Cosplayers we hadn’t worked with before, just this huge cross section of emerging cosplayers. And it sparked a conversation about what we were seeing, what we weren’t seeing and how we felt about it.” “What we weren’t seeing was black people. And that was disappointing.” So Fischer and Kayhettin decided to do something about it. “We wanted to reach an audience who might not be cosplaying yet, young people, or people who aren’t sure if they want to try it, who might be worried that they won’t fit in because of their color. And we want to show them that they have a place, that they can be a part of us.” Advertisement All the images you see in this post, both above and below, are from this shoot. Black cosplayers, Kayhettin says, are facing two main challenges. The first is that there aren’t “enough compelling black characters in the source material.” The second comes from the cosplay community at large, which he believes doesn’t do enough to “hold a line of defense against racists on the internet trolling black cosplayers for cosplaying as white and Asian characters.” Advertisement Both are long-running and entrenched issues, but there’s hope that progress is being made. Witness the explosion in popularity for one of the cosplayers featured in this project (KayBear) has experienced over the past few months, going from a complete unknown to budding cosplay superstar seemingly overnight. “The fact we found a girl like Kay, a black cosplayer with star power, is huge. There is a broader satisfaction as we watch her climb the ranks of social media stardom, transcending the usual joy we feel when a cosplayer we work with early in their development does well. She and women like her are changing the community, by showing fans and cosplayers alike that there are not just good ‘black cosplayers’ but there are just ‘good cosplayers’ who are also black.” “We need more women like those in this feature. Because if we can just keep going, in five years, or ten years, or twenty years - one day being a ‘cosfamous’ black cosplayer or photographer won’t be an issue. We hope this project is a step down the road that brings that future closer.” Advertisement Here are the full credits for these shoots, along with links to check out more of their stuff. Photographers: Cosplayers: And here are the rest of the photos from the shoots: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AdvertisementHopeworks Community Our jails we are told are the new psychiatric hospitals. They are packed with people they are not equipped to deal with and with whom they don’t do well. If anything they make things a lot worse and help leave an entire population of people stuck in an ever entrenched pattern of repeat incarceration. We seem to solve problems by diminishing the people who have them. If you listen to Murphy it is simple: 1. People are in jail with “mental illness” are there because they have not had effective treatment for their “illness.” 2. Many of them do not even accept that they are “ill.” They refuse to accept the treatment they need. 3. We feed into the problem by allowing people who don’t have the capacity to make informed decisions control over the decisions that affect their lives. 4. The answer is to force them to accept treatment…The basic science of climate change is firmly established, and it's overwhelmingly accepted by experts in the field. And it's not just theoretical: Real-world evidence of a changing climate assails us constantly. Global temperatures in March were scorchingly hot, a new record for that month, at well over a full degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average March temperature from 1951 to 1980 - and even higher compared with pre-industrial averages. Nonetheless, there remains a significant coterie of skeptics, doubters and outright deniers, including former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. At the House Rayburn Office Building last Thursday evening, she participated in a discussion panel just before the airing of a new documentary, "Climate Hustle," featuring Marc Morano, publisher of the skeptical website ClimateDepot.com, who takes viewers on a tour through the arguments that some holdout scientists do still make to undermine mainstream climate concerns. As nearly the entire Internet noted, Palin claimed, in the session, that Bill Nye the Science Guy, who has stood up for mainstream climate science and debated Morano on live TV, is "as much a scientist as I am." (Nye, according to the website of the Planetary Society, where he's the CEO, "earned a degree in mechanical engineering at Cornell University and spent several years working as an engineer.") This was the Palin comment most pounced upon by critics and commentators, but her simple description of the issue itself was at least as problematic. "There is a predetermined agenda, definitely, of those who I think are controlling the narrative right now on changes in the weather, as you mentioned, it used to be called global warming, now it's called climate change," said Palin. "There is definitely a political agenda behind all of this." Contrary to what Palin said, scientists have repeatedly explained that climate change is not the same thing as changes in the weather. Rather, climate is the statistical average of weather, and in the case of global climate, that means averaged across the entire globe. Distinguishing between climate and weather is foundational in any discussion of climate change. So with the science so clear, why even engage with claims made by Palin, or those of a similar mind? The answer is that they still draw significant attention - "Climate Hustle," according to its producers, is slated to air at a large number of theaters across the U.S. on May 2. And the event was originally supposed to have been introduced by House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who was called out but instead left a statement behind saying "it is my hope that films like Climate Hustle can help unmask some of the bias and give the American people the facts." So, what are climate skeptics and doubters now arguing? It's actually the same things they've been arguing for many years, albeit with regular touch-ups: - Some scientists disagree with the mainstream. "Climate Hustle" features many scientists who have criticisms of various aspects of the scientific consensus on climate change, and in some cases, it appears, pretty much all of it. Unlike some, I don't doubt that these scientists believe what they say. That they're genuinely skeptical. Fine. But that doesn't mean that they win the day on this issue. One could go point by point through these scientists' claims - but if you know anything about the climate debate (or human psychology), you know what happens next. You get a flurry of scientific claims and counterclaims, and both sides always end the encounter unmoved by the other. And so it goes. The deeper issue, then, is how to think about a situation in which there is a politicized scientific topic, a majority of scientific experts clearly on one side of it, and a minority of researchers still opposed to that perspective. The latter are often aligned with conservative think tanks and political leaders who challenge the science on ideological grounds. Once you view things in this way, the way to weigh matters is simple. You have to listen to the consensus of experts and to the scientific process that has repeatedly affirmed their point of view - and you have to consider those who would assail this consensus, at minimum, to face a very high burden of proof. - Scientists once thought the globe was cooling. Another skeptic talking point, very much at evidence in "Climate Hustle" and at the Palin event, is the idea that because some scientists once believed the globe was cooling or risked a major cooling event, there is reason to be dubious of current claims of warming. "If you go back to the 1970s, you had a number of scientists predicting global cooling," Morano said at the event. "There's no consensus when you look back on all this stuff. It shifts." Let's go to the data on this one. Temperatures did not rise much between the middle of the century and around 1980. And this, in combination with concerns about high levels of sulfate aerosol emissions from power plants and other considerations, did prompt some talk of global cooling at the time. But researchers have documented that there was no scientific consensus on global cooling in the 1970s. When it comes to the idea of such a consensus, "a review of the climate science literature from 1965 to 1979 shows this myth to be false," found a September 2008 study in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. "The myth's basis lies in a selective misreading of the texts both by some members of the media at the time and by some observers today." The current scientific consensus, in contrast, is well established. And that consensus is particularly hard to ignore when 2014 and 2015 set successive new global temperature records, and 2016 so far has blown away even the temperatures of 2015. So the idea that some scientists may have cited cooling concerns a long time ago really doesn't in any way undermine the idea that this is not a seriously held view now, or that the view that is held seriously - we're warming up - is extremely well supported. - There's a global conspiracy to advance left-wing economics through scientific subterfuge. Perhaps the most extreme claim embraced by those skeptical of human caused climate change is the idea that scientists and U.N. bureaucrats are coordinating a campaign to mislead basically everybody so as to seize control of the global economy and throttle fossil fuels. This conspiratorial bent was often present at the Palin event. For instance, the former Alaska governor herself said: "People who are involved in this issue, they are not stupid, they have studied this stuff. They have studied the data that they are erroneously, though, delivering to the public to make us think that we can somehow change the weather. … It's quite unfortunate, because these people must be purposely doing this … because they are smart enough to know better." Conspiracy theories like this one face a very high burden of proof. It is hard to believe that such a coordinated ruse - encompassing the United Nations, universities around the world, large numbers of scientific journals, scientific membership bodies, and more - could be pulled off by global scientists without exposure (or, that scientists would do such a thing). - Making Bill Nye the stand-in for all climate science. And then, well, there's the latest skeptic tendency, which is to criticize Bill Nye. Nye is a persuasive entertainer who states climate science accurately and stands up for it. But refuting him or his arguments, as Morano and Palin seek to do, really doesn't mean much. In the
this content in other media formats.WUHAN, China -- Week One of the League of Legends World Championship group stage in Wuhan, China, began and ended with Royal Never Give Up, the only all-Chinese League team competing on its home soil. And RNG gave the home crowd something to cheer for in the beginning, in the end, and in between. At its core, Royal Never Give Up's recent success relies on having a lead on mid laner Li "xiaohu" Yuan Hao to ensure that its team composition will scale and be competitive in the late game. If both side lanes fall behind, xiaohu has the ability to force opponents off waves. RNG will sacrifice objectives to ensure xiaohu has control so it always has the ability to contest vision in river and set up mid lane plays later on. At the start of Worlds, Royal Never Give Up's victory over 1907 Fenerbahçe Esports showcased a shaky early game, and fans only had lukewarm optimism. But by the end of the week, RNG had given the League Champions Korea representatives their only loss of Week One and toppled the European League Championship Series No. 1 seed, G2 Esports. "We tried to play more steady," rookie support and lead shot-caller Shi "Ming" Sen Ming said following RNG's match against Fenerbahçe, "and it was my first time playing at Worlds, so I didn't want to make mistakes." Royal Never Give Up's scaling Kog'Maw and Ryze composition in that match set the tone for the tournament. With Ardent Censer taking over, scaling AD carries became kings in the meta, and RNG, known in the LPL for picking strong lanes and blowing open the game early, stepped in line seemingly without skipping a beat. "We were not too worried about our team comp because we knew that late game, we would definitely win," Liu "Mlxg" Shi Yu said after its match against G2 Esports. The team that began the LPL with strong lanes and playing aggressively, this week, became the shining example of the meta, and with a world-beating AD carry like Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao, it had all the tools to do so. "I think this meta really suits me," Uzi told Eefje "Sjokz" Depoortere on the English language Worlds broadcast, "since AD carries are really strong." RNG continued to draft compositions that scaled well, with its Galio, Jarvan IV, Tristana and Janna composition against Samsung Galaxy, and then its Twitch, Janna, Sejuani and Maokai composition against G2 Esports. Yet in all three games, RNG ensured it could get an advantage in the mid-jungle two-on-two. Against both Fenerbahçe and Samsung, xiaohu played both sides of the Syndra-Ryze matchup, but Mlxg picked Rek'Sai for early ganks against Fenerbahçe and Jarvan IV into Samsung's Sejuani. Both jungle picks could exert a lot of pressure in what is a volatile Level Two matchup between the two mid lane champions. When xiaohu fell behind slightly against Fenerbahçe, Mlxg focused a lot attention on ganking mid and getting kills for xiaohu -- even at the expense of vision around neutral objectives like the Infernal Drake. "We were trying to get vision in the jungle and deny vision from Fenerbahçe," Ming said after the match when I asked him why the team initially put so much emphasis on getting kills for xiaohu. He said the team didn't feel comfortable contesting any objectives without waves or vision in place. If a team doesn't have a strong champion for contesting vision or wave control, it's hard to set up a transition for Baron or dragon. That can actually make a kill in isolation worth more than a dragon if it enables setting up the map later. On a champion like Ryze -- in the case of the game against Fenerbahçe -- the global pressure can make it difficult for a team to send an enemy champion mid to push forward in the lane. Even if Uzi wasn't in position, xiaohu would exert more threat the longer the game went on. After that, a lot of RNG's decision-making came through more clearly. In the match against Samsung, Mlxg only cleared his two buffs before invading the enemy jungle and harassing Kang "Ambition" Chan-yong. This pressure allowed not just xiaohu but Uzi to play far forward in lane and gave them agency to force RNG's opponents back, as Mlxg could react more quickly in the event of a two-on-two. In the precarious Ryze and Syndra matchup, that gave xiaohu an advantage in lane. By maintaining this advantage, RNG had a method for holding mid if Samsung looked for a collapse with Twitch, Sejuani and Rakan, all of which are champions with very strong pick potential. That allowed the rest of RNG to freely punish the side laning Ryze and Maokai before Baron spawned. By appearing in side lane to catch out Lee "Crown" Min-ho and force him to burn his ultimate twice to escape, Mlxg removed Samsung's ability to use the Ryze ultimate to flank and collapse mid. Samsung's Maokai and Ryze kept trying to transition control from side lanes to river and mid lane, but Royal Never Give Up was initially content to simply push the mid wave as a group to reset (not push and crash the wave against the enemy turret) to avoid mispositioning and let Samsung make a play with a Teleport flank that could have turned the game around. With Royal Never Give Up's impressive wombo combo team composition, that was Samsung's only recourse for getting back into the game. "When we lost [to RNG] yesterday, we were playing for late game," Jo "Corejj" Yong-in told ESPN after Samsung's close win against Fenerbahçe on Sunday, "so we wanted to play for early game this time." In many ways, Samsung lost to RNG in the draft phase. Galio, Jarvan IV, Tristana and Janna set up a really strong composition with powerful individual champions and good synergy in teamfighting that had a lot of disengage to prevent flanks from Samsung. With multiple losing lanes, Samsung also bled out quickly and waited for the fights that won RNG the match. But principles that RNG applied against Samsung appeared again in its final match against G2 Esports -- even with losing side lanes and a losing jungle matchup. Royal Never Give Up support Shi "Ming" Sen Ming calls out orders during the team's League of Legends World Championship group stage match against Samsung on Saturday in Wuhan, China. Provided by Riot Games With a weak jungle matchup, RNG couldn't afford to take an even or slightly unfavorable matchup against Luka "PerkZ" Perković's Ryze. Xiaohu instead went for the powerful Jayce pick to keep control of the mid lane. He purchased pink wards early to keep Mlxg safe as Kim "Trick" Gang-Yun's Rek'Sai faced off against Sejuani and kept the raptors entrance well guarded. "Our main purpose was to stably scale," Mlxg told ESPN after the victory. "Their team composition for early and mid-game was definitely stronger than ours, and they can counter-jungle us, so it was very important for us to clear the vision for our jungle." After surviving the laning phase, xiaohu's Jayce had enough of a lead to pressure any matchup in side lanes. As a result, Uzi and Ming could again push the mid lane to simply reset the minion wave. This set up their trap with Twitch to get picks as RNG kept the river diligently swept. Throughout the tournament, RNG have purchased three Sweeping Lenses as a team, and Mlxg was the first player in both the matches against Samsung and G2 to trade in his Warding Totem for a Sweeping Lens. RNG made sure to cover its own jungle and river to force G2 to over-extend if it wanted to push the mid wave to tower. In an effort to get mid control, G2 AD carry Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen pushed out mid and then pushed an extra wave to keep sending G2's minions toward RNG's turret. This standard approach should have allowed G2 to transition to control jungle and river vision. What RNG did instead was keep pressure in side lanes and soft reset the mid wave. With control of side lanes, RNG kept vision in the river and set up traps mid to catch out members of G2. G2 could not send single members mid without getting picked off by a flanking Twitch, which forced the European squad to stay grouped. If G2 extended too far forward in a group, RNG could take advantage of Twitch's Runaan's Hurricane build with multiple auto attacks benefitting from Ardent Censer. Perhaps with more armor-centric itemization, G2 would eventually have been able to shut down Uzi's damage potential, but a full item Twitch with Ardent often comes out ahead. But because xiaohu got control early and had the ability to get pressure in any part of the map almost solo, that was not a problem for RNG. At around 32 minutes, for example, xiaohu could push the wave all the way to G2's Tier Two mid turret, forcing G2 to react and give up its position around Baron. RNG quickly moved in and cleared out the wards in river to set up for mid lane collapses again. In all three games, RNG relied on xiaohu getting ahead early to make sure it could control minion waves and clear out vision. If it couldn't use xiaohu as an agent to force opponents to react to pressure, to pull attention to side lanes so RNG could control river with a simple soft reset in mid, or to keep jungle entrances cleared while Mlxg farmed in a bad matchup, it's hard to imagine how the team would react. In the LPL final, when EDward Gaming switched up its approach to pick a snowballing Lucian or Leblanc in the mid lane, Royal Never Give Up didn't seem to have an answer. It couldn't put xiaohu in a side lane later, and RNG didn't have the ability to get its side lanes back into the game with a mid lane bridge to late game in place. To attack RNG, then, teams might want to throw out the frequent tendency to draft a strong bot lane matchup on blue side or a strong top lane matchup on red side and instead prioritize a powerful mid-jungle two-on-two. If an opposing team can prevent xiaohu from getting ahead, it may be able to force RNG into an uncomfortable situation or - at least - reveal another trick in the team's arsenal. "I really don't know [if I'm confident]," RNG top laner Yan "Letme" Jun Ze told ESPN after RNG's victory over Samsung Galaxy. "We just listen to the coach, so confidence depends on him." If that's really the case, all eyes will be on Huang "FireFox" Ting-Hsiang to see just how RNG reacts when forced from its comfort zone.When I got into solar energy research in 1981, I wanted to change the world. I worried to my father that I’d never see widespread use of solar energy in my lifetime. That made him worry, too—about my future job prospects. As it turned out, there were plenty of jobs and I got to play my part in the history of human technology. I was one of a dedicated legion of scientists, engineers, technicians, laboratories and companies who eventually made photovoltaic cells into a commodity product: durable panels that achieve a miraculous-seeming conversion of sunlight to electricity, without needing any moving parts. For inspiration, an artsy poster has hung near my desk at home since my first solar R&D job. A spectacular desert arch, abstracted in blocks of tan and brown, is backlit by an enormous yellow sun; the caption claims the “Largest Solar Power System in the World” for Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. My wife, Carol, wishes I’d take that old poster down already, but I enjoy the reminder of my stint in the MIT Lincoln Lab group that had designed the Utah photovoltaic (PV) system. A third of a century after PV was invented at Bell Labs in 1954, our group was improving the electronics needed to build safe and efficient systems from PV modules. The “world’s largest” 1980 PV system delivered about 100 kilowatts (kW) of power at high noon in the desert sun. Today, you can walk almost any block in Palo Alto, California, and see 100 kW of PV panels spread among a dozen home roofs. And if you want to see the World’s Largest Solar System in 2016, travel to Asia where you can find a couple of systems more than 800 megawatts (MW = 1000 kW) in size. There are now over 100 PV systems that are each over a thousand times bigger than that pioneering Utah system. I’ve witnessed a technology revolution during my career in solar energy R&D as the industry has outgrown its niche remote-power market and become a $100 billion per year powerhouse. In today’s dollars, the cost of modules has fallen from about $34 per watt of generating capacity in 1980 to below $0.57/W today, and the price of PV will fall sharply again next year. The world now has 277,000 MW of photovoltaic installed, generating 1.4% of our energy. Two-thirds of new U.S. energy generating capacity in 2015 was wind and solar generators, boosted by a similar revolution in wind technology. Obviously, there’s a long way still to go, but I feel privileged to have had a front row seat for this revolution in solar energy. What lessons have I learned? The “experience curve” drives the cost of modular products like PV down by nearly 20% every time the scale of the industry doubles. This leads to amazing growth when new technologies satisfy market demand. Existing energy technologies are deployed on such massive scale, and with such big tax breaks that these fossil incumbents are hard to unseat. New energy technology R&D must show clear performance wins, product reliability, production yields and bankability before private investment capital flows in. Successful lab-scale R&D doesn’t stand alone. R&D attracts more funding as low costs and big markets are demonstrated, and it must be informed by the problems faced during scale-up. In the case of PV, the driving force came from wafer-based crystal silicon PV and that technology is still the mainstay of the industry. Let a thousand flowers bloom! Transformational technologies like silicon PV leave the wreckage of many promising technologies and companies in their wake. Most competitors to silicon PV were dead-ends, but some contributed a manufacturing technique, material or design feature used in today’s cells. These challengers also kept the pressure on crystal silicon PV to continuously reduce costs and raise efficiencies. Consistent government support for deployment is critical to launch new renewable energy technologies. For PV, critical subsidies came from Japan’s “70,000 Solar Roof initiative” (1994), Germany’s “Feed-In-Tariff” (1999) and China’s aggressive loans and subsidies that enabled their PV companies to scale up PV manufacturing at astonishing rates during the last decade. These and other national subsidies led directly to reduced costs and a critical flow of private capital to the PV sector. Fortunately, we now have inexpensive solar electricity in our toolkit to combat climate change. California has mandated an electricity supply that is 50% renewables by 2030 and it looks like that milestone can be reached economically with today’s technologies. However, going the next step to reach an all-renewable future will be a technical and institutional challenge because of the natural variability of sun and wind and the diverse incentives for utilities and other players. Happily, we are close to the tipping points in grid flexibility, storage, electric vehicles and demand-side-management technologies that will be needed to relegate fossil fuels to small markets like air travel. Government commitment to support both R&D and deployment will be essential to dramatically reduce fossil fuel emissions and arrest climate change in time to avoid its worst impacts—including turning millions of Earth’s most vulnerable people into climate refugees. That old PV poster on my wall reminds me daily of what a determined bunch of scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs, backed by government support and private money, can achieve. If we insist, I’m certain it won’t take 35 years to put the next critical technologies in place. Bio: Dr. Howard Branz (MIT PhD, Physics) is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He had a 28 year career at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he led both thin film and crystal silicon PV research groups. From 2012–15, Branz was a Program Director at the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA‑E). There he launched ARPA-E’s first solar energy program, to develop hybrid systems that integrate storage with high-efficiency collection of solar energy. Branz is now an independent science and technology consultant. Posted in: Energy Tags: photovoltaics, Renewable energy, solar energy, solar power Support from UCS members make work like this possible. Will you join us? Help UCS advance independent science for a healthy environment and a safer world.The substitute teachers who mangle the pronunciation. The oh-so-obvious bit of wordplay you hear over and over. The last initial that seems glued to your too-popular first name. Do any of these name indignities sound familiar? Thanks to a trending Twitter tag, we now know they're part of growing up with a name -- any name. The topic #growingupwithmyname has brought out a flood of reminiscences, most of them painful. Anyone with a super-popular name can relate to childhood experiences like these: Everyday in class someone would say Jennifer and 4 of us would answer. #GrowingUpWithMyName — RoseyJen (@6CentsRose) July 19, 2015 My name is so popular that i knew another girl with my first AND last name #GrowingUpWithMyName — ✧☽ emily ☾✧ (@insomnicatt) July 20, 2015 And anyone with a super-unusual name knows feelings like these: #growingupwithmyname never EVER finding a souvenir with your name on it from anywhere — ❁Maryn (@MarynNason) January 24, 2016 Knowing you're next on roll call because the teacher stops & hesitates to say your name #growingupwithmyname — Asj (@PRVFranchise) January 25, 2016 But those are just the tip of the iceberg. Dumb jokes, teasing rhymes, awkward initials, gender mixups…the list of potential problems is as long as the list of potential names: when your name is mostly considered as a male name- so you can't even get a keychain without a football on it #growingupwithmyname — taylor (@imactuallytay) January 24, 2016 #growingupwithmyname Gary without the r spells gay. Thank you childhood and thank you for pointing out the obvious. Idiots. — Gizzy (@gizzy14gazza) January 24, 2016 #GrowingUpWithMyName YES I'M AWARE MY NAME IS SPELLED THE SAME FORWARDS AND BACKWARDS — Hannah (@thats_groovy321) December 1, 2015 Teacher: Jemima Me: it's Jemma Teacher: Sorry Jenna Me: iT'S JEMMA Teacher: Oh sorry Emma lol Me: *cries* #growingupwithmyname — jemma (@sippycupcaylen) January 24, 2016 #GrowingUpWithMyName "Hey, I'm Ryan." "Wait, really? I mean, that sounds awfully... white. Are you sure?" — Obi-Huang Kenobi (@HuangAsian) July 20, 2015 I don't know where Toto is, and I will NEVER know where Toto is. #growingupwithmyname — Dorothy S (@PicassoBlue) January 24, 2016 In other words, we're all part of the great fellowship of the frustrated. Name-based aggravation is just a part of life. Yet when we're choosing baby names, we like to think otherwise. Parents scrutinize names from every angle, hoping to weed out the slightest teasing potential. The most common impulse is to shield our kids from the slings and arrows we suffered ourselves. "I don't want my kid to have to use her last initial to set her apart," says a Sarah. "I don't want my kid to have to constantly have her name misspelled and mispronounced," says an Aoibheann. They push their name choices in opposite directions and just end up swapping problems. No name is tease-proof. No name is uncommon AND universally attractive AND easy to spell and pronounce AND free of awkward associations. (Or if it is, don't expect it to stay uncommon for long!) That's ok. It's just one more reason to focus on what you love about the baby names you're considering, rather than prodding them for flaws. Substitute teachers and name-alike classmates come and go, but a name's essential strength and beauty is forever.Kottayam: Two Dalit female students have been admitted to Kottayam Government Medical College Hospital after alleged attack by activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI) at Government College in Nattakom, near here. As per a complaint lodged at the Chingavanam police station, the duo, Arathi Saji and A. B. Athmaja, third year students of BA Political Science, were assaulted by a seven-member group led by SFI unit president Jain Raj. They suffered injuries in their arms and were first admitted to the Kottayam General Hospital before being shifted to the Medical College. Arathi hails from Muvattupuzha while Athmaja is a native of Kuttanad. The incident took place on Monday afternoon. “We went to the college accompanying a friend who had completed the course and wanted to collect the caution deposit. We were talking standing on the verandah when seven SFI activists came yelling and attacked us without any provocation. First they attacked our friend, shouting at her: Why are you here?,” they said. The attackers turned against Arathi and Athmaja when they tried to save their friend. “They surrounded us and roughed up, kicked and pushed us down. Hearing our screams for help, the other students rushed to the spot and saved us. Though the ex-student of the college whom they accompanied, and one of their classmates had lodged a complaint with the Chingavanam police, the cops did not bother to visit the hospital to record the victims’ statements. On Tuesday, both Arathi and Athmaja went to the police station and gave their statements. Personal enmity is said to be the reason behind the attack. During the recent clashes between SFI and ABVP activists at the college, a group of female students including Athira and Athmaja staged a dharna in front of the college principal’s office seeking action to restore peace in the institution. Following this, eight student activists, including Jain Raj, were suspended from the college. “We had been facing threats from them ever since. They kept insulting us calling us Dalit terrorist and Maoists,” said Athira and Athmaja. Dismissing the allegations, SFI district president K. M. Arun said the SFI had no role in the incident. “We only alerted the college authorities when we came to know that some outsiders had entered the college,” he added. Read more: Latest Kerala news | IPS probationer caught cheating: Kerala village mourns the loss of an idolDuck-hunt protester shot in face Updated A duck-shooting protester has been shot in the face with pellets on the first day of Victoria's controversial hunting season. The 43-year-old St Kilda woman was taken to hospital in a stable condition with facial injuries after being hurt at Lake Buloke near Donald in the state's north-west about 9:00am (AEDT) on Saturday. Police say the shooter was a 14-year-old boy who accidentally hit the woman while hunting with his uncle. The firearm has been seized and the exact circumstances of the shooting are being investigated. The Coalition Against Duck Shooting's Kurt Opray says the woman was trying to help injured birds. "She was just in the water seeking to scare birds away from the shooters and render assistance to birds that have hit the water," he said. "If they can't keep the sport safe for themselves and others who happen to be in the vicinity it should be finished." But duck hunters say the protester who was injured was breaking the law. Field and Game Australia CEO Rod Drew says protesters are not legally allowed in the water while shooting is occurring. "There are human safety regulations under the Wildlife Act which make it an offence to enter the water before 10:00am when the hunting is occurring and these people were in the water when they shouldn't have been," he said. "They have a right to protest but we don't believe they have a right to put themselves and other people at risk." Wildlife officers have fined 17 duck-shooting protesters for illegally entering wetlands today, the second day of the season in Victoria. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) fined 64 protesters and 23 hunters on Saturday. The DSE says today's protesters were caught breaking the rules in the same place. Eleven hunters were fined for a range of breaches. Topics: crime, human-interest, animals, law-crime-and-justice, animal-welfare, donald-3480, australia, vic First postedCARSON, Calif. — Graham Zusi arrived in US national team camp over the weekend following a week's training stint with West Ham United, another reward for a splendid year that began with his first US call-up last January. Zusi, an MLS Most Valuable Player finalist from Sporting Kansas City, parlayed that camp into a regular gig under Jurgen Klinsmann, winning six caps — including starts in the final three semifinal-round World Cup qualifiers. He and Chivas USA forward Juan Agudelo, also in US camp, spent last week in London with the English Premier League club, and Zusi called it a “good experience overall for me to see what it's like over there,” whether or not it leads to something more. Do possibilities with West Ham exist? “I really don't know,” Zusi said following the national team's training session Tuesday at the Home Depot Center. “I didn't really hear much from them. I didn't expect to hear much, because they're in the thick of their season right now, but I'm certainly open to options.” Zusi has three years remaining on his contract with Sporting, and he says he's quite happy in Kansas City and ready to take on more of a leadership role in his fifth campaign with the club. He's been a first-choice midfielder the past two seasons, scoring 10 league goals and dishing off 20 assists, including a league-best 15 last year. “My first couple years there, I took them as learning experience and looking up to a lot of the veterans, learning from them,” he said. “But now that I am kind of one of those older guys, I think it's my role to take some younger guys under my wing now and show them some of the ropes.” Getting a taste of soccer elsewhere only broadens his ability to do so. Klinsmann was all for the opportunity in London, even if it meant Zusi and Agudelo would be arriving in camp nearly a week after everybody else. “If you call it a training stint or you call it a trial, it's good for them,” Klinsmann said. “They are in a different environment and prove a point.” The cultural experience made an impression on Zusi. “The culture of the game over there, it's eat-breathe-live soccer — not only us [players], but the country itself,” he said. “That's a little bit different than over here. Every radio station over there is talking about soccer rather than the football-baseball kind of thing over here. It's just a constant thing over there, which is neat. It's really cool to see that.” If the chance to play in the EPL arises, it figures to be tough to say no, right? Not necessarily. “Each player has to go where's right for him,” Zusi said. “I'm not going to go over there just because of the name of the league. Right now, I think Sporting's a great match for me. Not so say I won't explore my options later, but right now I'm really happy where I am.”Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE announced on Tuesday the launch of a new website targeting presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE. The website, lyingcrookedhillary.com, will "showcase some of Clinton's most disastrous lies to the American people," according to a release from the Trump campaign. ADVERTISEMENT The website will be rolled out in the coming days over social media and emails to the candidate's supporters. "As we proceed forward with the general election, it is more important than ever for America to realize how dishonest Crooked Hillary really is," the Trump campaign said in a news release. "We can’t trust her now and we can’t allow her to take her dishonesty to the White House." Trump's campaign said Clinton had "deceived" the public for herself and her family "at the expense of Americans." "Crooked Hillary has continually placed Washington D.C. special interests’ priorities over the interests of everyday Americans. Four years of Crooked Hillary in the White House is not a risk Americans can take." Trump slammed Clinton earlier Tuesday in a series of tweets, criticizing the presumptive Democratic nominee for her judgment and honesty.Police make arrest in North Austin homicide Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved APD investigating fatal shooting in North Austin. (KXAN Photo/Alicia Inns) [ + - ] Video AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A man is in custody charged with murder after police say he shot and killed 43-year-old David Loera in North Austin on Friday. Family and friends of the victim tell KXAN News Loera lived as a woman and went by Monica. Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved David Loera was shot and killed on Jan. 22, 2016. (TXDL Photo) Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved David Loera was shot and killed on Jan. 22, 2016. (TXDL Photo) In the minutes leading up to the shooting, police say Loera gave 29-year-old JonCasey Rowell directions to his home in the 300 block of East Powell Lane because he had "forgotten his jacket," according to an arrest affidavit. Loera's roommate told police the man kept knocking on the door and Loera said "he was going to get rid of him because he didn't want to mess with him." When the victim went to to open the door, the roommate said he heard a sound like a firecracker and Loera said, "he shot me." During the investigation, the roommate indicated to police Loera was a "prostitute from time to time" and sometimes would steal things from his clients, continued in the court documents. Through cellphone records, detectives determined the person Loera had contact with prior to the shooting was Rowell. Rowell was arrested on Tuesday and is currently in the Travis County Jail; his bond is set at $250,000. Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved JonCasey William Rowell arrested in Powell Lane murder. (APD)Entangled whale rescued off Cape Recife Jul 7, 2017 At 10h20, on Thursday, local South African Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) volunteers launched from the Port of Port Elizabeth aboard two NSRI Port Elizabeth sea rescue craft, Eikos Rescuer IV and Spirit of Surfski IV, following eye-witness reports of a whale spotted entangled in fishing rope lines in the vicinity of Willows, West of Cape Recife, about a nautical mile off-shore. According to spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, on arrival on the scene a search commenced and during the search, about 5 nautical miles from the initial reported sighting, assisted by a fishing trawler that had come across the entangled whale, an 8 to 9 meter juvenile Humpback whale was found entangled in fishing rope and a single floatation buoy and the whale was trailed by the sea rescue craft and found to be swimming strongly despite the entanglement. "On closer investigation, we found rope around the head and running to the left flipper and running to wraps around the tail with about 10 meters of trailing line following behind and a small floatation buoy," said Steven McCue of the Department of Environmental Affairs - Oceans and Coasts, who is also a SA Whale Disentanglement Network volunteer. The whale was swimming along strongly and appearing to be disinterested in the sea rescue craft following along. "In order to try to slow the whale down with some difficulty 2 kegging buoys and a dragging line to the sea rescue craft Eikos Rescuer IV were attached to the lines that were already entangling the whale and after about a further 10 nautical miles of open water and now deep into Algoa Bay, with regular attempts made by the SAWDN volunteers to cut at the lines using the SAWDN specialised cutting equipment, in a difficult disentanglement operation, the lines to the head and to the flipper were cut but efforts to completely cut through a remaining tail line were unsuccessful but SAWDN are confident that the rope will fall away freely in time and not hinder the whales natural movement until it falls away," described Lambinon. All rope and the floatation buoy that were cut away were recovered for disposal. He further said that a SAWDN specialised grappling hook was lost to the sea during the operation and rope from the grappling hooks were damaged and some snapped and although they were able to be tied together to successfully complete the operation the ropes for the Port Elizabeth SAWDN will need to be replaced. The whale was last seen swimming strongly and SAWDN are confident that this operation has been successful. "Algoa Bay was full of whales," Lambinon added.The upcoming release of the Atlus and Arc System Works co-produced 2D fighter Persona 4 Arena will be the first PlayStation 3 title ever released to be region locked. Initially this news came via a moderator over on the official Atlus forums, stating that the North American release of the game would work on PS3 consoles released in North and South America?but that the game would be locked out beyond that for other territories. I reached out to Atlus to get an official statement, and was given the following: “Persona 4 Arena will be region-locked in all territories on both PS3 and 360.” So, this is indeed fact?and does mean that Persona 4 Arena will officially be the first PS3 game to make use of region locking on the console. The exact reason for this decision isn’t clear at the moment, and Atlus has made no official statement on the matter. It could be due to some concern on the part of Zen United, the European publisher for the game. If that’s the case, however, then why has this never been an issue for other games previous? What it is about Persona 4 Arena that has brought up the need for this move? Until we know more solid details, all of this is little more than speculation. Speaking from the consumer side, however, I hate to see this happen. We should have less region locking, not more, and to have a system that has not pushed such requirements until now get its first game to do so is disappointing. What are your thoughts on this issue? Big deal, or much ado about nothing?Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Murphy USA gas station in on Sept. 1, 2017. (Report It: Lynn Schiller) Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Murphy USA gas station in on Sept. 1, 2017. (Report It: Lynn Schiller) AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It took a formal request under the Public Information Request Act to see the names of the 127 gas stations accused of jacking up gas prices during Hurricane Harvey. The state Attorney General's Office has now released that information to KXAN. The AG sent formal violation letters to the stores, accusing each of price gouging gas prices during the time Harvey hit the Texas coast in August. The letters allow the businesses the chance to "resolve" the allegations with the AG's office, but the office. While most of the stores are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, some stations are in and around Central Texas. Those stores include: Stassney Food Mart 5717 S IH35 Building D, Cedar Park Sam Bass Shell 806 Sam Bass Road, Round Rock Crownridge Shell 19605 IH 10 W, San Antonio Hackberry Food Mart 1242 S Hackberry, San Antonio Right Choice Food Mart 255 N WW White Road, San Antonio All of the consumer complaints involve gas stations state investigators accused of charging $3.99 or higher for a gallon of unleaded gasoline or diesel. KXAN asked the Attorney General's Office for the names and addresses of the 127 businesses. Attorney General Ken Paxton's office would not release that information Monday. We filed a public information request for the name and location of the businesses accused of price gouging. The AG's office released the list two days later. "At the outset of Harvey, I made it clear that my office would not tolerate price gouging of vulnerable Texans by any individuals or businesses looking to profit from the hurricane," Paxton continued. "We've given 127 alleged offenders an opportunity to resolve these issues with our office or face possible legal action for violating state law. Our investigation of other businesses into price gouging remains ongoing." The Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act prohibits anyone from taking advantage of a disaster declared by the governor and selling or leasing fuel and other necessities for "excessive or exorbitant prices," the attorney general's office said. Around 5,500 price gouging complaints were made during Hurricane Harvey against businesses.
has been going good. I've been recovering from shoulder injury, both shoulders, and finally I can say that now I'm ready for more and harder work. "I did a heavier training total 4 weeks before the meet... I think next year will be interesting." Weighing in at 78.1kg, she was very light for the category - but still won. Waage’s Wilks score (which allows competitors across categories to be compared) of 484.7 was the highest women’s score and fourth overall. Diet Recently, Waage has been experimenting with intermittent fasting. She says: "I've been doing this intermittent fasting for a while. So there have been fewer meals but large. Lots of veggies and fruits." She has spoken out before about following a vegan diet, saying: "There is obviously no problem being vegan and training hard. It´s pretty easy. "No big fuss and nothing I should be careful of. What every athlete should do is what I do. Eat clean healthy and enough. "My coach had a bit of a problem with this first, now he does not even care as long as I eat healthy and enough." READ MORE: Sales Booming After Cafe Goes Vegan - Owners Set To Open Second Branch Animal Sentience Row: 'There Are Still A Lot Of Questions To Answer' Doctors Talk About The 'Shocking Side Effects' Of A Vegan DietCongress Must Also Investigate Bush Policies FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; [email protected] NEW YORK – President Obama today suggested that the attorney general should consider prosecuting those who formulated the legal decisions that purported to justify torture under the Bush administration, and that Congress could play a role in achieving accountability. The following can be attributed to Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union: "While President Obama rightly asserts that our government lost its moral bearings when it implemented torture policies, we must not forget that it also broke the law. Torture is a crime, and we are hopeful that President Obama's comments today signal a new acknowledgment of the need for criminal investigations of those who authorized, legally justified and carried out these unlawful acts. "President Obama was right to leave the ultimate decision to Attorney General Holder, as the Justice Department must fulfill its law enforcement mandate independent of political considerations. "Both Congress and the executive branch must play an active role in seeking accountability. While a congressional select committee must investigate what went wrong and craft legislation to prevent its reoccurrence, the Justice Department must appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate those who took part in these horrific acts of torture. "Any suggestion that pursuing criminal prosecutions would be a political act is backwards logic; indeed, to ignore the mountains of evidence pointing to such shameful criminal activity would be the ultimate act of political cynicism. Accountability is not retribution; it is justice."Frozen. Just say the word, and we immediately break out into song and get a big smile on our faces. Even on 100th viewing of this film (yes, we’ve been keeping track) we are still just as emotionally invested in the story. There are just certain moments during Frozen where we get a serious case of the feels. (And as with any case of the feels, it’s best to share all the moments that make you laugh and cry with everyone you know.) So, we compiled our favorite Frozen moments so we can all share all our emotions with you. You’re welcome in advance. 1. When Anna and Elsa build Olaf. This is the stuff sister relationships were made of. 2. The first chorus of “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?” On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the feeliest, this song is an 11. 3. The second chorus. Now our feelings level is at a 12. 4. The third chorus. Our feelings scale is now broken. That song gets us really worked up, okay? 5. When Anna tries to talk to Elsa. She just wants to love you Elsa. JUST LET HER LOVE YOU. 6. When Hans says, “I would never shut you out.” C’mon how could you not fall for his charm and his amazing sideburns? 7. When Elsa runs away. The music gets really dramatic here, which adds to the intensity of the situation. 8. All of “Let It Go.” This song makes us feel like we can conquer the world and build an amazing ice palace. Okay, maybe not the ice palace, but one can dream. 9. When Anna tells Kristoff to catch her when she jumps off the mountain. This crazy trust exercise is just so cute. 10. When Elsa accidentally freezes Anna’s heart. The first time we saw this scene, we audibly gasped. 11. When Kristoff returns Anna back to the castle. He loves her so much. PLEASE DON’T LEAVE, KRISTOFF. 12. When Hans doesn’t kiss Anna. And at this point we screamed in the movie theater and yelled, “WHY, HANS WHY?!” 13. When Olaf tells Anna that some people are worth melting for. Olaf almost melts here, and also melts our hearts. 14. When Anna sacrifices herself for Elsa. No, we aren’t crying. We just have a twig or a branch in our eye. What moments in Frozen gave you all the feels? Posted 5 years AgoEvery year, state education officials release standardized test scores — and every year they say the same thing: The achievement gap persists. This year’s scores are no different. Education officials across California released their scores Wednesday, each highlighting what they saw as positive news in the data while lamenting the stubborn, and in some cases widening, achievement gap. Despite decades of effort and billions of dollars in funding, test scores for white, Asian American and wealthier students are much higher than those of their black, Latino and low-income peers. On computerized tests administered in the spring, for example, just 19 percent of African American students were proficient in math, compared with 73 percent of Asian American students. In San Francisco, school leaders noted that the city was the only urban district in the state where more than half of students were proficient in both math and English. The middle schools showed significant gains this year in both subjects, with students of color mirroring the increases. The achievement gap actually widened, though, including a 58-point difference between white and black San Francisco students in English — a 77 percent proficiency rate compared with 19 percent. “Closing the opportunity gap remains our top priority,” said San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Vincent Matthews. Statewide, results changed little year-to-year, with just over 37 percent of students meeting state standards in math, up a fraction of a percent from 2016 scores. Slightly more than 48 percent were proficient in English, a half percent down from the previous year. On the plus side, said state Superintendent Tom Torlakson, this year’s results maintained the significant gains made between 2015 and 2016. But there was a caveat. “I’m pleased we retained our gains, but we have much more work to do,” he said. “We need to work diligently to narrow achievement gaps and make sure all students continue to make progress.” That has been a nearly constant refrain for decades, with state and local education officials as well as several U.S. presidents pitching reforms intended to close the gap. Some efforts have focused on bettering preschool, others on lifting teacher performance. President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind policy threatened low-performing schools, while President Barack Obama’s Race to the Top program made struggling schools compete for pots of cash. There was California’s class-size reduction program in 1996 and, in recent years, a state education-funding formula that gives more money to schools with disproportionate numbers of low-income students or English learners. So far, nothing has worked, at least systemwide and over the long haul. “If it was the state’s highest priority then something would have been done by now,” said Ryan Smith, executive director of the Education Trust-West, a nonprofit group focused on the achievement gap. “I question if the state believes we can ever close the gap for low-income students and students of color.” Smith said the state must not only increase funding for education to put California on par with other states but also track how districts are spending the money and hold them accountable. “Sixty years after the Little Rock Nine and we’re still talking about providing quality education for all students,” he said. “Where’s the urgency?” Though the state previously relied on test scores alone to evaluate the education system, the California Department of Education has since developed a broad matrix that offers parents and educators a more comprehensive assessment of schools, including graduation and suspension rates. Some of these additional indicators, officials said, show state schools headed in the right direction. Both the high school graduation rate and college eligibility rate are at all-time highs, said Mike Kirst, president of the state Board of Education. The achievement gap exists well before students arrive for their first day of public school, with poverty and other factors influencing how prepared children are to learn to read and write. But public education can exacerbate the gap, experts say, with disadvantaged students more likely to have less experienced teachers, for example, as wealthier communities and highly educated parents pour extra resources into their children’s classrooms. “I would like to see the achievement gap closed, but not at the expense of my kids — I think everybody feels that way,” said Andy Porter, dean of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. “That’s an extremely powerful force.” At Peralta Elementary School in Oakland, which has relatively few low-income students, parents raise nearly $300,000 for their 300 children. Three blocks away, parents at Sankofa Academy, where 90 percent of families are low-income, don’t have a fundraising organization — and in recent years have raised nothing, district officials said. In the 2017 test scores, 11 percent of Sankofa’s students were proficient in English, compared with 77 percent of Peralta’s. “It’s not an easy task to eliminate the achievement gap,” Porter said. “There are so many forces at work that have created this achievement gap and even served to expand it.” Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @jilltucker This year’s test scores This is the third year that students in grades three through eight, and 11th grade, have taken the online standardized tests called the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP. Unlike the old pencil-and-paper exams, the new tests, based on the Common Core standards, require students to drag and drop answers to math and reading questions, fill in blanks and write long-form answers. The tests are programmed to base questions on each student’s previous answers, so a correct answer is followed by a more difficult question and a wrong answer by an easier question, giving a more accurate picture of what students know or don’t know. Individual student scores are sent home to parents. For local test score results go to caaspp.edsource.org. For statewide and past years’ results, go to caaspp.cde.ca.gov. California’s achievement gap Percent of students who tested proficient or above in English and math:Mr Wilmot is the founder of London-based WilmotML and former head of macro investment strategies at Credit Suisse. His firm combines machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques with a long-established macro framework to forecast the global economy. He believes that a new powerful funds management machine will likely emerge from DeepMind, the artificial intelligence company in London bought by Google in 2014. DeepMind was founded by Demis Hassabis, Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman in 2010. "Officially Google and DeepMind are not working on investment," Mr Wilmot said. "I am not sure how many of you believe that. I don't. "These are the guys that potentially have the highest credibility and the biggest capacity and the deepest pockets to apply machine learning techniques to fund management. "And they have a lot of cash that they want to manage in this low return world. And they are mean, they don't like paying people fees." Later, in response to a question from The Australian Financial Review, Mr Wilmot said that companies with exclusive access to proprietary data, such as Google, would have an advantage over others in funds management using machine learning and data science. "People like Google have enough money to buy all the financial data sets and they have all these other unstructured data sets that they could potentially mine and look at to use these techniques," he said. "Who has access to the data and what kind of data it is and how relevant it is in the decision-making process is going to be the battlefield rather than having enough cloud computing space." Advertisement Biggest barrier Mr Wilmot said that the biggest barrier to machines disrupting funds management was lack of transparency about what is "under the hood". He said some of the machine learning methods, including deep learning algorithms, were opaque. "Deep learning is the ultra black box," he said. This would create issues of trust for investors. Nevertheless, he predicted that machines would be used to screen and filter information for discretionary managers, to pick stocks, to decide asset allocation and to provide market timing indicators for discretionary managers. "We have clearly got a whole set of techniques that are potentially incredibly powerful," he said. "This is something the world has never seen before. Asset management is a complex task. "The thing we know about these machines is that they are beyond human in their ability to process large data sets. "We also know they don't have the context, the intuition, the judgement that human beings do and they don't have perhaps the adaptability that humans do. "But we do know that the guys that are at the very edge of the revolution in these techniques basically believe that machines will be able to do it all at some point." The author travelled to Hong Kong as a guest of Credit SuisseThis guy bids via phone in Christie for looted bronzes. Below are details from Yahoo.com A Chinese art collector revealed himself as the man behind the winning bids for two imperial bronzes auctioned at Christie's over Beijing's objections, then announced he had no intention of paying the $36 million. The audacious act of commercial sabotage exposes the tensions China and other countries, such as Greece and Egypt, face in trying to recover cultural objects plundered in war or stolen. One overseas expert in looted relics called the fake bids "brilliant" — a ploy likely to be copied in future disputed sales. The bogus bids were the latest attempt by both the Chinese government and private citizens to block the sale of the pieces, which disappeared when French and British forces sacked and burned the imperial Summer Palace outside Beijing in 1860 at the end of the second Opium War. Chinese view the devastation of the palace as a national humiliation. Auction house owner Cai Mingchao said Monday he put in telephone bids for the bronze rat and rabbit heads — part of a collection owned by the late French designer Yves Saint Laurent — during last week's auction in Paris. The three-day sale set a record for the most valuable private collection sold at auction, bringing more than $484 million. "What I need to stress is that this money cannot be paid," Cai told a news conference in Beijing. "At the time, I was thinking that any Chinese would do this if they could... I only did what I was obliged to." Pierre Berge, Saint Laurent's longtime partner, told France-Info radio that he was not altogether surprised by the maneuver since he believes "the Chinese would have done anything to try to get back the pieces." Berge said he would keep the bronzes if Cai doesn't pay up. An official with Christie's in Paris on Monday confirmed the bronzes were still in the auction house's possession but would not give details. The official was not authorized to be publicly named, according to company policy. Actually paying for the bronzes would equal paying ransom, some Chinese have said. Cai's fake bids drew praise for patriotism, but others said the move could sink his career. Attempts to reach him after the news conference were unsuccessful. The Chinese government said Monday it had nothing to do with the bids. The government had tried to stop the sale, saying the bronzes should be returned instead. Christie's stood by its right to sell them, and a French court rejected a Chinese group's petition to block the sale. "I can't speak to the legalities of this collector's actions, but it is a brilliant move that is likely to be copycatted and has thrown a wrench in the market," said Lawrence Rothfield, author of the forthcoming book "The Rape of Mesopotamia: Behind the Looting of the Iraq Museum" and professor at the University of Chicago's Cultural Policy Center. "But it is important to recognize that dealers and museums have made it easier for countries to demand repatriation of artifacts stolen many decades ago because they have not cleaned up their act," Rothfield added. Julian Radcliffe, chairman of the London-based Art Loss Register, which maintains the world's largest database on stolen, missing and looted art, said China had a moral claim to the bronzes, but not a legal one. "Legally there is no question that the French are in the right," he said. "Items taken by Napoleon to fill the Louvre, items taken in the 1860s — there is no question, those cannot legally be reclaimed by China. However, there is a moral and political dimension to this." He said the latest development was a "publicity campaign" that may make it easier to come to a settlement with Berge and Christie's. "Any activity like this does tend to cast a taint over the provenance of the item, which makes people think twice before attempting to buy it," he said. In a statement, Christie's said, "We are aware of today's news reports. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on the identity of our consignors or buyers, nor do we comment or speculate on the next steps that we might take in this instance." Cai's fake bids apparently were made in cooperation with China's Lost Cultural Relics Recovery Program, a group dedicated to repatriating looted Chinese art. On its Web site, the group describes itself as a non-governmental cultural body set up by collectors and scholars, and Cai serves as an adviser. "This is an extraordinary method taken in an extraordinary situation, which successfully stopped the auction," the group's vice director, Niu Xianfeng, said at the press conference. If the bids are voided, the group won't do anything in response, Niu said. China has intensified efforts to retrieve looted relics. When official protests against similar auctions failed, state-owned companies and rich Chinese individuals have stepped in to buy the pieces. However, China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage put out a statement discouraging private collectors from buying the bronzes and returning them to China. The agency said Monday it had no idea about plans for a bogus bid. "We did not know about this until the news conference this morning," said a woman who answered the phone at the administration. She declined to give her name, in line with official policy. "The people and the fund have absolutely no connections with us." The stunt was admirable but too extreme, said Wang Linmao, a history professor at Zhejiang University who specializes in the late Qing period — the era when the imperial palace was sacked. "It is now almost as if every time a looted Chinese relic gets auctioned overseas, Chinese people feel compelled to buy it back," Wang said. "I don't think this should be the case. It is a good thing if we can get them back, because it is about washing off the 100-year national humiliation. But it's not like we have to buy them back at all costs."Image caption The new generation of devices makes it harder for parents to know what their child is viewing online Young children should hear about the dangers of pornography as soon as they have access to the internet, leading head teachers say. The ready availability of explicit material online has prompted serious concerns from the National Association of Head Teachers. General secretary Russell Hobby said "the conversation should start" when children started going online. But he stressed this was not about showing pornography in class. He told reporters at his association's annual conference in Birmingham: "There isn't an easy answer, but as soon as children are getting access to this, it's time to begin the conversation." Stephen Watkins, head teacher of Millfield School in Leeds, said: "Children as young as three - nursery age children - access computers. If they see something that shouldn't be there, they should know to go and tell an adult." Young people need to know how to cope with and avoid these distorted views of relationships. Russell Hobby, NAHT He recalled having to respond to a boy in class who had turned up some explicit images when researching the North Pole on the internet. And he said an approach which responded to issues when they arose in a low-key way was the option he favoured. Mr Watkins added that many parents were concerned about the easy access of such material on other people's portable devices and smart phones, which they could not block in the same way as their home computers. He also warned that parents were setting up under-age Facebook accounts for their children which potentially left them able to access inappropriate material. Youngsters under the age of 14 are not permitted to have their own accounts. He said of 33 children aged ten and 11 in his own school's top year, he had discovered 24 were already on Facebook. Mr Watkins said he had written to their parents to warn them they were going against the social network's own rules and that they were potentially exposing their children to inappropriate material. Self-image An independent survey of 1,009 parents for the NAHT suggested 83% felt pupils should learn about the dangers of pornography in sex education lessons. Four out of 10 thought this should happen in the early primary school years, while 51% believed it was more appropriate to tackle the subject in the teenage years. The NAHT said it had no official figures on the number of children accessing pornography, but an event would be held later this year "to get agencies working together on these issues and to pool data". According to internet security firm Bitdefender, a survey of 19,000 parents worldwide suggested 1.16% of children had accessed pornography by the age of six. The NAHT said the issue was increasingly troubling to teachers and heads as they grapple with the impact of pornography on pupils' self-image and their perceptions of sexuality. Mr Hobby said his association had been working with a number of agencies for some time to address these concerns. He added that his association had said repeatedly that young people must be protected from pornography, and children should receive appropriate guidance as part of relationship and sex education. "We would also like to see improved advice for schools to help them manage these issues most effectively. "There is no place for explicit materials in the classroom or school, even in the course of teaching about their dangers, but many young people are exposed to such materials on the internet and phones. "In the face of this, young people need to know how to cope with and avoid these distorted views of relationships." The vast majority of parents, 83%, had confidence in schools' ability to help their children understand the issues, the NAHT survey suggested, while 13% felt the subject should be left to parents alone. Nine out of 10 felt all equipment allowing internet access should have a default block on pornographic websites.Ronaldinho is on the move again (Picture: Getty Images) Brazil legend Ronaldinho is ‘bored’ in Mexico and keen to link up with Steven Gerrard at LA Galaxy. The former Barcelona and AC Milan star, who has won both the World Cup and Champions League in his illustrious career, is ready to end a disappointing spell with Queretaro, according to Marca. The 35-year-old is apparently unhappy with the way of life in Mexico, including the training regime at the club, and is exciting about the prospect of living in Los Angeles. Despite scoring eight goals in 25 Liga MX games, Ronaldinho didn’t enjoy himself as Queretaro finished 12th in the ‘Apertura’ (first half of the season championship) and 6th in the ‘Clausura’ (second half of the season championship). LA Galaxy are reigning MLS champions but are currently sixth in the Western Conference this season. Gerrard is due to arrive in July to join up with a squad captained by Robbie Keane and also starring Robbie Rogers. MORE: Liverpool ‘interested in transfer of Arsenal defender’When word got around that West Palm Beach hairdresser Greg Hauptner was planning to get rid of the Rolls-Royce he bought nine years ago, people told him just what he could do with it. One housewife offered her Buick and her body if he’d give the car to her. Someone else wanted him to sell his wheels and donate the proceeds to starving children. And a prison inmate wanted Hauptner to trade in the auto to pay his bail. But Hauptner, 39, stuck to his original plan: Dressed in an Yves Saint Laurent dinner jacket and sipping Spanish champagne to celebrate, he watched as his 1967 Silver Shadow (worth $25,000-$30,000) rolled off a barge and sank 80 feet to the bottom of the Atlantic. Why did he do it? “The ashtrays were full,” jokes Hauptner. The real reason Hauptner deep-sixed his Shadow a mile off the Palm Beach shoreline was to call attention to the need for new reefs where fish could thrive off Florida’s coast. (Natural erosion has worn down many of them.) After the 496-ton freighter Mercedes Iran aground in the backyard of Palm Beach socialite Mollie Wilmot last March, nearby Broward County bought the vessel for $223,000 and sank it to form an artificial reef. “Palm Beach lost a Mercedes,” reasoned Hauptner, “but it will gain a Rolls-Royce.” Hauptner, who now drives a 1985 Chevy station wagon, won’t suffer from the publicity his decision has brought to his Great American Hair Experience, where he says he has coiffed such luminaries as Farrah Fawcett and Loni Anderson. But he won’t get an insurance rebate. “We don’t cover rust and corrosion,” kids his agent. As for those who might want a sunken souvenir, forget it. The $4,000 front grill, the $500 hubcaps and other details have been permanently welded and engraved with an ID number. What’s more, tamperers might swim right into Hauptner, an avid diver. “I have to go down and visit my car,” he says. Wouldn’t it have been easier to leave it in the garage?With his support rate in media polls riding high thanks to his economic policies, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may finally be revealing shades of his true colors as a right-leaning historical revisionist four months into his administration. The latest controversy swirls around whether he is upholding a key government-issued apology for Japan’s war responsibility. His rhetorical maneuvering has caused a big stir in South Korea and is reportedly raising worries in the U.S. government as well. Abe had been considered upholding the 1995 statement issued by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, as he straightforwardly acknowledged in previous Diet sessions that Japan “caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries,” as stated in the unequivocal Murayama statement. But earlier this week, Abe started backtracking. During an Upper House session Monday, he said he is “not upholding all of (the statement) as it is.” “Speaking of the Murayama statement, I talked about some parts that I can empathize with,” Abe said, indicating there may be some parts he does not agree with. On Tuesday in the Upper House, Abe then claimed that the definition of “aggression” in general has yet to be “firmly determined” by academics or the international community. What is described as aggression “can be viewed differently” depending on which side you are on, Abe said. He didn’t elaborate, but conservative nationalists have argued that Japan’s wars in the 1930s and ’40s were waged in self-defense, not aggression. The South Korean media slammed Abe’s comment and said that he is denying Japan fought a war of aggression. According to a Kyodo News report, Washington has conveyed its concern to Tokyo through an unofficial diplomatic channel, saying Abe’s stance on history issues could adversely affect Japan’s relationships with its neighbors. The Murayama statement has been upheld by every Cabinet since it was made, including Abe’s first team from 2006 to 2007, and is widely regarded as Japan’s key apology for its wars of aggression and colonial rule in Asia. Asked to comment, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Friday quoted some key parts of the Murayama statement and repeated the apology for the “tremendous damage and suffering” Japan caused. But he declined to comment on other parts of the statement, including whether Japan fought a war of aggression. “The Japanese government has regarded those history issues in a spirit of humility, expressing our feelings of deep remorse and our heartfelt apology,” Suga said. “The view of the Abe Cabinet is exactly the same,” he added. Suga then insisted that he will not discuss war-related issues further, saying the Murayama statement was issued to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, followed by a similar statement by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to mark the 60th anniversary in 2005. “We’d like to issue a new statement to mark the 70th anniversary” in 2015, Suga said.This article is about the purported secret committee. For other uses, see Majestic 12 (disambiguation) In UFO conspiracy theories, Majestic 12 (or MJ-12) is the code name of an alleged secret committee of scientists, military leaders, and government officials, formed in 1947 by an executive order by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to facilitate recovery and investigation of alien spacecraft. The concept originated in a series of supposedly leaked secret government documents first circulated by ufologists in 1984. Upon examination, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) declared the documents to be "completely bogus", and many ufologists consider them to be an elaborate hoax.[1][2] Majestic 12 remains popular among some UFO conspiracy theorists and the concept has appeared in popular culture including television, film and literature. History and analysis [ edit ] The concept of "Majestic Twelve" emerged during a period in the 1980s when ufologists believed there had been a cover-up of the Roswell UFO incident and speculated some secretive upper tier of the United States government was responsible.[3] Their suppositions appeared to be confirmed in 1984 when ufologist Jaime Shandera received an envelope containing film which, when developed, showed images of eight pages of documents that appeared to be briefing papers describing "Operation Majestic Twelve".[3] The documents purported to reveal a secret committee of twelve, supposedly authorized by United States President Harry S. Truman in 1952, and explain how the crash of an alien spacecraft at Roswell in 1947 had been concealed, how the recovered alien technology could be exploited, and how the United States should engage with extraterrestrial life in the future.[3][4] Shandera and his ufologist colleagues Stanton T. Friedman and Bill Moore say they later received a series of anonymous messages that led them to find what has been called the "Cutler/Twining memo" in 1985 while searching declassified files in the National Archives. Purporting to be written by President Eisenhower's assistant Robert Cutler to General Nathan F. Twining and containing a reference to Majestic 12, the memo is widely held to be a forgery, likely planted as part of a hoax.[5] Historian Robert Goldberg wrote that the ufologists came to believe the story despite the documents being "obviously planted to bolster the legitimacy of the briefing papers".[3] Claiming to be connected to the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, a man named Richard Doty told filmmaker Linda Moulton Howe that the MJ-12 story was true, and showed Howe unspecified documents purporting to prove the existence of small, grey humanoid aliens originating from the Zeta Reticuli star system. Doty reportedly promised to supply Howe with film footage of UFOs and an interview with an alien being, although no footage ever materialized.[3] Soon, distrust and suspicion led to disagreements within the ufology community over the authenticity of the MJ-12 documents, and Moore was accused of taking part in an elaborate hoax, while other ufologists and debunkers such as Philip J. Klass were accused of being "disinformation agents".[4] Klass's investigation of the MJ-12 documents found that Robert Cutler was actually out of the country on the date he supposedly wrote the "Cutler/Twining memo", and that the Truman signature was "a pasted-on photocopy of a genuine signature —including accidental scratch marks — from a memo that Truman wrote to Vannevar Bush on October 1, 1947". Klass dismissed theories that the documents were part of a disinformation campaign as "ridiculous", saying they contained numerous flaws that could never fool Soviet or Chinese intelligence. Other discrepancies noted by Klass included the use of a distinctive date format that matched one used in Moore's personal letters, and a conversation reported by Brad Sparks in which Moore confided that he was contemplating creating and releasing some hoax Top Secret documents in hopes that such bogus documents would encourage former military and intelligence officials who knew about the government's (alleged) UFO coverup to break their oaths of secrecy.[6] The FBI began its own investigation of the supposed "secret" documents and quickly formed doubts as to their authenticity. The United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations stated that no such committee had ever been authorized or formed, and that the documents were "bogus". The FBI subsequently declared the MJ-12 documents to be "completely bogus".[2] Later in 1996, a document called the MJ-12 "Special Operations Manual" circulated among ufologists. It is also widely considered to be a fake and "a continuation of the MJ-12 myth".[7] Ufologists Linda Moulton Howe and Stanton T. Friedman believe the MJ12 Documents are authentic. Friedman examined the documents and has argued that the United States government has conspired to cover up knowledge of a crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft.[3] According to journalist Howard Blum the name "Majestic 12" had been prefigured in the UFO community when Bill Moore asked National Enquirer reporter Bob Pratt in 1982 to collaborate on a novel called MAJIK-12. Because of this, Blum writes, Pratt had always been inclined to think the Majestic 12 documents a hoax.[8] Scientific skeptic author Brian Dunning investigated the history of the subject, and reported his findings in the 2016 Skeptoid podcast episode "The Secret History of Majestic 12". He concluded that, rather than a hoax perpetrated by the UFO community, it is likely the papers were actually part of a disinformation campaign of the US government meant to deflect attention from secret Air Force projects.[9] Referring to the MJ-12 documents, Dunning states: They were classic disinformation, false documents created to play a role in real national security. They were designed and written for specific marks who did with them exactly what they were meant to. They took advantage of well-meaning patriots who wanted enhanced national security, and who, by being easy to fool, ended up providing exactly that.[9] Alleged members [ edit ] The following individuals were described in the Majestic 12 documents as "designated members" of Majestic 12.[5] In popular culture [ edit ] References [ edit ]If you thought Microsoft was getting ready to ease up on its massive Get Windows 10 upgrade campaign, think again. The company announced today that it plans to expand the program, pushing the aggressive GWX taskbar icon and pop-up upgrade notification reminders to some domain-joined PCs that had previously been exempt. Today's news did not include any plans to offer a "No, thanks" button on the GWX prompts. However, the company has finally updated its documentation for IT pros to opt out of the automatic upgrade and disable the GWX icon. As before, PCs running Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, and any embedded version of those operating systems aren't eligible for the free upgrade and thus will continue to be immune from the GWX update. But domain-joined PCs running Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, or Windows 8.1 Pro that are configured to receive updates directly from Windows Update will begin seeing the GWX taskbar icon shortly. Domain-joined PCs that get updates through another mechanism, such as Windows Server Update Services or System Center Configuration Manager, will continue to be off-limits. At the same time as today's announcement, Microsoft finally published updated instructions for opting out of the automatic upgrade and disabling the GWX icon. The new instructions, available in KB article 3080351, match those I published last week. (See "How to block Windows 10 upgrades on your business network (and at home, too)" for details.) To prevent the Windows 10 upgrade from being offered in Windows Update, IT pros can set a Group Policy object. Note that this policy setting is only available if the appropriate updates (first issued last July) are installed: 3065987 is the Windows 7 update; 3065988 is the equivalent for Windows 8.1. The policy is available on Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate and Windows 8.1 Pro machines using the Local Group Policy Editor (Gpedit.msc). The policy path is Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update Policy. Enable the setting Turn off the upgrade to the latest version of Windows through Windows Update. Setting that policy adds the following registry subkey and associated value: Subkey: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate DWORD value: DisableOSUpgrade = 1 On home and core editions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, that registry value needs to be set manually. There's no corresponding Group Policy object for disabling the GWX notification icon. That task requires requires editing the following subkey and value in the Windows registry: Subkey: HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Gwx DWORD value: DisableGwx = 1 Those two steps are sufficient to block Windows 10 upgrades and prevent a user from accidentally clicking on one of the pop-up prompts and starting the upgrade process. There's no need to uninstall and block the original GWX update (KB3035583), nor is it necessary to use third-party software. These software policies, which are intended for business use, remain in effect until they're reversed or removed. I've created.reg files that can be downloaded and used to automate the creation of these two registry keys. The files are located here. Today's revised KB
I think I can play an important role in this.” Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.According to CNN, when Republicans are praying, they simply don’t exist. That’s certainly the impression one could get when viewing this tweet from CNN. Wait; it’s been deleted. But through the magic of the Internet, and a snapshot, you can see it here, accompanied by a tweet from Fox News that got it right: I mean when Fox News is more reliable pic.twitter.com/ySkVpi87ZV — Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) June 16, 2017 That’s right; the CNN tweet only mentions Democrats praying at the Congressional baseball game in the aftermath of the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise and four others., which is hugely ironic since the Democratic Party is the party that often abhors Christianity. But here’s the video of members of Congress praying: WATCH: Both Congressional Baseball Teams Observe Moment of Silence at 2nd Base https://t.co/1ulPSYSLfO | #CongressionalBaseballGame pic.twitter.com/n8l4d4ponq — Fox News (@FoxNews) June 15, 2017 You might think that CNN might abandon its hatred of the Republican Party just for a moment as both parties came together to pray. But you’d be wrong.Canada has closed its embassy in Kiev and is threatening to bring in sanctions against Ukraine, after a crackdown by authorities on long-running protests left more than two dozen people dead. A voice message at the Canadian embassy and its website both indicate the closing, but don't say when it took place. "The Embassy of Canada in Kiev is closed until further notice for security reasons," according to a recorded message on the embassy's phone lines. The message said embassy staff continue to provide consular services, and asks Canadians in the country to contact the department if in need of help. Story continues below advertisement The decision to close the embassy comes after authorities on Tuesday stormed a camp of activists, triggering fiery clashes that killed at least 26 people, according to the Associated Press. Adam Hodge, a spokesman for Foreign Minister John Baird, said "all Canadian personnel are safe and accounted for." Late Tuesday night in Canada, Mr. John Baird issued a statement condemning the government's crackdown. "The events in Kiev today have shaken a nation, rattled by months of unrest. Canada unequivocally condemns the violence that has led to the deaths of scores of Ukrainians," the statement said. Mr. Baird announced medical aid to an unidentified Ukrainian non-governmental organization, including first aid kits, training and other supplies. "I will also be consulting our allies and like-minded nations to build a co-ordinated path forward in the coming days. All options remain available, including through the deployment of targeted sanctions against those responsible," Mr. Baird said in his statement, adding: "Canada strongly supports the Ukrainian people in their fight for a free and democratic Ukraine." A Canadian government website said the embassy is "closed until further notice" and warned visitors of violence near the site. "There have been multiple incidents of violence associated with these protests, which have resulted in injuries and fatalities," the travel warning says. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Callers to the embassy are told to stay on the line if they need help, or to call an Ottawa-area number, 613-996-8885. About a dozen anti-government protesters sought refuge in the Canadian embassy in Kiev on Tuesday, entering the reception area and seeking shelter at the mission. With the embassy now shuttered, it remains unclear whether the protesters, whom Prime Minister Stephen Harper deemed "peaceful" in his comments from Mexico City, are still inside or have left. The whereabouts of the more than a dozen embassy staff also remains unclear. Mr. Hodge wouldn't provide an update on the status of protesters or embassy staff, reiterating Tuesday's statements that the protesters "have not caused any damage to the premises or harmed staff," that the government expects the demonstrators "to be able to leave the embassy safely, free from intimidation, arrest or further harassment," and that Ottawa wouldn't discuss security specifics at its missions abroad. Joan Modjeski, of Beausejour, Man., spoke Wednesday morning with her daughter Cynthia Modjeski, an attaché at the Canadian embassy in Kiev. "She said she feels pretty safe," Joan Modjeski said in a phone interview, adding her daughter said the situation is "sort of blowing up again a little bit" in the country. Joan Modjeski said she visited Ukraine while her daughter was posted there and thinks of her often. "You sort of wonder what's going to happen. It's always on your mind… we think about her all the time. Back home is so far away, and you think about what can happen," she said. A relative of Canada's ambassador to Ukraine, Troy Lulashnyk, said he hasn't recently been in touch with his cousin, but added his thoughts are with the head of mission and his staff. "Certainly, I hope he's safe and that things settle there," Isadore Lulashnyk said from his home in Manitoba. Another cousin, Randy Lulashnyk, echoed those sentiments from his home in Saskatchewan and added that the ambassador works for "the love of his country and Ukrainian heritage." Story continues below advertisement In Ottawa, one Conservative MP stressed the government was closely considering further action. "We're definitely looking at expanded sanctions above what we've already done," said James Bezan, a Manitoba Conservative MP of Ukrainian heritage who has closely monitored protests in the country. Canada's existing visa restrictions have focused on "high-ranking officials" in Ukraine, he said, adding the European Union "has still yet to do anything" and the United States has targeted mid-level and lower-level officials. "We are looking at expanding [sanctions], and working in concert with our allies and like-minded nations, and particularly with Poland, in trying to bring about more pressure on [Ukrainian President] Yanukovych, his government and the oligarchs that support him," Mr. Bezan said in an interview Wednesday. However, he said EU cooperation is critical in pressuring the government and its supporters for meaningful change. "The European Union are the ones that have the greatest opportunity to bring the financial pressures to bear on the individuals that are supporting this brutality against their own civilians," Mr. Bezan said. NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar called for government to announce sanctions, send a delegation and get Prime Minister Stephen Harper personally involved to put pressure on Ukraine's government. "Now is the time to do it," Mr. Dewar said of sanctions following what he called "horrendous violence" in Kiev Tuesday. "I don't know why our government is waiting. It's something I think we need to be clear on, and that's been our position. Now is really the time to act." Story continues below advertisement Asked why Canada hasn't yet brought in further sanctions, Mr. Bezan said there was hope they wouldn't be necessary. "We were seeing improvements until, you know, 48 hours ago," he said, adding he was heartbroken, disappointed and angry the Ukrainian president refuses to compromise and ease his grip on government. "It is so disheartening to see that all the work that has been taking place, discussions that have been ongoing between Ukraine and the oppositions leaders, protesters, envoys that have been sent from around the world – it all has gone for naught. And we are back to square one." Taras Zalusky, the executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said he doesn't second-guess Ottawa's decision to shutter the embassy. "I'm sure they're looking out for Canadians there, but they're also right at ground zero, near the Maidan," Mr. Zalusky said, referring to Independence Square, where bloody clashes have erupted. The Canadian embassy is in close proximity – a few hundred metres, Mr. Zalusky said – to the square. "The government double-crossed the protesters, there's no two ways about it: there was a deal to exchange hostages for real estate," he said, referring to a deal that recently saw demonstrators vacate government buildings in exchange for amnesty of detained protesters. Story continues below advertisement Mr. Zalusky said it is "sickening" that the International Olympic Committee has refused to allow Ukrainian athletes to wear black armbands in competition, as a symbol of mourning for those killed in Kiev's unrest. Canada is home to upward of 1.3 million Ukrainian-Canadians, the world's third-largest Ukrainian population behind Ukraine and Russia.When Evan Kosiner discovered that Rogers was hiking the rental cost of its SD TV box by $3 a month, he was none too happy. "It just seems like another cash grab," says the Toronto Rogers cable customer about the box's recent price jump from $5.49 to $8.49 a month — a 55 per cent increase. Mandatory television set-top box charges continue to irk Canadians trying to cut down their TV bills. In the U.S., a movement is afoot to free TV subscribers from the charge by offering an alternative way to get programming: via a no-cost online app. If the U.S. initiative takes hold, it could spread to Canada. Until then, Canadians are boxed in. TV subscribers can just buy their TV box, but many prefer to rent. Often, customers get a discount on the rental fee if they sign up for multiple services. But for those who only get TV, the box fee can jack up their monthly bill. Price hike for old box Rogers charges $12.95 a month to rent its HD or high-definition TV box in Ontario — more if customers combine it with a PVR recording device. But the cable company also offers a cheaper option — an older technology SD or standard definition box, which has now jumped in price for some customers to $8.49 a month. "They all of a sudden want to charge more for a product from 15 years ago? It seems like blatantly taking advantage of customers," claims Kosiner. He rents two SD boxes but has a discount deal with Rogers so his fee increase won't kick in until 2018. Nevertheless, Kosiner filed a complaint with the CRTC on behalf of all people affected by the price jump. Rogers spokesman Andrew Garas said in an email to CBC News that the rental price for the SD box is now higher because SD technology "is older and more expensive to maintain." He also said customers can buy the SD box for $100 and that the fee hike does not apply to subscribers getting the new $25 basic Starter TV package. However, many Rogers employees are currently informing people that the SD box rental for basic Starter customers has moved up to $8.49 a month. Rogers says this is a mistake and thanked CBC for flagging the issue. A screen grab from an online chat with a Rogers customer service rep Tuesday. The rep stated the SD box rental would be $8.49 a month for basic Starter customers. (Rogers) The costs of technology Bell Canada's rental box fees start at $7 a month. At a recent CRTC hearing, the commission asked the company why the box charge hasn't declined along with prices for other tech gadgets like DVD players. Bell responded that it continues to provide its customers with the latest technologies and that doesn't come cheap. But in the U.S., new technology may soon mean that TV subscribers will no longer have to rent TV boxes. The Federal Communications Commission's proposal would require cable companies to offer a free app that would allow customers to access their TV packages using a gadget such as Apple TV or other streaming device. "Bottom line: consumers will no longer have to rent a set-top box just to watch the programming they already pay for," said FCC chair Tom Wheeler in a blog this month. Customers would also be able to record programs using the system, but the cable companies would be allowed to charge a fee for that service. If the FCC proposal is adopted, U.S. TV subscribers will be able to bypass a TV rental box and get their programming via a free app. (CBC ) The FCC estimates Americans pay an average of $231 US annually for TV box rentals. The CRTC has no comparable Canadian statistics. The FCC is set to vote on the new rules on Sept. 29. If adopted, TV providers will have two years to comply. Could apps come to Canada? CBC News asked the CRTC if it would consider mandating free apps in Canada. The broadcast regulator responded that it does not regulate retail rates for TV services. But industry watcher Greg O'Brien believes if the U.S. adopts the new rules, Canada will eventually follow suit. "When they decide they're going to change set-top boxes, our market changes with it," says the publisher of Cartt.ca which covers cable industry news. "We don't control the market. We're too small." O'Brien also warns that free apps would mean a loss of funding for Canadian productions unless the CRTC rewrites the rules. Currently, unlike the cable companies, app-based program providers like Netflix don't have to fulfil Canadian content requirements. Kosiner says he would embrace a free app system in Canada. But he worries that Canadian cable companies would put up a fierce fight to prevent it from ever becoming a reality here. "To cut off their arms essentially where they're going to be losing hundreds of millions of dollars in rental revenue for these boxes? I don't see it happening."A top ranking member of the United States Federal Reserve cautioned economists this week that growing inequality within the US was worsening the odds of a quick return to the conditions of the pre-recession days. Fed Board of Governors member Sarah Bloom Raskin was in Washington, DC on Thursday, and during an address before the Society of Government Economists and the National Economists Club she said the widening gap between the rich and poor is just one of the issues being investigated as attempts are made to rebound from the financial crisis of 2009. “In my view, the large and increasing amount of inequality in income and wealth, which has been an ongoing development for decades, may have exacerbated the crisis and I think more research is required to determine whether it may also pose a significant headwind to the recovery from the crisis for years to come,” Raskin told the crowd. “So, while I am hopeful that pressures will ease further as home prices continue to rebound, I also believe that some of the restraints on the recovery may be quite long-lasting.” When the Pew Research Center released their findings on inequality last month, they concluded that the wealthiest 7 percent of Americans saw their average net worth surge by 28 percent when the great recession ravaged a majority of US households. In that same span between 2009 and 2011, those on the bottom 93 percent saw their net worth drop 4 percentage points. “It has been a very good recovery for those at the upper end of the wealth distribution,” Paul Taylor of the Pew Research Center wrote of his report, “But there has been no recovery for the lower 93, which is nearly everybody.” And as that trend is obvious to pollsters, economists are worrying that a widening gap between sectors will reduce the likelihood of a rebound anytime soon. Before Raskin touched on inequality during this week’s address, she admitted that the recovery process in the post-recession years has been “a very weak one.” According to Raskin, the problem stems from massive lay-offs in the wake of the recession’s start that primarily had an impact on workers of certain sectors that have been unable to find employment elsewhere. Raskin said “currents of globalization and technological change” meant that many Americans fired in 2009 have been unable to adopt for the jobs that are in demand today. “About two-thirds of all job losses in the recession were in middle-wage occupations — such as manufacturing, skilled construction, and office administration jobs — but these occupations have accounted for less than one-fourth of the job growth during the recovery. By contrast, lower-wage occupations, such as retail sales, food service and other lower-paying service jobs, accounted for only one-fifth of job losses during the recession but more than one-half of total job gains during the recovery. As a result of these trends in job creation, which could well have been exacerbated by the severe nature of the crisis, the earnings potential for many households likely remains below what they had anticipated in the years before the recession,” she said. “The increase in economic activity and the decline in the unemployment rate are, of course, welcome, but we still have a long way to go to reach what feels like a healthy economy. In fact, the pace of recovery has been slower than most had expected. The gap between actual output and the economy's potential remains quite large, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, and the unemployment rate today remains well above levels seen prior to the recession, and well above the level that the Committee thinks can be sustained once a full recovery has been achieved,” added Raskin. Thursday’s remarks by the Fed board member was actually the third time in as many months that she warned of what widening inequality was doing to America. During an event in New York City last month, Raskin said, “Of course, it is not part of the Federal Reserve's mandate to address inequality directly, but I want to explore these issues today because the answers may have implications for the Federal Reserve's efforts to understand the recession and conduct policy in a way that contributes to a stronger pace of recovery.”We managed to identify 68 individual variant covers printed of Star Wars #1. Well, with Darth Vader #1 on its way, we thought we’d check how many we could find for the new series. Only 17. They’re just not trying… #1 Main Darth Vader cover. #2 Cassaday Variant 1:25 #3 Campbell Connecting Variant 1:50 #4 Alex Ross 1:50 variant #5 Alex Ross B&W 1:200 #6 Whilce Portacio 1:25 variant #7 Skottie Young Variant – for retailers who exceed 150% of orders for Original Sin #8 #8 Action Figure Variant – for retailers who exceed 150% of orders for Original Sin #8 #9 Movie variant 1:15 #10 Blank Variant – for retailers who exceed 150% of orders for Original Sin #8 #11 Del Mundo 1:25 variant #12 Newbury Comics variant $10 #13 Greg Land Dynamic Forces variant – $30 #14 Mark Brooks Midtown variant colour $12 #15 Mark Brooks Midtown variant sketch $16 #16 Alex Ross AlexRossStore.com variant $30 #17 Hastings variant #18 Gamestop variant About Rich Johnston Chief writer and founder of Bleeding Cool. Father of two. Comic book clairvoyant. Political cartoonist. (Last Updated ) Related Posts None foundSome years ago I took my dad with me to the theatre. There were interval drinks for critics and guests in a small room. My father walked in among the assembled critics and asked loudly: "So are we all enjoying it, then?" Everyone froze as if he had just lobbed a hand grenade into the room. There is an unwritten rule (at least I don't think it's written down anywhere, but it may exist in spidery writing on crumbling parchment somewhere in the dusty vaults of the Critic's Circle) that reviewers never discuss the play they are watching with each other. The idea is that we should not have our own views infected by each other's opinions. But if you spend enough time in theatres with the same group of people it's not hard to read their body language, and in any event if you've taken a guest with you to the theatre, it's unlikely that you're going to refrain from discussing the show with each other on the way home. Besides, I doubt that the Daily Mail's Quentin Letts is suddenly going to decide that he adores an experimental feminist troupe from Bulgaria just because I've murmured my appreciation for them as we both make a grab for the cheese and onion crisps. This no-conferring idea suggests that writing a review is somehow on a par with doing a GCSE in ICT and that it is a critic's job come up with the right answer and pass the exam. But when you write a review there is no right or wrong about it, simply a response to what you've seen, and if that response is informed by other's responses is that necessarily such a terrible thing? Might not hearing or reading other perspectives on a show actually enrich your views and deepen the conversation that you try to start around the show? I ask because in Edinburgh, from whence I have recently returned, the critical rules go out the window. Apart from the Traverse press performances and some International Festival shows, there are no official press nights, so critics are seeing different shows or the same shows but in entirely different orders. Unless you spend the entire month living like a hermit, refusing to talk to anyone and averting your gaze from all the arts pages, then it's inevitable that you already know what a colleague thinks of a particular show before you've had a chance to see it. Does this sully critical judgement? I don't think so. One of the most intriguing things about the most interesting writing from the liveliest bloggers is that it is often a response not just to the performance itself but often also to other writing which has already taken place around the production. Work that is knotty, layered and more difficult than the average West End offering, often needs a period of processing that the traditional review – which requires the show is seen and reviewed almost instantly – simply doesn't permit. When Three Kingdoms opened at the Lyric Hammersmith last year, some including myself, pointed to the reviews as an example of traditional critics just not getting a show which was operating outside of the narrow arena of much of British theatre. But maybe it's just that instant responses are often shallower responses, and writing long-form reviews at more of distance, which reference and bounce off previously published opinion may lead to more considered and multi-faceted criticism. It's not that one way is right and the other wrong, they are just different and, of course, the instant response is one of the things that makes theatre newsworthy which can only be good for theatre. It would be a great pity to lose it. But being first isn't everything, and what theatre also needs is the widest possible range of the richest conversations, couched in the most varied forms, going on around it and with it. As the Edinburgh experience proves, the idea that critics should see and review shows in some kind of bubble of unsullied purity is absurd and increasingly outdated in an age where we are all connected and can share ideas and knowledge with such ease.The next war with Israel would draw hundreds of thousands of fighters from across the entire Middle East, Hezbollah’s leader has warned after the Israeli Air Force chief promised to drop a month’s bombs in a matter of days if a new conflict breaks out. Hassan Nasrallah delivered a televised address on Friday saying “the Israeli enemy must know that if an Israeli war is launched on Syria or Lebanon, it is not known that the fighting will remain Lebanese-Israeli, or Syrian-Israeli.” Read more “Doors will open” for hundreds of thousands of fighters to “join the resistance” against Israel, he warned as cited by Israeli broadcaster i24NEWS. “Everyone should know that the resistance axis is very strong and will not fail. Today there are more forces working in the area in Yemen and Iraq,” Nasrallah said, adding that Pakistani, Afghan and Syrian fighters might also get involved. The Hezbollah leader specified that he wasn’t taking about the militaries of those countries, but rather volunteers, saying that a conflict with the Israelis “could open the way for fighters from all over the Arab and Islamic world to participate.” The potential conflict, he said, will be nothing like the 2006 war, which saw Israel severely damaging Lebanese civil infrastructure and led to a million people being displaced in the country. The 34 days of fighting resulted in an estimated 1,200 deaths, mainly civilians, on the Lebanese side, with over a hundred Israeli troops also killed. In a statement in May, Nasrallah said the next war will be fought on Israeli territory, not in Lebanon, adding, that “Hezbollah soldiers and rockets can reach all the positions across the Zionist entity during any upcoming war.” Shia militant group Hezbollah, which regards neighboring Israel as is its main enemy, has amassed an arsenal of over 100,000 rockets, according to Israeli estimations. Images of Hezbollah ‘parading US armored vehicles’ emerge online, sparking controversy https://t.co/nxOx0vj9jz — RT (@RT_com) 16 November 2016 The Israeli Air Force chief, Major-General Amir Eshel, said Israel wouldn’t hesitate to use all its military might against Hezbollah and its allies. “If war breaks out in the north, we have to open with all our strength from the start,” he said. He added that the increased capability of the Air Force would now require them just 48 to 60 hours to carry out the amount of bombings it performed during 34 days in 2006. “This is potential power unimaginable in its scope, much different to what we have seen in the past and far greater than people estimate,” Eshel as he attended a Herzliya security conference near Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Read more The Air Force chief acknowledged that the massive Israeli military involvement will lead to civilian casualties, saying, “I can’t delude myself; in every war there will always be people who are harmed inadvertently.” “I have a recommendation to the people of Lebanon: Hezbollah has chosen to stay and infiltrate some of your homes. If you leave your homes as soon as the conflict erupts, you will not be harmed,” he added. Eshel also addressed the Syrian war, in which Hezbollah troops are helping the government of Bashar Assad to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), Jabhat al-Nusra and other armed groups. With Russia and US involved in the conflict, “the skies of the Middle East are a lot more crowded than before,” he said, adding that the Israeli Air Force needed to operate “surgically” to avoid “mistakes.” Israel had previously carried out airstrikes on Syrian territory, targeting what it called Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah, with the attacks condemned by Damascus as a violation of sovereignty which only benefits terrorists.Photo: Bleecker Street Media All through True Detective’s disastrous second season, critics and viewers struggled to figure out what made the first season so indelible. Did it have more to do with Cary Fukunaga’s direction, or the alchemy of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson? After watching Fukunaga’s latest film, Beasts of No Nation, which had its first press screening at the Toronto Film Festival, my vote is that it was Fukunaga all the way. This new movie, starring Idris Elba as a commander of a rebel army and newcomer Abraham Attah as a child soldier in an unnamed West African country, is the kind of undeniable directorial calling card you come across once every couple of years, if you’re lucky. Forget that the Toronto Film Festival is still young; I don’t think it’s too early to start talking about Fukunaga’s Oscar chances, or those of Elba or Attah, for that matter. What’s most thrilling about watching Beasts — which Fukunaga wrote, shot, directed, and produced, and is the first foray by Netflix into original filmmaking — is seeing him use the visual and storytelling trademarks that made True Detective’s first season so compelling to create an entirely new world. We know that the movie, based on Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel of the same name, will turn a young boy, whom we see at the start of the film telling stories by flashlight with his brother in a homemade fort, into a killer. But Fukunaga takes his time. We see Attah’s character, Agu, running around to the various military groups in the area trying to sell a TV with no screen, acting out kung fu scenes with his friends and claiming to the soldiers they’re entertaining that it’s an “imagination TV.” We become immersed in Agu’s family: with his big brother who’s trying to bulk up because he wants to sleep with a girl before the war comes, and with his father, who’s unwittingly signed his own death sentence by pushing a crazy homeless woman off his family’s land to make room for refugee camps. Mostly we see the little moments that define childhood and on which familial love and relationships are built, which in other hands might be saccharine, but which Fukunaga never wrings for cheap emotion. I could go on about the many images that had me catching my breath: The rebel army in their patchwork uniforms standing in the open doors of speeding cars with their automatic rifles raised to the sky; the masked tribesmen Agu may or may not actually be seeing as he slinks through tall grass to ambush his enemies; the blood that splatters on the camera when Agu makes his first kill; the trenches of red earth filled with red, muddy water and the bodies of the dead. It all works, including the tense, droning score from Beasts of the Southern Wild composer Dan Romer (guess he only does “Beasts” movies), and those incredible costumes that evoke what an army of orphans might pick while pillaging villages to seem fierce. Elba, who was last at TIFF pouring his heart into a portrayal of Nelson Mandela that deserved a better movie, is frighteningly believable in the complex role of a power-hungry leader who saves Agu’s life, but replaces it with an existence that might be worse than death. And Attah, who was cast through an open call in Ghana and very deservedly won the award for best young actor today at the Venice Film Festival, is a Quvenzhané Wallis–level find (another “Beasts” parallel, but it’s apt). So strong is Fukunaga’s command of tone, and so high are his demands of the audience to see Agu’s situation for just how fucked up it is, that I did find myself wishing he’d have loosened up just enough to let me have one good cry. Instead I left the theater numb and struggling to process what I’d seen — but without a doubt that everything Fukunaga does from now on should be considered essential viewing.Cooler than the Competition Introducing the EVGA GeForce GTX 980 HYBRID, an "all in one" water cooling solution that significantly lowers the GPU operating temperature. Best of all? The water cooler is completely self-contained, with an included 120mm radiator and fan. No filling, no custom tubing, no maintenance. Just plug in and play! The EVGA GTX 980 HYBRID is available as a complete unit, or upgrade kit. Of course, the GeForce GTX 980 HYBRID is also powered by the next-generation NVIDIA Maxwell architecture, giving you incredible performance, unmatched power efficiency, and cutting-edge features. Maxwell is the most advanced GPU architecture ever made, designed to be the engine of next-generation gaming. Inspired by light, it was designed to solve some of the most complex lighting and graphics challenges in visual computing.The full extent of the German military's problems with Nazi sympathizers among its ranks may slowly be coming to light. In a year plagued by scandal, Germanys' Funke Media Group revealed on Friday that the Bundeswehr's Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) recorded 286 new cases of right-wing extremism in 2017. Read more: The German military and its troubled traditions The counterintelligence agency had ongoing probes into 275 cases at the beginning of the year, the Funke group of local media outlets reported. Watch video 02:12 Findings on right-wing extremism in Germany's military – DW's Naomi Conrad Funke's media outlets cited the Defense Ministry's response to a parliamentary inquiry in their reports. Neither the ministry nor the Bundeswehr has yet issued a response. A handful of cases have already been reported in the press this year, including that of Franco A. The army lieutenant was exposed in April for leading a double life as a Syrian refugee and planning a terrorist attack. His plan was to use a fake identity to raise suspicion about migrants in Germany. He and another soldier, identified as Maximilian T., were arrested for planning "grave act of violence against the state." Franco A.'s Master's thesis was reported to have included obvious far-right ideology. Just a few week's later, investigators uncovered Nazi memorabilia in troop barracks in Donaueschingen, including helmets from the Wehrmacht — the German military under Hitler. The Bundeswehr was founded in 1955, and many former Wehrmacht soldiers began serving in the new German army. Read more: Germany promises army reforms after neo-Nazi terror plot Ulla Jelpke, a domestic policy spokeswoman of the Left Party, denounced the military's dealing with extremists, told the Funke group, "There can be no pardon for neo-Nazis and Reichsbürger — they ultimately have to be expelled from the military ranks." Reichsbürger refers to a collection of far-right, nationalist, and often anti-Semitic groups whose main characteristic is the conspiratorial belief that the Federal Republic of Germany does not legally exist because, Reichsbürger maintain, Germany never signed a peace treaty with the Allies following World War II. Read more: What draws right-wing extremists to the military? "Armed right-wing extremists are "ticking time bombs," Jelpke said. "Even on reasonable suspicion, the persons concerned should no longer have access to weapons until the allegations have been clarified." Last month, prosecutors in the German city of Tübingen revealed that they are investigating allegations of right-wing extremist behavior among Germany's Special Force Commando, the nation's elite military troops. Germany's NATO missions Germany's role in NATO West Germany officially joined the trans-Atlantic alliance in 1955. However, it wasn't until after reunification in 1990 that the German government considered "out of area" missions led by NATO. From peacekeeping to deterrence, Germany's Bundeswehr has since been deployed in several countries across the globe in defense of its allies. Germany's NATO missions Bosnia: Germany's first NATO mission In 1995, Germany participated in its first "out of area" NATO mission as part of a UN-mandated peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the deployment, German soldiers joined other NATO member forces to provide security in the wake of the Bosnian War. The peacekeeping mission included more than 60,000 troops from NATO's member states and partners. Germany's NATO missions Keeping the peace in Kosovo Since the beginning of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, some 8,500 German soldiers have been deployed in the young country. In 1999, NATO launched an air assault against Serbian forces accused of carrying out a brutal crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists and their civilian supporters. Approximately 550 Bundeswehr troops are still stationed in Kosovo. Germany's NATO missions Patrolling the Aegean Sea In 2016, Germany deployed its combat support ship "Bonn" to lead a NATO mission backed by the EU in the Aegean Sea. The mission included conducting "reconnaissance, monitoring and surveillance of illegal crossings" in Greek and Turkish territorial waters at the height of the migration crisis. Germany, Greece and Turkey had requested assistance from the trans-Atlantic alliance. Germany's NATO missions More than a decade in Afghanistan In 2003, Germany's parliament voted to send Bundeswehr troops to Afghanistan in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Germany became the third-largest contributor of troops and led the Regional Command North. More than 50 German troops were killed during the mission. Nearly a thousand soldiers are still deployed in Afghanistan as part of Resolute Support. Germany's NATO missions German tanks in Lithuania Forming part of NATO's "enhanced forward presence" in the Baltic states, 450 Bundeswehr soldiers have been deployed to Lithuania so far in 2017. The battalion-size battlegroups there are led by Germany, Canada, the UK and US to reinforce collective defense on the alliance's eastern flank. It forms the "biggest reinforcement of Alliance collective defence in a generation," according to NATO. Germany's NATO missions Taking over the leadership The Bundeswehr is due to take over leadership of NATO's multinational Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) at the start of 2019. The rapid reaction force has been set up to counter potential Russian aggression on the alliance's eastern flank. Author: Lewis Sanders IV dm/sms (dpa, AFP)To put it bluntly, Weedmaps is no joke. The Yelp of marijuana dispensaries has grown to $30 million in yearly revenue, and now it’s saying “High, NYC” with a Times Square jumbotron campaign to legalize pot. For the next 60 days, an 8-second Weedmaps ad will blaze across the CBS Super Screen pointing New Yorkers to a site of legalization resources and a petition. *420, advocate it* Weedmaps sprouted back in 2008 to help people find where to buy legal cheeba. Not only does it sniff out what to smoke, but by promoting pricing transparency, it creates competition that burns down the cost per eighth for consumers. Since then it was bought by a public company, which helped it roll up community site Marijuana.com for $4.20 million and dispensary point-of-sale system MMJmenu in a series of acquisitions. But after bogarting it for two years, General Cannabis Inc (renamed SearchCore by a bunch of squares) passed Weedmaps back to its original founders. Suggested soundtrack. With nuggets now legal in Colorado and Washington, and 20 states chill about enchanted broccoli for medical use, Weedmaps’ business is blossoming. It charges thousands of sinsimilla shops and dank delivery services to list their reviews. MMJmenu supports 900 dispensaries, and ganja Groupon clone Weedmaps Deals is pulling in about $250,000 a month. Soon it plans to pack head shops, hydroponic stores, vaporizers and more into Weedmaps.com Today it’s aiming to bake its name into people’s brains in new markets like New York, where medicinal marijuana is expected to get the green light in 2014 and recreational pot could be legalized in a few years. “The fewer people suffering under marijuana prohibition the better,” co-founder and CEO Justin Hartfield tells me. “We wanted to educate New Yorkers and get our brand out their proactively. This is the first time Weedmaps has marketed to the mainstream.” The ads light the way to resource site Weedmaps.com/nyc, which praises champions of legalization and chides the narcs who oppose it. Like a digitized version of that bloodshot-eyed pot enthusiast you knew in high school, the page also pushes a petition for pot law reform, a goofy guide to the best local smoke spots and links to educational articles about Reefer Madness. If pot law reform gives you a rush, check out Marijuana Majority, a site aimed at galvanizing support for legalization from policy makers and celebrities. Some worry their friendly neighborhood dealer will see their livelihoods turned to ashes wherever weed becomes legal. That
“Meanwhile, British actresses Emily Blunt and Ruth Wilson are head-to-head in a race for the most sought-after new female role in Hollywood. Emily, 29, and Ruth, 30, are both hotly tipped to play superhero Ms. Marvel in Avengers 2, the sequel to Avengers Assemble.” Joss Whedon's highly-anticipated followup to this year's highest-grossing film,, is a couple years away from commencing production. However, the praised writer-director knows “one or two” new characters that will be added to superhero team's roster. And according toat least one of those characters will be Carol Danvers, AKA Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel, who's been widely speculated. And the U.K. newspaper has even listed two familiar names supposedly competing for the big role.Considering the Daily Mail has never been known for breaking casting scoops as major as this one, this rumor should be taken lightly. It's also worth noting that both Emily Blunt and Ruth Wilson were included in a feature written in August by CBM's very own Josh Wilding, where he suggested five actresses who could portray Carol Danvers insequel. However, if true, this'd be Marvel's third attempt in nabbing Blunt for a role. She was initially attached to play Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in, and then turned down Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) in last year's. What do you think?Marvel Studios already describes their highly-anticipated sequel to the No. 3 highest grossing film of all time, “Marvel's The Avengers,” as another “big cinematic event.” And expected to feature the reassembly of iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow & Nick Fury taking on a new unexpected enemy, new additions to the superhero team up of a lifetime are possible.Expecting reprisals from Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” sequel is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. And set for release May 1, 2015, the film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. In addition to the sequel, Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including “Iron Man 3” on May 3, 2013; “Thor: The Dark World ” on November 8, 2013; “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” on April 4, 2014; and “Guardians of the Galaxy” on August 1, 2014.Farzana draws all eyes when she dances, with the twist of her hips and hair ─ but today she is above all the voice of a Pakistani community with an ambiguous status: the khawajasiras. The 30-year-old is a guru, a matriarch at the head of a “family” of several hundred khawajasiras, an umbrella term in Pakistan denoting a third sex that includes transsexuals, transvestites and eunuchs. She is co-founder and president of TransAction, a rights organisation launched in 2015 in Peshawar, capital of deeply conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. Members of the Pakistani transgender community dance at a party in Peshawar.─AFP Faced with brutal aggression and daily humiliation, this solid Pashtun, whose hoarse voice betrays her birth sex, “filed complaints in almost every KP police station” ─ but in vain. “More than 50 khawajasiras were killed in 2015 and 2016 in KP alone,” she says, recounting with fatalistic calm how she was repeatedly raped and blackmailed by police. The status of khawajasiras ─ also known as hijras ─ is opaque in Pakistan to say the least. Modern-day Pakistani transgender people claim to be cultural heirs of the eunuchs who thrived at the courts of the Mughal emperors that ruled the Indian subcontinent for two centuries until the British arrived in the 19th century and banned them. Members of the Pakistani transgender community attend a party in Peshawar.─AFP Later, Pakistan became one of the first countries in the world to legally recognise a third sex. They number at least half a million people in the country, according to several studies ─ up to two million, say TransAction. Since 2009, they have been able to obtain an identity card as “khawajasiras”, and several have run in elections. A Lahore court has ruled they should be counted in the next census, set to be held this year. Like Farzana, many earn their living by being called upon for rituals such as blessing newborns or to bring life to weddings and parties as dancers ─ and, sometimes, in more clandestine ways. But despite these signs of integration they live daily as pariahs, often reduced to begging and prostitution, subjected to extortion and discrimination. Media empathy The catalyst for TransAction's mobilisation in Peshawar was the exclusion of transgenders from aid to populations fleeing Talibanisation and fighting in the tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan. Sohana, 24, fled in 2008 from Kurram tribal district, where the Taliban had banished dancing and music, and forced men to grow beards. Members of the Pakistani transgender community attend a party in Peshawar.─AFP “If I had stayed, I would be dead by now,” she says. But in Peshawar, the UN helped only displaced families. “We had no help from anyone... We started protesting,” says the young woman, concealing beneath her shawl the curves she has created with silicone implants. “Many people spoke out, saying that people like us also need to have our rights respected,” says Sohana, who nevertheless despairs of ever being tolerated by her family. TransAction now has 40,000 followers on its Facebook page, and local newspapers have become sympathetic in their coverage of hijras, reviving the debate on their status in Pakistan. “A lot of NGOs have worked with the transgender community, but mostly focused on HIV, whereas (TransAction's) priority was protection from violence, harassment, attacks and extortion,” said Qamar Naseem, a women's rights activist who helped TransAction to be heard. members of the Pakistani transgender community attend a party in Peshawar.─AFP Perhaps the most famous case to be highlighted was that of Alisha, who died after an assault in May last year because, her supporters said, she did not receive treatment at the gender-segregated hospital in Peshawar in time due to her identity. Creations of Allah Against all odds, conservative and Islamist lawmakers are sensitive to their cause. “They are a creature of God. Allah's creation. They should have their rights, as we have,” said conservative MP Amina Sardar, who spearheaded legislation supporting political franchise for khawajasiras. “This is what I preach. Hijras are Muslim, same human beings (as us), with the same rights,” said Mullah Tayyab Qureshi, imam of the main Peshawar mosque. Farzana, a member of the Pakistani transgender community, checks her mobile telephone at her home in Peshawar.─AFP Several support measures have already been voted in, and KP is working on a transgender protection program which, if passed, will become the second adopted by a province in South Asia, Nasim said. But access to education and employment is a major challenge for these women. Most khawajasiras say they have been abandoned or bullied to the point of fleeing their families, often as they approach adolescence, when their effeminate behaviour becomes intolerable in a patriarchal society where homosexuality is illegal. The community is also weakened by the practices of some so-called “gurus” who act as merciless pimps, exploiting disoriented young people instead of behaving as the protective adoptive mothers most pride themselves on being. Paro, a member of the Pakistani transgender community, designing embroidery on dresses for their community members at her residence in Peshawar.─AFP Paro, who left her parents and school aged 11, was prostituted, raped, and shot before joining TransAction. “I've liked dancing since I was a child, but nobody respects that,” she sighs. She cut down on her dance performances and launched a small embroidery business after the killing of her friend Alisha. In her sweet pink room, she creates flamboyant outfits for other hijras. Farzana applies makeup at her home in Peshawar.─AFP On the wall, two screens: one broadcasts music clips, but the other is the video surveillance she installed in front of her door ─ six TransAction leaders have been assaulted because of their activism.Montreal has long been an important hub for transportation infrastructure — a hub that connects Canada from coast to coast to coast, and a hub that connects Canada to the world. Every day, be it by railway, road or the Saint Lawrence Seaway, goods move through the city on their way to other parts of Canada or from Canada to international markets. Quebec and Canada are stronger because of it — transportation infrastructure is the foundation of Canada’s collective economic strength. Building Energy East is a nationally important piece of transportation infrastructure. It would allow Quebec refineries to use Canadian crude oil instead of imports, and it would connect New Brunswick and markets abroad to Canada’s vast oil resources. All Canadians, including people in Quebec, would benefit as a result. We need a unified national will to turn this vision into reality. Some say the environmental risks of building Energy East outweigh the economic benefits. This argument, however, overlooks the larger benefits of Canadian oil infrastructure to Quebec and Canada, as well as the industry’s safety record. Canadian Energy Pipeline Association data shows that between 2002 and 2013, pipelines transported oil with a 99.999 per cent safety record. This includes pipelines that feed refineries in Quebec. These refineries process oil, much of which arrives in Quebec from foreign sources such as the United States, Algeria, Angola and Kazakhstan at higher prices than Canadian oil. The province spent nearly $14 billion in 2013 on oil imports, according to government data. That’s the equivalent of the annual economic activity created by Canada’s beer sector, founded in Montreal by the Molson family, and it’s money that flows out of the province, with little in the way of economic return. Canada has the third-largest oil reserves in the world, yet much of the oil for Quebec and Atlantic Canada is imported. Expanding pipeline infrastructure in Quebec and Atlantic Canada will allow us to keep the money spent on imports in Canada, where it can help create jobs and grow the economy. That, indeed, would be a substantial economic benefit in addition to the benefits from oilsands development Quebec already enjoys. The Canadian oilsands sector has purchased $600 million in goods and services from Quebec over the past two years. More than 190 Quebec companies, many in the Montreal area, have direct business relationships with the oilsands. By expanding Canada’s pipeline infrastructure, we can build on these benefits and stimulate the kind of economic activity that keeps people working. And this is the crux of my argument: Pipelines are nationally important infrastructure that helps build Canada’s economic strength, just like highways and railroads. These Canadian infrastructure projects will generate revenue and create jobs, all without any taxpayer funding. The ability for Canadian oil to have more access to more markets is critical for the industry, the national economy and the prosperity of all Canadians, including people in Quebec. In view of Alberta’s stringent carbon policy and climate leadership plan, using responsibly produced Canadian oil in Quebec is also an opportunity to displace oil from foreign countries that have less stringent environmental standards. Many of the oil suppliers to Quebec do not have the regulatory system or transparent environmental reporting Canada has. Environment Canada reports that emissions per barrel of oil produced from the oilsands are down 30 per cent from 1990 levels. Pilot projects in the oilsands, such as the use of solvents for in situ projects, will reduce emissions even further. These are some facts that should inform a reasonable debate about how Canada collectively can take action to build the pipeline infrastructure that will make our provinces and country stronger. We should all get behind this effort to slice through the Gordian knot that prevents our country from reaping the full benefits of our abundant oil and natural gas resources. Tim McMillan is president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. He lives in Calgary.If you surf, odds are you're surfing on a board made of polyurethane and fiberglass. The design, a sandwich of foam and the fiberglass, was born in the late 1940s using methods and materials developed during World War II. Two lifelong surfers, one of them a rocket scientist who did a stint at SpaceX, think surfboards are due for an update. They've designed a more advanced model by engineering a foam core structure they call Varial foam. It's a finely tuned lattice of polymers more akin to the lightweight material found in helicopter blades than anything you’d ride a wave with. As the inventors tell it, this new foam makes for stronger, lighter, and more flexible boards. They're hardly the first to think they've designed a better board. The $7 billion industry has attracted no end of shapers and designers using reclaimed, recycled and renewable materials to improve on the design Bob Simmons, the father of the modern surfboard, pioneered after World War II. The fundamental technology has changed little in the 60-odd years since, largely because a single company—Clark Foam—utterly dominated the field until it suddenly folded in 2005. Varial Varial’s founders, Edison Conner and Parker Borneman, grew up surfing together in Santa Barbara, California. Later, while at separate colleges, they starting thinking seriously about how to improve the foam core. Polyurethane foam is a popular material because it is light, cheap and easy to work with. But it has downsides. Aside from being environmentally suspect, it isn't especially durable. Even with the addition of a wood spine, called a stringer, it isn't unusual to see surfers break a board or two each season. “The price point on a board is about $700,” Borneman says, “so when surfboards are breaking bi-annually you’re spending a lot on your equipment.” Polyurethane remains dominant, but some think the sport is ready for disruption. "It’s still got a pretty good grip on the industry,” says Richard Kenvin, author of Surf Craft. “All the production methods were set in place, so people in that might be slower to change. But I don’t think it can hang on forever—new foams and composites are going to replace that stuff—and on the high performance end, it’s kind of way overdue that it moved out." From the start Borneman and Conner believed tinkering with new foam structures in the lab would improve flexibility and durability. Surfboards have what’s called a rocker, or a curve that runs its length, that provides about an inch of flex. It helps surfers navigate slight turns, but also plays into the physics of the sport. “It stores energy, and that energy releases the rider back out of the run and pushes the rider out of the turn,” Conner says. The problem is, “boards are either flexible and not strong, or strong and not flexible.” Design Cues From the Skies The Varial guys wanted both. Conner happens to be especially equipped for this type of challenge—he’s a composites engineer. In fact, it's what he did at SpaceX while getting Varial going. He helped develop “high strength, plastic-like materials” for rockets. In the lab, Conner developed a foam with a meticulous, web-like structure. It’s a proprietary technique, but he’s essentially made the air bubbles in the foam as small and dense as possible, optimizing it for lightness and strength. Riding a Varial board, Borneman says, makes it easier to turn, and makes the sport faster, letting you ride the wave longer. Surfboard design has long intertwined with the aerospace industry. In the early 20th century, most boards were balsa. When surfing took off in southern California, the growth of the sport dovetailed with advances in military tech. Polyurethane was originally designed to be insulation in aircraft, for example. And like other post-war design innovations—notably, Charles and Ray Eames’s molded furniture—surfboards benefited from advances in foam and fiberglass manufacturing made during World War II. It helped that many early surfers and shapers were glider pilots, Kenvin says. Even now, the two fields continue drawing from each other. Surfboard design has been integrated into wing design at Boeing, for example. “Most of the guys I know at the forefront [of surfboard design] are always looking at swatches and Kevlar and things that have uses in aerospace," Kenvin says. "That always pushes things along.”Washington Threatens The World — Paul Craig Roberts Washington Threatens The World Paul Craig Roberts The consequence of Washington’s reckless and irresponsible political and military interventions in Iraq, Libya, and Syria has been to unleash evil. The various sects that lived in peace under the rule of Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, and Assad are butchering one another, and a new group, ISIS, is in the process of creating a new state out of parts of Iraq and Syria. The turmoil brought into the Middle East by the Bush and Obama regimes has meant death and displacement for millions and untold future deaths. As I write 40,000 Iraqis are stranded on a mountain top without water awaiting death at the hands of ISIS, a creation of US meddling. The reality in the Middle East stands in vast contradiction to the stage managed landing of George W. Bush on the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln where Bush declared “Mission Accomplished” on May 1, 2003. The mission that Washington accomplished was to wreck the Middle East and the lives of millions of people and to destroy America’s reputation in the process. Thanks to the demonic neoconservative Bush regime, today America is regarded by the rest of the world as the greatest threat to world peace. The Clinton regime’s attack on Serbia set the pattern. Bush upped the ante with Washington’s naked aggression against Afghanistan, which Washington clothed in Orwellian language–”Operation Enduring Freedom.” Washington brought ruin, not freedom, to Afghanistan. After 13 years of blowing up the country, Washington is now withdrawing, the “superpower” having been defeated by a few thousand lightly armed Taliban, but leaving a wasteland behind for which Washington will accept no responsibility. Another source of endless Middle East turmoil is Israel whose theft of Palestine is Washington-enabled. In the middle of Israel’s latest attack on civilians in Gaza, the US Congress passed resolutions in support of Israel’s war crimes and voted hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for Israel’s ammunition. Here we witness Great Moral America 100 percent in support of unambiguous war crimes against essentially defenseless people. When Israel murders women and children, Washington calls it “Israel’s right to defend their own country”–a country that Israel stole from Palestinians–but when Palestinians retaliate Washington calls it “terrorism.” By supporting Israel, declared to be a terrorist state by a few moral governments that still exist, and accused of war crimes by the UN General Secretary, Washington is in violation of its own laws against supporting terrorist states. Of course, Washington itself is the leading terrorist state. Therefore, it is illegal under US law for Washington to support itself. Washington, however, does not accept law, neither domestic nor international, as a constraint on its actions. Washington is “exceptional, indispensable.” No one else counts. No law, no Constitution, and no humane consideration has authority to constrain Washington’s will. In its claims Washington surpasses those of the Third Reich. As horrific as Washington’s recklessness toward the Middle East is, Washington’s recklessness toward Russia is many orders of magnitude greater. Washington has convinced nuclear armed Russia that Washington is planning a nuclear first strike. In response Russia is beefing up its nuclear forces and testing US air defense reactions. http://freebeacon.com/national-security/russian-strategic-bombers-conduct-more-than-16-incursions-of-u-s-air-defense-zones/ It is difficult to imagine a more irresponsible act than to convince Russia that Washington intends to hit Russia with a preemptive first strike. One of Putin’s advisers has explained to the Russian media Washington’s first strike intentions, and a member of the Russian Duma has made a documented presentation of Washington’s first strike intentions. http://financearmageddon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/official-warning-u-s-to-hit-russia-with.html By marshaling the evidence, I have pointed out in my columns that it is impossible for Russia to avoid this conclusion. China is aware that China faces the same threat from Washington. http://yalejournal.org/2013/06/12/who-authorized-preparations-for-war-with-china/ China’s response to Washington’s war plans against China was to demonstrate how China’s nuclear forces would be used in response to Washington’s attack on China to destroy the US. China made this public, hoping to create opposition among Americans to Washington’s war plans against China. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2484334/China-boasts-new-submarine-fleet-capable-launching-nuclear-warheads-cities-United-States.html Like Russia, China is a rising country that does not need war in order to succeed. The only country on earth that needs war is Washington, and that is because Washington’s goal is the neoconservative one of exercising hegemony over the world. Prior to the Bush and Obama regimes, every previous US president went to great efforts to avoid telegraphing any nuclear threat. US war doctrine was careful to keep nuclear weapons limited to retaliation in the event the US suffered a nuclear attack. The purpose of nuclear forces was to prevent the use of such weapons. The reckless George W. Bush regime elevated nuclear weapons to preemptive first use, thus destroying the constraint placed on the use of nuclear weapons. The overriding purpose of the Reagan administration was to end the cold war and, thereby, the threat of nuclear war. The George W. Bush regime, together with the Obama regime’s demonization of Russia, have overturned President Reagan’s unique achievement and made nuclear war likely. When the incompetent Obama regime decided to overthrow the democratically elected government in Ukraine and install a puppet government of Washington’s choosing, the Obama State Department, run by neoconservative ideologues, forgot that the eastern and southern portions of Ukraine consist of former Russian provinces that were attached to the Ukraine Soviet Socialist Republic by Communist Party leaders when Ukraine and Russia were part of the same country–the Soviet Union. When the Russophobic stooges that Washington installed in Kiev demonstrated in word and deed their hostility to Ukraine’s Russian population, the former Russian provinces declared their desire to return to mother Russia. This is not surprising, nor is it something that can be blamed on Russia. Crimea succeeded in returning to Russia, where Crimea resided since the 1700s, but Putin, hoping to defuse the propaganda war that Washington was mounting against him did not accept the pleas from the other former Russian provinces. Consequently, Washington’s stooges in Kiev felt free to attack the protesting provinces and have been following the Israeli policy of attacking civilian populations, civilian residences, and civilian infrastructure. The presstitute Western media ignored the facts and accused Russia of invading and annexing parts of Ukraine. This lie is comparable to the lies that US Secretary of State Colin Powell told the UN about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in behalf of the criminal Bush regime, lies that Colin Powell later apologized for to no avail as Iraq had been destroyed by his lies. When the Malaysian airliner was destroyed, before any facts were known Russia was blamed. The British media was especially primed to blame Russia almost the instant it was known the airliner was downed. I heard the BBC’s gross misrepresentation and blatant lies on American National Public Radio, and only the Daily Mail’s propagandistic account was worse. The entire “news” event has the appearance of orchestration prior to the event, which, of course, suggests that Washington was behind it. The airliner deaths became all important for Washington’s propaganda war. The 290 casualties are unfortunate, but they are a small fraction of the deaths that Israel was inflicting on Palestinians at the same moment without provoking any protests from Western governments, as distinct from Western peoples in the streets, people whose protests were conveniently suppressed for Israel by Western security forces. Washington used the downing of the airliner, which probably was Washington’s responsibility, as an excuse for another round of sanctions and to pressure its European puppets to join the sanctions with sanctions of their own, which Washington’s EU puppets did. Washington relies on accusations and insinuations and refuses to release the evidence from the satellite photos, because the photos do not support Washington’s lies. Facts are not permitted to interfere with Washington’s demonization of Russia any more than facts interfered with Washington’s demonization of Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Iran. Twenty-two reckless and irresponsible US senators have introduced the “Russian Aggression Prevention Act of 2014,” US Senate bill 2277, sponsored by Senator Bob Corker, who well represents in his ignorance and stupidity what appears to be the majority of the American population or the majority of voters in the state of Tennessee. Corker’s bill is a mindless piece of legislation designed to start a war that would be likely to leave no survivors. Apparently, idiotic Americans will elect any fool to power. The belief that Russia is responsible for the downed Malaysian airliner has become fact in Western capitals despite the total absence of even a tiny scrap of evidence in behalf of the claim. Moreover, even it the accusation were true, is one airliner worth a World War? The UK Defense Committee has concluded that a broke and militarily impotent UK must “focus on the defense of Europe against Russia.” The military spending drums, if not the war drums, are beating and the entire West has joined in. A militarily impotent Britain is going to defend Europe from a non-existent, although much proclaimed, attack from the Russian bear. US and NATO military dignitaries and the Pentagon chief are issuing Russia Threat Warnings based on alleged but non-existent Russian troop-buildups on Ukraine’s border. According to the the Western Ministry of Propaganda if Russia defends the Russian populations in Ukraine from military attack from Washington’s stooge government in Kiev, it is proof that Russia is the villain. Washington’s propaganda campaign has succeeded in turning Russia into a threat. Polls show that 69 percent of Americans now regard Russia as a threat, and that the confidence of Russians in American leadership has vanished. Russians and their government observe the identical demonization of their country and their leader as they observed of Iraq and Saddam Hussein, of Libya and Gaddafi, of Syria and Assad, and of Afghanistan and the Taliban just prior to military assaults on these countries by the West. For a Russian, the safest conclusion from the evidence is that Washington intends war on Russia. It is my opinion that the irresponsibility and recklessness of the Obama regime is without precedent. Never before has the United States government or the government of any nuclear power gone to such great efforts to convince another nuclear power that that power was being set up for attack. It is difficult to imagine a more provocative act that more endangers life on earth. Indeed, the White House Fool has doubled up, convincing both Russia and China that Washington is planning a preemptive first strike on both. Republicans want to sue or to impeach Obama over relatively inconsequential issues, such as ObamaCare. Why don’t Republicans want to impeach Obama over such a critical issue as subjecting the world to the risk of nuclear armageddon? The answer is that the Republicans are as crazed as the Democrats. Their leaders, such as John McCain and Lindsay Graham, are determined that “we stand up to the Russians!” Wherever one looks in American politics one sees crazed people, psychopaths and sociopaths who should not be in political office. Washington long ago gave up diplomacy. Washington relies on force and intimidation. The US government is utterly devoid of judgment. This is why polls show that the rest of the world regards the US government as the greatest threat to world peace. Today (August 8, 2014) Handelsblatt, Germany’s Wall Street Journal, wrote in a signed editorial by the publisher: “The American tendency to move from verbal escalation to military escalation–the isolation, demonization, and attacking of enemies–has not proven effective. The last successful major military action the US conducted was the Normandy landing [in 1944]. Everything else – Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan – was a clear failure. Moving NATO units towards the Polish border with Russia and thinking about arming Ukraine is a continuation of relying on military means in the absence of diplomacy.” Washington’s puppet states–all of Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia–enable Washington’s unrivaled danger to the world by their support of Washington’s agenda of exercising hegemony over the entire world. The 100th anniversary of World War I is upon us. And the folly that caused this war is being repeated. WWI destroyed a civilized Western world, and it was the work of a mere handful of scheming people. The result was Lenin, the Soviet Union, Hitler, the rise of American Imperialism, Korea, Vietnam, the military interventions that created ISIS, and now resurrected conflict between Washington and Russia that President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev had ended. As Stephen Starr has pointed out on my website, if merely 10% of the nuclear weapons in the US and Russian arsenals are used, life on earth terminates. Dear readers, ask yourselves, when has Washington told you anything that was not a lie? Washington’s lies have caused millions of casualties. Do you want to be a casualty of Washington’s lies? Do you believe that Washington’s lies and propaganda about the Malaysian airliner and Ukraine are worth risking life on earth? Who is so gullible that he cannot recognize that Washington’s lies about Ukraine are like Washington’s lies about Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, Iranian nukes, and Assad’s use of chemical weapons? Do you think that the neoconservative influence that prevails in Washington, regardless of the political party in office, is too dangerous to be tolerated?Many issues characteristically beloved by Democrats are being raised to disparage Donald Trump. The man has been maligned as a racist, a bigot, as unfit for office and even described as a psychopath, presumably in contrast to Hillary Clinton who loves people of every color and shape as long as they are not living next door and will faithfully vote Democratic after they are afforded entry into the United States and amnestied. Hillary, who has held nearly every senior government office that a human being can reasonably aspire to but the one she is currently lusting after, is unlike Trump only sufficiently deranged to kill people if they live somewhere in the third world and can’t do anything about it. A persistent line emanating from the “national security” experts who have flocked to Hillary’s side is that Trump would threaten the safety of the United States. That many of the crossovers are neoconservatives who have brought us a number of unnecessary wars in the past fifteen years is pretty much ignored by the media just as the argument that the U.S. has a presumptive right to intervene militarily wherever and whenever it chooses is generally accepted. The latest talking head who stands firm for national security is Paul Wolfowitz, who was interviewed by the German magazine Der Spiegel on August 26th. Some readers might recall Wolfowitz. He was the number two at the Pentagon under Donald Rumsfeld. A forceful advocate for the Iraq war, he is famous for having observed that the Iraqis would welcome the American invasion and that the war would pay for itself rather than the $5 plus trillion that it has actually cost. How he came to the latter erroneous conclusion is not very clear, though it may have had something to do with looting Iraq’s oil reserves and exporting them through a pipeline to Israel, an idea that was once floated by Wolfowitz’s godfather Richard Perle. Wolfowitz has never been apologetic. He now claims that he was deluded by the information provided by the intelligence establishment into believing that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, an odd claim as he himself was largely responsible for the bad intelligence through his setting-up of the Office of Special Plans, a separate organization within the Pentagon intended to critique and supplement what CIA was producing. Wolfowitz’s zeal was rewarded by George W. Bush, who appointed him head of the World Bank, a position that he was forced to relinquish when it was determined that he had been concealing his relationship with a woman who worked for him as well as promoting her far beyond organizational guidelines. He was also accused of general mismanagement. Some things apparently never change. In any event, Wolfowitz, who has now characteristically found yet another comfortable and well remunerated niche at the largely defense contractor funded American Enterprise Institute, has finally joined the neocon host that is working for a Hillary victory in November. They understand that it is a bread-and-butter issue. Hillary is clearly predisposed to continue the kinds of mindlessly aggressive policies that have made Neoconservatism Inc. and its vibrant cash flow possible in the first place. More to the point however, in the real world both Hillary and Wolfie sometimes visit, there is renewed enthusiasm for jumping on the hate Russia bandwagon. To belong to that club one has to repeatedly accuse Moscow of interfering in American politics, preferably without any evidence at all to support the claim. Not surprisingly, the reality is actually quite different. It is the Hillary camp that has injected Russia into the campaign debate to use it as a bludgeon to beat on Trump. They do so without considering that regular excoriation of Russia in the media and from various political pulpits might actually have consequences. Wolfowitz believes it is weakness in a leader to avoid confrontation with adversaries. He writes that Trump’s apparent desire to “step back” from crises in the world makes him “Obama squared.” It is a principal reason why he will likely be voting for Clinton in November. He describes Trump as a security risk precisely “because he admires Putin” and is “unconcerned about the Russian aggression in Ukraine. By doing this he tells them that they can go ahead and do what they are doing. That is dangerous” as “Putin is behaving in a very dangerous way.” In a recent speech Hillary Clinton also piled on Russia while affirming that she is now the candidate of “American exceptionalism,” an obvious ploy to attract even more neocons and dissident GOP hawks. Hillary has also denounced Trump’s appearance on stage with Nigel Farage, who headed the successful British Brexit movement. Hillary declared Farage to be both racist and sexist before castigating him for being a stooge of the Russians. His crime? Appearing on Russia Today television, where the author of this piece has also appeared numerous times. So Farage and Trump are together part of Hillary’s alleged vast right wing conspiracy and the strings for that are being pulled by Moscow. She went on to call Putin “the godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism” before launching an attack on Trump personally, claiming that he “heaps praise on Putin and embraces pro-Russian policies.” And he does that because there is something “wrong” about him: he is part of a “paranoid fringe in our politics, steeped in racial resentment.” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook took the argument still further, observing that “Trump is just a puppet of the Kremlin,” taking the claim that Trump is a Putin collaborator and elevating it to make him a true Manchurian candidate, a tool of what used to be Godless communism but is now something more like a revival of the Holy Russian Empire run by the KGB. Justin Raimondo notes that putting all the bits together one comes up with a Hillary view that her nemesis Donald Trump is the face of a “Vast Right Wing Pro-Russian Conspiracy,” making him an enemy that comprises both domestic and international threats, producing a target rich environment for the slings and arrows produced by Hillary and her hack speech writers. The Clinton view of Putin is particularly ironic as it runs against the frequently expressed Russian government desire to work together with Washington to solve mutual problems, to include dealing with Islamic terrorism and stabilizing the Middle East. Putin in fact pulled President Barack Obama’s chestnuts out of the fire in 2013 when the latter got caught in a series of lies relating to Syria’s alleged chemical weapons. It would be bad enough if a delusional Hillary Clinton were alone, a voice crying in the wilderness, but she is not. She is supported by a growing number of neoconservatives as well as the Establishment Dems in her own party. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has called on the FBI to investigate whether the Putin government is trying to undermine the November ballot, implying that they might try to cyber-meddle with election results. Of course, if Hillary wins as expected he will fade back into the woodwork and stop complaining. And then there is the media, which is playing its part by fearmongering. On August 18th The reliably neocon Washington Post featured two op-eds, one written by David Kramer and the other by Angela Stent. Kramer, who is a Senior Director with the McCain Institute for International Leadership and an ex-George W. Bush official, posits that “Russia is now a threat. The U.S. should treat it like one.” That an ex-GWB official should expound on sound policy from the pulpit of an institute reflecting the values of Senator John McCain might be considered comical, but Kramer asserts that “Russia under Vladimir Putin is an authoritarian, kleptocratic regime that poses a serious threat to our values, interests and allies. We should contain and deter Russian aggression…” Kramer cites the familiar examples of Ukraine, Crimea and Syria as evidence of Putin’s bestiality but his descriptions are curiously one-sided, making it appear that Russia is invariably purely malevolent while all the alleged victims are peace loving and high minded democrats-to-be. Such thinking is, of course, nonsense. Putin is a realist and a nationalist who is well aware of his country’s limitations but who is willing to protect his genuine interests. Would that President Hillary Clinton might be intelligent enough to do the same. In the second op-ed Stent, who directs the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University, blames Russia for failing to integrate into “Euro-Atlantic and global institutions” while also “thwart[ing]” America’s “commitment to create a peaceful, rules-based post-Cold War order.” I must have missed some of the recent history that Stent recalls so unambiguously, possibly because I was somehow misled by the reported looting of Russia by the west and the western aligned oligarchs as well as the more recent interference in the country’s internal affairs by Congress and the White House. She also
Jayabalan Senthil — will leave for India via road through the Wagah border, the report said. Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria last week had read out a statement at his weekly briefing saying that a number of Indian diplomats and staffers were involved in “coordinating terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan under the garb of diplomatic assignments”. He had named the eight Indian officials, accusing them of being members of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB). There was no official confirmation on how many Indian officials had left Pakistan and were expected to leave the country. Last month, Pakistan had declared Indian High Commission official Surjeet Singh persona non-grata after India’s action against Pakistan High Commission official Mehmood Akhtar following Indian police’s busting of an ISI-run spy ring. Advertising On November 2, Pakistan had pulled out six of its officials in the wake of the spy scandal.The American traditional song Go tell Aunt Rhody originated as a gavotte composed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau for his opera Le devin du village (1752). An English version of the opera was produced in London in 1766; subsequently the melody attracted various English texts, including Sweet Melissa (ca. 1788), and inspired a set of variations by the London piano virtuoso Johann Baptist Cramer (Rousseau’s dream, 1812). Around 1825 the tune—identified as Greenville or Rousseau—began appearing in U.S. hymnals. The Aunt Rhody version has appeared in numerous American traditional song anthologies, and is still often found in children’s song collections. This according to “Go tell Aunt Rhody she’s Rousseau’s dream” by Murl Sickbert, an essay included in Vistas of American music: Essays and compositions in honor of William K. Kearns (Warren: Harmonie Park, 1999, pp. 125–150). Today is Rousseau’s 300th birthday! Below, the classic Woody Guthrie recording of his immortal gavotte. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedInBLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The National Science Foundation has awarded $1.2 million to three research groups at Indiana University to advance research on self-assembling molecules and computer-aided design software required to create the next generation of solar cells, circuits, sensors and other technology. This interdisciplinary team in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Chemistry is led by Amar Flood, Steven Tait and Peter Ortoleva in collaboration with Mu-Hyun Baik of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, who previously served at IU. Designing new materials at the molecular level is a key goal of the U.S. government's Materials Genome Initiative, a project launched in 2011 to reduce the cost, and speed the creation, of these materials. As recipients of funds from the NSF's Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future program, the IU scientists will contribute to this national initiative. "There are more than 100 million known molecules, but in the vast majority of cases we cannot predict what sort of structure they will form when those molecules start packing together," said Amar Flood, James F. Jackson Professor of Chemistry and Luther Dana Waterman Professor in the IU Bloomington Department of Chemistry, who is the principal investigator on the grant. "We want to be able to predict, as well as design, those structures." The results would represent a "transformative approach to the discovery of organic materials," he said, combining computer-aided design, chemical synthesis and molecular characterization methods. And recently, Flood and colleagues have shown such an ambitious goal is achievable. In a paper published Nov. 23 in Chemistry--A European Journal, the IU scientists describe an innovative "one-pot" method to synthesize a new macromolecule called a tricarbazolo triazolophane, or "tricarb." A multifunctional, ring-shaped structure, tricarb molecules bear alignment markers so that they line up perfectly with each other upon contact to form highly organized, multilayered patterns. Tricarb molecules also have a central pocket to capture the negatively charged particles known as anions. "Amar has developed a very elegant synthesis," said Steven Tait, an associate professor of chemistry who is a co-author on the paper and also a co-investigator on the NSF grant. "The result is molecules that recognize each other in a very specific way to order and stack in beautiful, flower-shaped crystalline patterns with potentially transformative properties." The NSF-funded project will support creating molecular structures, like the tricarb molecule, that are specifically pre-programmed to self-assemble into three-dimensional structures that go beyond the comparatively simple, two-dimensional molecular arrangements. "Creating building blocks that self-assemble into functional materials will be a major breakthrough in materials science and is a key component of the Materials Genome Initiative," said Stephen C. Jacobson, chair of the IU Bloomington Department of Chemistry. "I am pleased that the NSF has recognized our faculty's combined expertise in synthesis, characterization and theory in selecting them to contribute to this important initiative." Specifically, Flood said, the ability to alternate different molecules in highly ordered patterns is a key step in creating organic electronics, a new class of material whose applications include highly efficient solar panels and advanced computer circuitry. "The best solar cells right now are made of extremely pure silicon, which requires a very precise -- and expensive -- production process," Tait said. "But if we can create extremely pure, self-assembling organic materials, controlling the order of their interfaces and components at the molecular level, the performance of these organic materials will improve significantly, and their costs will go down." Most important for the creation of new molecular structures, the IU team will use the grant to develop computer-aided design software enabling virtual experimentation with the potential to examine the millions of molecular compounds of interest to material scientists. Currently, Flood explained, scientists must engage in an arduous and time-consuming process of trial-and-error to design new structures with highly specialized properties since no blueprint exists for how molecules will react upon coming into contact with each other. But with virtual experimentation, molecular engineers could screen 100 potential molecular combinations over 100 days, only then devoting time and resources to synthesize the top five candidates, which can itself require about 100 days per compound, creating enormous time-savings. "CAD software is prevalent in electrical, mechanical and civil engineering, and we need that same technology at our fingertips for molecular and materials engineering," Flood said. "The innovations coming from our computational collaborators are key." These collaborations are with Ortoleva, a Distinguished Professor in the IU Bloomington Department of Chemistry who will help develop the CAD software using recent advances in multi-scale simulation that employ Baik's work on atomic-level force fields. "Ultimately, we plan to show experimentally how molecules can be programmed so that they assemble themselves into 2-D and 3-D arrangements, as well as produce a working, operational and accurate simulation software," Flood added. "Our goal will be to achieve high fidelity between theory, design and experimentation." ### In addition to Flood and Tait, IU contributors to the journal paper were Brandon E. Hirsch, Yun Liu and James R. Dobscha, all graduate students in chemistry, and David W. Burke, an undergraduate student. Also an author on the paper is Semin Lee, a former IU graduate student and a postdoctoral fellow of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Mastering Scala seems to be an impossible mission. But taking the right approach will make the challenge way easier. In this article I am going to share some resources and tips my friends and I have used when learning Scala. Enjoy the reading! Books Programming in Scala, 3rd edition by Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon, and Bill Venners — The most up to date book available at the moment. It captures the updates added in Scala 2.12. This book is perfect for beginners as most of the things are explained in depth. The only drawback is that this book has got 859 pages. by Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon, and Bill Venners — The most up to date book available at the moment. It captures the updates added in Scala 2.12. This book is perfect for beginners as most of the things are explained in depth. The only drawback is that this book has got 859 pages. Scala for the Impatient by Cay Horstmann— The title it’s self-explanatory. With only 385 pages this book is perfect if you don’t have enough time and patience reading Programming in Scala. If you got some experience in Java/C++/C# and don’t really want to go through the plain things like variables, loops and classes then this book is for you. At the end of each Chapter you will find useful exercises to test your knowledge. by Cay Horstmann— The title it’s self-explanatory. With only 385 pages this book is perfect if you don’t have enough time and patience reading Programming in Scala. If you got some experience in Java/C++/C# and don’t really want to go through the plain things like variables, loops and classes then this book is for you. At the end of each Chapter you will find useful exercises to test your knowledge. The Neophyte’s Guide to Scala by Daniel Westheide — It started as a series of blog posts but it grew into a very comprehensive guide. I find it being a very good resource, perfect if you got some knowledge on Scala and looking for more detailed explanations. The ebook version is available here. Blogs If you want to be a good Scala developer you’ll have to be in touch with the latest news. And blogs are probably the best source. Here are a few of them: MOOC There are two courses on Coursera that should be definitely taken: Both are taught by Martin Odersky and can be taken either for free or as part of Functional Programming in Scala Specialization. Other Resources There are plenty of resources that I could not categorise but still are very useful: Lightbend Podcasts — Various podcasts on Scala, Akka, Play, Spark. — Various podcasts on Scala, Akka, Play, Spark. Scala on Zeef — Zeef is a platform driven by community which aims to aggregate all the best resources in categorised lists. Just go to the Scala dedicated page and you’ll find out plenty of useful links. — is a platform driven by community which aims to aggregate all the best resources in categorised lists. Just go to the dedicated page and you’ll find out plenty of useful links. Scala Times — Weekly Scala newspaper. — Weekly Scala newspaper. Scala Documentation — Community-driven documentation for Scala. — Community-driven documentation for Scala. Scala Koans — Small lessons that walk you along the path to enlightenment. Make small changes to fix the tests and make each koan work. — Small lessons that walk you along the path to enlightenment. Make small changes to fix the tests and make each koan work. Scala Exercises — An open source project for learning various Scala technologies and tools. Tips First thing to do? Start coding! You’ll comprehend more things while writing code by yourself instead of just watching videos or reading books. Be curious — experiment! Ideally working on a commercial project within a team will help you a lot, but a pet project or library might do the trick as well. Teach someone else — you’ll understand better the concepts when sharing your knowledge with others. Sharing is caring! And one of the most important things: Ask if you don’t understand something! There are lots of places where you can ask your questions and get good answers: stackoverflow, reddit, gitter. Now, once you’re set up it’s time to write some code! Happy hacking!Kanye West’s Yeezy fashion show, which took place yesterday at Pier 59, made headlines for various reasons. Yes, Kim Kardashian and Kylie were there, along with a swarm of editors, stylists, and cool kids. But while most murmured about the designs (oversized sweatshirts, army fatigue, and classic all denim ensembles were on the menu), the hijab wearing model, Hailma Aden, is what got most spectators talking. The 19-year-old Bombshell, who walked the runway in a fabulous fur coat, is a Somali-American Minnesota native and Business of Fashion reports that she was handpicked by Carine Roitfeld to walk in Yeezy’s show. Hailma became a buzz in the industry in November of last year when she competed to become Miss Minnesota. She wore her hijab throughout the entire pageant and opened eyes in the fashion industry. Hailma admitted to Business of Fashion that modeling wasn’t on the top of her to-do list. She stated, “I didn’t really have modeling in mind. I wanted to spread a positive message about beauty and diversity, and to show other young Muslim women that there is room for them.” Hailma is set to be featured in Carine’s CR Fashion Book March issue. Lookout fashion world, a change is on the horizon. What are you thoughts on a hijab-wearing model? See more pictures from the Yeezy Season 5 show below. Are you feeling Yeezy’s designs? Samjah ImanNEW YORK (MarketWatch) — This column doesn’t usually give investing advice unless it’s some kind of smart-alecky rant against gold. Read Writing on the Wall column from April: Buy gold. But sometimes an investment is such an obvious winner that not even a dummy can pass. That’s why you should short the euro. It’s easy money. For more than two years, the European Union has been wrangling with Greece’s sovereign-debt problems. And if you thought the U.S. government’s response to our financial crisis was bad, the EU is making Timothy Geithner look downright competent. Reuters German Chancellor Angela Merkel. There have been lukewarm agreements, deals with the International Monetary Fund and its ladies’-man former chief. There have been global summits, international pressure and rescue packages. But none of this has done much to alleviate the crisis. They’ve bought time, sure, but there’s just been time to fight. Of course, we know that the Greece debt problem isn’t about Greece at all. It’s about the German and French banks that hold the bonds. And it’s not even about the Grecian bonds but Spanish, Portuguese and Italian bonds, too. For the moment, however, let’s limit this to Greece. French and German banks have $90.7 billion in exposure to that country’s sovereign debt. To make matters worse, Italian and Portuguese banks have a combined $11.4 billion in exposure, according to the Bank of International Settlements. Now, let’s consider Portugal. Weakling Spain has nearly $85 billion in bank and nonbank exposure to its Iberian neighbor. Germany has close to $40 billion in exposure and France nearly $30 billion, according to the BIS. Finally, Spain’s debt is as manageable as a running of the bulls in an elevator. Here, Germany holds $180 billion; France, $140 billion; and even the United States, close to $50 billion — with $19.5 billion of that on bank balance sheets. This should not only make you feel better about the U.S. bank bailouts — the majority of which have been repaid — but about your own credit-card debt. What’s striking is that even though Europe’s dismal state of affairs has been apparent for a long time now, the euro continues to hold steady. There have been a couple of reasons for this. For one, some economies, mostly Germany’s, have been strong. Secondly, the European Central Bank has been buying all of this sovereign debt to keep spreads as low as possible. It’s spent more than $22 billion so far. Yet the spreads still look terrible. Five-year Italian bonds are trading at around 5.5%. The problem, of course, is that at-risk countries like Italy and Greece can’t afford to pay that kind of rate. You’d never know it by looking at the euro, which even at $1.36 is still trading above its levels of January and February. The euro is 14% higher than it was in June of last year. That level would be fine if European finance officials had taken steps to make people feel, I don’t know, maybe 14% better. But do any investors feel better about Europe? Again, consider the two main supports for the euro. The economy was doing well, but now there’s ample evidence it isn’t. Germany’s gross domestic product rose just 0.1% in the latest period. That was even slower than the U.S.‘s growth rate. And what about the ECB? Well, it will keep buying, for now. Down the road, central banks come under pressure for intervention in “free” financial markets. Just ask Rick Perry, the front-running candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. He said that if Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke used the Fed to pump up the U.S. economy it would border on “treason.” Ultimately, for investors, the good news is that Europe has been telegraphing its moves for two years. That’s practically unheard of in the markets, where outlooks can change in seconds. And what moves is the EU telegraphing? That it’s either going to embark on an expensive bailout to save the debt of at-risk nations or let Greece and its bigger-but-just-as-weak neighbors default. The former would hurt the euro. The latter would absolutely kill it. Considering all of this, is Europe’s currency really worth 36% more than the U.S. currency? Really? Unemployment is just as high in Europe, at 9.5%, as in the U.S. Economic growth is slowing, just as in the U.S. Europe’s banks are at greater risk. And it costs more for every country in the EU, including Germany, to borrow than it costs the U.S. Look at Market Vectors Double Short Euro ETN DRR, +1.41% and Ultrashort Euro ProShares EUO, +0.40% and, if you’re not interested in gambling, just hold on to your dollars and wait before planning your next trip to Europe. The center of the euro cannot hold. Even a dummy who doesn’t give investing advice can see that. Want news about Europe delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Europe Daily newsletter. Sign up here.“There is a sort of insider knowledge,” writes a commenter on city-data.com, as if he’s not sure he should be revealing this information, “that the Twin Cities are like Springfield and Shelbyville.” He adds, helpfully: “St. Paul is Shelbyville, in case you do not get the joke.” This is certainly a joke I’ve heard as long as I’ve lived in the Twin Cities. In the long-running TV show “The Simpsons,” Springfield and Shelbyville are twin cities, located right next to each other in the unnamed state in which the show takes place. Despite the appearance of being somewhat similar in population and cultural amenities, the two towns are in a state of continuous competition. Lisa Simpson offers the most trenchant summary of what she calls “the pointless rivalry” between Springfield and Shelbyville: “They built a mini-mall, so we built a bigger mini-mall. They made the world’s largest pizza, so we burnt down their city hall.” “Yeah, they swore they’d get us back by spiking our water supply,” adds Homer. “But they didn’t have the guts.” That brand of civic one-upmanship probably does sounds kind of familiar to anyone who lives here and follows local culture or politics. The best example of this joke in local media I’ve ever seen is in this 11-year-old City Pages article about a hardcore show, but there are a few other references, sprinkled throughout various online forums and message boards. When my friend Jake moved to St. Paul briefly a few years ago, he announced the relocation by saying he was finally moving to Shelbyville. Despite Minneapolis and St. Paul’s rivalry not quite rising to the level of local water supply contamination, the Springfield/Shelbyville-style posturing does come through in something like the recent tangling over soccer stadia. “They threatened to build a soccer stadium, so we built a bigger soccer stadium,” to paraphrase the original line. That’s really just a less hyperbolic version of “But we lost the Olympics to Shelbyville.” Or, even more accurately: “I come before you good people tonight with an idea. Probably the greatest — Aw, it’s not for you. It’s more of a Shelbyville idea.” The Springfield/Shelbyville jokes about the Twin Cities are enduring, possibly because the cultural legacy of “The Simpsons” runs so deep – it’s been on since I was 10 years old, and if you’re of a certain age and temperament, you’ve probably seen every episode of the first 10 seasons at least three times. (I certainly have.) Apart from that, though, the joke works because it feels authentic to the experience of living in a city that has a twin right next door, as the barely decontextualized quotes above demonstrate. Both siblings have a tendency to get a little competitive over everything. There are definitely some amusing similarities, particularly in the founding stories of each city. The story of how Springfield and Shelbyville are founded is told in the Season 6 episode “Lemon of Troy,” and that’s where most of my information about Springfield and Shelbyville is coming from. Jebediah Springfield and Shelbyville Manhattan: “This town is a part of us all. A part of us all. A part of us all.” Two pioneers, Jebediah Springfield and Shelbyville Manhattan, come west, “after misinterpreting a passage in the bible. Their destination, New Sodom.” When they arrive, there is a schism over what the new settlement’s founding principles will be. Shelbyville had made the trip to exercise the right to marry his cousins, while Springfield has come west to establish a town “devoted to chastity, abstinence, and a flavorless mush I call rootmarm.” Wikimedia Commons “I tell you, I won’t live in a town that robs men of the right to marry their cousins!” This is not exactly how Minneapolis and St. Paul were founded, but in some ways, it’s not far off. First of all, there was a sort of real-life Shelbyville Manhattan, and his name was Pig’s Eye Parrant. The first Euro-American settler in St. Paul, he didn’t marry any of his cousins, as far as I know. However, as a bootlegger, he did often find himself on the wrong side of the law. He lived in a cave near present-day downtown St. Paul. Like Shelbyville, the town that grew up around him took his name, at least initially: St. Paul was originally called Pig’s Eye. There’s even a vague resemblance in Shelbyville Manhattan and Pig’s Eye Parrant’s slightly unsavory, bearded faces. Minneapolis, meanwhile, was founded by New England Puritans very much like Jebediah Springfield, in the sense of being devoted to chastity and abstinence, and possibly flavorless mushes of one kind or another. Early hagiographies of the city’s leading citizens read not unlike expressions of Jebediah’s sober, Yankee principles: William Donaldson, who’d later go on to found the department store, is said to have possessed the traits of “industry, sobriety and integrity,” and another Massachusetts native is said to exemplify the “practical virtues of honesty, charity and good will.” All that’s missing is the rootmarm. Springfield’s best-known landmark is a bronze statue of Jebediah Springfield in the town square. In fact, Minneapolis’ own town square had a very similar statue for many years. The neighborhood around the foot of the Hennepin Bridge on the downtown side served as the de facto town square from the 1870s to the middle of the 20th century. Originally known as Bridge Square, and then the Gateway District, a small park called Pioneer Square was created nearby in the 1930s. On the square, near the site of the downtown post office, there was a granite sculpture by John Karl Daniels of three flinty pioneers, staring off into the prairie horizon. When the Gateway District was razed and redeveloped in the 1960s, the statue was moved to Northeast Minneapolis, where it still stands. CC/Flickr/jpellgen “A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.” Now, tell me that pioneer on the left doesn’t bear a certain resemblance to Jebediah Springfield. I could spend the whole column making Springfield/Minneapolis side-by-side comparisons, but I’ll spare you that. Well, OK, one more: the Sunrise Inn at 34th Avenue South and East 46th Street is definitely the real-life Moe’s Tavern. Courtesy of Hoyt Properties “Moe’s Tavern, Moe speaking.” In later seasons, the nature of the rivalry between Springfield and Shelbyville changed somewhat. The joke, early on, is that for all their posturing, the similarities between the two cities were pretty minimal – this idea is best played out when Bart’s best friend, the hapless Milhouse Van Houten, meets another blue-haired boy named Milhouse on the streets of Shelbyville. “I thought I was the only one,” says the Springfield Milhouse. “A pain I know all too well,” says Shelbyville Milhouse. They embrace tearfully. “So this is what it feels like when doves cry,” sobs Milhouse. Eventually, Shelbyville became the more cosmopolitan twin, and Springfield the more insecure counterpart. In later episodes, contrary to the popular local perception, Shelbyville seems to be more stereotypically Minneapolitan: it has a theater district, and a Shelbyville Falls, and fancier shops. (“They have a store that just sells shoes!” enthuses Marge.) Springfield is the smaller, more hardscrabble twin – more of the St. Paul, in terms of the local clichés. But the later episodes aren’t as good, as most people will tell you, and it’s a shame that the joke is spoiled by the less interesting proposition that one town really is superior to the other. In older episodes, both Springfielders and Shelbyvillians were equally prone to mob violence and bad judgment. Springfield drank Duff, and Shelbyville drank Fudd. The central point that makes an episode like “Lemon of Troy” so funny, and so poignant, is that the citizens of Springfield and Shelbyville are so hung up on their exceptionalism that they’re driven to flagrant acts of criminal mischief in order to prove their worth. “We don’t sell Surly, we sell Summit.” Regardless of how the nature of the rivalry on the show has changed, the joke is pretty fixed in the local imagination, at least among the set old enough to remember wearing “Underachiever and Proud of It” Bart Simpsons T-shirts. Maybe its just because I live on the west side of the river, but after all these years, I’ve never heard anyone refer to Minneapolis as “Shelbyville.” It always refers to St. Paul.German community starts a €10,000 Dota 2 League Twelve teams, a simple format and an attractive prize pool are the key elements for the nearly three months of German Dota 2 League. The German Dota 2 League will commence on February 3 and will last up until mid-April, with games being played every weekend, from Friday to Sunday. The format is a straightforward, one where all the teams will be playing each other in a two game series. Each won game awards the winning side with points and €30, independently from the base prize pool. There are no elimination series, no playoffs, only the league play. At the end of the entire brawl, on April 16, the top three teams will get to share the €10,000 prize pool. The entire League will be played under Dota.tv ticket, therefore all the games will be free to watch in game. There will also be German and English broadcast via Twitch.tv as follows: German stream: twitch.tv/saphiratv English stream: twitch.tv/swissdc_en So, don’t forget, starting this Friday, every weekend you can have your dose of German Dota 2. The first series will start all the time at 18:00 CET with the following one scheduled for 20:00. You can keep track of the league progress and get all the latest news about the event at swissdc.world QUICKPOLL With the WESG Olympic format offering over a million dollars in prize pool, will we see more countries starting to run national leagues? Yes Thank you for voting! No Thank you for voting!Vigdís. In this Icelandic name, the last name is a patronymic, not a family name ; this person is referred to by the given name Vigdís Finnbogadóttir ( Icelandic: [ˈvɪɣtis ˈfɪn.pɔɣaˌtoʊhtɪr] (); born 15 April 1930) served as the fourth President of Iceland from 1 August 1980 to 1996. She was the world's first democratically directly elected female president.[1] With a presidency of exactly sixteen years, she also remains the longest-serving elected female head of state of any country to date. Currently, she is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and a Member of the Club of Madrid.[2] She is also to-date Iceland's only female president. Early life [ edit ] Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was born in Reykjavík on 15 April 1930. Her father, Finnbogi Rútur Þorvaldsson, was a civil engineer, as well as a professor at the University of Iceland. Her mother, Sigríður Eiríksdóttir, was a nurse and the chairperson of the Icelandic Nurses Association. They had two children: Vigdís and then a son,[3] Þorvaldur, a year later. After passing her matriculation exam in 1949, Vigdís studied French and French literature at the University of Grenoble and the Sorbonne in Paris from 1949 to 1953, then studied the history of theater at the University of Copenhagen. She then acquired a BA in French and English, as well as a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education, at the University of Iceland. She married a physician in 1954, but divorced in 1963, and at the age of 41 she adopted a daughter, being the first single woman who was allowed to adopt a child.[4] Vigdís participated in the 1960s and 1970s in numerous rallies held to protest against the U.S. military presence in Iceland (and in particular at Keflavík). Every year hundreds—sometimes thousands—walked the 50-km road to Keflavík and chanted "Ísland úr NATO, herinn burt" (literally: Iceland out of NATO, the military away). Artistic and academic career [ edit ] After graduation, Vigdís taught French and French drama at the University and worked with experimental theatre. She worked with the Reykjavík Theatre Company from 1954 to 1957 and again from 1961 to 1964. During the summers, she also worked as a tour guide. Vigdís taught French at Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík 1962–67 and at Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð from 1967 to 1972. She also taught for a while at University of Iceland, as well as holding French courses on RÚV, the Icelandic state television.[4] She was the Artistic Director of the Reykjavík Theatre Company (Leikfélag Reykjavíkur), later the City Theatre from 1972 to 1980. From 1976 to 1980, she was a member of the Advisory Committee on Cultural Affairs in the Nordic countries. In 1996, she became founding chair of the Council of Women World Leaders at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Two years later she was appointed president of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology. President of Iceland [ edit ] The Icelandic women's movement has a long history. During the International Women's Year in 1975 Icelandic women attracted great attention when they organized a general strike to show how important women's undervalued work was. 90 per cent of the Icelandic women went on strike. And at the presidential election in 1980 the women's movement focused on electing a woman. After much persuasion Vigdís accepted to run against three male candidates. She was the first woman in the world to be elected as head of state in a democratic election, despite being a divorced single mother. She was narrowly elected, with 33.6 percent of the national vote, while her nearest rival got 32.1 percent. She became very popular and was subsequently reelected three times, unopposed in 1984, with 94.6 percent of the votes against another woman in 1988 and unopposed in 1992. In 1996 she decided not to run for reelection. Although the Icelandic presidency is largely a ceremonial position,[4] Vigdís took an active role as environmental activist and fought for Icelandic language and culture, acting as a cultural ambassador in promoting the country. She emphasized the role of smaller states and hosted a crucial summit between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986. She had as her motto: 'Never let the women down' and worked specifically to promote girls' education. She was also aware of her role as a model for young women.[5] In 1993, the work Mitt Folk, commissioned by the British government, by the composer Oliver Kentish was dedicated to her as a gift from the United Kingdom to Iceland celebrating the 50th anniversary of the republic.[6] Retirement [ edit ] Since 1998, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir has been UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador for languages. She is also a member of the Fondation Chirac's honour committee,[7] ever since the foundation was launched in 2008 by former French president Jacques Chirac in order to promote world peace. Honours [ edit ] National honours [ edit ] Foreign honours [ edit ] Honorary degrees [ edit ] She has received honorary degrees from the following Universities: Vigdís is a member of the Club of Madrid,[13] an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries. See also [ edit ]Arianna Huffington pocketed tens of millions when she sold citizen journalist platform Huffpo to AOL. Photo: C2-MTL Arianna Huffington is behind an effort to afford the one percenters their own voice on a medium flooded with the dangerous political ideas of commoners. Huffington, who sold her Huffington Post to media giant America Online (and in the process angered no shortage of starry-eyed leftists), has teamed up with billionaire Nicolas Berggruen to create World Post, a news and comment website. The site will use the same worker model as the Huffington Post. It will exploit unpaid citizen journalists who will serve as bunting on a stage dominated by the likes of former British prime minister Tony Blair, Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Google’s Eric Schmidt. “You can have all those heads of state and major business people, etcetera etcetera, writing right next to an unemployed man from Spain, a student from Brazil. The great heart of HuffPo is no hierarchy,” Huffington told The Guardian. Huffington’s venture will receive an appropriate christening. It will be rolled out at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this month. The Davos shindig holds a special place in the globalist constellation along with the G7, World Bank, World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund. The idea is to use the Huffington Post model to get the global elite message to the masses. This is critically important now that the establishment’s dinosaur media is dying and millions of people are flocking to alternative media websites beyond the grasp of the corporate media. “I think there will be a few media voices that really have weight and will survive but fewer and fewer,” Berggruen predicted. The Huffington post venture arrives as a tidal wave of investment cash is being doled out to new media operations, most notably First Look Media, the news operation featuring journalist Glenn Greenwald financed by Pierre Omidyar, the eBay founder who bought Paypal. Omidyar will be on the World Post editorial board with a number of other major league news media corporatists, including Luis Cebrian, founding editor of El Pais, Dileep Padgaonkar, consulting editor of the Times of India, and Yoichi Funabashi, former editor-in-chief of Asahi Shimbun, a large Japanese newspaper that collaborated with The New York Times. It is uncertain if the downtrodden – and unpaid – masses working for AOL-Huffpo will go along with the globalist plan to subvert alternative media. It is truly amazing so many supposedly progressive journalists and bloggers stuck around after Arianna sold them out in a deal with AOL back in 2011. Huffpo went on the block for a cool $315 million and Arianna pocketed tens of millions, none of which, of course, she shared with her league of idealistic citizen journalists. It looks like the plantation model will continue with World Post. It is, of course, a model the global elite are comfortable with. Delivered by The Daily Sheeple We encourage you to share and republish our reports, analyses, breaking news and videos (Click for details). Contributed by Kurt Nimmo of Infowars.com.FORMULA ONE legend Nigel Mansell is taking the driving seat for a new team – Mitsubishi Motors in the UK. The former World Champion will open a Mitsubishi franchise at his family-run dealership on Jersey. The new showroom and service centre, which will be managed by his son Leo, will open for business on September 16. Nigel, who is chairman of The Mansell Collection dealership, which opened in St Helier in 2013, said: ‘Our dealership has gone from strength to strength and the time is right to get a franchise on board. We wanted a brand that crossed a lot of boundaries of motoring and with Mitsubishi there’s something for everyone. ‘The most exciting thing for me is how great the Mitsubishi product is. I have been involved with motorsport all my life and now we have an incredible opportunity to be blessed with selling these vehicles. ‘I know from Formula One that you must not leave any stone unturned, so we will make sure the customer gets the care and respect they absolutely deserve. It’s a very exciting time for us.’ The
about The Times' findings, Rogner added: "I was under the impression that people with backgrounds like that were not being hired." Sheriff Lee Baca declined to comment, but his spokesman said Baca was not aware people with such backgrounds were hired. Before he knew of the newspaper's investigation, Baca told Times reporters that people with records of violence or dishonesty have no place in law enforcement. He said applicants who had been fired from other agencies shouldn't be given a second chance, and that he would not hire applicants with histories of illegal sexual conduct. "Men that take women and use them as a sexual object are going to always come up against my wrath," he said. As a county police officer, Ferdinand Salgado had just gotten off work when he was arrested on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute who was actually an undercover cop at a Yum Yum Donuts parking lot in El Monte. According to authorities, he grinned at her, asked for oral sex and arranged to meet her at a motel. Ferdinand C. Salgado Age: 52 years old Hired rank: Jailer During the sheriff's background investigation, it was determined that he tried to manipulate the results of the polygraph test by controlling his breathing, a common tactic used to manipulate the outcome of the exam. He denied it, but admitted knowing about a memo circulating among his colleagues on cheating techniques. Read more » He pleaded to a lesser charge of disturbing the peace. During his Sheriff's Department interview, he denied he said anything to the woman. "I ain't buying it," an investigator told him after reviewing the police report. "You know you're not telling me the truth." Salgado, who was hired as a jail guard and has since left the agency, wasn't the only one with a conviction on his record. Records show almost 30 other hires had been convicted of drunk driving, battery or a variety of lower-level crimes. About 50 disclosed to sheriff's background investigators misdeeds such as petty theft, soliciting prostitutes and violence against spouses. One hire told investigators of having inappropriate sexual contact with two toddlers as a teenager. In another case, Linda Bonner was given a job after revealing that she used her department-issued weapon to shoot at her husband as he ran away from her during an argument. He wasn't hit; he was lucky he was running in a zigzag pattern, she told investigators, because if not the end result "would have been a whole lot different." Linda D. Bonner Age: 63 years old Hired rank: Jailer She told investigators that she got into a fight with her then-husband, who slapped her in the face. She told them that she got her service weapon from her purse and fired it at her husband as he was running away from her. Read more » An opportunity to expand About four years ago, a Los Angeles County police force called the Office of Public Safety was disbanded. Its responsibilities — patrolling county buildings, parks and hospitals — were handed over to the 18,000-person Sheriff's Department in an effort to save money. The Sheriff's Department was not required to hire any of the former county officers, officials said. The agency ended up hiring about 280. The majority were taken on as sworn deputies, while others were hired as custody assistants in the department's troubled jail system, security guards or for other lower-level positions. We had to have grave reasons for not hiring them.” — Former Los Angeles County Undersheriff Larry Waldie Baca's then second-in-command, Larry Waldie, and a small circle of aides, were responsible for scrutinizing applicants. Waldie, now retired, said he personally reviewed many of the applicants' files. He said he was unaware of any hires with histories of significant misconduct. Presented with some of The Times' findings, Waldie said: "That information was not brought to me... I don't recall any of these specifics so don't ask me anymore." Waldie then said he and his aides were under "significant pressure" from the county Board of Supervisors and other officials to hire as many county officers as possible. "We had to have grave reasons for not hiring them," Waldie said. A county spokesman denied Waldie's account, saying the Board of Supervisors "clearly and emphatically" told the Sheriff's Department to only hire applicants who met the agency's hiring standards. Internal Sheriff's Department records reviewed by The Times show the union representing the former county officers was also lobbying Waldie to hire specific members, including some who had committed serious misconduct during their careers. The department's hiring guidelines give officials wide latitude to employ people with histories of bad behavior, according to records and interviews. The specific rules are confidential to prevent applicants from tailoring their answers to meet the guidelines. A year before the county police hiring process, the Sheriff's Department's civilian monitor criticized officials for their lax hiring guidelines during a previous recruitment drive. One taped recording of a background interview suggests the department made special accommodations for the county officers. In the recording, a sheriff's investigator tells an applicant who was caught cheating on his polygraph exam that normally that would have meant "goodbye, you're done, there's no second chances." The investigator then told the applicant that he and other suspected cheaters might not be disqualified "as a favor because, you know, it's law enforcement." The applicant was eventually hired. New allegations It is difficult to assess the performance of the new hires because law enforcement personnel records in California are not available to the public. But interviews and records reviewed by The Times show several officers hired in 2010 have faced new allegations of misconduct. Gary Esquibel had been suspended as a county police officer for not stopping a colleague from using excessive force and failing to report the incident. Still, the Sheriff's Department hired him as a sworn deputy. He has since been accused of doing nothing as three inmates beat another inmate bloody, according to court records. Gary J. Esquibel Age: 46 years old Hired rank: Deputy Sheriff Sheriff's background investigators determined he was using "countermeasures" — tactics aimed at manipulating the results of the test. Esquibel denied it. He was suspended for 20 days in 1996 for failing to stop another officer from using excessive force and for failing to report the force. Read more » The department is investigating those allegations, which surfaced during a criminal trial of those charged in the beating. Esquibel declined to comment. Sheriff's polygraph examiners found that county police Officer Desmond Carter was deceptive when asked about his involvement in domestic disputes. They also determined he tried to manipulate the results of his polygraph exam. He lasted three months as a sworn deputy. A motorist who bumped Carter's car in a McDonald's parking lot started to drive off before they were done settling the matter, according to a district attorney's memo. Carter, who was off duty, drew his service weapon and fired several rounds at the man's car, one of which hit the wall of a nearby business. Carter said he fired his gun after he was dragged 15 feet by the man's car, but investigators found no evidence that his clothes were damaged or that he was injured, prosecutors wrote. The district attorney did not charge him with a crime, but the Sheriff's Department fired him. Carter did not respond to inquiries from The Times left with his attorney. Desmond Carter Age: 38 years old Hired rank: Deputy Sheriff Background investigators concluded Carter was using "countermeasures" — tactics aimed at manipulating the results of a polygraph exam when he was asked about incidents of illegal sexual conduct. Another officer, Niles Rose, was hired despite being the subject of several unreasonable force allegations. Rose had been investigated for misconduct 10 times at the Office of Public Safety since 2001. In three of those cases, the allegations were found by investigators to be true, according to the sheriff's background file. A former supervisor said Rose developed a reputation as being heavy-handed with suspects. "If you want smart force used, you make sure he's in the locker room," Marc Gregory, a former county police captain, said in an interview with The Times. After the Sheriff's Department hired Rose as a jailer, he faced new allegations of misconduct, according to interviews and a court declaration. An inmate accused Rose in the declaration of hurling an inmate uniform at him, causing him to recoil and hit his head against a wall. Rose then allegedly declared the man a "child molester" and threatened to put him in the general population, where sex offenders have been targeted by other prisoners. Niles L. Rose Age: 36 years old Hired rank: Jailer Sheriff's background investigators noted that he was the subject of 10 internal affairs investigations from 2001 to 2007. Three were founded. At least six of those inquiries related to allegations of unreasonable force, threats or intimidation. Rose declined to discuss the inmate's allegation of abuse, saying it still may be under investigation. He did confirm that he had so many physical confrontations with inmates that jail managers moved him to the time card office, where he would no longer have contact with prisoners. He called the move an overreaction. "I'm not one to just walk around and beat on people for no reason," Rose said. "I never put my hands on someone or fought with somebody who didn't swing at me first." Allegations of misconduct continued after Rose was reassigned to administrative work. Sheriff's officials suspect he stole thousands of dollars in overtime funds, according to several law enforcement sources who requested anonymity because the case was ongoing. Rose is now on leave, and a sheriff's spokesman said he's under criminal investigation. Contact the reporters | Follow Robert Faturechi (@RobertFaturechi) and Ben Poston (@bposton) on Twitter Discuss this story | Full coverage Additional credits: Web producer, Armand Emamdjomeh | Digital design, Lily Mihalik How the story was reported The Times reviewed the hiring files for the roughly 280 officers hired in 2010 when the Sheriff's Department took over patrol responsibilities for the L.A. County Office of Public Safety. The records contained both proven and unproven allegations of misconduct and poor performance. The Times focused its analysis on proven instances of poor performance and past misconduct, including criminal convictions, workplace disciplinary actions and admissions of wrongdoing as adults. The Times also included instances in which sheriff's polygraph examiners determined applicants were being deceptive. Although the exams are inadmissible in court, they are used by law enforcement agencies to screen applicants. The newspaper did not count cases in which applicants admitted to miscellaneous office theft when the value was less than $50 a year. Reporters consulted with law enforcement experts to determine which types of police misconduct were significant enough to include in the paper's analysis. Based on that, The Times omitted lower-level incidents such as at-fault car accidents that did not cause injuries, workplace tardiness and carelessness with public property. Reporters also consulted with criminal law experts to help determine which types of physical confrontations disclosed by applicants should be categorized as misdeeds. The newspaper did not count instances in which applicants said they solicited prostitutes in countries where prostitution is legal or where The Times could not determine the laws at the time.A consortium of plaintiffs led by 54 of Colorado’s 62 elected county sheriffs filed a lawsuit in federal court against the state Friday in an effort to overturn two new gun control bills that are set to go into effect on July 1. The plaintiffs have in their sights one law that effectively bans all firearm magazines, and one that requires a background check for every gun transfer when the gun will be in the possession of someone other than the owner for more than 72 hours. “On one hand, I’m proud to be part of this historic case,” said Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, who spoke on behalf of 18 sheriffs who attended a press conference announcing the suit. “But on the other hand, it saddens me that we have to be here at all,” he added. “It should never have gotten to this point in the first place.” El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said the laws are not only unconstitutional, but also confusing and unenforceable. For example, the ban on magazines was discussed by its Democratic sponsors as applying only to those that hold more than 15 rounds, in response to mass-shooting incidents in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn. But the law also outlaws any magazine that can be easily converted to hold more than 15 rounds, which applies to practically all magazines with a removable base plate that can be replaced with an after-market extender. After July 1, the owners of such magazines cannot sell them, loan them or give them away. In effect, it means that even if they give their weapon to someone else for safekeeping — or, in the case of one wheelchair-bound plaintiff who spoke Friday, to hold momentarily as he gets in and out of his chair — they will be breaking the law. The background-check requirement is also unduly burdensome, the sheriffs say. Maketa gave as an example a neighbor of his who, under the new law, would have to perform a background check on his fiancé if he left his firearm with her when he deploys with the military. Maketa said he has better things to do than check up on people like his neighbor. “It’s not a matter of whether I choose to enforce it or not. It’s unenforceable,” he said. Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said the sentiments held by the sheriffs are shared by other law enforcement officers like police and state troopers, who, by virtue of the fact that they are employees rather than elected officials, can’t speak up about their opposition to the laws. The suit, filed in federal court, claims the new laws violate the Second and Fourteenth amendments as well as the Americans With Disabilities Act, since it criminalizes people who help disabled shooters with their weapons if they’re fitted with magazines. David Kopel, the plaintiffs’ attorney and the Second Amendment project director of the libertarian Independence Institute, where the press conference was held, said he is considering filing a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent the laws from going into effect. Joining the sheriffs in the suit are disabled shooters, a group called Women for Concealed Carry and the Colorado Farm Bureau, which is representing farmers and rural interests. Cooke said that the eight sheriffs who didn’t join the suit may be aligned ideologically with those who have, but didn’t sign on for “political reasons,” meaning they represent heavily Democratic jurisdictions like Boulder and Denver, two counties whose sheriffs are absent from the plaintiffs list. After the press conference, Cooke said many sheriffs tried to explain what they saw as problems with the bills to their sponsors while they were being debated at the legislature, but that Democratic lawmakers “played politics” that prevented many of them from testifying. For example, he said committee members limited testimony on the bills to only one sheriff when several were present to oppose them. But he said it probably wouldn’t have mattered if everyone had been allowed to speak. “I believe Jesus Christ himself could have come down, testified against those bills and they would have passed,” he said. “Their minds were made up.” Follow Greg on Twitter Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@ dailycallernewsfoundation.org.After Bill Maher announced that he had invited Milo Yiannopoulos to be a panelist on his show, Jeremy Scahill, another guest who was scheduled to be on the show, immediately backed out. Scahill posted this explanation of his decision on Twitter: Why I will not appear this week on Real Time with Bill Maher. pic.twitter.com/SOoE3udrDr — jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) February 15, 2017 As Scahill alludes, Maher’s opinions on Islamic terrorism run counter to the liberal orthodoxy he generally espouses. Like Jon Stewart, Maher has never shied away from engaging people who have political viewpoints different from his. He was the one who helped make Ann Coulter a regular presence on television when he had her on as a frequent guest on his first hit HBO show, “Politically Incorrect.” It is indicative of just how strongly people react to Yiannopoulos that his presence is where Scahill draws the line with Maher. While Scahill asserts that Milo has “ample venues” available to him to get his message out, and may have been true at one point, it is less so now. In fact, universities began canceling scheduled appearances by Yiannopoulos last year. According to Entertainment Weekly, Maher issued a response to the cancellation, in which he pointed to Scahill being the problem, not Yiannopoulos: My comments on Islam have never veered into vitriol,” Maher replied in a statement obtained by EW. “Liberals will continue to lose elections as long as they follow the example of people like Mr. Scahill whose views veer into fantasy and away from bedrock liberal principles like equality of women, respect for minorities, separation of religion and state, and free speech. If Mr. Yiannopoulos is indeed the monster Scahill claims — and he might be — nothing could serve the liberal cause better than having him exposed on Friday night. This isn’t the first time Maher has cautioned fellow liberals about imperiling their future electoral chances. Last year he offered what turned out to be a prescient warning about their inability to call “Islamic terrorism” what it is.Which city will be attacked by flying sharks next? New York City! Following the worldwide social media frenzy around the July 11 premiere of Sharknado, Syfy today announced it will produce – Sharknado 2! Sharknado 2 (working title), which will again be produced by The Asylum, is scheduled to premiere on Syfy in 2014. Syfy also announced a special Twitter contest to help name the movie with an appropriate subtitle. Fans will be able to tweet their subtitle to @SyfyMovies using #Sharknado. Syfy will select the best submission as the subtitle for Sharknado 2. In making the announcement, Thomas Vitale, Executive Vice President, Programming and Original Movies, Syfy, said: “Every once in a while, there is a perfect storm – on television. The fans are clamoring for a sequel. Or perhaps it will be a prequel. What we can guarantee is that ‘Sharknado 2’ will be lots of fun. We’ll be announcing more details very soon. But we didn’t want our fans to worry they wouldn’t get their fill of more shark fin, I mean, fun next year.” In Sharknado, regulars of a beachside bar including owner Fin (Ian Ziering), bartender Nova (Cassie Scerbo) and local drunk George (John Heard/Home Alone) team up with Fin’s ex-wife April (Tara Reid) to investigate the ecological nightmare that has sharks swimming through the streets of Los Angeles and falling from the skies.The concept of private property was introduced to Hawaiʻi with the Great Māhele of 1848. That action is often blamed for a lack of land ownership among native Hawaiians…a situation that lasts to this day. Some also say it plays a role in explaining why Native Hawaiians are statistically at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality of life. HPRʻs Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports on research that sheds new light on this complex history of land in Hawaiʻi. Geographer Donovan Preza Re-Examines the Great Mahele of 1848 Hawaiian studies instructor and geography scholar Donovan Preza starts off every class and presentation with one question: “Who in this room has a story of loss of land?” asks Preza, “Everybody’s hand goes up. And if you think about that – if Hawaiians didn’t get land – how do we all have a story of loss of land?” Preza’s research re-examines native Hawaiian land dispossession resulting from the Great Māhele of 1848. The Māhele began the transition to private property here in Hawaiʻi. The most notable part of the Māhele was the Kuleana Act of 1850, which allowed commoners to claim title to land they cultivated or lived on. Under the act, native Hawaiians claimed only 28,658 acres. Thatʻs less than one percent of the land in Hawaiʻi. “And that’s factually accurate. That’s correct, but that’s only part of the story. Hawaiians got land via other mechanisms,” says Preza. Those other mechanisms included the purchase of government lands, which native Hawaiians quickly took advantage of. “There’s a section that says those natives who do not have land can purchase land from the government in lots from 1 to 50 acres at a minimum price of $0.50 an acre,” says Preza, “So you have Hawaiians buying land.” Preza’s research found more than 167,000 acres were scooped up by native Hawaiians across the island chain. Yet, the dominant story remains. The Māhele was a foreign imposition - a land grab forcing the concept of private property on a passive native Hawaiian people. “Hawaiians didn’t get land as a result and that’s evidence of the foreign imposition because if, the argument goes, if Hawaiians were in control we would have gave ourselves land. Right? Why would we not give ourselves land if we were in control?” says Preza. Preza argues native Hawaiians did get land but more importantly, he says the Hawaiian Kingdom Era had a strong monarchy intent on preserving land for native Hawaiians. “The Kingdom Era gets a bad rap. It gets that’s when this king was drunk and this foreigner imposed himself. It’s not ours,” says Preza, “There’s a part of our history that is ours. And most of the things we’re fighting for regarding land and land law are preserved.” That’s in large part because of the Great Māhele and not in spite of it. Preza admits native Hawaiian land dispossession did take place but not during the Hawaiian Kingdom, which is contrary to this common storyline. “The Hawaiian Kingdom that was never ours. That was foreign imposed. Missionaries took us over and it was all downhill since they came,” says Preza, “It was downhill since they overthrew and started to change land law.” Preza hopes his research helps native Hawaiians see the Māhele as a Hawaiian innovation that allows them to take ownership of that history. UPCOMING: Preza is sharing his research in a presentation titled "Taking Ownership of Ownership: Western Property Law's Assimilation into Hawaiian Property Law in the Great Māhele Era" on Friday, October 27, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kanaʻina Building on ʻIolani Palace Grounds. The event is free. Seating is limited. Free parking on Palace grounds. This is one in a series of scholarly presentations on Hawaiian history presented by the Hui Aloha ʻĀina o Honolulu. 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Know more click hereResidents of South Korean capital go about their business as usual, dismissing Pyongyang's stream of threats as deja vu Judging by the mood among people in the South Korean capital on Sunday, the message has yet to get through that their country is in a state of war with its belligerent neighbour. Groups of tourists and young couples filled the streets of Seoul near the cavernous glass edifice of city hall, relishing the warmth of the early spring sunshine after another bitterly cold Korean winter. Shoppers swarmed into the Lotte department store, snapping up early-evening discounts in the basement food hall, while TV channels served up an eclectic mix of baseball, period drama and news of a spiralling crisis over government appointees surrounding the new president, Park Geun-hye. Little, if anything, was said about North Korea, which has directed a flurry of furious threats at the South and the US in recent weeks, culminating in the release of a mildly comedic photograph of the regime's 30-year-old leader, Kim Jong-un, seated with his generals in front of a map pinpointing envisioned US targets for a nuclear strike. "Kim Jong-un is crazy," said Josiah Jung, a 22-year-old student. "He runs a poor, hungry country … his threats are just talk designed to get food and money. But if North Korea bombs any part of South Korea, like it did in 2010, this time we should respond with an all-out attack." While experts believe the North is a long way off building a functioning nuclear weapon, let alone one that can reach the US mainland, Pyongyang gave notice on Sunday that it would push ahead with the development of weapons of mass destruction. In a statement released by the official KCNA news agency, the central committee of the ruling Korean Workers' party slammed charges that the North was using its nuclear programme to win aid and diplomatic concessions. Nuclear weapons "are neither a political bargaining chip nor a thing for economic dealings to be presented to the place of dialogue or be put on the table of negotiations aimed at forcing [Pyongyang] to disarm itself," the party' top decision-making body said. North Korea's "nuclear armed forces" it added, "represent the nation's life, which can never be abandoned as long as the imperialists and nuclear threats exist on earth". The announcement comes amid frequent threats to attack South Korea and its allies, the US and Japan. On Saturday, the regime said it had entered a "state of war" with Seoul and would "settle accounts with the US" after two of its stealth bombers took part in a training mission over an uninhabited South Korean island. Pyongyang said it would retaliate against any provocations by the US or the South "without prior notice". In response, the unification ministry in Seoul, which is responsible for cross-border relations, said: "North Korea's statement is not a new threat but is the continuation of provocative threats." Most analysts believe North Korea, now ruled by a third generation of the Kim dynasty, is reverting to a trusted diplomatic strategy of using threats to win concessions on aid and, ultimately, a peace treaty with the US. The regime, so the received wisdom goes, has neither the capability nor the political will to make good on its threats. It knows that an attack on the US or its overseas assets would invite swift, powerful retaliation against Pyongyang and prompt the collapse of the regime. That view is shared by many South Koreans, even those too young to remember similar provocations by Kim Jong-un's father, Kim Jong-il. "This has been going on since the 1950s and 60s," said Lee Jang-won, a 29-year-old employee of a solar power firm who recently completed his national service. "I don't think North Korea will do anything major, despite what it says. Kim Jong-un has too much to lose." Kim burnished his credentials as the North's "supreme commander" with a successful rocket launch last December and a nuclear test last month, but he is still building his reputation at home. The North Korean economy is in ruins after years of international sanctions, and the state can no longer provide for its people, 24 million of whom face regular food shortages, the UN says. The North's statement said its nuclear programme would be accompanied by economic development through more foreign trade and investment and a focus on agriculture, light industry and a "self-reliant nuclear power industry". "Even dictatorships respond to public opinion and public pressure," said John Delury, a North Korea analyst at of Yonsei University in Seoul. "He's expected to pay attention to, and make improvements in, the common people's standard of living. They've put that promise out in their domestic propaganda." While threats of a nuclear strike or other major attacks are being dismissed as bluster, the possibility of a more localised conflict is a growing concern. In November 2010, the North shelled Yeonpyeong, a South Korean island near the countries' disputed Yellow Sea border, killing two civilians and two soldiers. Earlier the same year, a torpedo attack blamed on the North sank a South Korean naval ship, killing 46 sailors. Seoul did not take action, but promised fierce retaliation if attacked again, raising fears that a naval clash or isolated shelling in the coming days or weeks could quickly spiral out of control. Scott Snyder, a senior fellow for Korea studies with the US Council on Foreign Relations thinktank, said the US should now help Kim Jong-un find a way to lower the diplomatic temperature. "There is a need for the US and South Korea to offer some clear diplomatic gestures of reassurance toward the North that can help the North Koreans climb down, calm down and change course," Snyder told AFP. For now, cool heads prevail in Seoul's presidential Blue House. Park, a conservative who took office less than two months ago, has spoken of engagement with the North – a departure from the hardline stance of her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, who cut free-flowing aid and took inter-Korean relations to their lowest point in years. Park reportedly wants to begin the process by offering humanitarian aid, followed by huge investment in North Korea's social and economic infrastructure, but only if Pyongyang abandons its nuclear weapons programme in return.In Win 904 Review Click to enlarge Click to enlarge Click to enlarge Click to enlarge Click to enlarge Dimensions (mm) 192 x 490 x 490(W x D x H) 192 x 490 x 490(W x D x H) Material Aluminium, glass Aluminium, glass Available colours Silver Silver Weight 12.5kg 12.5kg Front panel Power, 4 x USB 3, stereo, microphone, Power, 4 x USB 3, stereo, microphone, Drive bays 3 x 3.5in/2.5in, 2 x 2.5in, 5.25in external 3 x 3.5in/2.5in, 2 x 2.5in, 5.25in external Form factor(s) ATX, micro-atx, mini-ITX ATX, micro-atx, mini-ITX Cooling 1 x 140mm base fan mount (fan not included), 1 x 92mm rear fan mount (fan not included) 1 x 140mm base fan mount (fan not included), 1 x 92mm rear fan mount (fan not included) CPU cooler clearance 145mm 145mm Maximum graphics card length 360mm 360mm Maximum PSU length 180mm 180mm Extras front fan filter, EPS12V and 24-pin ATX extentions The average case we review her atis usually worth considering. With typical steel-built ATX cases the products have been refined over so many decades that there are only so many ways a decent branded product can go wrong - we are of course not talking about the countless no-name cases that still take up a huge proportion of the market but we'd be here forever if we tried to review all those. However, while there are few terrible cases on the market today, even the good ones can often be a bit bland.One company that regularly tries to add a bit of pizazz into its case designs is In Win. Most of its regular cases have not, shall we say, been to European or US tastes, with their sci-fi-esque bits of added plastic. However, recently the company has caught our eye with a a few seriously stylish cases.The first of these was the In Win Tou, which combined a hefty aluminium frame with a complete covering of mirrored glass panels. It was heavy, expensive and not to everyone's taste but it sure stood out in a good way.Now In Win is back with the In Win 904, another case that incorporates glass but here the design is much more universally appealing, as is the price. The 904 retails for £150, which although not cheap, is considerably less than the £650 Tou and, in the overall scheme of things, isn't hugely expensive for a high-end tower case.The In Win 904 really is a stunning case - possibly one of the finest we've ever seen in fact. Where the Tou was a bit garish the 904 just oozes class. Here, the exterior is made from both brushed aluminium and tempered glass, while the latter, which makes up the entirety of the case's side panels, is more a smoked colour rather than mirrored as with the Tou.Perhaps even more eye-catching than the glass, though, is the single piece of aluminium that wraps around to comprise the front, top and bottom of the case. We've heard from SilverStone that one reason why some of its Temjin series cases are so costly (TJ07, TJ11) is that they use a single piece of curved aluminium, and so combined with the smoked glass panels it's almost surprising In Win isn't charging more for the 904.To be brutally honest, those side panels are pretty scary. Glass is both heavy and of course can break, making removal of them a nerve racking experience. What's more, despite the case being made predominantly from aluminium, those glass panels bring the combined weight up to over 12kg, which is around 50% heavier than your average ATX case.Thankfully, the mounts for the panels - similar to those on the Tou - are very secure with each panel resting on four rubber-surrounded screws and fixed with a heavy thumb nut. Even with the nuts off the panel is still reasonably secure thanks to the grip of the rubber, though of course you should never rely on this for any extended period.The sides are also where most of the action is as far as ports and buttons are concerned, with the front panel devoid of any drive bays or switches. The location of the four USB 3.0 ports, mini jacks and power button isn't likely to win the 904 many friends, especially if you have your PC on the floor, but it's certainly in keeping with its minimalist sleek style. The power button is pretty interesting too. the power logo is simply printed on to a long flexible section of plastic, that bends at one end, allowing the power button to be depressed.Of course, the other missing feature when it comes to that clean front section is the optical drive bay, and this is where the 904's third striking feature comes in. Instead of ruining the case's curves with an unsightly 5.25in bay, In Win has moved this to the bottom and back of the case, leaving an opening at the front of the case for the drive's tray to open into. It's an ingenious system that not only succeeds in making the front of the case far more appealing but by cleverly incorporating the opening into the overall design the hole itself becomes an attractive feature too. And if you don't use an optical drive the hole makes for a convenient place to store your SD cards and... er, pencils?Elsewhere, there are no visible exterior fan mounts except one 92mm slot at the rear, but even this is located on a recessed piece of aluminium, with the rear of the case just showing an oversized grille and slots for cables.Overall, the 904 is certainly not lacking in build quality and despite what impression you might have gotten from the photos, it's not large either, measuring a square 490m x 490mm in height and depth and a mere 192mm in width.We try to have a good mix of content on TouchArcade, as we’ve got a huge audience with widespread specific interests. By mixing stuff up between reviews, previews, guides, news, streaming, and tangentially relevant industry news on the overall state of mobile, the site becomes a better daily read compared to us just doubling down on free to play guides or something like that. It’s that line of thinking that leads us to publishing articles like the one Tasos wrote about the potential irrelevance of PC gaming in the future from yesterday. Whenever we post something like this, it often comes with extreme reactions from people who are intensely personally invested in whatever the next thing mobile might potentially absorb is. We get accused of promoting weird agendas, posting click-bait, and all sorts of other weird things from folks who parse these reports in the most extreme way possible. Yesterday’s article had people so fired up they were ranting about it on Twitter, posting it to Reddit, and even attempting to summon Total Biscuit for some reason. This sort of behavior has become oddly normal whenever we post reports about how consoles aren’t doing so well, mobile is expanding, or whatever else. …Like those stories are going to take away something you love. In actuality, the most likely outcome of all this is simply further convergence between software and hardware. Look at it this way: In the year 2000 I carried around a cell phone, a laptop, a PDA, a digital camera, a Game Boy, a Sony Discman, and a small binder of CD’s. Eventually my CD’s got turned in to MP3’s and the binder of discs and the Discman got combined in to an MP3 player. Additionally, as early smartphones slowly became a thing over the next few years, my PDA and my cell phone combined in to one device I had to carry instead of two. When games started getting good enough, I stopped carrying around my Game Boy as much, and when big SD cards started getting cheap I similarly switched to using whatever smartphone I was carrying as my music player. The digital camera eventually went too, as the camera on the
political advice from a top New York state judge and misused public money to fund his ultimately failed 2013 re-election campaign. In a lawsuit, he's also been accused of having long overseen an office of rogue prosecutors, where misconduct was condoned, even encouraged. Hynes has denied the charges in the lawsuit. One of Hynes's top lieutenants, Michael Vecchione, has been accused of railroading an innocent man on a murder charge, a claim he has vehemently denied. Another senior prosecutor left the office in 2012 after she was accused of having withheld exculpatory evidence in a high-profile rape case that soon was abandoned. Some 90 murder convictions involving the office are under review, many involving a retired police detective, any one of which might hold additional trouble for current or former prosecutors. For all the accusations and embarrassments, however, few in the New York legal world would have predicted Leeper would be at the center of the latest tumult. Until last month, Leeper still had a portfolio of cases he was prosecuting. On May 5, he was due in court to make another closing argument in a murder case. The family of 23-year-old Nikita Grebelskiy, a passenger in a livery cab who was shot in the head during a botched robbery, was awaiting justice. Leeper had already laid out all the evidence against 21-year-old Michael Magnan. When he was arrested the night of the crime, Magnan had a.380 caliber shell casing in his shoe, the casing matched the bullet lodged in Grebelskiy's head, a gun found near the crime scene matched both the bullet and the casing, and there was DNA found on the gun that matched the shooter. All that was left for Leeper to do was sum it all up in one final statement to the jury. But he didn't show up. He was nearly 40 miles away, in a hospital, recovering from a damaging bout with alcohol, according to numerous current and former colleagues. "I've never heard of anything like this happening before," said Martin Goldberg, Magnan's defense attorney, who has worked on New York criminal cases for more than 30 years. Three weeks ago, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, now run by former federal prosecutor Kenneth Thompson, announced that Leeper had been suspended. The office did not say why, and refused to answer any questions about Leeper's career or his role in any possible misconduct. Taylor Koss, a former Brooklyn prosecutor who spent years working alongside Leeper, has said Fleming intends to sue—both to learn the truth of what happened and to be compensated for the loss of more than two decades of his life. "This man suffered behind bars for 25 years because this information wasn't turned over," Koss said. A Pupil Becomes a Foil Taylor Koss joined the Brooklyn District attorney's office in September 2001. He was a young, ambitious lawyer, eager to realize his long-held dream of being a top prosecutor, one that he said harkened back to his teen-age days watching hours of Law & Order on television. James Leeper was one of Koss's early bosses and mentors. At the time, Leeper was running one of the most active bureaus in the office. Prosecutors in it handled nearly all criminal prosecutions in some of the most violent areas of Brooklyn, and the unit was known officially as the "Red Zone." Koss said he wanted to shine there, and saw in Leeper a man to impress and to learn from. "He had a reputation for being a very strong homicide prosecutor, that he earned it, as opposed to others who were thought of as being political appointees," Koss said of Leeper. "People respected Jim for being a workhorse who earned his spot." “I wanted him to trust me because I wanted to be in his good graces. People wanted him to think you were a good D.A.” – Taylor Koss, former Brooklyn prosecutor Twitter Facebook Link Leeper himself had already been in the Brooklyn office for 14 years. He, like Koss, had his heart set on being a prosecutor in his first years out of law school. So much so that he applied twice, enduring a rejection by the Brooklyn office's top brass in 1985, according to the office's personnel records. "An [assistant district attorney] plays two vital roles in society," Leeper wrote as part of his second, successful application. "The position requires one to be an advocate within the criminal justice system as well as a neutral and objective representative of the people in the district in which he or she works." "In the latter role, one has the responsibility to thoroughly investigate all 'leads' in a case and to approach cases with a non-advocacy, or non-adversary, perspective. In that sense, one of the A.D.A's most important duties is to ensure that a defendant's constitutional rights are preserved and protected." The letter moved the district attorney's office, then run by former U.S. Representative Elizabeth Holtzman, to hire Leeper away from private practice. By 1990, with Hynes having succeeded Holtzman, Leeper had secured a position as a homicide trial attorney, an impressively advanced assignment for a young man with only three years of experience as a prosecutor. By the time Koss was christened as a fledgling prosecutor in 2001, Leeper was head of the Red Zone, and "everyone," according to Koss, "wanted to work in the Red Zone." "It had the coolest people in it. The coolest bosses," said Koss. "It was the place to be and I got it. I got lucky." Koss reported to Leeper for more than a decade, and he, like so many others who worked under Leeper, revered the man for his fairness and loyalty. Leeper stuck up for younger prosecutors when they made missteps; he took them aside to school them in the art of persuading a jury; he gave them opportunities to challenge themselves. "He had implicit faith in me, and if you earned that trust, he'd never micromanage," Koss said. "He believed I could handle myself. He only came to see me do one trial. I had a cooperating witness and he came to watch me put him on, and after that he never questioned me again. I wanted him to trust me because I wanted to be in his good graces. People wanted him to think you were a good D.A." But those who worked with Leeper came to see a troubled side of him, too. In interviews, more than half a dozen lawyers who worked in the office at the time said Leeper's drinking became pronounced, and, as a result, a problem. Two years ago, according to numerous people in the office, Leeper's drinking cost him his title. Personnel records show he was demoted from chief of the Red Zone back to the homicide bureau, but do not list a reason. The district attorney's office would not comment on the cause for the demotion. For his part, Koss moved on to his own new job within the office: deputy bureau chief of the Conviction Integrity Unit, a small group of assistant district attorneys and investigators tasked with re-examining old convictions that might have been flawed. Koss, in his new job, soon found himself in the uncomfortable and unpopular position of reviewing cases handled by prosecutors who had made their marks years before. He says, however, that he came to feel a sense of gratification in the work: finding evidence that might lead to an innocent person's release, rather than a guilty person's incarceration. Koss's first case wound up widely celebrated. Over a year-long investigation, Koss and his supervisor, John O'Mara, found evidence that an unemployed printer had been wrongly convicted of murdering a beloved Williamsburg rabbi in 1990. Hynes consented to the release of David Ranta following Koss' investigation in March 2013. "I'm sure people resented me for it, but I didn't really care," Koss said of the unit's work. In June 2013, three months after Ranta's release, Koss left the office. But he said he had made a critical observation in his last year there, one that would stay with him in the coming months: Murder cases, especially those tried in Brooklyn in the early, bloody 1990s, could be seriously flawed, and so could the prosecutors who handled them. Newly in private practice, Koss came to learn of an imprisoned man named Jonathan Fleming, and shortly afterward he joined Fleming's bid for freedom. Fleming's case was pending before the Conviction Integrity Unit Koss once helped run, and Koss realized quickly what lay ahead: He'd be challenging the work and perhaps the ethics of his onetime mentor. The Alibi Defense This receipt from a Quality Inn in Orlando, Florida, was taken from Jonathan Fleming at the time of his arrest. It suggests he was thousands of miles away from a murder he was convicted of, just hours before it occurred. Jonathan Fleming didn't have an unblemished record or reputation in Brooklyn in the late 1980s, having racked up a number of convictions, including for robbery and weapons possession. But the evidence that Fleming was the man who had gunned down Darryl Rush back in 1989, even at the time of the trial, was less than overwhelming. One witness, a crack addict, had testified that she had seen Fleming shoot Rush. But it was ultimately shown that she had been more than 400 feet from the scene of the shooting and had not been wearing her glasses at the time. Another witness had been so reluctant to testify that he had to be dragged to the witness stand by a court officer. As a result, Fleming had spent years after his conviction pressing for a re-examination of his case. The crack addict had recanted shortly after the trial. The man who had reluctantly testified turned out to have testified under a false name. New witnesses had emerged saying that another man was the likely shooter. Fleming's efforts, however, got nowhere. Prosecutors dismissed the recantation and the reliability of the new witnesses. Judges routinely denied his motions for a rehearing. Then, in the summer of 2013, with the Brooklyn District Attorney's office under fire for a variety of alleged misconduct, Koss's former colleagues agreed to look into Fleming's claims of innocence. The ex-colleagues unearthed a bombshell: The Fleming case file had been found, and its contents crippled the case against him. There was, among other evidence, the receipt that had been taken off of Fleming's person at the time of his arrest, and it showed he had paid a phone bill at his hotel in Orlando at 9:27pm on Aug. 14, 1989. The murder took place in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn at approximately 2:15 a.m. Koss recalled the moment he got word of the discovery made by his old office. "I was instantaneously nauseous; physically sick to my stomach," he said. "You want to believe that these mistakes don't happen," he said. "Then, slowly, you come to the realization that these mistakes do happen, and it results in people losing years of their lives." Koss credits the work of the Conviction Integrity Unit. But the district attorney's office has said nothing about the botched case, other than to consent in court to Fleming's release. Had the case file been lost? Overlooked? Buried in a police file not shared with prosecutors? Intentionally withheld by Leeper? James Devereaux was one of the detectives who worked the Fleming case. At the original trial, Fleming's attorney had asked Devereaux several questions about the phone bill receipt, including whether he recalled telling Fleming he'd make a Xerox copy of it. He testified that he had no recollection of a receipt, but, under questioning, conceded it was possible that one existed and even that he had assured Fleming he would make a copy of it. But the receipt was never entered as evidence in the case. In an interview with ProPublica, Devereaux said he didn't remember the Fleming case, but he was firm about his evidence disclosure practice at the time. "I'm not in a position to try to put blame on anybody, especially when I don't recall the case," Devereaux said. "But when a case goes to trial, you go to the D.A.'s office with your file and everything goes over to them." The law is certainly clear about the responsibility for gathering and disclosing evidence. Leeper was the person ultimately responsible for discovering it and turning it over. Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace University and a leading expert on prosecutorial misconduct, wrote a recent column about the case entitled Don't Let the Prosecutor Off the Hook. In an interview, he said prosecutors will often try to deflect blame for evidence disclosure problems onto police. "But even if we assume it was in the police file and not the district attorney's file, and the prosecutor had no firsthand knowledge of this thing, once the defense attorney says, 'Hey, check this out, this is a major claim of innocence,' the prosecutor has got an obligation to go back to the police and say, 'Do you have this receipt? Did you write a report? Did you ask the hotel if he was there?' "It goes to what your obligation is as a prosecutor," Gershman said. "Is it to bury your head in the sand? Or is it to follow all possible leads to find out whether this guy is innocent? This wasn't a needle in a haystack; this was something that was right under his nose." A Prior Offense? Anne Feldman served 26 years as a judge in Brooklyn, but across those years, she only once exercised the power to set a convicted prisoner free. The prisoner was Julio Acevedo, and the prosecutor whose failure factored in his release was James Leeper. In 1989, Feldman had presided over Acevedo's initial murder trial. Acevedo had been charged with fatally shooting a man in a housing project hallway in Brooklyn. At trial, Acevedo had claimed that he'd been caught up in an ugly street beef over drugs and had been forced, with his own life threatened, to carry out the deadly shooting. Acevedo's argument made an impression on Feldman, but ultimately failed to persuade the jury. At Acevedo's sentencing, Feldman said she had "no idea what the real circumstances were" that led him to kill. "I suspect the truth lies somewhere between what you said and what the district attorney said," Feldman told Acevedo in court. She then sent him away for 20 years to life. But the case was back before Feldman eight years later. Something new had come to light: evidence that Acevedo's account—known legally as a "duress defense"—was genuine. A prosecutor in a subsequent, unrelated case had taken testimony from a man who said he was the person who had forced Acevedo to carry out the killing. The man said he had kidnapped Acevedo and ordered him at gunpoint to fire the deadly shots. Leeper was the prosecutor who took the potentially exculpatory statement. The information—gained in 1992, three years after Acevedo's conviction and five years before his release—was never turned over to Acevedo. The man's account had surfaced in yet another unrelated Brooklyn case, and Acevedo's lawyers had brought it to the court's attention. Feldman, presented with the new information, didn't waste much time. Acevedo pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was released. "I remember feeling that this guy had told a story at his trial that was true and just feeling very good about letting him out," Feldman said in an interview last month with ProPublica. It remains unclear to this day what Leeper was thinking. The man who had confessed to forcing Acevedo to kill had also admitted to Leeper a long string of violent crimes. As well, Leeper had not previously prosecuted Acevedo and the circumstances of his conviction might well not have been known to him. There is no evidence Leeper was in any way sanctioned. Feldman, in releasing Acevedo, appears to have only dealt with the new evidence, and not the question of Leeper's apparent failure. Still, a spokesman for the district attorney's office would years later acknowledge the failure to alert Acevedo to the new evidence was a mistake. The law, after all, requires that information favorable to the defense be turned over by prosecutors as soon as they discover it, even after someone has been convicted. Dan Saunders, who was a senior homicide attorney in Brooklyn at the time, declined to comment on this particular case, but in an interview he emphasized the importance of sharing such information no matter the timing. "Whether a case is pending or the person has already been convicted or served their sentence, if we get something exculpatory, there's always an obligation to investigate it and turn it over," he said. Feldman said Leeper never struck her as the kind of aggressive prosecutor so driven to win that he might break the rules to do so. "It seemed to me that he was a very upfront guy," Feldman said. "He was not overly zealous; I didn't feel like he was out to kill like some of the other prosecutors out there." Uncertain Fate Jonathan Fleming, hugs his attorney Anthony Mayol while his other attorney Taylor Koss applauded in Brooklyn's Supreme court, after a judge declared him a free man. (Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo) The April 8, 2014, proceeding before Brooklyn Judge Matthew D'Emic was brief, if momentous. Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Mark Hale, in consenting to Jonathan Fleming's release from prison after 24 years, quickly laid out the rationale. "The documentary evidence, and I'm talking specifically about the receipt from the Florida hotel and the interviews with the employees at the hotel…was not available to the defense at trial," Hale told D'Emic. "We uncovered that in an investigation…And it supports the defendant's alibi to such an extent that had it been available at the trial, the likely result of it would've been different. And for that reason we ask that the conviction be vacated." D'Emic accepted a motion to dismiss Fleming's conviction, and pandemonium ensued in the courtroom. Reporters from every major newspaper and television channel in New York were there to record an overjoyed Fleming celebrating with his family. His story went viral. A Wall Street banker started an Internet campaign that raised nearly $50,000 to help Fleming get back on his feet; the donations came from more than 600 people in at least 14 different countries. But little was said about Leeper. Few news articles even mentioned his name. And he went on prosecuting a full load of cases. Less than a month ago, at least five of his cases were moving toward trial, according to court records. They included the case against Magnan, the young man arrested with a casing in his shoe that matched a bullet in a murder victim's head, and another, thornier case involving the alleged murder of 50-year-old Robert Reichl. According to 2013 news accounts, Reichl was lured to the roof of an apartment building in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn with the promise of sex for money. Allegedly, a group of men attacked him, stole his money, and pushed him off the roof. Three men have been charged in the crime, but at least two claim they're innocent. Howard Greenberg, an attorney representing one of the accused, said he'd come to know and respect Leeper over the years. Greenberg said if Leeper is proven to have intentionally withheld evidence in the Fleming case, he will have no sympathy for him. But until then, Greenberg said he was not uncomfortable with Leeper continuing to try cases. "He's a guy that I like and I have found to be above board," Greenberg said. "But let's put it this way, anyone who knew something like that was there and didn't turn it over is going to hell. I'm not pulling punches." The lack of sanctions against New York prosecutors shown to have engaged in misconduct has been the focus of a ProPublica investigation for more than a year. The investigation found that such prosecutors almost never endure real punishment for their lapses, even when their misconduct is so egregious that it lands the innocent in prison. Kenneth Thompson, Brooklyn's new district attorney, had pledged during his 2013 campaign that he would rehabilitate the office's reputation on wrongful convictions. And since taking the helm in January, he seems serious about keeping his word. He's vacated the convictions of six people prosecuted under Hynes and he's named some respected legal minds to establish his own version of the Conviction Integrity Unit. He has hired Ronald Sullivan, a Harvard legal ethics professor, to lead the effort. But to date, there has been no word on Leeper's fate for his role in the Fleming case, a state of uncertainty that has only added to the confusion among his many admirers. "I worked with him and for him, and I'd do it again," said one former colleague. "He was intelligent, he understood how to try cases, and he was fair — never a win at all costs kind of guy." For their part, Fleming's lawyers say Leeper's failure was grossly negligent, and blame for it is shared by everyone involved in the case. "What I truly believe is that everyone on that side is at fault," said Taylor Koss, the former Brooklyn prosecutor and Leeper protégé. "If they had stood up to their ethical obligations, all of this information would've been sent over and all of this could've been avoided."We’re still several months away from the return of The X-Files, but tonight, FOX has given fans an early peak at the new season. Check out a brief, mysterious, exciting 15-second teaser trailer below. The new season, the first in the series in 13 years, will premiere January 26th, 2016 on FOX. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are on board to return as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully for the six-episode mini-season, which will be a mixture of serialized storytelling and one-off monster episodes. Other returning characters include Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis, who’ll be playing Walter Skinner and The Smoking Man, respectively. New additions to the cast include Joel McHale as Tad O’Malley, “the anchor of a popular conservative Internet news network who becomes an unlikely ally for Mulder,” and Annet Mahendru (The Americans) as Sveta, “who believes she’s regularly abducted by aliens.” Check out more behind the scenes production photos and plot details here.WASHINGTON (Staff Report) – Following the last week’s deadly car bomb attack near headquarters of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS), United States has pressed Pakistan to take concrete steps against militants of Haqqani Network, while acclaiming that Pakistan is targeting WASHINGTON (Staff Report) – Following the last week’s deadly car bomb attack near headquarters of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS), United States has pressed Pakistan to take concrete steps against militants of Haqqani Network, while acclaiming that Pakistan is targeting all terrorist groups indiscriminately. Speaking at daily news briefing, the US State Department Director Press Office Ms Elizabeth Trudeau said that Pakistan has exhibited a strong will against militancy and we want to encourage them for taking more steps in this regard. To a question about the aftermath of Kabul bombing, she said that US has approached the Pakistani authorities urging them for a more effective action against Haqqani Network, as Afghan government believes that the militant group had planned and executed the bomb attack last week. She said that such attacks directly affect the joint efforts of United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan to restore the war torn region. At least 24 people died while over 200 were left severely wounded in central Kabul as a huge explosion struck a building near Afghan presidency and NDS headquarters on Tuesday. According to Afghan media, exact target of the blast were security forces who are responsible to provide protection to VIPs. Gunshots were also fired after the blast. Several other key buildings including offices of Afghan ministries are also located next to presidency and NDS headquarters. US embassy and NATO coalition base are also located in the same area. Warning sirens were rang at the US embassy following the blast’s sound. However, a spokesman said that embassy was not affected by the blast. The NATO’s military coalition base also said that it remained safe in the tragedy.A LABOUR activist has penned an open letter to the Green party calling on them to stand aside in the upcoming Copeland by-election. The seat is set to be hotly contested next year following the surprise departure of Labour MP Jamie Reed, who quit to take up a role at Sellafield. Labour member Chris Mears believes that the Greens must stand down in the upcoming by-election to make way for Labour in what is set to be a tight-three way race involving the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour. He also argued that defeat for Labour could be a "disaster" for Jeremy Corbyn and may "herald a return to open civil war in Labour." The Copeland constituency, which was created in 1983, has been a Labour stronghold ever since its inception. However, Mr Reed only triumphed in 2015 with a majority of less than seven per cent. The letter by Mr Mears, which is entitled, 'Why the Greens must stand down in Copeland – [a] Plea from an ally,' can be read in full by clicking here. READ MORE: Copeland MP quits for new job Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wishes shock-quit Copeland MP Jamie Reed 'all the best' Labour is ready for a snap general election, Jeremy Corbyn saysNew Maryland governor Larry Hogan will include some funding for the Purple Line and Baltimore’s Red Line in the state’s budget, though the fate of both projects remains unclear. Gov. Hogan’s proposed budget includes funding for the Red and Purple lines but says the future of both projects is not yet decided. — Jenna Johnson (@wpjenna) January 22, 2015 Both the $2.4 billion Purple Line, a proposed light rail line between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County, and the $2.6 billion Red Line light rail, which would connect Woodlawn in Baltimore County and Bayview in Baltimore City, are ready to start construction this year. The state would only have to provide a small portion of the total cost, roughly between $300 and $700 million for each line. Each project already has funding commitments from local jurisdictions and the federal government, while the Purple Line would also receive funding from a public-private partnership. Until the formal budget release tomorrow, we won’t know how much funding Hogan has set aside for either project. He could provide enough money for each project to move ahead as they are, or request additional study or cost-cutting. That could imperil the federal government’s $1.8 billion commitment for both projects, which would be distributed to other projects in other states if Maryland doesn’t take the money, as well as the private funding. Hogan, a Republican who beat Democrat and former lieutenant governor Anthony Brown in an upset election last fall, vowed in his campaign to reduce government spending to close the state’s budget shortfall. While he said he would not make a decision on either the Purple or Red lines before taking office, he previously expressed a preference for building roads over transit and focusing on the state’s rural areas. Also included in the governor’s budget is $30 million for a new regional medical center in Prince George’s County, at Largo Town Center Metro. Hogan also proposed cutting in half a formula that provides additional funding to school systems with a high cost of education, called GCEI, which would specifically affect Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. We’ll provide more details as they come.Blogs Where the Party Platforms Stand on Internet Issues September 07, 2012 With less than 10 weeks to go before the election, Republicans and Democrats released party platforms outlining their visions for the future. Below is a comparison on where the parties stand on broadband adoption, net neutrality rules, spectrum auctions, and intellectual property protections. 1. Internet Freedom- D- “The Obama administration has led the world to recognize and defend Internet Freedom – the freedom of expression, assembly, and association online for people everywhere ­– through coalitions of countries and by empowering individuals with innovative technologies.” R- “The Internet has unleashed innovation, enabled growth, and inspired freedom more rapidly and extensively than any other technological advance in human history. Its independence is its power. The Internet offers a communications system uniquely free from government intervention.” PK- While both platforms highlight “Internet freedom” as a priority and recognize its capacity for innovation, they differ on how that freedom is defined and how it should be maintained. Both parties have led and opposed efforts to expand and limit aspects of the Internet. "Internet freedom" has meant a variety of different things to different people, including freedom from government censorship and surveillance; freedom of users from intermediary control; and freedom of intermediaries from government regulation. 2. Open Internet- D- “President Obama is strongly committed to protecting an open Internet that fosters investment innovation, creativity, consumer choice, and free speech, unfettered by censorship or undue violations of privacy.” R- “We will remove regulatory barriers that protect that protect outdated technologies and business plans from innovation and competition, while preventing legacy regulation from interfering with new and disruptive technologies such as mobile delivery of voice video data as they become crucial components of the Internet ecosystem.” PK- “Legacy regulation” is frequently used to refer to net neutrality rules enacted under the current Administration, which Republicans would overturn. 3. Spectrum- D- “We are finding innovative ways to free up wireless spectrum and are building a state of the art nationwide, interoperable, public safety network.” R- “We call for an inventory of federal agency spectrum to determine the surplus that could be auctioned for the taxpayer’s benefit. … "The current Administration has conducted no auction of spectrum, has offered no incentives for investment, and through the FCC’s net neutrality rule, is trying to micromanage telecom as if it were a railroad network.” PK- Although both platforms recognize the importance of wireless spectrum, the Republican platform supports the auction of public spectrum to communications companies as a revenue generator. Republicans have tended to argue that conditions on the use of the spectrum reduces investment in infrastructure, while Democrats tend to argue that conditions are necessary to protect consumers from anticompetitive behavior by spectrum holders. 4. Broadband Adoption- D- “We will ensure that America has a 21st century digital infrastructure – robust wired and wireless broadband capability, a smarter electrical grid, and upgraded information technology infrastructure in key sectors such as health care and education. President Obama has committed to ensuring 98 percent of the country has access to high-speed wireless broadband Internet access.” R- “We encourage public-private partnerships to provide predictable support for connecting rural areas so that every American can fully participate in the global economy.” “With special recognition of the role university technology centers are playing in attracting private investment to the field, we will replace the administration’s Luddite approach to technological progress with a regulatory partnership that will keep this country the world leader in technology and telecommunications.” PK- The FCC has recently reported that broadband is not yet being deployed in a reasonable or timely fashion. 19 million Americans lack access to fixed broadband, including one-third of tribal lands. The public-private partnerships mentioned in the Republican platform include programs like Comcast’s Connect to Compete program. This program allows families to apply for low-speed discounted broadband services after showing that they meet certain criteria, such as their children being eligible for subsidized school lunches. 5. Intellectual Property- D- “The administration is vigorously protecting U.S. intellectual property – our technology and creativity – at home and abroad through better enforcement and innovative approaches such as voluntary efforts by all parties to minimize infringement while supporting the free flow of information. Customs seizures of counterfeit drugs are up 600 percent and seizures of fake consumer safety and critical technology have increased nearly 200 percent; the Department of Justice has aggressively prosecuted the illegal overseas transfer of trade secrets.” R- “Thus, a Republican president will insist on fully parity in trade with China and stand ready to impose countervailing duties if China fails to amend its current policies. Counterfeit goods will be aggressively kept out of the country. Victimized private firms will be encouraged to raise claims in both U.S. courts and the World Trade Organization. Punitive measures will be imposed on foreign firms that misappropriate American technology and intellectual property.” PK- The Obama Administration has also seized domestic domain sites for indefinite periods of time under accusations of hosting infringing content. Members of both parties were also supporters of recent SOPA/PIPA legislation that was sold to Congress by the entertainment industry as a means to protect American content creators and profits. In emphasizing IP enforcement, neither party mentions the threat of overzealous enforcement impinging on free speech or technological innovation. 6. Trans Pacific Partnership and Free Trade Agreements D- "[We] are on track to finalizing track to finalize the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, a historic high-standard agreement that will address new and emerging trade issues, lower barriers to the free flow of trade and investment, increase exports, and create more American jobs. … "Last year the President signed free trade agreements with Panama and Columbia -agreements that will significantly boost U.S. exports and support thousands of jobs here at home - while protecting labor rights, the environment, and intellectual property." R- “A Republican President will complete negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership to open rapidly developing Asian markets to U.S. products. Beyond that, we envision a worldwide multilateral agreement among nations committed to the principles of open markets, what has been called a "Reagan Economic Zone," in which free trade will truly be fair trade for all concerned.” PK- The Trans Pacific Partnership, currently being negotiated in secret, contains a chapter on intellectual property. Leaked versions of the proposed language, and comparison with free trade agreements passed over the past several years indicate that the copyright provisions in the proposed treaty could require stricter interpretations of copyright law than is currently in U.S. law.A new study reports a significant decline in the rate of cesarean section (C-section) births in Portugal. Findings published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, a journal of the Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology, indicate a 10% reduction in overall C-section rates between 2009 and 2014, with a 14% reduction in state-hospitals during the same time period. Researchers believe this may be due to more information and training of healthcare staff, along with inclusion of C-section rates as part of the criteria for hospital funding. C-section rates have been on the rise around the world, which has drawn international attention and concern, given the potential adverse effects to the health of mother and baby. Prior research shows that cesarean birth is linked to greater risk of blood clots (thromboembolism), hemorrhage, and infection in mothers. Furthermore, it increases the risk of newborn respiratory complications, obesity, diabetes, and a propensity to develop allergies in childhood. Prof. Diogo Ayres-de-Campos at the Medical School of the University of Porto in Portugal explains, "In European countries with low cesarean birth rates, very low mortality rates in mother and child are also reported. Our study describes a concerted effort carried out in Portugal to reduce C-section rates, and evaluates its impact on obstetric indicators." For the present study the research team used national data on births, C-sections, perinatal and maternal mortality between 2000 and 2014. Rates of instrumental vaginal delivery, vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), hypoxia-related complications and perineal tears were also retrieved from state-owned hospitals. From 2000 through 2009 the C-section rate in Portugal rose steadily, reaching a maximum of 36.6%. After the concerted action that started in early 2010, a significant decline to 33% was registered in the following years. During the entire period perinatal mortality also declined, while maternal mortality remained stable. In the last few years the team also observed a significant increase in operative vaginal delivery (use of forceps or vacuum) and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), while newborn complications due to lack of oxygen (hypoxia) decreased. "Our findings suggest that the intensive efforts carried out by Portuguese authorities that included sharing of information, training of healthcare professionals, and including C-section rates in the criteria for hospital funding may have been responsible for the changes observed across the country," concludes Prof. Ayres-de-Campos. "Similar efforts in countries that have high C-section rates such as the US, China, Italy, Turkey, and many others in Latin America, may prove an effective way to reduce the excessive use of this operation, and thus decrease the risks associated with delivery for both mother and child." ### This study is published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact [email protected]. Full citation: "Lowered National Cesarean Section Rates After a Regional Concerted Action." Diogo Ayres-de-Campos, Joana Cruz, Claudia Medeiros-Borges, Cristina Costa-Santos and Lisa Vicente Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica; Published online: March 2, 2015 (DOI: 10.1111/aogs.12582) URL Upon Publication: http://doi. wiley. com/ 10. 1111/ aogs. 12582 Author Contact: To arrange an interview with Prof. Ayres-de-Campos, please contact Olga Magalhaes with the University of Porto press office at [email protected] About the Journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica is the official scientific journal of the Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG). It is a clinically oriented journal that covers all aspects of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive health, including perinatology, gynecologic endocrinology, female urology and gynecologic oncology. The journal is published in English and includes: editors´ messages, editorials, Acta commentaries, Acta reviews and original articles under the main categories of investigation, pregnancy, birth, fertility, infection, gynecology, gynecologic urology, oncology and surgery. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the NFOG. For more information, please visit http://wileyonlinelibrary. com/ journal/ aogs. About Wiley Wiley is a global provider of content-enabled solutions that improve outcomes in research, education, and professional practice. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners.Employee training is a precarious task for most organizations. The multitude of choices available at each step of implementing a new learning and
a “fantastic holiday”. Even when the game was up and Thomas Cook told them in March it would not be paying out, they persisted with the claims until June. Mr Brown said the “first ever” prosecution followed a 500% rise in claims for such damages made against travel companies, the vast majority from UK residents. The couple denied any wrongdoing and were set to stand trial alongside Deborah’s daughter, Charlene Briton, 30, of Oxton Road, Wallasey. But after they each admitted two counts of fraud relating to eight false statements, prosecutors agreed to drop the allegations against Charlene. Lloyd Morgan, defending Briton, said the unemployed mum was “utterly ashamed” of the “dishonour and disgrace” she had brought on her family. He said she was the sole carer for her two youngest children, who are on medication for eczema, requiring regular blood tests. Judge Aubrey said she lied to the author of a pre-sentence report by claiming she and Roberts merely exaggerated their claims. Mr Morgan accepted the judge may view her remorse with “scepticism” but urged him to give her a suspended sentence for the sake of her children. Charles Lander, defending Roberts, who sat shaking and crying in the dock, said the “devoted family man” with health difficulties was now “a broken man”. He said unlike others before them, neither Roberts, who had two jobs and worked in security at nights, nor Briton gained from the fraud. Mr Lander said: “It was an idea the defendant formed from speaking to others in a pub. “He stupidly believed those others who told him he wouldn’t be detected. How wrong he was.” Judge Aubrey said the couple once had “two weeks of sun, laughter and fun”, but Briton now “held your head in shame” while Roberts was “shaking”. He said: “Both of you made representations to Thomas Cook that were a complete and utter sham. They were bogus from start to finish. They were totally and utterly fake. “It required planning, it required thought and it must have required premeditation, with pure greed, seeking to get something for nothing.” He said such scams impacted on the UK holiday travel industry, the reputation of honest holidaymakers and led to an increase in holiday prices. Roberts and Briton sobbed and family members in court wailed as they were jailed for 15 months and nine months respectively.Francois Fillon, Jean-Luc Melenchon, Marine Le Pen, Benoit Hamon (afp) Domenica 23 aprile quasi 47 milioni di elettori francesi saranno chiamati alle urne per il primo turno delle elezioni presidenziali 2017, e mai come quest’anno la situazione sembra incerta, con i quattro maggiori candidati racchiusi in una manciata di punti. Secondo la media compilata dall’Huffington Post francese: Il centrista Emmanuel Macron (candidato di “En Marche”) è dato al 23% (candidato di “En Marche”) è dato al La leader del Front National Marine Le Pen al 22,4% al Il candidato del centrodestra (“Les Republicains”) François Fillon al 19,9% al Per la sinistra radicale (“la France insoumise”) Jean-Luc Mélenchon, al 19,8%. Per fare un raffronto, la tendenza dell’ultimo mese sembra premiare leggermente Fillon, ma soprattutto Mélenchon, che trenta giorni fa era accreditato del 12,7% - poco più del suo risultato di cinque anni fa, quando si fermò all’11% - e oggi invece risulterebbe vicino a quota 20. Risultato incerto per il ballottaggio Al ballottaggio del 7 maggio, insomma, margine d’errore alla mano potrebbe arrivare davvero chiunque dei 4 candidati oggi in testa: per risalire a un risultato così incerto bisogna tornare al 2002, quando l’anziano leader della destra Jean-Marie Le Pen, dato sfavorito dai sondaggi della vigilia, ottenne il 16,8% e scalzò dalla seconda piazza l’ex primo ministro socialista Lionel Jospin, fermo al 16,2, per poi schiantarsi al ballottaggio contro il presidente uscente Jacques Chirac (finì 82% a 18%). Certo, uno degli elementi determinanti in una partita così ravvicinata, e in cui quasi il 30% degli elettori si dice indeciso secondo lo studio Cevipof-Le Monde, è la mobilitazione dei diversi elettorati. Da qui vengono i profili più preoccupanti per Emmanuel Macron, e che più speranze riservano ai due candidati della destra: su 100 elettori attuali del candidato di “En Marche”, infatti, solo 68 sono sicuri del proprio voto secondo Ifop. Una percentuale analoga a Jean-Luc Mélenchon (69) ma di gran lunga inferiore a quella degli elettori di Fillon (81) e Le Pen (83). Molto si deciderà insomma in questi ultimi giorni: Macron riuscirà a convincere quella platea di elettori che sembra prendere in considerazione di votare per lui, ma che non è ancora certa della propria scelta? Pesa sul risultato età e professione degli elettori Oltre all’incertezza, un altro dato chiave di questa elezione è la composizione sociale dei diversi elettorati, ed i sondaggi lasciano presagire una Francia spaccata non solo politicamente, ma anche socialmente. Se votassero solo i giovani con meno di 35 anni non ci sarebbe storia: il ballottaggio sarebbe tra Mélenchon (27%) e Macron (26%) con il candidato del centrodestra, Fillon, fermo al 9%. non ci sarebbe storia: con il candidato del centrodestra, Se votassero solo gli over 65 è proprio Fillon a fare il pieno con il 39% delle intenzioni di voto: largamente primo con quasi venti punti di vantaggio sul ‘giovane’ Macron. La situazione non cambia se, dall’età, ci si sposta verso la professione. Sempre secondo IFOP, ognuno dei 3 candidati principali (Macron, Le Pen e Fillon) è infatti in testa nelle preferenze di voto di almeno una classe sociale. La cosa interessante è notare quanto distanti siano gli elettori di Marine Le Pen e Emmanuel Macron in termini sociali. Il Front National si conferma la prima scelta degli operai francesi con il 43%. Nessun altro candidato in nessun’altra classe sociale può vantare un risultato così alto. Marine Le Pen è anche la prima scelta degli impiegati non qualificati (31%) e dei disoccupati (35%). si conferma la. Nessun altro candidato in nessun’altra classe sociale può vantare un risultato così alto. è anche la prima scelta degli L’elettorato di Macron è composto prevalentemente da i mpiegati qualificati (31%) e studenti (30%). Mentre Fillon risulta la prima scelta tra i pensionati (33%) ed i dirigenti d’impresa (26%). Guardando al titolo di studio, si nota la stessa simmetria elettorale tra Macron e Le Pen. L’ex ministro dell’Economia ottiene il suo massimo tra i laureati (31%) ed il minimo tra i non diplomati (17%). ed il minimo tra i non diplomati (17%). È proprio per i non diplomati che la candidata del FN fa la sua migliore performance (32%), per poi perdere voti all’aumentare del titolo di studio, finendo al 10% tra i possessori di una laurea. La 'geografia' delle elezioni Questa frattura sociale ha un risvolto anche geografico. Emmanuel Macron raccoglie una parte importante dei propri voti a Parigi e dintorni (26%) ed in zone di tradizionale radicamento del centrosinistra francese come la Bretagna (25%) e la costa occidentale della Francia. raccoglie una parte importante dei propri voti ed in zone di tradizionale radicamento del centrosinistra francese come la e la della Francia. Marine Le Pen ha i suoi bastioni nelle regioni orientali come l’Alsazia (31%) e la Provenza (31%). Chiunque vinca - e già questo, come abbiamo visto, è ancora da capire - dovrà insomma fare i conti con una Francia frammentata socialmente e politicamente, e dovrà farlo già a partire dalle elezioni legislative dell’11 e 18 giugno che determineranno la composizione della nuova Assemblea nazionale.In the past few days, members of the Yellow River 10-Year Investigation [zh] team have begun reporting on the situation regarding water pollution in the Tengger Desert of Inner Mongolia. The team claim that black industrial water emitted by a coal chemical processing factory in the industrial district has been contaminating the desert's underground water, destroying the local herders’ homeland and endangering the lives of those in the desert. The Investigation is a non-profit research effort jointly launched in 2012 by Green Sina [zh] and Green Earth Volunteers. Recently, the team visited Tengger Desert and reported their trip in Chinese social media. A widely disseminated micro blog post [zh] written by Ai Ruogan, a famous podcaster and an investigation team member, on Sina Weibo from October 29, 2012, explains. 现在,我们正在内蒙古阿拉善左旗腾格里沙漠工业园区调查,亲见沙漠化工企业用大卡车向沙漠排放污水,形成许多污水湖,有些地方用排污管插入沙漠心脏直排。当地牧民饮用水井距工厂仅几百米,不远处仅剩一处湿地湖,不知百鸟能翔几天?已有牧民患上白血病 Now we are investigating at the industrial district of Tengger Desert at Alxa Zuoqi, Inner Monglia. I see with my own eyes the corporations in the industrial district transporting polluted water with trucks and dumping it in the desert. The water turns into small lakes. In some areas, they use pipes and pump the polluted water down to the heart of the desert. The herders’ wells are just a few hundred meters away from the factories. Also, there is a natural lake for wild birds to take rest nearby. I wonder if these birds can survive for long… some herdsmen are already suffering from leukemia… Song Fuli, another team member, provided photo evidence [zh], showing how corporations are using pipes to pump water into the desert: 排污管道直接暗渡陈仓伸到沙漠,污水渗到沙里,神不知鬼不觉,服了,有才的企业,有才的政府!记住,这里是内蒙古阿拉善左旗腾格里工业园区,最近的牧民居住点不到两公里。 The pipe secretly channels the polluted water into the desert. What a genius corporation, what a genius government! Remember this is the industrial district of Alxa Zuoqi, Inner Monglia. The herders are settling just two miles away from here. Wang Yongchen, the coordinator of Green Earth and also a member of the investigation team, recounted what she saw at Sina Weibo [zh]: 腾格里沙龙里倒化工废水的池了。我们每一个人捂着鼻子和嘴还呛得晕。当地牧民说要是夏天呛得眼镜也睁不开。为了现代化就这样毁牧民的家,毁金色的沙漠吗? @Wang: This is the water treatment pool where the factories from the Tengger Industrial area store their polluted water. The smell is so bad that we felt dizzy even we covered our mouths and noses. Local herders said in the summer, they could not even open their eyes when they were near the pool. The destruction of herders homeland and golden desert, is that the price we have to pay for modernization? 离往沙漠里倒化工污水只有一公里多一点的沙漠里就是牧民们的饮用水井,水深不到2米。我们问这水还能喝吗?他们说不喝这水上哪喝水去?这是牧民的家。 @Wang: The well that supplies drinking water to the herders is just a little more than a mile away from the water treatment pool. The water level is just two meters deep. We asked whether the water is safe to drink. They said they can't find water elsewhere. This is their home. 腾格里沙漠除了有人住还有大天鹅、麻鸭、骆驼,现在化工厂来了黑水倒在了沙漠里,落日中鸟们飞来飞去找着他们过夜的家。 @Wang: Tengger Desert is also home to swans, wild ducks, camels. Now that the chemical factories are dumping black water in the desert, where can the birds settle after sunset? 现在一车的人头疼、嗓子疼、胸疼.本想打了一瓶水带回北京化验,但实在是无法带着继续走了。周围喘气的生命怎么活的,不能想象。 @Wang: Now all of us in the car are suffering from headaches, soar throats and chest pains. We were intending to get a water sample to the laboratory in Beijing, but got so sick. I wonder how life can survive here. I can't imagine. 这么污染的企业占牧民的草场,只给每人2万块,和一点草场补偿就给人打发走了。我们采访的农民说这是一个镇书记就决定的事,会这样吗?明天我们会继续调查。 不知是不懂沙漠也有生态圈这回事呢,还是根本觉得无所谓 @Wang: As compensation for the herders’ loss, the corporates gave each of them RMB 20,000 (equivalent to USD 3,300) as compensation. The herders said the settlement was decided by a party secretary of the town. We will carry on our investigation tomorrow. I wonder if the authorities are ignorant of the ecology in the desert or they just simply don't care. According to a local report [zh], the water emitted from the industrial district is from a coal chemical processing factory. Even though there is a water treatment facility in the district, it hasn't yet gone operational in order to save on costs. The result is that toxic water is being stored at the water treatment pool to await vaporization or, in some cases, being secretly dumped in the desert. On the next day, October 30, the investigation team traveled further upstream, Ai Ruogan continued his report [zh]: 上午,我们又到腾格里沙漠深处调查,在昨天化工污染排放池上游,看到了目前仍清澈见底的鸣泉、涝坝,不知还能清流多久?牧民呼布岱手捧沙枣发问:为什么有人花钱保护自然,为什么有人为挣钱来破坏草原?我就不爱钱,我就爱家乡的草原。为留出化工企业发展空间,却要我们搬迁Wisconsin state Senate President Mike Ellis (R), who has held elected office in the state since 1970, on Friday dropped his bid for reelection, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Ellis made the move two days after he was featured in conservative filmmaker James O’Keefe’s latest hidden-camera video project. The video published online Wednesday by O’Keefe’s Project Veritas showed Ellis at a bar talking about “putting together my own super PAC” with several hundred thousand dollars in the bank. Candidates cannot coordinate with super PACs in Wisconsin (or at the federal level.) In a radio interview with WTMJ-AM host Charlie Sykes on Friday, Ellis acknowledged that the video looked “terrible, absolutely,” according to the Journal Sentinel Ellis was first elected to the state Assembly in 1970, and joined the state Senate in 1982. This year, he was facing an election opponent, state Rep. Penny Bernard Schaber (D), for the first time in 16 years. “The world has changed and to be honest with you I just don’t fit in there anymore,” Ellis said in the interview with Sykes. “I grew up where you could be an independent thinker and still work out compromises.” Sykes has been a critic of outside spending groups, and a supporter of campaign finance reform. In the video, O’Keefe contrasted those positions with Ellis’ comments about setting up his own super PAC. In the video, Ellis can also be heard criticizing Gov. Scott Walker (R). The Journal Sentinal reported that Ellis “frustrated” many fellow Republicans last year when he fought to “curtail [Walker’s] plans to expand voucher schools statewide, a battle that resulted in a watered-down version of Walker’s plan getting signed into law.” At a news conference on Friday, Walker said he had seen the video, and found Ellis’ comments “disturbing.”As American families rush to complete their annual tax returns, many will have paid more in federal income taxes than some of America’s largest and most profitable corporations. AT&T, Boeing, Citigroup, Duke Energy and Ford collectively reported more than $20 billion of US pre-tax income last year, yet none of them paid a dime in federal income taxes. Instead, they claimed refunds of more than $1.3 billion from the IRS. These corporations are not alone in turning tax dodging into a competitive sport. Last year, US corporations paid an effective tax rate of just 12.1 percent, the lowest level in the last forty years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Sixty years ago, when Republican President Dwight Eisenhower lived in the White House, corporations paid 32 percent of federal government’s tax receipts; last year they paid 9 percent. Below are six examples of how large corporations have rigged the tax rules to ensure that those who have the most get to amass even more, at the expense of everyone else. Figuring out how to unrig them is not rocket science, but it will require strong public pressure on lawmakers to ensure that America’s most prosperous corporations pay their fair share. Reuters Pictures Boeing’s Double Dip In each of the past nine years, Boeing has reported at least $1 billion in pre-tax profits, yet in only one did it pay any US corporate income taxes. In fact, the aerospace giant got so much money in tax subsidies that it had an effective tax rate of -7.8 percent during this period. One of the main reasons Boeing has avoided the taxman is that the rest of us subsidize their research and development spending. Last year this amounted to $137 million. Congress first passed the research and experimentation tax credit during the 1981 recession, intending to provide a temporary boost to America’s sagging economy. Though it has expired for short periods over the years, it has been renewed thirteen times, and Congress is presently considering making the tax credit permanent. Government investment in basic research and development can be valuable, but the way the current tax credit is structured, much of the support goes to large well-resourced high-tech firms like Boeing that would have conducted the research anyway as a part of maintaining a vibrant business. What’s particularly disturbing about the Boeing subsidies, however, is that the company already bills the Pentagon for research costs. The third largest defense contractor, Boeing has landed more than $54 billion in government contracts in the past nine years. So essentially, taxpayers are paying for the company’s research—twice. AP Images GE’s Tax-Free Offshore Profits General Electric employs 975 people to mine the tax code for every possible deduction. One of their IRS returns ran an awe-inspiring 57,000 pages. As a result, GE paid an effective tax rate of just 2.3 percent on more than $81 billion of US income over the last decade. One of GE’s most lucrative tax breaks is dubbed “the active financing exception.” Under US tax law income earned from interest anywhere in the world is taxable in the United States. That is because interest is considered a “passive business activity” that is easily transferred from country to country. The active financing exception allows corporation that establish captive foreign finance subsidiaries to exclude interest they earn offshore from their US taxes. The 1997 subsidy was meant as a temporary measure to help US banks and manufacturers compete internationally. General Electric’s lobbyists, who led the fight to create the subsidy, have made sure the “temporary” part was just a joke. Congress has renewed the exemption multiple times over the last fifteen years. And in the meantime, active financing has allowed GE to legally shift much of its US profits to overseas jurisdictions with lower taxes. The active financing exception is one of sixty tax breaks, known as “tax extenders,” that expired last year. Congress is actively considering reauthorizing them, even while they also consider dramatic cuts to social programs. Reuters Pictures AIG’s Stealth Bailout In 2008, American International Group’s reckless uncovered bets helped lead the global economy to the brink of collapse. Taxpayers bailed out the rogue insurer to the tune of $182 billion. Less well-known is a perk the US Treasury made available to AIG that allowed the company to retain its losses to offset against future profits. Tapping these tax losses allowed AIG to report more than $17 billion in tax-free profits in 2011, a move Elizabeth Warren, who chaired the TARP oversight panel, labeled a “stealth bailout.” “When the government bailed out AIG, it should not have allowed the failed insurance giant to duck taxes for years to come,” wrote Warren in a statement co-signed by three other panel members. “This corporate tax break transfers public money to AIG’s private shareholders and inflates executive pay at AIG—both at the public’s expense,” added Damon Silvers, another member of the oversight panel. At least four of the executives who stand to benefit financially from the tax break were leading the company at the time of the massive failure. Reuters Pictures Apple and Facebook’s Double Books Under current rules, companies can show shareholders and the IRS two different sets of books. In financial statements to shareholders, they’re allowed to estimate the value for their executives’ stock options at the time they’re granted. But when it comes to paying their taxes, they can lower their bill by deducting the full value of the options on the day executives cash them in, which is often a much higher figure. This loophole saved Apple $1.5 billion on its taxes between 2008–10, according to Citizens for Tax Justice, boosting its bottom line and its executive bonuses. When Facebook becomes a public company later this year, the stock option deduction will save it an estimated $3 billion on taxes, including an immediate $500 million IRS refund of the taxes it has paid during the last two years. The Ending Excessive Corporate Deductions for Stock Options Act (S. 1375) and the Cut Unjustified Tax Loopholes Act (S. 2075), both introduced by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) would close this loophole and limit companies to a tax deduction no greater than the expense they report to shareholders. AP Images Pfizer Heaves Domestic Profits Overseas Pfizer is the largest drug company in the world. It generates 40 percent of its sales in the largest and most lucrative drug market—the United States. And yet Pfizer has reported losses in the US in each of the last four years. Pfizer’s tax disclosures offer some clues to how the company achieves this puzzling result. First, it operates eighty subsidiaries in offshore tax havens. Second, Pfizer’s 2011 non-US tax rate was a low 14.7 percent, suggesting that they booked a significant portion of overseas profits in tax havens like Luxembourg, Ireland and Jersey, places where Pfizer has at least ten subsidiaries each. Here’s how these strategies work. A company like Pfizer conducts the bulk of its product and research development in the United States. This work is done by scientists, many of whom were educated in US schools, often using basic research that was funded by US taxpayers. The corporation then takes the patents earned by its US labs and registers them in nations that impose little or no taxes on income from patent royalties. When Pfizer sells a pill, it charges a lot for the use of the patent, telling the IRS that without the intellectual property, the product would be virtually worthless. By doing this, Pfizer transfers much of their profits to the tax haven, while retaining much of the costs of research, advertising and management in the United States. Such shenanigans cost the US Treasury an estimated $100 billion a year. A pending bill, the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, would require that offshore subsidiaries managed from the United States and often little more than a post office box and a brass nameplate be treated as US entities for tax purposes. Bechtel’s “Mini” Masquerade Though Bechtel is the world’s largest telecommunications, engineering and construction firm (with $32.9 billion in revenue and 52,700 employees), in terms of corporate structure it is one of America’s largest “small businesses.” That’s because the giant corporation takes advantage of a 1958 law intended to extend limited liability protection to owners of small, family-owned businesses. Companies that qualify for this law’s “S Corporation” status do not have to pay federal corporate income taxes. Instead the company’s profits are reported as personal income by individual owners. While the Bechtel empire was hardly the intended beneficiary, their firm technically qualifies for the S Corporation status because it is family run and has less than 100 shareholders. At the time the law was enacted, the wide differential between top corporate tax rates (52 percent) and top individual rates (91 percent) was a disincentive for gaming the system to dodge taxes. Fast forward half a century and top tax rates have collapsed to only 35 percent for corporations and individuals, erasing the previous disincentive for big corporations to change their business status. By incorporating as an S Corporation, enormous businesses like Bechtel pay just individual taxes, rather than having their corporation pay taxes on corporate profits and shareholders pay taxes on their dividends. S Corporations, and other businesses where income is taxed only at the individual level, have become the new tax haven, where large businesses have fled to avoid US corporate income taxes. In 2008, more than 14,000 S Corporation tax returns were filed by firms with more than $50 million in revenue, according to the IRS. These 14,000 firms, with an average profit of $6.4 million each, collectively reported 29 percent of the total profit on nearly 4 million S Corporation tax returns. Preserving S Corporation status for real small businesses can help level the playing field, but closing the loophole that allows giant multinational corporations to avoid the corporate taxes that their peers have to pay is key to bringing more fairness to the tax code and more funds into public coffers. As the 99% Spring unfolds, restoring fairness to our tax code must be at the center of the debate. As it stands, our tax system rewards those at the top, robbing the rest of us of the public money we need to transform the economy from one that works for the 1 percent to one that works for the 100 percent. A note on the chart. Corporate tax rates were calculated using current federal corporate income taxes paid in 2011 divided by 2011 US pretax income, as reported in company 10-K annual reported filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Deferred taxes, which might be paid some day in the future, were excluded, as were income taxes paid to state or local governments. Individual tax rates were taken from a recent Citizens for Tax Justice report. Ad PolicyMIT's Self-Assembly Lab has demonstrated its rapid liquid printing process at this year's Design Miami fair, using it to create products in front of visitors. Together with Patrick Parrish Gallery, furniture brand Steelcase, Brazilian artist Marcelo Coelho and Swiss designer Christophe Guberan, the lab took over a booth at the collectible design fair last week to present applications for its revolutionary technique. "The space serves as a manufacturing facility in which a robot instantly prints tote bags and art objects inside a glass tank of translucent gel," said the team. "This exhibit is the first public demonstration of MIT's rapid liquid printing technology." Unveiled earlier this year, the new method of 3D printing involves extruding material from a computer-controlled nozzle into the gel. The robotic arm moves quickly around the tank, depositing a rubbery filament that remains suspended in the gel. The filament bonds to itself but not its surroundings, so once set, the drawn object can be removed in one piece. At Design Miami, visitors could see inside the transparent tank during the production process, then watch as the items were removed, cleaned up, and put on display. The entire process took only a few minutes per-design, and all of the objects were available to purchase straight away. The Self-Assembly Lab, co-directed by Skylar Tibbits and based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says that the process can also be used to print objects like furniture at a much larger scale – limited only by the size of the tank. "Traditional 3D printing is restricted by slow speeds, scale constraints, and poor material quality, which makes it unreliable as a mainstream manufacturing process," the team said. "With rapid liquid printing, manufacturing can be reimagined as an artistic experience unlimited by scale or gravity, asking us to rethink design, production, uniformity, and product life-cycles." Design Miami took place from 6 to 10 December 2017 in Miami Beach, coinciding with the Art Basel fair and other events that make up the city's annual art week. Highlights from the design fair included a door carved with cartoon aquatic creatures, a bronze oatmeal bowl, and a spherical room for peace and quiet. Related story MIT Self-Assembly Lab's Rapid Liquid Printing technology can "print furniture in minutes" Project credits: Self-Assembly Lab team: Bjorn Sparrman, Kate Hajash, Shokofeh Darbari, Schendy Kernizan, Jared Laucks and Skylar Tibbits In Collaboration with Christophe GuberanIn an exchange with Paul Krugman, political scientist Alan Abramowitz made one of the best cases I've heard for, as Krugman put it, "thinking the Trumpthinkable." At some point, Abramowitz argued, pundits need to admit that Trump has a good chance of winning the Republican presidential nomination. But that remains a minority viewpoint. Nate Silver, for instance, published a piece arguing that analysts extrapolating forward from Trump's current (and impressively durable) poll lead are likely to be disappointed. So I called Abramowitz and asked him to walk me through his argument in more detail. Ezra Klein Right now, the betting markets have Donald Trump at about 20 percent to be the Republican nominee. Do you think that's too high or too low? Alan Abramowitz I think it might be a little too low. I certainly don't think he's a strong favorite, but there's no way of really coming up with an accurate prediction of these things. Forecasting nomination contests is a fool's game, I think. I saw what Nate Silver posted on FiveThirtyEight, and what he's saying is reasonable based on the history of these presidential nominations, but there are a couple things I think are different this year. Silver makes the case that the polls at this point don't necessarily mean much, and you can get big swings in voter preferences in relatively short periods of time. And that's true. What I think is different is Republicans are tuned in to a much greater degree than they were at this point in previous nomination contests. You can see that in polling when you ask whether voters are paying attention, and you can see that in ratings for the debates. The idea that voters aren't tuned in yet and won't make up their minds till January or later may not prove as true as it has in the past. Because of the higher level of interest and attention this year, these early polls may be more predictive of what's likely to happen. The second point is Trump isn't only leading in national polling. He's leading in every state poll I've seen. He seems to be ahead in Iowa, in New Hampshire, in South Carolina, Nevada. Voters say he's a strong leader who will shake up Washington, and that's what they want. He's the leader on big issues like immigration, terrorism, the economy. And the Washington Post/ABC News poll found a plurality — even more voters than actually support him — think he's the candidate with the best chance of winning in November. If Trump does start to fade out, the good news, from the standpoint of Republican leaders and strategists, is that Ben Carson seems to be beginning to fade in support. The bad news is that the guy who is really well-positioned to pick up Carson and even Trump supporters is Ted Cruz. And Cruz right now is right on Trump's heels in Iowa. He has a very strong organization there, and it's an electorate he could do very well with. So, to me right now, it looks like there are three potential Republican nominees, and that would be Trump, Cruz, and Rubio. Ezra Klein A lot of pundits — and I include myself in this group — have a sort of Underpants Gnomes theory of Marco Rubio's chances. Step one is Rubio is the only acceptable nominee to Republican elites. Step two is... something. And step three is Rubio wins the nomination. But when I really look at Rubio, he is about as stylistically and substantively different from Trump as you can get. Rubio is Trump’s opposite: young where Trump is old, Hispanic where Trump is white, courtly where Trump is brash, hopeful where Trump is angry, intellectual where Trump is instinctual, an insider where Trump is an outsider, soft on immigration where Trump is beyond hard-line. That, plus the fact that Rubio's really barely moved in the polls, makes me wonder why so many pundits — again, myself included — feel he's such a likely nominee. Alan Abramowitz I agree. In many ways, Rubio offers a pretty sharp contrast with the three anti-establishment candidates. But if you look at his favorability numbers among Republican voters he's very well-liked, and he has very low unfavorables. He has ties to the Tea Party, he's very conservative, and so he's the only plausible establishment candidate I can see winning the nomination at this point. Ezra Klein You mentioned that polling shows Republican voters think Trump has the best chance to win the general election while Republican elites are terrified of nominating him. Are you sure Republican voters are wrong there? I think I could make a case that Trump is a stronger general election candidate than, say, Ted Cruz. Alan Abramowitz It matters less who the nominee is now than it used to. The overwhelming majority of Republican voters will vote for the Republican nominee no matter who it is, and that's true even if it's Donald Trump. The dislike of Obama and Clinton and the Democrats is so strong that I don't think you'll see mass defections. But I think you would see some defections, and a Donald Trump would really help with the Democrats' task of mobilizing their base. The Latino vote would certainly be larger than it's ever been. There's no question Trump really scares Latinos and they despise him. There's no other Republican candidate who attracts that kind of animus from Latinos. So I don't see how he could win. I don't see one state he could carry that Mitt Romney didn't carry. Ezra Klein In his piece, Nate Silver basically argued that pundits were taking Trump's chances too seriously, but one thing I was thinking about after reading the article is I can't think of a candidate who has been this dominant, for this long, and has been taken less seriously by the media. We pretty much continually cover Trump as if there's no way he can win the nomination, despite the fact that he's led the polls for a long time now. Even when people do consider the idea that the guy leading the polls might also win the nomination, it's framed as this bold, counterintuitive concept. Alan Abramowitz Certainly in 2007, Rudy Giuliani was the frontrunner for a long time. But even he didn't dominate the polling like this— Ezra Klein Let me push on the Giuliani comparison you're making there. Giuliani was a popular, extremely hawkish, slightly heterodox Republican mayor who ended up getting beaten by a popular, extremely hawkish, slightly heterodox Republican senator. He didn't win, but his replacement was someone very much like him. If that's the analogy for Trump, then I don't see how the support goes to Rubio. Alan Abramowitz That's fair, and McCain was pretty lucky. If you look at the way the field lined up in the early primaries, he had a divided field of more conservative candidates who split the vote against him. Giuliani didn't even run in New Hampshire. And Republican voters were not as hostile to their own party's establishment. Ezra Klein A lot of the skepticism to Trump — and I include my skepticism here — assumes that at some point, Republican voters take the cue from Republican elites that this guy either is a bad bet in the general or ideologically untrustworthy. But I don't know how much more strongly the Republican Party, and frankly the entire media, could be sending that signal. I don't think I've ever seen such a diverse array of elected officials, party influencers, and media outlets hammer home the same point so relentlessly. So I don't know why it is that we're confident the signal will start working given its complete and total failure up till this point. Alan Abramowitz There have been very clear signals already from the
control issue is part of the story, but so is the Konami Japan part of the story. If the money were there, the Tokyo-based developers would be too.is not where Konami Japan sees a need to spend money anymore.And, of course, there�s Sony. Its president of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, recently admitted that it�s having a �more difficult time than we anticipated getting support from third-party publishers� for the PlayStation Vita. According to Yoshida, the report goes, mobile/social development is the reason. Now, the 3DS is an entirely different class than the Vita when it comes to both development costs and success, but the Vita can rightly be seen as the canary in the coal mine for the third-party publishing model.Let�s get back to the premise. It�s worth reminding the reader at this juncture that this is not a �Nintendo is doomed� story, because Nintendo isn�t doomed, and the 3DS is far from a failure. Japanese publishers will bring hardcore games to the system -- maybe the bulk of the country�s domestically-targeted hardcore game output, especially if the Vita continues to sink like a stone, andcontinues to stick to the 3DS. I�ve heard these kinds of rumors more than once.But will large publishers increasingly direct their software efforts elsewhere? Yes. Will the increased success of mobile games and platforms pull in their attentions? Yes. Is it currently easier to be successful with a smaller investment on mobile? Yes.Ben Cousins, the head of Ngmoco�s Sweden studio, pointed out this quote to me on Twitter: "While the Nintendo 3DS has a certain degree of sales momentum in Japan, the momentum in the U.S. and Europe is currently weak.�This comes from president Satoru Iwata, from Nintendo�s recent shareholder meeting. Iwata goes on to say thatand the 3DS XL will help turn things around, but it�s not a done deal as yet. It may never be a done deal. We just don�t know yet. If sales don�t pick up, the number of games will not, either.Buried in that wall of text is a chart with an interesting if vague data point: smartphones are a more attractive game platform to U.S. consumers than the 3DS, according to Nintendo�s own data.�In order for dedicated video game hardware to be needed continuously, it is necessary to provide games with fun elements unique to a certain video game system which cannot be realized on smartphone devices. We would like to introduce such games one after another,� Iwata went on to say.This is the crux of the problem, and I think returns to the original premise nicely. It�s always been difficult for third parties to stand out on Nintendo platforms due to the quality of the company�s games, and also because the investments most publishers make in these games are slight, and top talent does not work on them. There are rarely if ever what you�d call triple-A DS games outside of Nintendo�s. If that�s what it takes to compete on the platform, companies are going to walk away.I hesitate to point out once more what we all know: Western companies by and large couldn�t figure out how to make really great and successful games for the Wii, once more because top talent wasn�t (typically) involved, and the budgets and schedules sucked. And that was when the Wii was the top platform in the market, period -- before the social/mobile explosion that started in late 2008.Nintendo always provokes an emotional response in readers that you just don�t get with Microsoft or Sony. It�s a mixed function of the company�s games being so emotionally affecting, so many of today�s adults having had their brains wired by the company in the 1980s and 1990s, and -- at least in my case -- that it�s a company that is top to bottom run by developers (Iwata started as a programmer atand. creator HAL Laboratory, after all.) So it�s hard to face facts sometimes. But things are definitely changing, and refusing to acknowledge it doesn�t make it any less true.Is Nintendo going to die? No. Of course not. Is it going to be forced into the smartphone software business? Certainly not that either; Young doesn�t think so, and neither do I. And while momentum for the 3DS is slow, it�s no disaster as yet. So yes: there will be incredible games for the 3DS in the future. But will they be from third parties, particularly Western ones? Increasingly it seems less likely. And what knockdown effect that has on Nintendo�s business is far from clear.A couple who failed to seek medical treatment for their baby daughter, who was severely ill with eczema before an infection killed her, wept in the dock today as they were jailed for her manslaughter. Thomas Sam, 42, and his wife Manju, 37, were convicted in the NSW Supreme Court over the death of nine-month-old Gloria, with a jury accepting they were guilty of criminal negligence. Thomas Sam and his wife Manju Sam. Credit:Peter Rae Sentencing Thomas Sam to a minimum of six years in jail and Manju Sam to at least four, Justice Peter Johnson said Gloria was subjected to significant pain over an extended period and her parents' failure to seek proper help for her amounted to cruelty. "Gloria suffered helplessly and unnecessarily... from a condition that was treatable," the judge said.The comedy stylings of John McCain can fall awkwardly on the ear. From rape jokes to casual ditties about bombing Iran, the Arizonan's affinity for off-color utterances has been well documented. Recognizing this, his campaign appears to have settled on a strategy for turning that weakness into a strength. From now on, it seems, each infelicitous remark or risky attack made by McCain or his campaign will be attributed to that roguish sense of humor -- regardless of whether the event in question could reasonably be construed as comedic. The first example of this strategy emerged in the immediate aftermath of McCain's now famous "Celeb" attack ad, which compared Barack Obama's celebrity to that of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. "We think it's got a lot of humor in it, we're having fun and enjoying it," McCain told reporters in response to the backlash against the ad's curiously unfunny tone (in which a grave-sounding female voice-over artist questions whether Obama is "ready to lead"). Whether or not you believe the ad was effective, unfair or simply smart politics (or some combination thereof), the bottom line is that it was objectively serious in nature. Lines about "more foreign oil" and "higher taxes" are not the stuff of Saturday Night Live. When confronted over charges of negative campaigning, however, McCain and his campaign made an aesthetic claim instead of a substantive one -- something they probably hoped the political press would be unwilling to call out as disingenuous. After all, there's no accounting for taste, right? On the other hand, an accounting of strategy is fair ground for political reporters. And it's become increasingly clear that, in citing humor as an evergreen excuse, the McCain campaign is guilty of not only bad faith, but something like ill humor. How else to explain McCain's response to a reporter's question about Jerome Corsi's error-strewn, anti-Obama book? "Gotta keep your sense of humor," he said. However, the "humor" excuse doesn't quite work if your campaign has decided not to comment at all, so a spokeswoman immediately retracted McCain's statement -- alleging that the Senator thought he was responding to a question about one of his many advertisements. This week, the humor crutch is being leaned on again. As initial reports out of the Rick Warren's Saddleback Forum made note of McCain's definition of "the rich" as those who earn more than $5 million in annual salary, we're now told the key to understanding the candidate's answer to a serious question is that he was only joking. Hilarious as all these japes are, is it too much to suggest that the McCain campaign's continuing reliance on them falls afoul of the "straight talk" motto? After all, isn't it the job of presidential candidates to quit messing around at some point and actually deliver serious answers?There are a lot of trendy supplements hitting the market that claim to work miracles, and some may actually do so. But it’s an old back-of-the-pantry spice that is getting attention these days as a super supplement and health remedy – Turmeric. Despite having a nice kick to add some flare to foods, Turmeric is being hailed as a major player in the world of supplementation. It has shown promise in treatment for multiple sclerosis, it is considered a natural detoxifier, and it has even been linked with breast cancer and Alzheimer’s prevention and spreading. But it is Turmeric’s immediate medicinal value that has everyone running to their spice cabinets. Having natural antiseptic and antibacterial properties, Turmeric is an excellent choice for treating minor cuts and burns. It also can be used as supplement to help boost metabolic rate for dieters and an anti-inflammatory for those that suffering from psoriasis or other skin conditions. While it is available in pill form, Turmeric can easily be incorporated daily in diet by simply adding it to salads, spiced teas, and side dishes. It is important to note that in its raw form, Turmeric’s medicinal values are best enhanced when you add ground black pepper to it for the most efficient digestion of the supplement. It’s yellow color and kicked up flavor will add interest and health benefits to your daily routine. ReferenceEarly trials are underway to collect real-time data on riders' speed and position in the peloton and feeding it directly to TV stations to display to audiences, BikeRadar has learned. If the experiment proves successful it means TV audiences could soon view stats on hardest working riders and which team members have spent the longest time on the front of the peloton. Operatives from the Euro Media Group, who specialise in outside broadcasting, were spotted cable tying cadence sensor-size units to the undercarriage of team saddles at today’s Criterium du Dauphine stage start in Grésy-sur-Aix. While the operatives remained tight-lipped about what they were up to, Bruno Gallais, international business development manager at Euro Media later confirmed to BikeRadar the company was working with ASO, organisers of the Tour de France, on the early stage trials of the GPS-based technology. However the technology won’t be ready in time for the start of the 100th Tour de France which starts at the end of June, said Gallais. Instead, the first live figures and stats could be streamed at Paris-Tours, another ASO race in mid-October. If the technology is successful, it could provide audience – and commentator - friendly stats on the amount of time riders have spent on the front, hard working domestiques doing bottle runs back to team cars and the cohesiveness of teams riding as groups within the peloton. It could also provide useful data for conscientious team managers about their riders’ work rate and positioning. Broadcasting in-race data to wider audiences has been trialled before. Commentators used to be able to access heart rate data on selected riders during races, and power meter maker SRM fitted GPS units to selected riders’ bikes in the 2005 Tour de France. None of the previous efforts have stuck, however.A mega-Walgreens is headed for lower Powell Street C.W. Nevius On San Francisco One of the 68 Walgreens in San Francisco is at 1344 Stockton St. on the edge of North beach in Chinatown. One of the 68 Walgreens in San Francisco is at 1344 Stockton St. on the edge of North beach in Chinatown. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close A mega-Walgreens is headed for lower Powell Street 1 / 1 Back to Gallery An epic Walgreens store - "unlike anything you've ever seen," according to District Manager Dave Devencenzi - is planned for lower Powell Street, just off the cable car line. The store will remodel the lower floor of the existing Walgreens and then expand upstairs to take over Lori's Diner, which is moving up the street. Walgreens stores are always a bit of a lightning rod in San Francisco because there are 68 within the city limits. But officials in the pharmacy chain believe that the amenities offered by this store, and the fact that it is just an expansion of an existing location, will mitigate objections. It will feature its own bakery, a custom cosmetics department, fresh produce, a juice and coffee bar, and fine wines and alcohol. First, however, the location must have a liquor license approved. Devencenzi said an informational meeting is scheduled for July 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the community room at 201 Turk St. Construction is scheduled to start in October, and the plan is to open in May 2013. The high-traffic Market/Powell corridor has been a gold mine for Walgreens. The neighborhood is home to some of the highest-grossing stores in its national chain. But this flagship store, which will grow to about 18,000 square feet, will redefine the experience. Devencenzi says there are only two like it in the country, one in New York City and the other in Chicago. At the Chicago grand opening in January, a Tribune reporter gushed about the sushi bar, mini health spa and $2,000 bottle of cognac. For a neighborhood better known for pint bottles of cheap Royal Gate vodka, that would be quite a change. Capt. Greg Corrales is sending a message that he won't allow pot sales in Golden Gate Park. In one five-day period, his Park Station officers made 10 bust-buy arrests. Corrales says he's getting great cooperation from the district attorney's office, and most of those arrested end up copping to a felony plea. Corrales has even made some undercover buys himself, although one dealer suspected he was a cop. "I feigned outrage," Corrales said. "I said, 'How can I be a cop? I'm 75 years old.' So the guy said, 'OK, OK, we have to be careful,' and sold it to me. But in retrospect I was kind of annoyed that he believed I was 75 years old." Annals of crime, Chronicle edition. A cell phone was stolen from a woman walking in front of the Chronicle building. She rushed inside, said she'd been robbed, and one of our security guards ran out, grabbed the suspect and held him for the police. Talk about the power of the press.For the Birds: An interview with David Allen Sibley (Video) Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Renown birder and author David Allen Sibley visits Norwalk to birdwatch with The Hour's Chris Bosak Saturday. Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Renown birder and author David Allen Sibley visits Norwalk to birdwatch with The Hour's Chris Bosak Saturday. Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close For the Birds: An interview with David Allen Sibley (Video) 1 / 3 Back to Gallery Give me something, anything. Those were my thoughts as David Sibley and I rode the elevator down from The Hour offices to the ground level last weekend. I had just finished interviewing him and wanted to show him the great birdlife along the Norwalk River from our office. I had told him about the Peregrine Falcons and Osprey that I see frequently here. I boasted about the great waterfowl that had been showing up over the last few weeks -- the Eared Grebes, Red-throated Loons and all three mergansers. Binoculars in hand we headed to the boardwalk near the river. A single sleeping Mallard, a few Herring Gulls flying back and forth, the occasional pigeon flyby and a distant Double-crested Cormorant. That's it. I was standing with arguably the country's most well-known birdwatcher and all I could show him were a few ordinary species. Oh well, I'm sure he understands that some birding days are just like that. I could have tried a few other spots around town, but time was tight. He had a speaking engagement at Greenwich Audubon later that evening and I would have been in big trouble if I got him there late. On the drive to Greenwich we saw a few Red-tailed Hawks and Common Mergansers. Not unusual species by any stretch, but more interesting than pigeons and gulls. Sibley's publisher had set up the interview. I was hoping for a quick phone interview, but they said he was going to be in Connecticut in a few weeks. Could I hold on and spend a few hours in person with him? Sports Videos Ah, yeah, no problem. The second edition of Sibley's groundbreaking field guide hit the shelves on March 11 and his schedule is jammed pack with speaking engagements and book signings throughout the country. Like I'm going to turn down that offer. The highlight of the day, for me, was the interview itself. We talked first about his groundbreaking field guide, The Sibley Guide to Birds, which was published in 2000. It was revolutionary and represented what he thought a field guide should look like. The thousands of drawings in the guide are all his. It was the culmination of 12 years of work for the artist and ornithologist. We switched gears and talked about the second edition of the Sibley Guide to Birds. The birding world was abuzz with anticipation as the March 11 release date closed in. Since it's release, the buzz hasn't let up. The second edition includes several updates and additions. It includes more than 600 new illustrations and more than 100 additional rare birds are included. The maps have also been revised to update the movement of bird populations over the last 14 years. "I had a lot of information I wanted to add and some little things I wanted to correct," he said. "A few species names have changed and I wanted to fix that. It's just an overall update of the book. I rewrote almost all the text. It's essentially a completely new book." In addition to the new illustrations, Sibley said he updated about 50 percent of the art of the original book. Personally, I love the Sibley guides and the way the birds are presented. Sibley's drawings highlight the birds' plumage subtleties against a white background to eliminate any distractions. The birds are shown in all plumages, such as male, female, winter, breeding, immature and adult. Maps and descriptions are on the same page. From there the questions during the interview covered a wide range of birding topics: from Snowy Owls to bird conservation; from western hummingbirds to moving east to his younger days in Cape May, N.J.; and from his father's influence on his childhood to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Other video snippets will also be available at www.birdsofnewengland.com shortly. I enjoy doing interviews that go off in several different directions. It's interesting to hear what well-known ornithologists think about certain birding topics. I'll conclude this column with Sibley's thoughs on birdwatching in New England. He was born in Connecticut and now lives in Massachusetts. "Having grown up here, I really got fascinated by bird migration and the change of seasons, which is something New Englanders have to appreciate. You have to enjoy the change of seasons to live here and birds make it easier to appreciate the change of seasons because there's always something to look forward to," he said. "Each month of the year is different. There's such a dramatic change between, say, March and May. This flood of migration that happens around the end of April and beginning of May when all of the sudden you go out one day and there's 20 species in your neighborhood that weren't there the day before. The warblers and vireos and flycatchers and others migrants from the Tropics that have just come back for the summer. It's just so exciting -- when spring finally breaks open and the birds are back." The birds certainly weren't around the Norwalk River on this particular day, but that minor disappointment pales in comparison to the fascinating birding conversation that was had moments before. For the Birds runs Thursdays in The Hour. Chris Bosak can be reached at [email protected]. Visit his website at birdsofnewengland.com.Is Absolute Zero really free? Yes. We guarantee you'll pay absolutely nothing to file your federal (1040EZ/1040A) and state taxes. This is a limited time offer and returns must be filed before the offer ends. Customers will receive an email notice prior to offer end date. Join the millions who file for $0 60 million hard-working Americans can file their federal (1040EZ/1040A) and state taxes for free and so can you, if you: Made less than $100,000 Don't own a home or rental property Didn't sell investments Don't own a business or have 1099-MISC income Don't have any major medical expenses How does TurboTax make any money? We offer additional benefits that go beyond filing your taxes. You'll have an opportunity to add these benefits as you're doing your taxes, but they're completely optional and are not required to file your taxes for free. But many of our customers value features like: One‐on‐one help for answers, on demand with a TurboTax specialist 24/7 Tax Return Access to view and print copies of all your completed TurboTax returns With Absolute Zero, the power to file for free is all yours! What now? To get started with Absolute Zero simply click File for $0, and you're on your way!Note: This is part of a blog post from 9NEWS reporter Brandon Rittiman. To the dismay of internet trolls, I chose to drive my new electric car instead of returning it to the dealership or smashing it for scrap metal. And guess what? It's a HELLUVA lot cheaper to drive than our other car: 72.8 percent cheaper, to be exact. I'll do the math on this below so you can see my methodology and update a few more things I've learned driving this car for a month as well. We recently became the unlikely owners of a Nissan Leaf, thanks to a combination of private incentives and government tax credits in Colorado that slashed the effective pre-tax price of the car to $9,400 in our case. (The $10,000 Xcel customer incentive expires June 30.) READ MORE | Haters be hatin' on my cheap new EV The first month's power bill is in: driving this car for my daily commute and around-town errands for the month raised our electric bill about 30 bucks. Our June electric bill was $31.61 higher than the average cost from the three months before we started plugging in our car. Helpfully, our billing cycle began the day after we bought the car. And we didn't need to turn on the air conditioning in our house before that billing cycle ended. In the first month, we put about 1,000 miles on the Leaf. We used off-site chargers twice to do about 100 miles of that driving, which means I drove about 900 miles on power that came from the wall outlet in my garage. SERIOUSLY? | How to get a new EV for under $10,000 The cheap gas near my house runs $2.19 a gallon right now. Our other car (which we love!) is a 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited that gets 17 miles per gallon. Crunching the numbers to drive 900 miles: Our Jeep Wrangler: $116.07 Our Nissan Leaf: $31.61 Put another way, as cost per mile: Our Jeep Wrangler: 13¢ per mile Our Nissan Leaf: 3.5¢ per mile In our first month, we saved $84.46 in energy costs by using the EV as our primary commuter and around-town car. That's nearly 73 percent of the amount we'd have spent to drive the Jeep the same number of miles. In our case, it's a little more than we need to cover the added insurance cost of owning a second car that's brand-new, since we shared one car before. You've got to check out the rest of Brandon's post on his blog. Seriously. Check it out. Find it at this link. Copyright 2017 KUSAwindow._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type:'mix' }); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-9', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 9', target_type:'mix' }); Photo: Amy Graff Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close Image 2 of 10 A pack of guinea pigs cuddles up at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. A pack of guinea pigs cuddles up at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. Photo: Amy Graff Image 3 of 10 A guinea pig scurries around in the grass at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. A guinea pig scurries around in the grass at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. Photo: Amy Graff Image 4 of 10 Abandoned pets such as guinea pigs and rabbits are commonly left at Dolores Park. Abandoned pets such as guinea pigs and rabbits are commonly left at Dolores Park. Photo: Amy Graff Image 5 of 10 Image 6 of 10 A family of guinea pigs left at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015, will be retrieved by San Francisco Animal Care & Control. A family of guinea pigs left at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015, will be retrieved by San Francisco Animal Care & Control. Photo: Amy Graff Image 7 of 10 Guinea pigs hiding in the bushes at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. Guinea pigs hiding in the bushes at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. Photo: Amy Graff Image 8 of 10 An abandoned guinea pig at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. An abandoned guinea pig at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. Photo: Amy Graff Image 9 of 10 A guinea pig hiding in the grass at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. A guinea pig hiding in the grass at Dolores Park on February 25, 2015. Photo: Amy Graff Image 10 of 10 Pack of guinea pigs abandoned at Dolores Park 1 / 10 Back to Gallery If you were waiting for the J train at the 20th and Church Streets Muni stop this morning, you might have noticed guinea pigs scampering around in the grass above the tracks. When the train rustled by, the furry rodents darted into bushes but as soon as quiet fell they came out from hiding to nibble on grass. The lead gardener at Dolores Park, who prefers to go by just Michelle, says about six or seven guinea pigs were left in the park overnight. “People leave all kinds of pets in Dolores Park,” Michelle says. “Bunnies, chickens and once I caught a man grazing his goats here.” “It’s Dolores Park,” she added. “We get a lot of weird stuff here.” Animal Care & Control is on their way to Dolores Park to retrieve the guinea pigs. “They’ll be held for five days,” says Animal Care & Control Sergeant Eleanor Sadler. “If they’re healthy and friendly they’ll then be put up for adoption. If they’re not friendly, they’ll be offered to a breed specific rescue.” Michelle says that if kittens had been left in the park, she might have taken one home. “I’m not partial to rodents such as hamsters and guinea pigs.”The lifting of an embargo on arming rebels was supposed to have pressured the Syrian president to the negotiating table. LONDON // It was as much plea as question. What exactly, General Salim Idris, the commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army, told England's Daily Telegraph last week, "are our friends in the West waiting for?" He was talking about the lack of any sign of officially sanctioned weapons shipments from Europe and the United States to Syrian rebels who are looking increasingly fractious and whose forces have suffered a number of setbacks in recent weeks. It is a question that goes to the heart of western policy on Syria, or, as analysts increasingly describe it, the absence of policy. No decision has yet been made to supply weapons, William Hague, the British foreign secretary told parliamentarians on Tuesday. But he was responding to mounting suspicions that Britain has quietly dropped the idea. Senior military advisers have reportedly advised David Cameron, the British prime minister, that Bashar Al Assad, the Syrian president, could survive in power for years even if rebels received some arms from the West. It leaves Britain's and France's vociferous opposition to extending the European Union's arms embargo on Syria in late May looking like a bluff, said Christopher Phillips, a Syria specialist at Queen Mary, University of London - one, he said, whose logic was "flawed". "Britain and France seemed, naively, to believe that by simply threatening to arm the rebels, that would alter Assad's behaviour," Mr Phillips said. What happened was the opposite. Buoyed after retaking the western town of Qusayr early last month, Syrian government forces backed by fighters from the Lebanese Shiite Hizbollah movement have been pressing an offensive ever since. Russia and Iran, meanwhile, both staunch supporters of Mr Assad, have doubled down and the flow of weapons to Syria's military continues undiminished. It should not have been a surprise, said Mr Phillips, that at the first sign of western weapons deliveries, Syria's backers would step in. "It was quite obvious, long before the decision to lift the arms embargo, that the supporters of Assad were willing to commit a lot more resources to this fight then the opponents of Assad, in the West at least." In fact, European leaders were candid at the time that the end of the arms embargo was not meant to result in an instant arming of Syrian rebels, said Nadim Shehadeh, an analyst at Chatham House, a think tank in London. That was partly why it failed as a political manoeuvre. "You cannot bluff and show your cards at the same time." Mr Shehadeh argued that only direct military intervention by western countries led by the US could succeed in dislodging Mr Assad from power. But there is little public appetite for this in Europe. And Washington has "learnt the wrong lessons" from its occupation of Iraq, said Mr Shehadeh. "This administration has trapped itself in a narrative of anti-interventionism," Mr Shehadeh said. An "important part" of Washington's inability to formulate a coherent policy on Syria, he argued, is the opinion that Iraq was a disaster and Barack Obama's determination to distance his administration clearly from the previous one under George W Bush. That has resulted in the present policy vacuum, creating a situation similar to Iraq in 1991, Mr Shehadeh said, when a western-encouraged but not directly supported uprising against Saddam Hussein failed. It is a policy vacuum that is unlikely to be filled by any European initiative, and it is not going to be filled fast. The only question is, Mr Phillips said, how far Syria's army can push its advantage on the battlefield in the meantime. [email protected] this week, I read an article onTechCrunch about Twitter winning an exclusive deal with the NFL, giving the social network the right to live stream Thursday Night Football. As I read this article, I couldn't help but to chuckle because literally right before the TechCrunch headline appeared in my Apple News app, I'd scrolled past a headline emphatically proclaiming the death of Twitter. It's the same old line we've been hearing about Facebook for more than ten years, by the way, where everyone's been claiming Facebook's dead and young people don't use it - which is blatantly untrue as Facebook is still the preferred platform for everyone, including Millennials. So, here we are now in the midst of the Twitter death knell. Every day someone proclaims that it's all over for the micro-blog. The New Yorker noted "The End of Twitter" in January. Gizmodo recently proclaimed that Twitter is Flatlining and said the social network "needs to add users at a higher rate or risk growing irrelevant." In February, The Huffington Post predicted Twitter's death citing statistics from other digital ventures. With all due respect to these and the other media outlets digging Twitter's grave, let me tell you why I think they're wrong. Twitter and Entertainment Twitter is irrevocably tied to the entertainment industry. During live television events - whether it's The Walking Dead, Top Chef, or an NFL Game - fans are on Twitter talking about what's happening and sharing hashtags about key moments. Just watch any episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, he consistently (and hilariously) creates trending Twitter hashtags related to his segments. Many of these take on a life of their own, spawning memes and new content. Like #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain where in response to Donald Trump mocking people for having changed their name, Oliver pointed out that Donald Trump's original name was actually Drumpf. Twitter and Politics This leads me to another category where Twitter reigns: politics. Try watching a debate today and not seeing questions coming from Twitter. Try supporting (or opposing) a political candidate without hearing what he or she Tweeted. It simply can't be done. Because politicians are celebrities, politics is also irrevocably tied to Twitter. Let's not forget that a presidential candidate Twitter fight made front-page news last month. And because Twitter is now seen as the "voice of the people", people on Twitter are now a part of debates. In fact, here's a funny moment from the show Parks and Recreation where a debate moderator illustrates that point. (Apologies for the quality, it's all I could find on that clip). Twitter and Breaking News When tragedy strikes, it's still Twitter that delivers the details and first-accounts because Twitter remains the best source for real-time information. Most of the world first learned about - and watched in real time - the horrible attacks in Brussels via tweet. Twitter and Brands Finally, I would still argue that Twitter plays a vital role for brands. LG had great success with their Twitter treasure hunt (#lgtickethunter) to boost smartphone sales amongst 16-24 year-olds. The campaign received 5,000 tweets on the first day and went on to reach 50,000 by the end. This, combined with impressive engagement rates of 38% from their sponsored links, helped them to quadruple their smartphone sales among 16-24 year olds during the weeks following the campaign. Show me the death knell in that. Taco Bell wanted to boost engagement with some of their most influential followers (users who have over 10,000 followers themselves). So they maximized their brand awareness through mentions, retweets and recommendations and reached more than 600,000 Twitter followers - roughly 3x as many as one of their biggest fast-food rivals, BurgerKing. Combing the brand engagement and entertainment factor on Twitter, Mercedes-Benz used Twitter just last year to drive buzz around a new TV ad. They shared a 30 second clip of a car chase and then allowed the Twittersphere to vote for what happened next. The winning story was aired during 'The X Factor' the following week. It was one of the first examples of combining TV advertising with social media to create online and offline media buzz. And, it's not just for consumer engagement. B2B brands are using Twitter effectively. Content creation drives social media - and sharing relevant third-party content is essential for positioning your brand as a helpful, customer-centric business, and authority for a particular industry. GoToMeeting understands this - they fill their Twitter feed with actionable content from both parent-company Citrix and other industry-relevant sources. The end result is a Twitter community 50,000 strong who view GoToMeeting as their "go to" resource for industry news. While it's true that Twitter's stock valuation has dropped recently, it's also true that Twitter has hundreds of millions of monthly users. And, no matter how you slice it, that is a thriving social network. It makes no sense to suggest that the hundreds of millions of people who use Twitter every day do not find it a relevant service. Is it as big as Facebook? No. But, that shouldn't be the only measure of success for a social platform. This post originally appeared on Jennifer Jones' blogUS Secretary of State John Kerry came close to revealing his true thoughts when he was accosted by two Syrian aid workers at a reception in London after the collapse of the Geneva talks last week. The Syrians accused him of doing nothing to protect civilians from the onslaught they are facing in Aleppo. Kerry replied: "Don’t blame me – go and blame your opposition," laying the fault for the government's offensive on the opposition walking out of the talks. Kerry got flustered in the encounter: "What do you want me to do? Go to war with Russia? Is that what you want?" the aid worker said Kerry told her. Kerry then anticipated three months of bombing during which time "the opposition will be decimated". Kerry’s off-mic encounter deviated significantly from the official line which was that Russia and Iran had offered Washington a ceasefire. Kerry’s remarks differed also from the State Department mantra that the brutality of Assad against the Syrian people had helped foster the growth of the Islamic State group. Apparently now, Syrians who resisted Assad’s brutality were responsible for the barrel bombs being dropped on them. After multiple avowals that Assad’s army was on the point of collapse and the ill-fated CIA training programmes, Syrian rebels are being sold down the river by the country that urged them to rise up five years ago. The Deraa protests started peacefully. To that everyone attests. Four factors turned those protests into an armed uprising: the brutality of the regime’s response, Assad’s decision to release Jihadis from Sednaya Prison, an act which "Islamised" the opposition, the Libyan intervention, and the intervention of foreign powers - Iran and Saudi Arabia. The scenes today on the Turkish border are a direct consequence of Obama’s "intervention-lite" in Syria - a drip feed of weapons - but only 16 bullets per fighter per month. The Free Syrian Army has reportedly stopped receiving weapons for four months. In Libya, Obama boasted he was leading from behind. In Syria
the night before I left for Denmark. Advertisement: My mother was helping me fold clothes into my suitcases when she started clearing her throat. “So, Careen, um … you’re about to go to, um, Denmark. And, you know, they’re a lot more open about, um, sex over there. So, you know, um, if there’s anything you want to ask me …” I quickly reassured her that I knew everything I needed to know. She smiled in relief, changed the subject, and we finished packing. So imagine my surprise — after moving in with a gregarious Danish family in their big, rambling house on the outskirts of Copenhagen — when I observed that my younger Danish host brother, at age 15, had a girlfriend who would frequently eat dinner with us … and eat breakfast with us again the next morning. She was spending the night. In his room. And his parents were OK with it. And so, presumably, were hers. I knew Denmark was going to be different, but I hadn’t been prepared for this. After some months in Denmark, I fell in love with a tall, 19-year-old blond named Peter. He was actually an acquaintance of my host mother’s — she was a well-known amateur collector of fluorescent minerals, and he was a science geek who had met her at a talk she gave at the Danish Geological Museum — so it was natural for him to spend time with me in my host family’s home. One Friday night, after a late dinner, it seemed just as natural for him to spend the night rather than driving back home, which was at least a 30-minute commute. Advertisement: My host mother, assuming (correctly) that most Americans are more puritanical than Danes about sex, and anxious not to tread on my own parents’ values, asked me the next day (somewhat belatedly) if she should give my mother a call. I breezily told her not to worry. It wasn’t the first time I’d had sex, and yes, we were using protection. In fact, thanks to the Danish healthcare system, I had already gone to a doctor in town and gotten a prescription for birth control pills, which I was able to fill at the local pharmacy free of charge. My parents came to visit me in Denmark in the spring of my year abroad, staying in my host family’s house. The first morning after their arrival, my mother came into my bedroom, just like she had always done when I was growing up, to wake me up. She was surprised to find Peter in my bed, and mumbled a quick greeting before swiftly taking her leave. But she said nothing further about it, and we all had a nice week together before my parents flew home. I was pleased that they had apparently accepted my adulthood and ability to make my own decisions, and glad that I could be open about the fact that I was having sex with my boyfriend. The days of making out in cars were behind me. Fast-forward a year later. I’m home for the summer after my first year in college. Peter has come to visit me. My parents greet him warmly. But when I start to take his suitcase upstairs, assuming that he will stay in my room, my father steps in, grabs the suitcase, and takes it and Peter down to the guest room in the basement. That is where they expect him to stay for the duration of his visit. Peter and I quickly decide that we want to embark early on our planned cross-country driving trip, and leave the next day. Did my father think we wouldn’t have sex while we were on the road? Of course not. But he took a typical “not in my house” attitude, and my mother went along with it. I was so disappointed at the hypocrisy. It was back to sex in cars for the summer. Advertisement: When my own daughter embarked on her first serious high school relationship, we talked openly about birth control. The summer after her senior year of high school, her then-boyfriend frequently spent the night at our house, and we all had lovely breakfasts together in the morning. My daughter and I never had “the talk” either, but not because I was afraid to talk to her about sex, or because I wanted to shelter her from the facts of life, or because I willfully pretended not to know that she had become sexually active. Rather, I strived to create an ongoing sense of openness and trust between us. We talked about sex many times over the years, as the subject came up and when it seemed appropriate, just like we talked about anything else. I never explicitly told her to have some awesome fucking sex, like the father whose blog post recently went viral. But I hope I created an atmosphere that allowed her to embrace her sexuality and her sensuality, to trust me and to trust herself. She is now 23, and I do hope she’s having some awesome fucking sex. There, I said it. I do know that, unlike some of her more sheltered peers, whose parents monitored their every move until they left home, my daughter didn’t need to go wild with drink and drugs and sex in college. Sure, she’s experimented with all of the above, but she has always kept a level head. I like to think I was able to raise her this way because of my own open-minded introduction — station wagon deflowering notwithstanding — to a key part of human existence. This is the way the women in my Danish Facebook group were raised, and this is how many of them are trying to raise their children in America, but it’s a challenge. Maybe it’s no surprise that the Danes have been called the happiest people in the world. We could learn a thing or two from them. I certainly did.California proposition 19 — to decriminalize and tax marijuana — is being opposed by an organization called “Public Safety First”. But it seems ironic that an organization whose very name implies that they want to promote public safety, has received a rather large donation from the California Beer and Beverage Distributors. Why would the alcohol industry want to keep marijuana illegal? I can only guess. After all, the group making the contribution includes Heineken, who would know from first hand experience in Amsterdam how legalization of marijuana might influence alcohol consumption. The only reason we know this is because in California, such donations must be public. In fact, you can see the donation at this website. Isn’t it a shame that Republicans managed to block a bill (by threatening a filibuster) that would have required public disclosure of political spending by corporations? This example highlights the problems of treating corporate money as protected speech. I’m absolutely sure that Beer and Beverage Distributors don’t care whether marijuana should be legal or about any public safety issues at all. They only care about protecting their business. Not only does this result in the best laws money can buy, but it destroys the free market. In effect, the alcohol industry is using the government to prevent free enterprise. And any conservative who claims to hate government regulation, but supports laws that make marijuana illegal — certainly the ultimate regulation — is a complete hypocrite.Zev Averbach organized this Tech Show and Tell in association with Vermont Coders Connection on December 11th, 2015. A video was recorded, and I did some incomplete live tweeting. If someone else has a tweet for the presenters I missed, tag me @shanecelis. Speaking of which, we need a hashtag for these events. Maybe #showandtellvt? Andrea Suozzo wrote an article on the Tech Show and Tell for Vermont Tech Jam. Come see, hear, show and tell the awesome things Vermonters are building in tech. Software, hardware, data, biotech, energy: We know things are happening in these areas but often only at launch/funding/acquisition or via word of mouth. No longer! Via a series of lightning talks, we’ll learn what projects and technologies people from across tech are most excited about. Pizza will be provided by Generator, and we’ll meet and greet after an hour of talks. Lightning Talks (6:15pm-7:15pm, five minutes each) -Zev Watch. Evidence that placebos work even in the absence of deception is a profound discovery. Zeebo is the world’s first branded placebo, and is meant to help patients and clinicians become more aware of placebo versus other treatment effects. Watch. Quokka Labs is a sentiment analysis company with a research proven ability to go beyond scores and provide insights with proprietary visualizations. Quokka Labs can find the story in your data. Brian Waters, UVM Watch. The Internet of Things is quickly catching on, but it won’t come without its fair share of security problems. In this talk I’ll show you what types of things to look out for as we hack into an IoT security camera in under 300 seconds. “I didn’t want to brick it.” I whisper to my wife, “See, honey, ‘brick’ is a word.” @zevav pic.twitter.com/dF6HhW6mhH — Shane Celis (@shanecelis) December 11, 2015 Watch. Making web pages that share data with each other using BitTorrent. Watch. Learn how Developer Advocates at IBM used our own services to build a tool that tracks deployments of our sample apps to IBM Bluemix and how we analyze this data. Watch. Did you know that Microsoft is now creating cross platform open-source developer tools? A decade’s long Windows platform developer, Julie will show you the fun she’s having coding client and server side JavaScript on her first ever Mac using MS’s Visual Studio Code in OS X. .@julielerman talks about Microsoft turning a new leaf & embracing open source, gives some Mac love. cc @zevav pic.twitter.com/16CLHP9Sc8 — Shane Celis (@shanecelis) December 12, 2015 Watch. The magic of fiction. A personal story of taking a tech demo from technically interesting to magical. Story includes infrared sensors and magic wands. (I did a little fine tuning to put the slides into this talk for Mockup Monday #48 and added a little more backstory.) The Magic of Fiction Me wielding my wand @generatorvt. cc @zevav pic.twitter.com/iV9kbuYNL2 — Shane Celis (@shanecelis) December 12, 2015 Watch. Do all news stories need reporters? How do reporters even find stories to report? Learn about the Twitter bot army that VPR has been building to not only get stories, but to get them out fast. Mark Ibrahim, UVM and Burlington Python Watch. Wikipedia is not just a source of information, but a network of ideas. We algorithmically parsed all 4.7 million articles to construct a map of Wikipedia’s First Link Network. If you click on the first link in a Wikipedia article repeatedly, you end up at philosophy. @zevav pic.twitter.com/89K8RHN2cT — Shane Celis (@shanecelis) December 12, 2015 Watch. If you build “single-page” webapps your experience is often something like this: Make change, reload, manipulate the app back to the part of it you’re working on, make another change, reload, etc. Figwheel lets you change the behavior or state of your application without reloading. Great demonstration of figwheel and the problem it solves. #clojure cc @zevav pic.twitter.com/wv1Mpzi0gU — Shane Celis (@shanecelis) December 12, 2015 Watch. Reverse Proxy Your App Into the Future - Do you feel locked into a rotting application or old technology? By shunting requests through a front-end web server, you can gradually move to better, more current technology choices. How to sneak functional languages into your real work flow. #microservices cc @zevav pic.twitter.com/P7BRcgt4s1 — Shane Celis (@shanecelis) December 12, 2015 There were two instances of flux rising up and attacking its presenter.Murder charges after driver hits man who stole his motorcycle in Greenville Copyright by WSPA - All rights reserved Nowell Harrison Riddle [ + - ] Video GREENVILLE (WSPA) - The driver of an SUV has been charged with murder after deputies claim he intentionally ran over a man who stole his motorcycle at a gas station. The Greenville County Sheriff's Office also charged Nowell Harrison Riddle, 31, from Lyman with unlawful conduct towards a child after saying an infant was in the SUV with him when it happened Sunday afternoon. The incident happened Sunday around 4:45 pm at a Circle K station at 5010 Pelham Road. The Greenville County Coroner says Steven Russell Ridenour, 36, of Greer died at the scene. Greenville County Sheriff's deputies say they got a call from someone who claimed they had found their stolen motorcycle and had followed the man on the bike to the gas station. That man, Riddle, claimed he struck the victim with his vehicle as the man on the bike attempted to leave, according to the report. Copyright by WSPA - All rights reserved The coroner says Ridenour was hit in the rear portion of the gas station parking lot. That area is adjacent to the rear parking lot of the Boiling Springs Fire Department. Greenville County investigators announced Monday they determined Riddle intentionally struck Ridenour while he was on the bike, ran him over and dragged him several feet. Investigators say they also determined an infant was a passenger in the car with Ridenour when it happened. Riddle is being held at the Greenville County Detention Center without bond. Deputies in Spartanburg County say they received a report from Riddle saying he was trying to sell his motorcycle on Craigslist and that it had been stolen when the man took a test drive Saturday in Lyman. In the police report, Riddle told them that the suspect arrived in a red Ford Mustang driven by an older women with children in the car. That car left the scene minutes after the bike was taken, the report says. According to a SLED background check, Riddle has been arrested before. 5/26/2006 - Assault of a high and aggravated nature - Convicted 24 months, 18 months probation. 2/15/2014 - Criminal Domestic Violence 1st OffenseImage caption The Libertad has been held in Ghana since 2 October Argentina has ordered over 300 sailors to evacuate the navy training ship which was seized by the Ghanaian authorities earlier this month. Ghana has held the Libertad since 2 October in a row over Argentine debts. Argentina's foreign ministry said the captain and some crew will stay on board. It is not clear how the rest will leave Ghana. Creditors say they will not release the ship until Argentina repays money owed to them from a default in 2001. NML Capital, a subsidiary of US hedge fund Elliot Capital Management, says Argentina owes it more than $300m (£186m). Argentina says the crew's rights have been violated after a Ghanaian judge refused to allow the refuelling of the ship to maintain the power supply. Last week, Argentina replaced navy chief Carlos Alberto Paz and suspended two other senior naval officials over the dispute. The government is holding an inquiry into who was responsible for allowing the Libertad to stop in Ghana. Defaulted debts President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's government has demanded the ship's release, saying it cannot legally be held by creditors because of its military nature. The Libertad - a three-masted tall ship - was detained in the Ghanaian port of Tema on 2 October under a court order obtained by NML Capital. Sailors from Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and South Africa are reported to be on board. The firm says Argentina owes it more than $300m (£186m) and it will only release the ship if the country pays it at least $20m. NML Capital is a subsidiary of US hedge fund Elliot Capital Management, one of Argentina's former creditors. Argentina defaulted on more than $100bn (£62bn) of debt in 2001 and 2002, the biggest default in history. Most of these loans were restructured in 2005 and 2010, giving creditors about 30% of their money back. However, some creditors including Elliot chose to hold out, pursuing the Argentine government through the courts to recover the full amount.RUCKMAN Mark Jamar’s fine career with Melbourne has come to a close, after 155 AFL games from 2003-15. Jamar, 32, addressed the players and coaches at AAMI Park on Thursday that his time with Melbourne after more than a decade had come to an end, after the club did not offer him a contract for 2016. Manager of football operations Josh Mahoney praised Jamar’s career, which spanned 14 seasons on the list. “Mark gave us tremendous service over a long period of time,” he told melbournefc.com.au. “He experienced some terrific times, including being named All-Australian, but he also suffered a number of injuries in his career, so to be able to achieve what he did was a fine effort. “Mark should be very proud of what he achieved as a player and should take pride in the work he has done with Max Gawn and Jake Spencer.” Jamar couldn’t speak highly enough of the club, but conceded he was disappointed his time had finished up at Melbourne. “I met with the club on Thursday morning and we decided that my time as a player at Melbourne had come to an end,” he told melbournefc.com.au. “I’ve just got to take a few weeks and spend some time with the family and decide [if I want to try and keep playing in the AFL] in the near future. But the body’s good and I really enjoyed playing footy this year, so I haven’t ruled anything out. “At this stage, I’m going to reflect on my time as a player at Melbourne and just sit back and enjoy the memories.” Affectionately known as ‘Russian’, he was originally selected at No.6 in the 2002 AFL Rookie Draft (held in December 2001). His best season was undoubtedly 2010, when he was named All-Australian and finished third in the club best and fairest award. He had 643 hit outs for the season, after playing all 22 games. Jamar’s best effort in front of goal was five goals against Carlton in round 21, 2009. Overlooked in the NAB AFL Draft, after being an under-18 All-Australian in 2001, Jamar worked his way up from the rookie to senior list. He made his AFL debut against Hawthorn in round one, 2003 and featured in 20 matches from 2003-05, including Melbourne’s first elimination final loss to Essendon in 2004. Jamar’s breakout season came in 2006, where he played 22 matches, and featured in Melbourne’s second elimination final win over St Kilda, which remains the club’s most recent finals victory. He missed the second semi-final loss to Fremantle due to injury. From 2007-09, Jamar played 31 matches, with injuries playing a part in this period. After almost being traded to Port Adelaide at the end of the 2009 season, he had his finest AFL year in 2010. From 2011-15, Jamar played 60 matches, with injuries again interrupting, before Jake Spencer and then Max Gawn took over the ruck mantle in 2015. Jamar finishes his career with the Demons as a life member and much-admired player by the red and blue faithful. Mark Jamar AFL debut: 2003 AFL matches: 155 AFL goals: 56 Melbourne life member: 2013 Melbourne third best and fairest: 2010 Most Melbourne matches in No.40 jumper: 155 Most Melbourne goals in No.40 jumper: 56 All-Australian: 2010 Draft history: 2002 AFL Rookie Draft, held in December 2001 (No.6) Recruited from: Port Pirie Lions (SA)/North Adelaide (SA)5 Creative Methods to Clarify Your Life’s Work Imaginative strategies for when you have no idea what to do with your life. It’s incontrovertible that you’ve thought at least once about what you want to do with your life. That society-permeating question of what you want to “be” when you grow up has probably incited feelings ranging from gently-provoked questioning to full-blown panic within you. For me, it was the latter. As a young teenager, I remember coming to my dad, a forensic accountant and generally wise human being, in an effort to ameliorate this crisis within. The big push I had received from others was to explore my passion; but I had sorely come to the conclusion that I... didn’t have one, really. I liked playing video games, but I didn’t want to make video games for a living – too much time in front of a computer, I thought. I liked playing my keyboard, but I didn’t take myself for a budding concert pianist, either. Even more traditional occupational avenues like becoming a doctor, lawyer, or scientist felt out of reach to me, whether for lack of interest or perceived lack of ability. The only things I could have seen myself doing for life—artist, singer, community service volunteer, or professional life advisor to friends operating under a strictly “do as I say, not as I do” adage—seemed unsustainable as long-term prospects as well. Disparaged, I felt exhausted of all options. On that day, my dad made the maiden delivery of his “connect the dots” speech to me. In essence, he said, I needed to determine both my passions and the level of affluence I desired in my lifestyle, each of which would fall somewhere on some mystical “importance graph”. I would then have to connect these “dots” and choose something that fell somewhere in the middle. Something that I perhaps felt interested in, but also allowed me the type of house, car, and shoes I wanted. This was, perhaps, a seemingly more innovative drop in the deluge of rain that was the advice I had received over the years, so I was intrigued. I took it on. It was good advice. Amidst a virtual “jobpocalypse” whereby people my age are scrounging for money to feed themselves, let alone self-affirmation, I’m incredibly blessed. I have a well-paying, stable, and challenging job where I’ve met some of my closest friends. But I know this isn’t the end of the journey. Now, I’m a twenty-something Gen Y-er. If that doesn’t exclaim “I’m frantically running around with an ardent desire to make impact on the world!”, I don’t know what does. Naturally, I’d like to divert my existing career into something that does that, even if I do feel a level of satisfaction with my existing situation. I dare say I’m getting closer to figuring out what I want my life’s work to be each day. I know that I eventually want to do something that allows me great independence, a positive impact on people, and exercises the creative capabilities of my brain. Just attaining knowledge of these fundamental, if not ambiguous, requirements is a huge step I’ve taken. Coming up with these five items took a monumental amount of effort, but it got a lot easier when I started thinking out of the box. If you don’t consider yourself a creative person (side note: I firmly believe that EVERYONE has pockets of creativity and inventiveness, but I’ll cast my fervent opinions aside for the sake of the reader), think about the desire you have to find out what you want your life’s work to be. Think about what hardships and challenges you are willing to face, the moments of despair, and the utter defeat you may experience prior to finding your “dream work”. If you can do what you’re imagining, certainly you can feign creativity for a few moments. The list below comprises things I’ve actually done that have helped me. This is not to say that personality tests, taking different classes in school, and asking others about their profession haven’t been successful methods for me as well, but I know that if you’re reading this article, chances are high that you’ve done that, yet are still seeking answers. I felt the same way, so I did differently. Try these on for size. If you want to digest books rapidly, I recommend Blinkist. They distill non-fiction books down to potent 15-minute insight-blasts. Try it free. Song Writing Let me start by saying that I have zero formal musical training whatsoever. In fact, this method may work so well because I didn’t have it. Rather than focusing intently on my chord progressions or questioning the call-and-receive hook I came up with, I was always more focused on the raw emotion of my songs. It didn’t matter how long, short, awkward, or random they were—it mattered that they spoke to something within me. I try to write songs periodically because I find the desire to repeat phrases (i.e. choruses) really forces me to think about what message I’m trying to get across. As a result, I zero-in on what’s plaguing me at that moment. During the fall of this past year, I recall sitting down at my keyboard and the first lyric that came to my mind was “I’m not your adding machine”. As I continue to scratch the surface of a career in the financial realm, I’ve firmly come to the conclusion that I was not put on this earth to crunch numbers. To do so would be an effort in embarrassment, quite honestly, as I’m not even that good at it. Thus, bookkeeping, complex financial analysis, and macroeconomics are out of the picture for me. And I’m perfectly okay with that. (Addendum: This is not, in any way, meant to offend people who love numbers. I greatly admire those who can perform mathematical equations with swiftness or gusto; I just can’t. If you’re easily amused, you’re welcome to watch me try.) Bare Bones Travel Another method is going on a heavily budgeted trip, such as a backpacking trip. When you’re sans the comforts and conveniences you’re so accustomed to in daily life, you really have to rely on your own abilities and innate problem-solving skills to get by successfully. Such a trip can be done alone or with other people, though preferably both; we usually act quite differently in either situation. How is this helpful? First, your travel style helps you determine what type of personality you have. Do you feel comfortable hiking solo in the countryside, or do you prefer a group to accompany you? Are you someone who needs a more private space, or are you cool to bunk with 6 other strangers in a hostel room? Can you walk into a bar alone like you own the place, sit down, and confidently have a drink, or would you not be caught dead doing such a thing? While I’m not a huge believer in the introvert/extrovert dichotomy, answering such questions will help you put yourself roughly at either end of the spectrum. If your gregariousness earns you a new travel-buddy entourage that runs the gamut from Brazilian students to African diplomats, you may come to the conclusion that you’d be a natural at sales. Or, you could find yourself entranced by the ancient monument you happened upon during your excursion in the jungle and it may have hit you that you were born to do archaeological research in Kenya. Until you go out and experience new places for yourself, you just never know. Look at Who Your Friends Are – Or Who You Want Your Friends to Be This one is a lot tougher than it sounds, because it literally means you have to judge people harshly on purpose—not something I normally advocate. Take a moment and examine your friends—what you do together, how you help each other out, and most importantly, how you make each other feel. Think even deeper. What are your mutually held values? Do these people inspire you to be a better “you”? If you have trouble answering these questions, you may be being dragged down. While nobody is perfect, it’s important that the people you surround yourself with do not make you perpetually miserable. Now, think about who you would like to be friends with. It could be the new guy in your cycling club or the fun lady in the tax-processing department on the 8th floor. All that matters is you have some names. When you surround yourself with people who are intelligent, positive, and motivated, you’ll notice that you’ll start to be the same way. Who knows, you may even meet someone who also wants to develop a productivity app in the near future. In other words, that whole “you’re the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most” idea isn’t too farfetched. When I first transferred back home to sunny southern California with my job, I literally wrote down the names of a few people I was semi-acquainted with in my new office and mustered up courage to reach out to them within the week. I did, and I can shockingly say that I have a significantly closer relationship with all of these people. Moreover, I can actually say I golf now. Amazing what weird lists can do. Do the Opposite of What You Think You Should Do This one’s a bit radical and sounds counterintuitive, but try doing the opposite of what you want to do, or at least something you wouldn’t expect yourself to like. You will either surprise yourself by finding you like it (or something related to it), or you may fully confirm that you don’t like that thing if your certainty was previously wavering. The process of elimination always helps. What do you know, that kind of sounds like what I did! Yes, if you had asked me 10 years ago if I thought I’d be compiling process improvement documents or facilitating meetings related to database access, I’d laugh at you before you were even finished. I was a candidate for least likely to go corporate growing up, preferring instead to have tree-climbing contests and draw my favorite anime characters. It was only when I opened up my eyes to the wide world that is business that I realized there were more options than filing, e-mailing, and Powerpoint-ing away. There’s everything from web development to marketing to HR consulting out there, and some of these have massive potential for tapping into creativity. Even though I know I’m still on my journey of finding the work I’m meant to do, I’m grateful for the doors my current business-y job opens for me. Give Your Time This one serves a dual-purpose. First, volunteering in something you have an interest in just may lead you down the path of passion. Conversely, it also gives you the opportunity to try something out without the commitment of 40+ hours per week. While you should still strive to live up to your commitments, it is a fortunate fact in volunteering that you are understood to be a volunteer with a limited amount of time to spare and a million other things on your plate. As such, if you find you can’t make it some days (or don’t like it and need to phase out of doing it), it’s really not a big deal. Moving to a new job won’t get you that, and slacking on your duties or leaving too soon may impact your future career. Beyond the actual “content” of volunteering is also an exquisite untapped resource: your co-volunteers. It’s quite likely that these are not only caring and socially responsible people (they’re volunteering, after all), but a virtual career fair to boot. CEOS, game designers, copywriters, and band managers volunteer. So do startup owners, advertising executives, investment bankers, and fashion designers. You just never know until you start putting your feelers out there. Whether you learn about a cool job you never knew previously existed or make a killer connection that lands you a position, there is nothing to lose by talking to people. In support of the above, I have one last bit of advice to offer that I guarantee will take you far in your pursuit of meaningful work: relax. Stop thinking you have to figure it all out right now. Stop waiting for an epiphany. Stop counting the number of years you’ve been on Earth and freaking out because they’re more plentiful than someone else you know who’s established. It doesn’t matter when you’re making it happen. If you’re doing something—anything—to put the search in motion, you’re making progress. As I mentioned earlier, I’m still not entirely sure what I ultimately want to be doing with my life. When people ask me where I’ll be in 5 or 10 years, it’s nothing but a mish-mosh of sunshine and color that swims through my brain. I don’t have a solid idea, I just know I’ll be happy. I have plenty of ideas and avenues I want to try and, more importantly, I know the core tenets I’m looking for in my future job. If things change in the meantime, I’m willing to take them as they come. Though, if I end up being a tree-climbing, video game-playing, song-writing anime artist, I won’t hate it. Biography: Southern California-bred Haley O’Bryan is the type of person who will randomly fly somewhere if there’s a special on ticket prices, just so she can explore a new place. Operating as a business consultant by day, she takes opportunities such as paddleboarding, making music, and dancing absolutely anywhere to enjoy life. She also recognizes her condition as a travel-addicted individual and keeps a travel blog that she promises to update more if more people read it (infinitecorners.com). Bonus points if you bring her around her favorite animal, the seal. If this was jazzy, read the mission and subscribe.It is illegal to make false claims in a TV or radio commercial unless you are running for political office. If you’re selling toothpaste, your claims must be vetted by legal and medical professionals. But not if you’re selling a candidate. If you’re selling a candidate, not only can you lie about his record, but more to the point, you can lie about his opponent. These lies are seen and heard by millions, not only when they run as paid advertisements, but also when they are run again for free on 24-hour news networks hungry for controversy. And after they are run for free, they become talking points in an “unbiased” conversation that pretends there are two sides to every story, even when one side is lies. Two words: Swift Boat. Lies, and a candidate’s embarrassing efforts to brush them aside, fill the news cycle and constitute the national discourse. And this terrifying and morally indefensible rupture from reality persists even when the country is on its knees. If networks refuse to accept cigarette advertising, how can they readily approve dishonest political advertising? Cigarettes kill individuals, but lying political ads hurt the whole country. No democracy can afford this, let alone when the country is at war, and under existential threat from terrorists, and in economic free fall. So here’s my idea. One that could actually work, if America’s networks remember they are Americans first, revenue seekers second. Just as they once united to stamp out cigarette advertising, radio and TV stations and advertisers must get together and agree that false statements in political advertisements will not be tolerated. If you run a political ad that proves to be a lie, your network will pay a steep fine, and the advertiser will pay an even steeper one. To avoid these crushing fines, networks will insist on proof of statements made in political advertisements, just as they demand proof of statements made in sugarless chewing gum commercials. Political advertisers will not be able to lie about opponents. They will either have to attack opponents honestly, or talk about the actual issues facing the country, and how their candidate will solve those issues. Imagine. We might hear ads about the banking crisis and how each candidate will address it. Candidates might summarize their positions on Iraq and Afghanistan and end with links to more detailed positions on their websites. The public might discuss the real issues facing us instead of manufactured Entertainment-Tonight-style “controversies.” People might even vote for candidates based on their resumes and positions on the issues. It would be just like democracy. [tags]advertising, political, political advertising, lies, TV, radio, politics, presidential[/tags]Ok so similar to the previous post where i got a request to make the post about the bed in Marvelous designer, i got another request to make a video about lighting a scene with HDRI images. So lets start from the beginning and first of all explain why should you use an HDRI for lighting. HDRI stands for High Dynamic Range Image, which in turn means that it is an image that contains a lot of information, especially information that can be used as lighting information by V-Ray. The main difference between using HDRI and for example a single V-Ray Sun is that the HDRI emits light from all the sides depending on the image you have. So if you are using a HDRI with a cloudy day you will get an overcast feel to the scene, if you are using a sunny day HDRI you would get that same look, and on top of it all that HDRI can also be used to get some realistic environment reflections. So now you know what HDRI does, but where do you get some high quality HDRI images? Well the answer to this question is not a straight forward one as it depends. If you are looking for a High quality HDRI for commercial projects then you probably want to go and actually buy some HDRI that range from 5000×5000 up to 40kx40k resolution, but if you are looking for some HDRI’s that you can use for your projects or in some cases you can even use them professionally check out HDRLABS. These guys are offering a wide spectrum of HDR images that are rather well done and give some nice results. Also there are multiple sites that offer freebies through Facebook ads, so you might want to keep your eyes opened there as well, and also you can Like check out my Facebook DKCGI page if you haven’t already and check out some of the older posts there as i have links to free HDRI’s and sites offering Textures. Ok so since you know where to get HDRI’s now you can go ahead and jump over to the video. In this video you will learn how to add HDRI image to a V-Ray dome light, how to control the intensity of the light by changing the HDRI. Then i’ll explain why would you want to add a V-Ray sun to the mix and use both V-Ray sun and HDRI together, and even how to link them so when you are controlling one you are actually controlling them both and in turn getting a lot more control over the scene. So enough reading, feel free and go and check out the video. So i hope this video was helpful for you and you managed to learn something new then like it, comment and
threatening her with arrest, and Ukrainian nationalists reportedly even plotted to assassinate her, but were thwarted by Russian security services. In June of this year, Poklonskaya announced that she herself would be running in the September elections for a seat in Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of the country’s legislative branch, on the ticket of United Russia, a centrist, pro-Putin political party. READ MORE: Crimea prosecutor Poklonskaya ready to run for parliament on pro-Putin party ticket “I plan to work in the State Duma if I am elected. This is a new level and I plan to apply the skills and knowledge I have received while working in law enforcement,” Poklonskaya told reporters. “[President] Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] has charged us with renewing the State Duma and I would like to be a part of this process.”John Milton's Christian epic – or at any rate most of it – came out in 1667. Extremely ambitious in design and scope (yet a slimmish fast read compared with some contemporary offerings), it puzzled and troubled readers at least as much as it ravished them. The printer, halfway through the first run, persuaded Milton to write little plot summaries before each book to help orient the reader, and to give "a reason of that which stumbled many others, why the Poem rimes not". Milton, a bit tetchily, obliged – of which more later. Nor were these difficulties the only ones. His poet-contemporary, Andrew Marvell, wrote: "The Argument Held me a while misdoubting his Intent That he would ruine (for I saw him strong) The sacred truths to Fable and old Song." If we take him straight, Marvell is worrying that Milton might inadvertently tumble the entire Christian edifice of fall and redemption into just another myth – because he was such a good epic poet. He compares him to Samson pulling down the temple "to revenge his sight" – a tellingly personal comparison, given that Milton, also, had become blind (and was very interested in Samson). Marvell is saying all this in a poem of compliment, so even his worries are designed to flatter; but that doesn't mean they are not real worries. He spends a good third of his poem finding different extreme ways to describe the potentially self-defeating nature of Milton's project. Marvell was one of the first to express this unease in print; he was certainly not the last. We find versions of it all over the reception of Milton's poem. In the responses, for example, of Blake, or Shelley, who saw in Milton an unconscious defence of Satan; in the hostile reaction of William Empson to Milton's depiction of God; in the lively deliberate humanist borrowing of Philip Pullman. All these, and many more, see in Paradise Lost a vast, trickily hybrid production which does something other than it says on the tin. They don't all see the problem to lie in the same place, and most of them conclude that Milton was doing the world some sort of service anyway. But that Milton's eye was (at least) double they agree. Frequently they decide that Milton failed – but only just – to write into the poem the explicit critique of its theodicy which they personally held and would now go on to explain better. Poets themselves for the most part, they nevertheless betray from time to time the wishful hint that if Milton had stuck to the "cool element") of prose his theological position would have been a bit easier to nail. Yet Milton's intention to write a great English poem was primary. He had been thinking about it for more than 20 years. Some time in 1641-42 he jotted down some ideas as to what his poem should be about. These were drawn from the Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, but also ranged across national themes. He flirted, for example, with writing on King Arthur. His drive to write was both religious and moral in the pattern of the Renaissance humanist. "The end of learning," he wrote at about this time, "is to repair the ruins of our first parents by regaining to know God aright." In other words, you rebuilt from the destruction wrought by the fall through study. In saying this Milton conceived of everything he read (and his range was both wide and deep) as tending to this end: Plato to Euripides to Homer to Ovid (a particular favourite) to Ariosto and Tasso and Shakespeare as well as Job and the Revelation of St John the Divine. Everything out there of value could help to redeem you. For Milton, all knowledge led you, though in a winding route and on a "dark voyage", back to paradise, walking and talking with God in the cool of the evening. It is no wonder, then (though as we have seen Marvell did wonder) that his paradise contained as much as he could stuff in of everything he had learned, from everywhere. But Milton in 1641 was clear that he couldn't get around to it yet. He must put aside his poetic ambition in order to serve his country's political needs in prose writing. There was a revolution to sort out. Not until after the collapse of the Commonwealth (and following his own imprisonment in 1659) did Milton turn the whole of his attention to the poetry he had been planning for so long. Freed from his civic task by comprehensive political defeat, reoriented to the tendency of humankind to ruin its dwelling place and disappoint its own hopes, Milton was at last ready to begin.The strange case of John Westwood... or Dr Jekyll and Mr Portsmouth Most days he is just John Anthony Westwood, a mild-mannered antiquarian book dealer with a royal warrant for picture framing in a peaceful national park market town. Come this weekend, however, he will transform himself into John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood, better known as Pompey John, tattooed talisman of the terraces — from which he is occasionally evicted — the man who put fan into football fanatic. Instead of browsing sales and house clearances to find priceless first editions to add to the shelves in his shop in Petersfield, Hampshire, he will don his bright blue wig and stovepipe hat, pull on his ex-chef ’s chequered trousers and bare his tattooed torso to the elements for the sake of his team, as relegated Pompey play underdog to newly-crowned champions Chelsea in tomorrow’s FA Cup final. The only links between the books he leaves behind will be that Charles Dickens lived in the city and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once played in goal for Portsmouth Association Football Club, an amateur side, under the pseudonym AC Smith. Don't judge a book... John Westwood in the tranquil surrounds of his Petersfield shop Meanwhile, Westwood’s only regret — although probably not for the fans next to him in the stands — is that the Wembley authorities have banned him from bringing his bell or trumpet or drum. ‘I’ve been told I have to have a licence,’ says Westwood, 47. ‘It’s all about health and safety. ‘To be honest there is more atmosphere in my pub these days than at most football grounds.’ His obsession with the south coast club began when he was 13 and his father Frank took him to his first game: Portsmouth versus Brighton, which Pompey won 1-0. ‘It was a 32,000 crowd and the place was just rocking. Unbelievable,’ he says. ‘I thought there and then that I was going to be a Pompey fan until the day I died. ‘It has become my passion, my life. It’s Jekyll and Hyde, if you like. I leave the books behind me when I step out of the shop. No more minding my p’s and q’s and having to be polite to customers and the customer always being right. At the weekends I just become myself.’ It has not been without its sacrifices and pitfalls. Westwood’s marriage to wife Linda collapsed because of his obsession with Portsmouth. He said: ‘I have only been married once and that was enough. Linda thought I would change but if you marry me you marry Portsmouth. It’s sad really but you only get one life.’ The couple, who remain friends and meet up for family occasions, have two children, Marcus, 19, and Yasmin, 15. ‘They think I’m nuts but they understand my passion,’ he says. Cover story: Westwood's up for the fight as Pompey John in the away end at Craven Cottage Westwood has also had his fair share of troubles on the road with his team when the heady mixture of beer and adrenaline saw him ejected from some grounds and banned from others. ‘I have been ejected from a few grounds in the Premier League especially because I stand out from the crowd and I make a bit of noise.’ he says. ‘Football is a bit politically correct these days and they don’t like people who show passion.’ In many ways, he says, it is good that Portsmouth will start next season in the Championship because he reckons the Barclays Premier League is merely a vehicle for four or five clubs to dominate. He said: ‘When we were winning in the Premier League it took the gloss off it. It’s more fun to be the underdogs and two fingers to the rest of them. There will always be a Pompey — we are not worried about winning or losing.’ On Saturday, a friend will drive Westwood and his friends to Wembley in the Petersfield Book Shop minibus. They are leaving at 9am to give plenty of time ‘for a few beers and some chat with the Chelsea fans’. ‘Our second Cup final in two years,’ he says. ‘Unbelievable.’ ‘We never thought we would see one and now we’re in another.’ Before he sets off, his mother Ann will issue her usual warning: ‘You take care now.’ Westwood said: ‘She said that in the shop once as I was going out and this titled Lady who was browsing the books said, without looking up, “Oh no, don’t do that. We like reading about you in the papers”.’If high bills have you looking to cut the cable cord, you're not alone. Research firm eMarketer predicts that by 2021, there will be 40.1 million cord-cutters in the United States. With cable bills easily exceeding $100 these days, it's no wonder people are looking for cheaper alternatives. Whether you're ready to ditch cable altogether or just starting to dabble in streaming, you'll need to consider a couple things. First, think about your streaming hardware budget. Then you need to decide how much you'll spend on subscriptions. Read on for 10 ways you can save money when you stream TV. Streaming Hardware Options Thinking of jumping into streaming? Then you'll want a Smart TV, streaming media player, or both. These devices run the gamut in terms of price, but can all help you stream TV. Invest in a Smart TV Smart TVs, which eliminate the need for a separate media streaming device, can help you make the leap into streaming. In fact, most TVs nowadays offer some Smart capabilities. A new 40" HDTV with Smart features runs from $200 to $600. These sets will be able to connect to the internet and run apps, and some even offer voice control or integration with your Smart home gadgets. SEE ALSO: Do You Need a Smart TV? Sets from brands like Insignia, Philips, Sony, Sharp, and TCL run operating systems you'll probably recognize, too, like Android TV and Roku TV. Meanwhile, Samsung and LG Smart TVs have their own proprietary platforms. Get a Media Streamer If you're not ready to invest in a new TV, you can save money by purchasing a media streamer and hooking it up to your existing set. Options include Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV devices. Streaming devices are getting cheaper these days, with beefier specs and new features like 4K support, voice control remotes, and Smart home capabilities. A new 40" HDTV with Smart features runs from $200 to $600. Without a sale, these devices will run you anywhere from $35 for a Google Chromecast to $179 for the latest 4K Apple TV. Amazon, in particular, often has sales on its already affordable Fire TV devices. In February, for example, the latest-generation Fire TV (listed at $69.99) dropped to $49.99. So definitely hold out for a sale, if you can. Consider Hardware Limitations Keep in mind that not all streaming apps are compatible with all streaming platforms. Google, for instance, recently pulled its official YouTube app from Amazon's Fire TV over a spat with the online retail giant. As a workaround, Amazon added Mozilla Firefox and its own Silk web browser to Fire TV, so users can navigate to YouTube.com and other sites. Using a browser on your TV definitely isn't as frictionless as using an official app, but it'll get the job done. SEE ALSO: The 11 Biggest Myths About Buying a TV TV Streaming Service Costs Once you decide on a Smart TV or media streamer, you'll need content to watch. While the hardware options we covered in the previous section are getting cheaper, streaming services are — for the most part — getting more expensive. (Womp womp.) Be Ready for Price Hikes Price hikes are common in the rapidly evolving streaming services market. Last fall, Netflix raised the price of a "Standard" subscription — its most popular plan, which allows two consecutive HD-quality streams — by $1 to $10.99 a month. The Netflix Premium plan, which supports up to four consecutive Ultra HD-quality streams, went up $2 to $13.99 a month. Price hikes are common in the streaming services market. Last fall, Netflix raised the price of its most popular plan to $10.99 a month. Know Your Options Most streaming services offer multiple tiers, which can get confusing. YouTube, for one, has its free service with ads, plus YouTube Red and YouTube TV. If you want to watch your favorite YouTubers without ads, you'll need the subscription for YouTube Red, which will set you back $9.99 a month. Besides eliminating ads, a YouTube Red subscription offers original shows and movies like the documentary This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, as well as the ability to listen to YouTube Music on your smartphone in the background when you open another app. YouTube TV, meanwhile, is the Google-owned video-sharing platform's answer to cable. Choose the Yearly Prime Subscription In January, Amazon upped the price of Prime for those who pay by the month instead of yearly. Prime — which includes access to its Prime Video service, Prime Music, and Prime Reading; free, 2-day shipping on Amazon.com purchases; and special deals at Whole Foods — now costs $12.99 a month (up from $10.99), or $99 a year. With the monthly option, you'd wind up paying almost $156 for a full year. The annual subscription is a better deal if you plan on sticking with the service for at least eight months. Live TV Choices If you want to watch traditional cable channels, there are plenty of live TV streaming options that will let you access that content. Your choices include YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, or DirecTV Now. SEE ALSO: Almost Every Streaming Device Just Got a Huge Update Consider Sling TV and DirecTV Now Sling TV offers a basic plan with around 25 channels for $20 a month (and add-on packages starting at $5 monthly). DirecTV Now starts at $35 a month for around 60 channels. Other Services Cost at Least $40 YouTube recently added a bunch of new channels to YouTube TV — including TNT, Adult Swim, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, truTV, and Turner Classic Movies. However, it raised the price by $5 for new subscribers to $40 a month, which puts YouTube TV on par with Hulu's live TV service. PlayStation Vue also now starts at $40 a month, as Sony ditched the $30-a-month "Slim" tier last year. Other Ways to Save Cable is expensive, but streaming is starting to get pricey, too. Consider this: Signing up for just YouTube Red, the Standard Netflix subscription, and Hulu with Live TV will set you back $60.97 per month. With that said, there are other ways to save money on streaming. Go With a Single-Stream Plan Kick the kids or your freeloading friends off your account, and go with the basic tier for all your streaming services. With the cheapest Netflix and Hulu options, you'll only be able to watch on one screen at a time, but each subscription costs just $7.99 a month. SEE ALSO: 8 Ways to Get HBO for Free (or Cheap) Utilize Free Trials and Services Also start with free and discounted trials to make sure you're going to utilize a service before signing up. For instance, you can get your first three months of DirecTV Now for just $10 a month. You can also save some coin by taking advantage of free options like YouTube and simply dealing with the commercials. Production value on YouTube has gone up over the years, and many content creators pump out videos weekly or even daily. Readers, what are your favorite ways to save money on streaming? Let us know in the comments below!When a criminal started lacing Tylenol capsules with cyanide in 1982, Johnson & Johnson quickly sprang into action to ensure consumer safety. It increased its internal production controls, recalled the capsules, offered an exchange for tablets, and within two months started using triple-seal tamper-resistant packaging. The company focused on fixing weak points in their supply chain so that users could be sure that no one had interfered with the product before they purchased it. This story is taught in business schools as an example of how a company chose to be proactive to protect its users. The FDA also passed regulations requiring increased security and Congress ultimately passed an anti-tampering law. But the focus of the response from both the private and the public sector was on ensuring that consumers remained safe and secure, rather than on catching the perpetrator. Indeed, the person who did the tampering was never caught. This story springs to mind today as Congress considers the latest cybersecurity and data breach bills. To folks who understand computer security and networks, it's plain that the key problem are our vulnerable infrastructure and weak computer security, much like the vulnerabilities in Johnson & Johnson’s supply chain in the 1980s. As then, the failure to secure our networks, the services we rely upon, and our individual computers makes it easy for bad actors to step in and “poison” our information. So if we were to approach this as a safety problem, the way forward is clear: We need better incentives for companies who store our data to keep it secure. In fact, there is broad agreement that we can easily raise the bar against cyberthieves and spies. Known vulnerabilities frequently go unpatched. For instance, The New York Times reported that the J.P. Morgan hack occurred due to an un-updated server. Information is too often stored in the clear rather than in encrypted form and many devices like smart phones or tablets, that increasingly store our entire lives, don’t even allow for key security upgrades. Yet none of the proposals now in Congress are aimed at actually increasing the safety of our data. Instead, the focus is on “information sharing,” a euphemism for more surveillance of users and networks. These bills are not only wrongheaded, they seem to be a cynical ploy to use the very real problems of cybersecurity to advance a surveillance agenda, rather than to actually take steps to make people safer. EFF has long opposed these bills and we will continue to do so. But that’s not all. Not only is Congress failing to address the need for increased computer and network security, key parts of the government are working to undermine our safety. The FBI continues to demonize strong cryptography, trying instead to sell the public on “technologically stupid” strategy that will make us all less safe. Equally outrageous, the recent Logjam vulnerabilities show that the NSA has been spending billions of our tax dollars to exploit weaknesses in our computer security—weaknesses caused by the government’s own ill-advised regulation of cryptography in the 1990s—rather than helping us strengthen our systems. But how can we create stronger incentives for companies to protect our data? If Congress wants to help, it has a big tool box, starting with its own government purchasing power—after all, the government stores a lot of our data and it can help spur stronger protections by only choosing secure tools for its own use. Congress can also endorse strong encryption and take steps ranging from setting funding priorities to holding hearings to directly legislating to counter the NSA and FBI’s efforts to keep us from upgrading to more secure tools and services. Additionally, though, we need to ensure that companies to whom we entrust our data have clear, enforceable obligations to keep it safe from bad guys. This includes those who handle it it directly and those who build the tools we use to store or otherwise handle it ourselves. In the case of Johnson & Johnson, products liability law makes the company responsible for the harm that comes to us due to the behavior of others if safer designs are available, and the attack was foreseeable. Similarly, hotels and restaurants that open their doors to the public have obligations under the law of premises liability to take reasonable steps to keep us safe, even if the danger comes from others. People who hold your physical stuff for you—the law calls them bailees—also have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to protect it against external forces. Online services do have some baseline responsibility under negligence standards, as well as a few other legal doctrines, and those were relied upon in the cases against Target, Home Depot, the Gap, and Zappos. Yet so far those standards have been interpreted by the courts to put a very low burden on companies and a very high burden on those harmed. On their own, companies have largely failed to take develop shared, strong standards for what is “reasonable” security, and Congress hasn’t forced them to, leaving the courts with little to point to when trying to hold companies to account. The FTC has brought some actions based on the argument that poor data security is an unfair business practice, but they have had slow going, as their three year fight with Wyndham hotels demonstrates. Companies therefore have little incentive to invest in and adopt new, more secure products akin to Johnson & Johnson’s tamper-resistant packaging and those who take the lead get little reward for doing so. Another problem is that the law hasn’t figured out a good way to recognize the harms suffered due to poor cybersecurity, which means that the threat of a lawsuit over a cybersecurity breach isn’t nearly as powerful as it might be in a situation involving, say, insecure cars or pain relievers. This is strange at a time when some of that same data is deemed to be worth billions by the venture capital markets and a whole military cyber command. Finally, the online agreements or EULAs we must click through to use services often limit or even fully block consumers from suing over insecure systems. Congress (or state legislatures) could step in on any one of these topic to encourage real security for users—by creating incentives for greater security, a greater downside for companies that fail to do so and by rewarding those companies who make the effort to develop stronger security. It can also shine a light on security failures by requiring public reporting for big companies. By doing so, in careful measure, Congress could spur a race to the top on computer security and create real consequences for those who choose to linger on the bottom. Yet none of these options are even part of the legislative debate; they often aren't even mentioned. Instead the proposed laws go the other way—giving companies immunity if they create more risk with your data by “sharing” it with the government, where it could still be hacked. "Information sharing" is focused on forensics—finding who did it and how after the fact—rather than on protecting computer users in the first place. And even then there is widespread disagreement about whether this extra step is likely to make a meaningful difference in most investigations. After all, technical information about attacks can already be shared by companies, it's just the content of our data itself that is protected. Meanwhile, on data breaches themselves, Congress is still monkeying about with notification laws even though almost every state already has one. If Congress wanted to lead on security, it might start a public debate about data breach liability laws. Looking at the Congressional debate, it's as if the answer for Americans after the Tylenol incident was not to put on tamper-evident seals, or increase the security of the supply chain, but only to require Tylenol to “share” its customer lists with the government and with the folks over at Bayer aspirin. We wouldn’t have stood for such a wrongheaded response in 1982, and we shouldn’t do so now.The National Labor Council's investigation into the working conditions at the Meitai keyboard factory in Dongguan City is just ghastly, a stinging indictment of the South China economic miracle. The workers are underpaid, cheated out of their wages, forced into overtime, subjected to brainwashing, and subjected to unsafe working conditions and denied medical assistance when they're injured. Meitai makes keyboards for Lenovo, Microsoft, HP and others. Big Brother Is Watching “Employees should actively monitor each other.” (Meitai factory’s Factory Regulations and Discipline, Chapter VII) * “Infractions” punished with the loss of over two hours’ wages (fine of 10 RMB--$1.44), including for– --“Being 1 to 5 minutes late to start a shift…” --“Not periodically trimming fingernails, which will affect product quality.” --“Not lining up correctly while punching time cards or at the cafeteria.” --“Wearing work shoes outside the work room after work.” --“Putting hands in pant pockets while inside the factory or workroom.” * “Infractions” punished with the loss of 4 ½ hours wages (20 RMB fine, $2.88) --“…answering a personal telephone call in the workroom.” --“Not diligently working or raising ones head to look around when guests or cadres come to visit.” --“Putting personal objects on the work desk.” --“…listening to the radio while on the job.” --“Not parking bicycles according to company regulations; riding bicycles in and out of the company in a way not in accordance with company regulations.” --“Returning to the dorm after regulated hours [curfew].” * “Infractions” punished with the loss of nearly seven hours’ wages (30 RMB fine--$4.32) --“Switching beds without authorization.” (Dorm beds are assigned by management.) * “Infractions” punished with the loss of nearly 1 ½ days’ wages (50 RMB fine--$7.20) --“Workers who arrive over one hour late…” --“Riding the elevator without permission.” --“Plugging in electronics [using electricity] in the dorm room for personal use.” --“Using the company phone to make personal calls.” --“Producing products of low quality…” --“Workers who…go to visit other workers during working hours.” --“Chatting at the workstation during work hours…” --“Entering or leaving the factory area without allowing door personnel [security guards] to inspect [search workers].” --“Treating supervisors with an arrogant attitude…” * “Infractions” punished with the loss of nearly three days’ wages (100 RMB fine--$14.40): --“Leaving one’s workstation without permission…” --“Putting up personal notices…or handing out flyers.” --“Revealing confidential company or production-related information.” * “Infractions” punished with firing: --“Violating labor discipline…and not obeying the company’s work arrangements.” --“…Taking part in illegal organizations.” [In China, this means independent unions; human, women’s and children’s rights organizations and non-state-sanctioned religious organizations.] --“Not following the procedures spelled out by government regulations on stopping work, slowing work down, encouraging others to stop or slow down work.” --“Missing three days of work.” --“Disobeying China’s one-child policy.” --“Not obeying company arrangements or directions or…collectively causing trouble as a group…” --“Any behavior similar to that listed above or helping or colluding in such behavior.”Nate Fleming, a blogger who has no dog in the Creation/evolution battle, visited Ark Encounter on opening day with his family of four. He just wrote a lengthy review of the experience on his website, and while there’s a lot of positive feedback there (too much for my tastes), the criticisms really stand out. Like the displays on the ship: Considering that Ken Ham was bragging that the Ark Encounter would compete with Disney and be “beyond Hollywood”, and furthermore that he continually emphasized that the park had been designed by the person who had designed the Jaws and King Kong rides at Universal Studios, I was expecting more bang for my $160 bucks. See, the park is heavy on attempts to proselytize visitors and educate them about Creation theory, but extremely light on entertainment. I’m assuming that as time goes by, more displays will be added, but they need to be more than just posters on the wall or the odd mannequin. The ark needs to be a dynamic, moving place to visit, and they shouldn’t just rely on visitors being impressed by a big boat, because that wears off quickly and won’t bring people back. Here are some simple ideas that AiG can use for free: (1) have actors wandering the decks in costume and in character, interacting with visitors. (2) Have much more multi-media, maybe even 4-D films that help you to experience what it would have been like to be in the flood. (3) since AiG loves dinosaurs so much, use Ken Ham’s Aussie connections to get dinosaur puppets from Erth to be a part of the experience. The bottom line? There are a thousand things AiG could do to make the Ark a “must-see” park for everyone and not just believers, who are currently the only ones interested in visiting… Those are some… very sensible suggestions. And his other criticisms, of which there are several, are equally valid and thoughtful. Keep in mind he’s speaking directly to a Christian audience and appealing to their better angels. Ken Ham loves to respond to his atheist critics, accusing them of everything from immorality to pushing their own “religion.” I’d like to see him respond to this well-intentioned guy who brought his whole family to the Ark with a completely open mind, only to be very disappointed by what he saw. He’s right in Ham’s target audience, too, which makes his dissatisfaction even more stinging. (Thanks to Michael for the link)War and Society in the Celtiberian World Martín Almagro-Gorbea, Universidad Complutense Alberto J. Lorrio, Universidad de Alicante Abstract This study provides an overview of the strong military component of Celtiberian society, dating back to the sixth century BC and manifesting itself especially during the wars against Rome in the second century BC. This bellicose character developed as a result of a long tradition of warrior-shepherds who formed part of the Bronze Age "proto-Celtic" substrate. From the first millennium BC on, Celtiberian society became increasingly hierarchical and by the Iron Age warrior elites had emerged that subsequently evolved into hereditary regional clans. Archaeology, especially the excavation of cemeteries dating from the sixth to the first centuries BC, has provided most of our information about the Celtiberian warrior aristocracy, referred to in later literary sources as nobles and princes. The arrival of the Carthaginians and Romans ushers in the appearance of oppida as administrative centres that controlled large territories and provided cohesion in the wars against Rome. Within this framework, equestrian structures - the equites - emerged with training strategies that influenced military tactics. Graeco-Latin sources refer to Celtiberian customs such as single combat conflict between champion-warriors and Celtiberian warriors as mercenaries. Epigraphic sources, on the other hand, document the existence of institutions such as magistrates, supra-family organisational structures, and hospitality pacts. In this society, warlike, virile and agonistic ideals played an essential role. Thus, analysis of different kinds of evidence (literary sources, iconography, and funeral practices) provides information about the existence of highly religious ritual practices linked to war. This is verified by the fact that the gods were invoked in such rituals and were called upon to witness pacts. Customs such as the devotio, which had strong ritual associations, must have been relatively frequent among the Celtiberians. Finally, information is included about fighting methods and the concept of war, which in the Hispano-Celtic world evolved along with society, as is confirmed by important variations documented over five centuries of Celtiberian development. Keywords Celtiberian society; war; gentiliate elites; clientelar army; mercenaries; single combat; devotio; equites War is a social phenomenon that implies a conflict between two or more human groups. Consequently, the characteristics of a war depend on the societies where it occurs as one of the elements of their culture (Harmand 1981: 9). Due to the fact that information on the social implications of war in prehistory is very often lacking, more attention tends to be paid to technical aspects such as weaponry and forms of combat than to its social and ideological implications. Considering that in Greek, Roman or Celtic culture peace can be regarded as the temporary suspension of a habitual state of war (Harmand 1981: 23), war in protohistoric societies would have been a very important social phenomenon. This, as the Latin word hostis indicates, is evidenced by the equivalence between "stranger" and "enemy". Thus, war, even if not continuous, would have affected and conditioned the entire cultural system, from population distribution and organisation of the family to urbanism, from the economy to religion, just as its development was conditioned by the society' s characteristics. To understand war in Iberia's Celtic society, it is essential to analyse the mentality of that society (Almagro-Gorbea 1997). The relationship between war and society means that one would have affected the other as they evolved within the same cultural system. The evolution of war affected weaponry and had profound socio-ideological implications that explain the survival of very archaic warrior traditions until a late date. The social and political organisation of the Celtiberians has been studied since J. Costa (1893), who based his work on Graeco-Roman writers' reports describing princes and chieftains, warriors and mercenaries, senates, popular assemblies and institutions such as hospitium and clientship, populi and federations, etc. Historians also mention the warlike character of the Iberian Celts, who chose death in preference to being stripped of their weapons (see discussion below; Sopeña 1995: 92-93). The Celtiberians and the Lusitani fought as mercenaries in the Turdetan, Iberian, Carthaginian and Roman armies (Ruiz-Gálvez 1988; Santos Yanguas 1980, 1981; Santos Yanguas and Montero 1982; etc.), and for much of the second century BC were the protagonists of continuous conflicts with Rome. The epigraphic sources document institutions such as magistracies, suprafamily gentiliate organisations and ritual pacts of friendship. Archaeology, in particular the necropoli of the Eastern Meseta, provides evidence of the Celtiberian culture from its origins onward, a necessary long-term perspective (Lorrio 1997: 110-111). Grave goods indicate a hierarchical Celtiberian society based on a warrior aristocracy that is evidenced by the rich burial assemblages that have been found. Settlements, although still not sufficiently investigated archaeologically, with their larger monumental public or communal buildings such as the one in Botorrita with columns, or the comitium of Termes, complement the information from the burial record. Knowledge of the long period between the sixth century BC, when the essential elements of Celtiberian Culture were already defined, and the end of the millennium is rather uneven (Lorrio 1997: 261-262). The literary sources for the Second Punic War and the Wars against Rome after the end of the third century BC and the epigraphy from the second century BC onward provide information on the final phase of Celtiberian society when it was already in contact with the Romanising process. For the oldest phases only the cemeteries provide information about the evolution of Celtiberian society from the sixth to the first century BC. Through mortuary analysis it is possible to reconstruct the burial assemblages of the warriors buried there, although not their concept of war or the way they fought, which has to be inferred from the evolution of their society. The necropoli provide evidence of social evolution similar to that of the Iberians (Almagro-Gorbea 1991a): aristocratic tombs in the sixth-fifth centuries, more isomorphous warrior tombs in the following two centuries, and a tendency for weapons to disappear from the third century onward which has been associated with the expansion of urban ideologies (see discussion below). But Celtiberian society did not evolve in a homogeneous manner, since there were regional differences between the various populi known from the literary sources. Traditionally, the study of the Celtiberians has been limited to their "historic" stage, from the end of the third century to the first century BC. But the continuity of the archaeological record from the seventh century BC onward justifies the term "Celtiberian" in the lands of the upper Tagus-Upper Jalón and upper Douro rivers, where a culture corresponding to the Celtiberia of the Classical authors developed; it was also found on the right bank of the middle Ebro from the fourth to third centurird BC. A Celtic language known as "Celtiberian" was spoken in all these areas.1 From the sixth century BC on a distinct cultural system developed in Celtiberia. Evidence of it can be seen in the material culture, habitat, socio-economic structure and rites that were characteristic of the Celtiberian world; all of this was the result of a long process of evolution. This continuity can be seen in the settlements, socio-economic structure and necropoli, which reveal a warrior society that developed an evidently hierarchical structure from its early phase on (Lorrio 1997: 312-313). The cemeteries reveal a sequence of the Celtiberian world from the sixth to the first centuries BC with distinct geographical-cultural areas. Four phases can be distinguished: Proto-Celtiberian, tenth to seventh centuries BC; Early Celtiberian, 600-500 BC; Middle Celtiberian, 500-200 BC;
for 1988 campaign election law violations for, among other things, excessive contributions, improper direct corporate donations, press overbilling, exceeding spending limits in Iowa and New Hampshire, and failure to reimburse corporations for providing air transportation.[154] Cabinet (1989–1993) [ edit ] As a so-called "bleeding-heart conservative", Kemp was a logical choice for Bush as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,[155] whose job would be to foster public sector and private sector methods to meet the demands of public housing.[156] However, the scandals of Reagan's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Samuel Pierce and the neglect of the president were obstacles from the start, and Kemp was unsuccessful at either of his major initiatives: enacting enterprise zones and promoting public housing tenant ownership.[157] The goal of these two plans was to change public housing into tenant-owned residences and to lure industry and business into inner cities with federal incentives.[158] Although Kemp did not affect much policy as HUD's director, he cleaned up HUD's reputation,[157][159] and developed a plan to salvage the troubled Federal Housing Administration.[160] He halted or revamped corrupt programs and developed an antidrug offensive,[161][162] which enabled him to collaborate with Director of the National Drug Control Policy Bill Bennett.[163] He supported "Operation Clean Sweep" and similar movements to prohibit firearm possession in public housing.[162][164] Although Kemp coaxed Bush to support a $4 billion housing program that encouraged public housing tenants to buy their own apartments, the Democratic Congress allocated only $361 million to the plan.[8] In addition to opposition in Congress, Kemp fought White House Budget Director Richard Darman, who opposed Kemp's pet project HOPE (Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere). The project involved selling public housing to its tenants. Darman also opposed Kemp's proposed welfare adjustment of government offsets.[96] HOPE was first proposed to White House chief of staff John Sununu in June 1989 to create enterprise zones, increase subsidies for low-income renters, expand social services for the homeless and elderly, and enact tax changes to help first-time home buyers.[96] Sununu opposed it at first as did most of the Cabinet, but in August 1990 Sununu, at the urging of United States Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, encouraged President Bush to endorse Kemp's Economic Empowerment Task Force. However, the Persian Gulf War and the budget negotiations overshadowed Kemp's new project.[96] Darman battled Kemp and his allies such as Gingrich, James Pinkerton, and Vin Weber.[96] The budget left him with $256 million for his plan, which Kemp increased during some appropriations battles.[96] Soon after Clayton Yeutter was appointed chief White House domestic policy advisor, Kemp's Economic Empowerment Task Force was abolished.[96] President Bush avoided federal antipoverty issues,[165] and instead used Kemp as a mouthpiece to speak on the administration's low priority conservative activist agenda.[166][167] Bush's contribution to the urban agenda had been volunteerism through his "Points of Light" theme,[168] and Kemp received stronger support for his ideas from presidential candidate Bill Clinton.[169] By the time of the Los Angeles riots of 1992, Bush was a bit late in supporting enterprise zones, tenant ownership and welfare reform:[8] Mort Zuckerman compared Bush's vision on racial issues to that of a man riding backwards in a railroad car.[170] Nonetheless, the riots made Kemp a focal point of the administration,[171][172] even though at first, Kemp had been overlooked.[173] However, Charles E. Schumer had probably summarized the prospects of Kemp's success in advance best when he said in 1989, "Good ideas with money can do a whole lot. Good ideas without money aren't probably going to do a whole lot," and the issue here was the decision not to fund Kemp's ideas.[108] Although Kemp was unable to procure money for his visions, he was among the administration's leading users of first class corporate jets.[174] He cited lingering effects from a knee injury as the reason he had to fly first class at government expense as the Housing Secretary.[43] Generally, his time as housing secretary was considered unsuccessful.[5] However, although he could not get federal funding for empowerment zones passed during his tenure, by 1992 38 states had created empowerment zones,[175] and in 1994 $3.5 billion was approved for them under President Clinton.[176] A free market Kemp initiative to allow homeowners to subdivide their houses for the purpose of creating rental units without inordinate bureaucracy did not get executed under the Clinton administration, however.[177] In 1992, with H. Ross Perot mounting a formidable campaign, Kemp was again considered a vice presidential candidate.[178][179] Kemp was partly at fault for not achieving either of his primary goals because he did not get along with the rest of the Cabinet.[96] At one point, Kemp told James Baker, White House Chief of Staff, that Bush's best chance to win reelection was to dump his economic advisors in dramatic fashion.[180] Before the 1992 Republican National Convention, Kemp and six prominent Republican conservatives prepared a controversial memo urging Bush to revise his economic policy.[181] Contemporaneously, conservative Republicans in office and in the media such as William F. Buckley Jr. and George Will felt Dan Quayle should be ousted in favor of Kemp.[182] This followed Kemp's reference to parts of the President's economic policy as "gimmicks" after the 1992 State of the Union Address.[183] Kemp was respected within the party for opposing Bush,[184] and towards the end of Bush's administration insiders recognized his value.[185] In late 1991, 81 of the 166 Republican Congressmen signed a letter co-authored by Curt Weldon and Dan Burton requesting that Bush cede some domestic authority to Kemp as a "domestic policy czar."[184] The letter, highlighting Kemp's "energy, enthusiasm and national clout", insulted Bush.[186] Kemp was a bit of a surprise to stay in the Bush Cabinet for the duration of his presidency,[187] and he was described as one of the few Bush Administration members who would take tough stands.[188] Kemp did not expect to be retained if the Republicans were reelected in 1992,[189] and some pundits agreed with him.[185] Post-HUD years (1993–1996) [ edit ] Kemp gave public speeches for $35,000 apiece between his time as Housing Secretary and his Vice Presidential nomination. By 1994, Kemp had embarked on 241 fund-raising dinners to raise $35 million for a 1996 Presidential bid and to pay off his 1988 campaign debts.[8] After stepping down from his $189,000 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development job, Kemp personally earned $6.9 million in the next three years, primarily for speaking on behalf of local Republican candidates.[95][190] During the Super Bowl XXVIII festivities, Kemp hosted a notable fundraiser series.[191] Kemp was considered the star of the 1992 Republican National Convention.[192] In 1992 and 1993, Kemp was considered the favorite or co-favorite for the 1996 Presidential nomination.[193][194][195] At the time of the 1994 mid-term elections, Kemp was widely anticipated to announce his candidacy for 1996,[196] and his supporters wanted a formal announcement by the end of the year.[197] In January 1995, Kemp's stated reason for not entering the 1996 Republican Party presidential primaries was that his personal beliefs were out of balance with the contemporary Republican political landscape: Kemp opposed term limits, he always preferred tax cuts to anything resembling a balanced budget amendment and, unlike most Republicans, favored federal incentives to combat urban poverty.[198][199] In 1995, Gloria Borger noted Kemp was not in step with the 1994 Contract with America.[200] Kemp also noted a distaste for the vast fundraising necessary for a Presidential campaign.[201] Gergen stated that by 1996 the selection process had become so expensive, mean and personally invasive that it discouraged several top Republicans from running.[202] In 1995, while the world awaited the campaign decision announcement by Colin Powell, Kemp had positive thoughts on the prospect of such a campaign.[203] Senate Majority Leader Dole and Gingrich appointed Kemp to head a tax reform commission, (the Kemp Commission), in response to voter concern that the tax code had become too complicated.[204] Kemp championed many issues including the flat tax,[90] which he formally proposed after he was appointed.[205][206][207] The proposal included some politically popular income tax deductions, such as mortgage interest,[208] but it remained fairly general.[209] Among the 1996 Republican Party candidates, both Steve Forbes and Phil Gramm proposed the flat tax.[207][210] During the campaign, Kemp's endorsement was highly coveted.[211][212] Forbes had tried to get Kemp to run in the 1996 campaign, but Kemp declined and in fact endorsed Forbes just as Dole was closing in on the nomination, and just after Dole gained the endorsements of former contenders Lamar Alexander and Richard Lugar.[8][213] Some feel the primary reason for the endorsement was to keep the flat tax idea and other supply-side views alive.[214][215] Many thought Kemp had destroyed his own political future with the endorsement, and Kemp profusely apologized to Dole's campaign offices.[8] After it became clear Dole would be the nominee, Kemp attempted to form a bipartisan seminar with Felix Rohatyn to produce a fiscal plan that could be endorsed by both parties.[216] Kemp was also outspoken on immigration on around this time: according to Kemp's interpretation of a scientific index that he and Bennett support, "immigrants are a blessing, not a curse."[217] In 1994, Kemp and Bennett opposed California ballot Proposition 187, a measure to bar illegal immigrants from obtaining public services, in direct opposition to first-term Republican California Governor Pete Wilson, one of its endorsers who was running for re-election.[218][219] Republican Senate candidate Michael Huffington had also endorsed the proposition.[220] Kemp supported rights for illegal immigrants, and opposed Lamar Smith and Alan Simpson's proposed restrictions on legal immigration.[221] Vice Presidential nomination (1996) [ edit ] Kemp had a reputation as the highest-profile progressive Republican. When Dole declined an invitation to speak to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, he suggested Kemp as a substitute even before Kemp had become the vice presidential nominee.[222] On August 5, 1996, Dole announced a 15% across-the-board tax cut in response to both the Forbes campaign and Kemp's tax reform commission. Several of Dole's other campaign ideas came from Kemp and Bill Bennett's Empower America, which had Jeane Kirkpatrick, Weber, Forbes and Alexander as principals. For example, Dole borrowed Kirkpatrick's tough foreign policy, Bennett's "right conduct" and even Alexander's school choice interest.[223] Bennett declined the offer to be Dole's running mate but suggested Kemp,[224] a man described as Dole's antagonist.[225] On August 16, 1996,[226] the Republican Party chose Kemp as its vice presidential nominee, running alongside former Senator Dole. Kemp was seen as a means to attract conservative and libertarian-minded voters like those of tough nomination-challengers Forbes and Pat Buchanan.[227] Kemp was chosen over Connie Mack, John McCain, and Carroll Campbell,[228] and it is assumed that this was partly because Kemp had several former staffers in influential positions as Dole's senior advisors.[229] Dole had had a long history of representing the budget-balancing faction of the Party, while Kemp had had a long history of representing the tax-cutting advocates,[230] and Kemp's tax-cutting fiscal track record was seen as the perfect fit for the ticket.[231] When Kemp became Dole's running mate in 1996, they appeared on the cover of the August 19, 1996 issue of Time magazine,[232] but the pair barely edged out a story on the reported discovery of extraterrestrial life on Mars, which was so close to being the cover story that Time inset it on the cover and wrote about how difficult the decision was.[233] The two politicians had a storied history stemming from alternative perspectives and objectives. Dole was a longstanding conservative deficit hawk who had even voted against John F. Kennedy's tax cuts, while Kemp was an outspoken supply-sider. In the early 1980s, according to David Stockman, Kemp persuaded Reagan to make a 30% across-the-board tax cut a central 1980 presidential campaign feature. Once Reagan was elected, Dole was the Senate Finance Committee chairman who Kemp claims resisted the plan every step of the way. Dole concedes he expressed reservations about the 1981 plan. The big confrontation came after the tax plan was approved and after Dole subsequently proposed tax increases that he referred to as reforms. Kemp was vocal in his opposition to the reforms and even penned an op-ed piece in The New York Times, which enraged Dole. Reagan supported the reforms at Dole's request, causing Kemp to summon allies to meetings to stop the act, which eventually passed in 1982.[234] At the 1984 Republican National Convention, Kemp, along with allies such as Gingrich and Lott, added a plank to the party platform that put President Reagan on record as ruling out tax increases. Gingrich called this action "Dole proofing" the platform, and the plank passed over Dole's opposition. Then, in 1985, Dole proposed an austere budget that barely passed in the senate with appendectomy patient Pete Wilson casting the tying vote and Vice President Bush casting the deciding vote. In meetings with the president that excluded Dole, Kemp reworked the budget to exclude crucial Social Security cutbacks. This is said to have been Dole's most crushing political defeat and to have contributed to the Republican loss of control of the Senate. During the 1988 presidential election, the two antagonized each other. After Bush won and Kemp left Congress for the Cabinet, the two did not really cross paths again until 1996, when Kemp endorsed Dole's opponent Forbes on the eve of the New York Primary in March.[234] Dole despised Kemp's economic theories,[93] but he felt Kemp-like tax cuts offered his best chance at electoral success.[235] For his part, Kemp had to make concessions as well: he had to back expelling the children of illegal immigrants from public schools despite his longstanding opposition to Proposition 187 and mute his opposition to abolishing affirmative-action programs in California.[226][236] Some derided Kemp for his compromise and referred to him as a "con artist".[237] From the outset of their campaign, Dole-Kemp trailed,[238] and they faced skeptics even from within the party.[239] However, Kemp was able to use the nomination to promote his opposition to Clinton's partial birth abortion ban veto.[240] During the campaign, Kemp and Forbes advocated for a stronger stand on tax cutting than Dole used.[241][242] However, in general, the opinion was that Kemp was helpful to the ticket's chances of catching Bill Clinton,[243][244][245] and Kemp's advocacy gave a clear picture of the tax reforms that would likely occur on the condition of a successful campaign.[246] Kemp was seen as likely to influence several types of swing voters, especially those of his native state of California,[230] and even the Democrats feared Kemp might lure voters.[237] After receiving the nomination, Kemp became the ticket's spokesman for minorities and the inner-city.[247][248][249] Due to agreement on the self-help policy that Louis Farrakhan has endorsed in many fora including the Million Man March, Kemp in a sense aligned himself with Farrakhan.[250][251] However, Farrakhan was perceived as being anti-Semitic,[251] and Kemp was considered an ally of Republican Jews.[252] This issue necessitated some political sidestepping.[251] As the nominee, Kemp at times overshadowed Dole.[240] In fact, more than once, Kemp was described as if he was the presidential nominee.[240][253] In addition to having overshadowed Dole, despite the negative ad campaigns that the ticket used, Kemp was a very positive running mate who relied on a pep rally type of campaign tour full of football-related metaphors and hyperbole.[254] Although some enjoyed Kemp's style, referring to him as the Good Shepherd,[254] his detractors, such as U.S. News & World Report writer Steven V. Roberts, criticized the extensive use of recounting stories of passing balls relative to the use of recounting stories of passing bills.[255] During the campaign, Kemp expressed the opinion that Republican Party leaders did not stand behind the ticket wholeheartedly.[256] Despite Kemp's voice on minority issues, Colin Powell's support and polls that showed about 30% of blacks identified themselves as conservatives on issues such as school prayer, school vouchers and criminal justice, the Republicans were unable to improve upon historical support levels from African-American voters.[257] Both Al Gore and Kemp had Presidential aspirations, which induced pursuit of debate on a higher plane.[258] In addition, Gore and Kemp were long-time friends, unlike Gore and his previous vice presidential opponent Dan Quayle. Thus, as debaters they avoided personal attacks.[259] However, some felt Kemp failed to counter substantive attacks.[260] In the final October 9, 1996 Vice Presidential Debate against Al Gore (held as the Dole–Kemp ticket trailed badly in the national polls), Kemp was soundly beaten,[261][262] and Al Gore's performance is considered one of the best modern debate performances.[263] The debate topics ranged broadly from the usual such as abortion and foreign policy to the unusual such as an incident preceding the then-current baseball playoffs, in which Roberto Alomar, the Baltimore Orioles' second baseman, cursed and spat on an umpire.[264][265] The Mexico policy debate was one of the more interesting topics for critical review.[266] The Gore victory was not a surprise since Kemp had been outmatched by Gore in previous encounters,[94] and Gore had a reputation as an experienced and vaunted debater.[267] Legacy [ edit ] His legacy includes the Kemp–Roth Tax Cut of the 1980s, also known as the first of two "Reagan tax cuts." These served as the foundation of supply-side economics, known as Reaganomics. Many Republicans have endorsed this Laffer Curve view that tax cuts spur economic growth and reduce deficits. Although George H. W. Bush called this philosophy voodoo economics, George W. Bush and his Treasury Secretary, John W. Snow, were believers.[268] Kemp is also remembered alongside George Wallace and William Jennings Bryan for influencing history by changing the direction of presidential elections despite their defeats.[269] In the early 21st century, Kemp continued to be considered along with Reagan as the politician most responsible for the implementation of supply-side tax cuts and along with Steve Forbes as the political figure most responsible for their continued place in the marketplace of political ideas.[270] He has been described as a beacon of economic conservatism and a hero for his urban agenda.[271][272] Today, he continues to be described as a hero to fiscal conservatives who believe that free markets and low taxes work better than government bureaucracies.[106][273] Kemp was considered the leader of the progressive conservatives who adhere to the hard right on social issues, but avoid protectionist fiscal and trade policy.[274] In addition to Roth, he has had numerous political allies. At times, he collaborated with Gingrich and Lott on deregulation and tax cuts,[5][275] collaborated with McCain and Phil Gramm on tax cuts and spending restraints,[276] legislated with and campaigned for Joseph Lieberman,[277] and fought poverty with James Pinkerton.[96] Pete du Pont was a progressive conservative ally.[274] After retiring from Congress and serving in the Cabinet, Kemp remained close to Gingrich, Lott, Weber, and Mack.[8][200][278] Kemp was a member of the federal committee to promote Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday.[243] As a progressive voter, he had civil rights leaders such as Benjamin Hooks, Andrew Young and Coretta Scott King and conservative black intellectuals like Glenn C. Loury and Robert L. Woodson as supporters and friends.[108] He boasted of having Democratic friends such as William H. Gray III, Charles B. Rangel and Robert Garcia.[7] Ken Blackwell was a Deputy Secretary under Kemp.[279] During the Reagan presidency, when Kemp was able to effect tax cutting, a leading United States Senate tax-cutting proponent was Democrat Bill Bradley, a former basketball star.[280] Several American football players have followed Kemp to Congress: Steve Largent,[281] J. C. Watts,[282] and Heath Shuler.[283] Congressman Paul Ryan cites Kemp as a mentor, and mentioned him in his acceptance speech as the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee in 2012.[284] Senator Arlen Specter in a severe rebuke of federal governmental policy, stated just one day after Kemp died of cancer, that Kemp would still be alive if the federal government had done a better job funding cancer research.[285] Late career [ edit ] In 1993, Kemp, Bennett, Kirkpatrick and financial backer Theodore Forstmann co-founded the free market advocacy group Empower America,[89][286] which later merged with Citizens for a Sound Economy to form Freedom Works. Empower America represented the populist wing of the party: while avoiding divisive issues such as abortion and gay rights, it promoted free markets and growth over balancing the budget and cutting the deficit.[287][288] He resigned as Co-Chairman of Freedom Works in March 2005 after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) questioned his ties to Samir Vincent, a Northern Virginia oil trader implicated in the U.N. Oil-for-food scandal who pleaded guilty to four criminal charges, including illegally acting as an unregistered lobbyist of the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein.[289] Testimony about Kemp became prominent in the trial.[290] Also, FBI informant Richard Fino tied Kemp to James Cosentino just weeks before the 1996 election.[291] By 1996, Kemp had been named a director of six corporate boards. He was a director for Hawk Corporation, IDT Corporation, CNL Hotels and Resorts, InPhonic, Cyrix Corporation and American Bankers Insurance Group.[292][293] Kemp briefly served on the board of Oracle Corporation, whose CEO was his friend Larry Ellison,[294] in 1996, but resigned when he ran for Vice President; he was named to the board of Six Flags, Inc. in December 2005.[295] Kemp opted not to stand for re-election to IDT's board in 2006.[296] He also served on the Habitat for Humanity board of directors,[297] and served on the board of Atlanta-based software maker EzGov Inc.[298] Kemp also served on the board of directors of Election.com,[299] which was the private company that ran the world's first election on the internet (won by Al Gore), the 2000 Arizona Democratic Primary. Kemp was also a business partner with Edra and Tim Blixseth promoting membership in the elite private ski and golf Yellowstone Club. Kemp also partnered with the Blixseths in a failed anti-terrorism software venture called Blxware which was investigated for "conning" the federal government out of $20 million in contracts for software which fraudulently claimed to detect secret messages from Al-Qaeda in television broadcast signals.[300] Kemp was the founder and chairman of Kemp Partners, a strategic consulting firm that helps clients achieve both business and public policy goals. In addition to corporate boards of directors, Kemp served on several advisory boards such as the UCLA School of Public Policy Advisory Board, and the Toyota Diversity Advisory Board as well as the Howard University Board of Trustees, on which he served since 1993.[297] On March 25, 2003, Kemp was selected as chairman of the board of Directors of USA Football, a national advocacy group for amateur football created by the National Football League (NFL) and the NFL Players Association. The organization supports Pop Warner, American Youth Football, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, National Recreation and Park Association, Police Athletic League, YMCA, and the Amateur Athletic Union.[9] He was also vice president of NFL Charities. In the late 1990s, Kemp remained outspoken on political issues: he was critical of Clinton's International Monetary Fund lax policies toward South Korea.[301] In early 1998, he was a serious contender for the 2000 United States presidential election, but his campaign possibilities faltered,[302] and he instead endorsed eventual winner George W. Bush. Kemp continued his political advocacy for reform of taxation, Social Security and education.[9] When a 1997 budget surplus was earmarked for debt repayment, Kemp opposed the plan in favor of tax cuts.[303] Along with John Ashcroft and Alan Krueger, he endorsed reform of payroll taxes to eliminate double taxation.[304] In addition to his fiscal and economic policies, Kemp advocated against abortion when Congress was considering a bill banning intact dilation and extractions.[305] He also advocated for retired NFL veterans on issues such as cardiovascular screening, assisted living, disability benefits, and the 2007 joint replacement program.[306] He argued in support of reforming immigration laws.[307] In the late 1990s, Kemp also was a vocal advocate for free market reform in Africa, arguing that the continent had great economic growth potential if it could shed autocratic and statist governmental policies.[308] In 1997, when Gingrich was embroiled in a House ethics controversy, Kemp served as an intermediary between Dole and Gingrich to save the Republican Party leader.[309] Later, in 2002, when Lott made caustic remarks about Strom Thurmond, Kemp was upset, and he supported Lott's apology, saying he had encouraged him to "repudiate segregation in every manifestation."[310] Kemp was among the prominent leaders who pledged to raise money in 2005 for Scooter Libby's defense when he was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice in a case regarding the release of Central Intelligence Agency information.[311] In June 2004, Kemp rescinded his support of Vernon Robinson for Congress due to the latter's views on immigration laws, citing Robinson's choice to run "as a Pat Buchanan Republican".[312][313] In 2006 Kemp, along with 2004 vice-presidential nominee John Edwards, co-chaired the Council on Foreign Relations task force on Russia,[314] producing a document called "Russia's Wrong Direction: What the United States Can and Should Do".[315] After their task force roles ended, the pair advocated solutions to poverty in America at various fora.[316] On January 6, 2008, Kemp endorsed McCain in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries shortly before the New Hampshire primary, which surprised conservative Republican tax cutters.[317] However, as McCain neared the official nomination, the press associated McCain with Kemp more and more.[318] Kemp prepared an open letter to Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham and other conservative talk show hosts on McCain's behalf to quell their dissatisfactions.[273][273][319][320] In addition, Kemp and Phil Gramm advised McCain on economic policy.[321] In February 2008, Kemp was associated with a group called "Defense of Democracies" that was advocating an electronic surveillance bill that failed in the House of Representatives. The group's television ad caused such controversy that some of its advisors, including Schumer and Donna Brazile, resigned.[322] He was a member of the advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation[323] and served as Co-Chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Cabinet.[324] He was a board member for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott, and is awarded annually to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.[325] Illness and death [ edit ] Kemp in 2007 On January 7, 2009, Kemp's office issued a statement announcing that he had cancer; the type of cancer and the anticipated treatment were not announced. His diagnosis and prognosis were never publicly disclosed. However, he continued to serve as chairman of his Washington-based Kemp Partners consulting firm and continued his involvement in charitable and political work until his death.[326][327] On May 2, 2009, Kemp died at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, from cancer of unknown primary origin; he was 73.[328] President Barack Obama praised Kemp's work on race, adding that Kemp understood that divisions involving race and class stood in the way of the country's common goals.[329] Former President George W. Bush said that Kemp "will be remembered for his significant contributions to the Reagan Revolution and his steadfast dedication to conservative principles during his long and distinguished career in public service."[328] In April 2008, Kemp had announced plans to establish the Jack F. Kemp Institute of Political Economy at Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy.[330] The plans were later scrapped and Kemp died the next year. Following his death, Jack's son, Jimmy Kemp, created the Jack Kemp Foundation in late 2009 to continue his father's legacy.[331] A 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the foundation's mission statement is to "develop, engage and recognize exceptional leaders who champion the American Idea". The foundation is located in Washington, D.C., and is committed to advancing the universal values of the American Idea: growth, freedom, democracy and hope.[332] Electoral history [ edit ] Books [ edit ] In addition to authoring significant legislation as a congressman, Kemp wrote or co-authored several books: Kemp also wrote the foreword to several books: Reaganomics: Supply Side Economics in Action ( ISBN 0-87000-505-7, Westport, Conn. : Arlington House, 1981) by Bruce R Bartlett with Arthur Laffer ( ISBN 0-87000-505-7, Westport, Conn. : Arlington House, 1981) by Bruce R Bartlett with Arthur Laffer Raoul Wallenberg: Angel of Rescue by Harvey Rosenfeld ( ISBN 0879751770, Prometheus Books, 1982) by Harvey Rosenfeld ( ISBN 0879751770, Prometheus Books, 1982) Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year: 1986 Edition by Charles Brooks (ed.) ( ISBN 9780882896052, Pelican Publishing Company, Incorporated, 1986) by Charles Brooks (ed.) ( ISBN 9780882896052, Pelican Publishing Company, Incorporated, 1986) Leadership Is Common Sense by Herman Cain ( ISBN 9781930819023, Tapestry Press, 2001) by Herman Cain ( ISBN 9781930819023, Tapestry Press, 2001) Whole World's Watching: Decarbonizing the Economy and Saving the World by Martyn Turner and Brian O'Connell ( ISBN 9780471499817, Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated, 2001) Papers [ edit ] See also [ edit ] ^ There was no 1960 All-Star game. Citations [ edit ] References [ edit ]Life hacks are the latest craze. We all want a better way to carry out our daily activities, and sometimes the answer comes in mysterious forms. Some of the best solutions are not some new-age innovation made possible by technology. Sometimes they have been around for years. These life hacks, taken from “how to do it” cards found in old cigarette boxes, are from 100 years ago, but they are still completely relevant and useful today. Who knew the past could have so much to offer? Splinters – we have all been there. A pesky splinter stuck in your finger or the bottom of your foot can be the absolute worst! If you’ve ever had a splinter and no tweezers handy, you know just how miserable life can be. The card trick (scraping a card against the splinter to slide it out) works sometimes, but that method is unpleasant and unreliable. So next time you get a dreadful splinter stuck in your skin, try this simple bottle trick! We all know the struggle of cutting a fresh loaf of bread at a family gathering. It can be a real nightmare – uneven slices and crumbs everywhere! Not to fear, this old knife trick can solve the problem right away – and leave your fresh baked bread beautiful. Maybe you’re giving flowers to your sweetie, or maybe you are just trying to brighten up the room. Whatever your flower need, rest assured that this old trick will bring your blossoms back to life. Simple and effective, you’ll never have to worry about flowers dying too soon again. Does your house have a fire extinguisher? Probably not. In case there is a fire in your home, there are better ways to handle the situation than to wait around for the fire truck to appear. This quick and easy solution will help you sleep safe and sound knowing that you can save yourself from a fire, but let’s hope you never have to test this trick! Whether it’s a big family gathering or dinner for one, everyone is in search of the perfect potatoes. This hack is so simple it’s almost hard to believe. Now you can amaze your friends as you show off your expert chef skills – at least with potatoes, anyways! If you’ve had a sprain, you know that the last thing you want when you’re trying to recover is to keep getting up. A wet cloth can be quite soothing to an injury, but you wouldn’t want to have to run to the faucet every few minutes! Luckily, this simple solution allows you to heal in peace without having to constantly re-soak your wrapping. We have all had that day: you thought it was going to be warm, so you left the house without a sweater only to find yourself freezing half the day. Or you overdressed for cold weather and broke out into a sweat! The weather app is not always accurate, and I have definitely worn the wrong thing because my app told me the weather would be a certain way. Not to worry – this little trick takes moments and gives you a good idea of the weather. So if you see the clouds getting bigger, it’s time to take that sweater! This one is definitely useful. Growing up, my mom always told me about the time she got glass stuck in her foot. Now when a glass breaks I am nowhere to be found! Thankfully we do not have to live in fear of broken glass. If you’ve ever swept up the big pieces of glass only to find out later that the little shards are still there, this life hack is for you. After the exposition of black lights on hotel room surfaces, we have all wondered if that hotel bed is actually sanitary. This quick trick will put your mind at ease by letting you know that your sheets are clean and dry – or it will confirm your deepest fears and you will run out of the room in horror! Follow your friends or be the first to join our group Nowadays yoga and mindfulness are all the rage. Did you know deep breathing alone has meditative qualities? That, and it increases your blood flow. Whether you are taking a moment of meditation or preparing your lungs for a workout – or just want more air when you breathe – this little exercise will bring you more oxygen in no time. We all want to know shortcuts to make our lives easier. These life hacks from the last century are sure to solve some of your daily problems in simple but unexpected ways. When it comes to looking at the future, the past is key. Please SHARE this with your friends and family. [Source: BoredPanda]The reasons why might surprise you. 1 / 8 photo credit: shutterstock Do You Gain Weight In Winter? Do you notice the number on the scale creep up during the grey in months between the holidays and spring? You’re not alone. Many of us bemoan dreaded winter weight gain around this time of year. But contrary to popular belief, there’s no scientific evidence to prove that we’re biologically predisposed to weight gain in the colder months. Unless you’re a bear, that is. “We do know that in [hibernating] animals there will be seasonal changes in hunger hormones, but there really is nothing to suggest that that’s true in people,” says Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, medical director of the Bariatric Institute in Ottawa. That said, our behaviour in colder months may lead to winter weight gain for some of us. Here are three reasons why you’re more likely to gain weight in the winter and how you can break the habit.This post originally ran on Juan Cole’s website. President Barack Obama gave an interview on Israeli television on Tuesday in which he said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s position on rejecting a Palestinian state as long as he is in power is damaging Israel’s credibility. Netanyahu tried to retract his campaign pledge after he won the election on the basis of it, but that just made him look sleazy, and anyway he didn’t really take it back. Nobody thinks Israel will agree to a Palestinian state as long as Netanyahu has anything to say about it. Obama was just pointing out that the international community had earlier been willing to give Israel the benefit of the doubt on its sincerity in pursuing peace with the Palestinians. You can’t have peace with people you are permanently subjecting to a form of Apartheid and Occupation, leaving them without citizenship, basic human rights or proper passports. Once Netanyahu admitted that there wouldn’t be a Palestinian state, it was like dropping a fig leaf. He stood naked before the world. The problem is that if occupation and Palestinian statelessness are going to be permanent or last for decades, then what Israel is doing is worse than South Africa Apartheid. It also came out on Tuesday that the Israeli army transferred land owned by Palestinians to Israeli squatters. BBC Monitoring translated a vitriolic reaction from casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson’s newspaper in Israel, Yisrael Ha-Yom, by journalist Haim Shain. Shain slams Obama for reaching out to Muslims “at the expense of the State of Israel.” He condemns Obama’s negotiations with Iran as being “again on the back of the State of Israel and its survival.” Then he says that Obama is not antisemitic or against Israel. Rather, he is under the influence of “court Jews” who dislike the Israeli right wing parties and who support Israel’s left wing, which is in thrall to Haim Saban (who made billions with children’s cartoons) and former president Shimon Peres. Adelson is willing to put a hundred million dollars or more of his own money into supporting his favorite candidate, who appears at the moment to be Marco Rubio, the Florida politician. The theory that Obama is under the influence of liberal American Jews who dislike the Israeli right wing parties comes dangerously close to echoing antisemitic tropes. Obama is depicted as not having his own views on the matter, but rather being influenced by “court Jews” who are working at cross-purposes to the ruling Israeli Likud Party. That sounds like a cabal. Obama maintains that his negotiations with Iran aim
many types of birth control, including oral contraception and emergency contraception. Capps and several of her House colleagues will be sending a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services objecting to the draft rule and urging the Administration to reconsider its position. Capps has worked in the past to stop other efforts by the Bush Administration to restrict access to family planning services and contraception. She was part of the successful efforts to allow over-the-counter sales of Plan B emergency contraception and also to prevent attempts to restrict funding from certain health providers who provide comprehensive family planning services.Many Americans, including leading Republicans, were affronted by President Donald Trump's nonchalant response to Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly's characterization of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "killer." The Kremlin, for its part, demanded an apology from Fox — and got a sarcastic reply from O'Reilly instead. Something that has fallen by the wayside in all these exchanges, though, is the question of how fair it is to call Putin a killer. It's not a trivial question. Putin is not a bloodthirsty, Stalin-like dictator. He has stubbornly resisted calls for the reinstitution of the death penalty in Russia, put on hold during the country's brief romance with Europe. "Experts do not believe tougher punishment leads to the eradication of crime or the lowering of crime rates," he said in 2013. On the other hand, it's hard to ignore that some of Putin's enemies and political opponents have turned up dead. The three most prominent murders that are commonly blamed on Putin in the West are those of politician Boris Nemtsov in 2015, journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006, and former intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko also in 2006. An official inquiry in Britain concluded it was likely that Putin was behind the assassination of Litvinenko, who was poisoned with the radioactive substance polonium-210. That's the closest anyone has come to pinning a murder on Putin. The KGB — the organization that taught Putin most of what he knows about the world — has a long tradition of assassinating "traitors," primarily defectors. In his memoir, Oleg Kalugin, a former KGB general, recalled an episode from his work in the U.S. under journalistic cover in the 1960s. His boss, the New York station chief, told him he'd propose to Moscow that Kalugin shoot Yury Nosenko, a high-level defector to the U.S.: "I hope you haven't neglected your target practice," he continued. "Can you still shoot? Would you be able to finish off the traitor at this meeting?" His question caught me off guard, but I quickly replied, "Of course I could." "We could get you out of it later, of course," he went on. "You know, swap you for a Western spy. So there's no need to worry." Kalugin was never asked to go through with the killing, but one can easily imagine KGB veteran Andrei Lugovoy, the man whom a British judge found guilty of poisoning Litvinenko, having a similar conversation with some important official in the KGB successor service, the FSB. Putin is on record as saying betrayal is, to him, the gravest possible sin; he once told a Moscow editor he was willing to tolerate and even respect an enemy but not a traitor. Litvinenko would qualify as a traitor by FSB standards: He publicly accused his former service of ordering him to kill oligarch Boris Berezovsky, the man who helped Putin win the presidency in 2000 but then became a staunch opponent. He also claimed, on sketchy evidence, that the KGB organized the 1999 bombings of apartment buildings in Moscow, which were officially blamed on terrorists from the separatist region of Chechnya. After fleeing Russia in 2000, Litvinenko depended on the largesse of Berezovsky, but also of British intelligence — another red flag for the FSB. In the case of Politkovskaya, Russian courts have convicted the actual murderers, but failed to determine who had planned and ordered the contract killing. The same pattern has emerged in the Nemtsov case, in which the trial is to continue on Feb. 14. Yet, though both Politkovskaya and Nemtsov were outspoken critics of Putin, friends, colleagues and family have not accused him of ordering the assassinations. Yuri Kochetkov, EPA Russian people participate with flowers and portraits in a memorial march for Boris Nemtsov to mark the murder's first anniversary, in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 27, 2016. Boris Nemtsov, liberal opposition leader and sharp critic of president Putin, was killed on Feb. 27, 2015, by a group of Chechen military servicemen. Russian people participate with flowers and portraits in a memorial march for Boris Nemtsov to mark the murder's first anniversary, in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 27, 2016. Boris Nemtsov, liberal opposition leader and sharp critic of president Putin, was killed on Feb. 27, 2015, by a group of Chechen military servicemen. (Yuri Kochetkov, EPA) (Yuri Kochetkov, EPA) In both cases, there have been strong suggestions of the involvement of Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, installed by Putin to pacify the rebellious region. But despite clear ties between the convicted and accused killers and Kadyrov's inner circle, the Chechen leader has not been asked to testify at either trial. Kadyrov is a Putin appointee; and he enjoys such a special status in Putin's Russia that, it appears at times, Russian laws don't apply to Chechnya. Both Politkovskaya and Nemtsov harshly criticized the thin-skinned Chechen for his human rights abuses. It would, however, be unfair to ascribe crimes Kadyrov may have ordered or committed directly to Putin. The Russian leader is himself a hostage to the scheme he chose to end a decade-long war of secession in Chechnya. The corrupt and often ruthless system Putin has maintained in Russia is clearly a killer, and not just by dint of empowering people like Kadyrov. Since Putin came to power, 25 journalists were killed for work-related reasons. Many of them had been investigating corruption by Putin-appointed officials or exposing injustice by Putin's billionaire friends — like Mikhail Beketov, the editor of a small paper in the Moscow suburbs that opposed a highway project led by Putin crony Arkady Rotenberg. Only three journalists have been murdered in the U.S. in the same period, and two of them were victims of a terror attack. People also suffer injuries when they come into contact with Russia's brutal and opaque law enforcement and justice systems. There are no official statistics on the number of people killed, beaten and tortured by police, but news reports of violent incidents are a daily reality. According to Rusebola.com, which attempts to collect independent statistics on inmate deaths in the Russian penal system, 99 people died in Russian jails and prisons in 2016. Had these statistics existed in 2009, Sergei Magnitsky, the tax lawyer, whose death is often blamed on Putin, would have been included in them: A Kremlin human rights council determined that Magnitsky, who had been denied medical help, was beaten by eight prison guards shortly before his death. The degree of an authoritarian ruler's personal responsibility is higher than in a state with a working system of checks and balances. Such a country's interests inevitably merge with the ruler's interest in keeping power. So, compared to U.S. leaders, Putin must accept more personal responsibility for the victims of his policies, his adventures and his mistakes. That includes the people killed in terror attacks that followed his harsh actions in Chechnya, as well as the many deaths resulting from his support of Ukrainian separatists and President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.Lack of quality, especially in regards to flow and other gameplay-related mechanics. There are plenty of misleading patterns, sharp angles, messy structures, and incorrect beat placement found throughout the difficulty. Incorrect timing signature, 03:23:440 - should be set to 3/4, not to 4/4. Incorrectly snapped objects. 04:50:486 (2,3,4,1,2,3,4,5,6) - is not in 1/3, rather it is 1/2 00:55:569 (1,2,3,4) - Really poor flow, coupled with a lack of basis in the music calls for a very sharp play that is very unnatural. The angles that are presented here are too harsh when taking the surrounding patterns into consideration. 00:57:319 (5,1) - Wildly inconsistent spacing. There are plenty of instances where spacing manipulation is abused to either fit the pattern or ignore musical cues. Please go through the difficulty and iron out any areas where the beat placement can be improved. 00:59:569 (1,2,4,5) - These overlapping patterns make things hard to read due to the rotating nature of the play. This can be very misleading, as 00:59:944 (4,5) - can be obscured when they appear, further worsened by the fact the player has to move outwards to 00:59:819 (3) -. 01:06:069 (4,5,1,2) - Due to the flow and the way the pattern is set up, it is easy for the player to get lost here. The sharp change in direction doesn't help either. Try to make each note more noticeable by unstacking or supply flow so the play is more natural. 01:10:569 (1,1) - This pause is incredibly awkward due to the extreme momentum the previous pattern gave off. Needs to be spaced out further, not to mention the streams kill the momentum even more. 01:25:819 (1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3) - Awkward stream pattern. This can be executed better by decreasing the spacing between the jumps, especially between 01:26:194 (3,1) - 01:28:819 (1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4) - While this is a pretty pattern, it kills virtually all the momentum from the previous streams, thus making 01:29:819 (1,2,1) - extremely difficult to maneuver 02:00:069 (1,2,3,4,5,1,2,1,2,3,4) - Heavy spacing inconsistencies. Things like this can be found throughout the difficulty 04:31:526 (1,2,3,4) - Strange anti-jump that appears out of nowhere, killing the momentum from the previous play making the next pattern more awkward 04:38:006 (2,3,4,5,1,2,1) - Strange spacing increase for pretty much the same rhythms as before 04:56:006 (1,2,3,4,1) - Sudden spacing decrease for the same rhythm as 04:52:166 (1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,5,1) - 05:00:326 (1,2,3,4,5) - The upward and downward motions here creates a sort of movement that is very awkward when taken into account the movement upwards, the movement to the side and downwards, followed by the movement back upwards Howdy! On behalf on the QAT, I must disqualify this beatmap for the following reasons:The QAT has found this map to not be suitable for the ranked status at this time. This is largely due to the heavy amounts of inconsistent gameplay mechanics the mapper has utilized. While the song is erratic in nature, this does not excuse the various issues this difficulty presents. Below are examples of specific problems that are found throughout the map, please use them to help fix the problems and to avoid any future disqualifications.[Blind Faith]In conclusion, the QAT is not satisfied with the quality of this beatmap. Please take into account all that has been said here, apply it to improve the set as a whole. What has been pointed out are, and not every single instance of areas that require changing. The BNG will handle the requalification of this beatmap. Good luck!If you would like to contest this disqualification, please click here ###CMDella Myers is an overwhelmed upper-middle-class housewife who lives in a large house in the suburbs with her twin children and her abusive husband, Kenneth. Kenneth lets Della know that he thinks she gives all her attention to the twins and neglects her house and her appearance. Late on Christmas Eve, Della drives to the local mall to buy gift-wrap. While searching for a parking space in the jam-packed lot, Della notices an old car taking up two spaces. Frustrated and annoyed, she decides to leave a paper message on the windshield of the old car, writing, "Hey, Jerk. Two parking spaces. How selfish can you be?" After the mall closes, Della's car is held by the driver of the old car and she is threatened by four punks -- Chuckie, Huey, Vingh, and Tomás. When the security guard of the mall attempts to protect Della, he is shot and killed by Chuckie. Della tries to escape from the criminals in her truck, but the gang chases her. In the chase, she crashes in a nearby forest. What unfolds... Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Edited and revised for clarity by JKS, United StatesMarine Le Pen, leader of the French right wing National Front party, compared Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union speech to a “funeral for the European Union” and branded it “insipid and faulty.” The prominent eurosceptic politician also reiterated her vow to hold a referendum on EU membership if elected as French President in 2017 during her speech at EU Parliament. Read more In his annual address, Jean-Claude Juncker voiced “respect and regret” at the UK’s decision to leave the union, but said the EU would survive. “Allow me to state, we respect and at the same time regret the UK's decision, but the EU as such is not at risk,” said Juncker. Le Pen commented on the "regrets" of European Commission president. “Brexit has really broken a taboo. The British have shown us that you can leave the European Union and you can come out better,” said Le Pen. She called fears about the consequences of Brexit a “lie,” since harmful impact of the decision was widely exaggerated. “The catastrophic visions were just a lie. The UK is doing quite well, the shock that you wanted to see has now turned into trust, everybody thought there was going to be apocalypse falling on the UK but that didn’t happen.” In his speech, Juncker admitted that the EU may not have “enough union”, with populist parties gaining power. He also spoke about social justice, migration and security. Read more Marine le Pen said that Juncker’s words on the EU are a “magic formula” that “has no power.” “Your answer for everything, no matter what, is ‘more Europe’. Terrorism, immigration, economy, agriculture? You count on Europe to protect us,” said Le Pen. “What is Europe protecting us from? From prosperity?” she added. Marine Le Pen welcomed the outcome of Brexit referendum in June and promised to hold a similar referendum in France. The potential withdrawal of France from the EU is commonly referred as ‘Frexit’. According to a poll by Pew Research Center in June before the British referendum, 61 percent of France supported departure from the EU. The result was second only to Greece’s 71 percent.There’s still plenty to learn. From The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.): The CIA’s secret interrogation program has made extensive use of outside contractors, whose role likely included the waterboarding of terrorist suspects, according to testimony yesterday from the CIA director and two other people familiar with the program. Many of the contractors involved aren’t large corporate entities but rather individuals who are often former agency or military officers. However, large corporations also are involved, current and former officials said. Their identities couldn’t be learned…. According to two current and former intelligence officials, the use of contracting at the CIA’s secret sites increased quickly in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, in part because the CIA had little experience in detentions and interrogation. Using nongovernment employees also helped maintain a low profile, they said. The use of contractors continues, CIA Director Michael Hayden has admitted. That led Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to ask Attorney General Michael Mukasey for an answer as to whether it is legal for contractors to employ “enhanced interrogation techniques,” a question he said he didn’t know the answer to during the hearing last week. That letter is below.Fair criticism of Tesla is one thing, and I’ve engaged in my share. Poisonous political attacks are another, especially when they come from the black, self-serving lungs of a coal company executive. Robert Murray released a cloud of calumny and obfuscation on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” calling Tesla a “fraud” that had taken $2 billion in taxpayer subsidies while failing to turn a penny of profit. Murray is the chief executive of Murray Energy Corp., the nation’s largest underground coal company, which extracts 65 million tons of bituminous coal a year from 12 active mines in the U.S. and Columbia. You might think that Murray would have no issue with people buying electric Teslas and connecting them to a carbon-fired teat, at least in states like Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio that generate at least 70 percent of their electricity from coal. But it didn’t take long to see what was really eating Murray, or "Squawk Box" co-host Joe Kernen, who regularly argues that man-made climate change is a myth, and has called environmentalists the "Eco Taliban." Murray tried to link red-meat names like Warren Buffett and J.B. Pritzker with Tesla’s Elon Musk, darkly hinting that Hillary Clinton wants to subsidize her cabal of supporters for reasons “that have nothing to do with supporting the environment.” (About the only names he didn’t mention were Vince Foster and the Rothschilds). Oddly, the Pritzker family earned its fortune in Hyatt hotels and real estate, not energy. More strangely, as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, parent company of Nevada natural-gas utility NV Energy, Buffett has tangled with Musk over electricity rates for solar customers, and has tweaked Musk over “big time” tax breaks for Tesla’s battery plant. So much for energy conspiracy theories. Don't forget to sign up Your Email Address But logic really went out the window with Murray’s smiling insistence that “...you could close down every coal-fired plant in the United States today and you would not affect the temperature of the earth at all. Not at all!” Host Kernen eagerly took the bait: “Just the temperature in that lady’s house, er, you might affect that temperature, but not the temperature of the planet. Thanks for making the case.” Wow. I've heard of Coal Miner's Daughter. Kernen is apparently Coal Miner's Talker. Is it just me, or is cheerleading for a notoriously polluting, life-snuffing industry an especially rich vein of bullshit for a purportedly objective business journalist? Kernen's “case,” of course, is that climate change is a fraud or a conspiracy that the world's scientists have somehow managed to keep secret, even though most scientists will confess their geek love of cellos and Miyazaki on a first date. And, that any rational response to this "phony" crisis, aside from extracting and burning fossil fuel to the planet’s literal last drop, is a symptom of government overreach or collective madness. Musk saw through CNBC's smokescreen, and tweeted back: The “Real fraud going on is denial of climate science. As for'subsidies,' Tesla gets pennies on the dollar vs. coal. How about we both go to zero?” Murray didn’t mention that coal power plants are America’s (and the world’s) number-one source of carbon-dioxide emissions—about 25 percent in America, roughly 44 percent around the globe—and the leading contributor to climate change. Coal plants are also directly implicated in smog, acid rain and toxic air pollution, including more than half the nation’s mercury emissions and the most sulfur dioxide. Now, there’s nothing wrong with clear-eyed debate over the best strategies to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. We can acknowledge stark realities—including Americans' current dependence on natural gas and, yes, coal—wasteful practices or misguided avenues. Hey, the ethanol boondoggle that mainly benefits corn-growing agribusiness—there’s a good one. I’ve personally criticized the government for subsidizing production and sales of six-figure EVs, including Teslas, for wealthy buyers who don't need or deserve huge tax breaks.Along with predicting our future behaviors, brain scans can guess when we're about to make a cognitive error, mis-processing a math problem because we're thinking too hard. Like a dashboard widget watching your computer's RAM, brain wave patterns can be used to detect when the brain is approaching its limits of processing power, according to new research. Federico Cirett at the University of Arizona was studying learning differences among non-native English speakers versus fluent English speakers, and noticed the non-fluent people had more difficulty answering various types of questions. He attached an EEG to volunteers' heads to monitor their brain activity as they solved math problems on the SAT exam, and tried to figure out why they were distracted. The measurements were correlated with questions about how engaged the students were, their perceived levels of difficulty, and their feelings of frustration, according to the U of A, where Cirett is completing a Ph.D. The subjects were all university students, according to a university news release. An EEG monitors waves of activity in the brain, and Cirett wrote an algorithm that classifies different types of waves. He examined the students' responses about frustration levels, and came up with a system that can predict how well they'll do on a given problem. Ultimately, within about 20 seconds of starting a problem, Cirett could deduce via students' brain activity whether or not they would get it right, he says. The system works with 80 percent accuracy, much better than chance. Surely everyone knows how it feels when your brain is overworked — that sense of fuzziness, distraction and slowness that can be the hallmark of an extremely busy Monday. So it makes sense that brain scans could pick up this feeling, noting when your brain is about to be overloaded. Cirett and his collaborators wrote a paper about their work and will present it at a User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization conference in Montreal in July. [via IT World]The Universe of Metro 2033 (Russian: Вселенная Метро 2033) is a long-running series of post-apocalyptic short stories, novellas, and novels, spanning a variety of genres. The works are written by many different authors. However, all publications from the series are supported by Dmitry Glukhovsky and advertised on the official Metro 2033 website. Contents show] Overview Edit Although the project started off in Russia in late 2009, it has grown immensely since then and has consequently been turned into an international programme. To date, over 90 books have been published under this label. The series features not only the creations of Russian writers, but also the creative works of Belarusian, Polish, Ukrainian, British, Italian, and Cuban authors. It enjoys great popularity in Russia (where a new title is released each month) and other Eastern European countries, such as Poland (where the project is growing rapidly) and Hungary (where it has also gathered a cult following). Outside of the region, Germany has received some translations; even fewer stories from the series have also been published in Italy, Spain, Sweden, France, and South Korea. None of the works has yet been translated into English. One way of judging which countries are the most interested in the series is by looking at the statistics of the official Russian website for the Universe. Looking at its live stats, the top 5 countries with the most visits (from most frequent to least) are the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Poland. Italy Edit The Roots of Heaven Edit See also: The Roots of Heaven (Novel) Author(s): Tullio Avoledo First published in: November 2011 (Italy) Available in: Italian, Russian, Polish, German, Hungarian Set in: Rome, Urbino, Rimini, Santarcangelo di Romagna, Ravenna, Venice (Italy) Continued by: The Children's Crusade The Children's Crusade Edit See also: The Children's Crusade (Novel) Author(s): Tullio Avoledo First published in: March 2014 (Italy) Available in: Italian, Russian, Polish, Hungarian Set in: Milan (Italy) Continued by: N/A Poland Edit Achromatopsia Edit See also: Achromatopsia (Novel) Author(s): Artur Chmielewski First published in: March 2017 (Poland) Available in: Polish Set in: Warsaw (Poland) Continued by: N/A The Promised District Edit See also: The Promised District (Novel) Author(s): Paweł Majka First published in: August 2014 (Poland) Available in: Polish Set in: Kraków (Poland) Continued by: The Promised Human The Promised Human Edit See also: The Promised Human (Novel) Author(s): Paweł Majka First published in: November 2016 (Poland) Available in: Polish Set in: Kraków (Poland) Continued by: N/A The Abyss Edit See also: The Abyss (Novel) Author(s): Robert J. Szmidt First published in: August 2015 (Poland) Available in: Polish, Russian Set in: Wrocław (Poland) Continued by: The Tower The Tower Edit See also: The Tower (Novel) Author(s): Robert J. Szmidt First published in: May 2016 (Poland) Available in: Polish Set in: Wrocław (Poland) Continued by: N/A In the Firelight Edit See also: In the Firelight (Novel) Author(s): 12 Polish writers First published in: January 2014 (Poland) Available in: Polish, Russian Set in: Moscow (Russia), Łódź (Poland) Continued by: N/A Whispers of the Fallen Edit See also: Whispers of the Fallen (Novel) Author(s): 8 Polish writers First published in: April 2015 (Poland) Available in: Polish, Russian Set in: Kiev (Ukraine), Moscow (Russia), Warsaw, Zwonowice, Radom, Szczecin, Częstochowa (Poland), parts of Slovakia and Hungary Continued by: N/A Echo of an Extinguished World Edit See also: Echo of an Extinguished World (Novel) Author(s): 14 Polish writers First published in: March 2016 (Poland) Available in: Polish, Russian Set in: Gdynia, Gdańsk, Warsaw, Zabrze, Kraków, Giewont (Poland), Moscow (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden), Dunmore Cave (Ireland) Continued by: N/A In Ruins Edit See also: In Ruins (Novel) Author(s): 12 Polish writers First published in: June 2017 (Poland) Available in: Polish, Russian Set in: Oleśnica, Katowice, Szczecin, Sława, Ostrołęka, Żar mountain, Warsaw (Poland), Chicago (USA) Continued by: N/A Russia Edit Dark Tunnels Edit See also: Dark Tunnels (Novel) Author(s): Сергей Антонов (Sergei Antonov) First published in: January 2010 (Russia) Available in: Russian, German, Korean, Polish, Hungarian Set in: Moscow (Russia) Continued by: N/A Piter Edit See also: Piter (Novel) Author(s): Шимун Врочек (Shimun Vrochek) First published in: February 2010 (Russia) Available in: Russian, Polish, German, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Korean Set in: St. Petersburg (Russia) Continued by: N/A Towards the Light Edit See also: Towards the Light (Novel) Author(s): Андрей Дьяков (Andrey Dyakov) First published in: June 2010 (Russia) Available in: Russian, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Swedish, French, Hungarian, Korean Set in: St. Petersburg (Russia) Continued by: Into the Darkness Into the Darkness Edit See also: Into the Darkness (Novel) Author(s): Андрей Дьяков (Andrey Dyakov) First published in: July 2011 (Russia) Available in: Russian, German, Polish, French, Swedish, Hungarian Set in: St. Petersburg (Russia) Continued by: Beyond the Horizon Beyond the Horizon Edit See also: Beyond the Horizon (Novel) Author(s): Андрей Дьяков (Andrey Dyakov) First published in: February 2013 (Russia) Available in: Russian, Polish, German, Hungarian Set in: St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Kaspiysk, Vladivostok (Russia), Kazakhstan and the coasts of Southern Asia Continued by: N/A Heritage of the Ancestors Edit See also: Heritage of the Ancestors (Novel) Author(s): Сурен Цормудян (Suren Tsormudian) First published in: July 2012 (Russia) Available in: Russian, Polish, German Set in: Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian exclave) Continued by: N/A The Right to Use Force Edit See also: The Right to Use Force (Novel) Author(s): Денис Шабалов (Denis Shabalov) First published in: August 2012 (Russia) Available in: Russian, Polish Set in: Serdobsk (Russia) Continued by: The Right to Life The Right to Life Edit See also: The Right to Life (Novel) Author(s): Денис Шабалов (Denis Shabalov) First published in: March 2013 (Russia) Available in: Russian, Polish Set in: Serdobsk, Penza, Saransk, Ulyanovsk, Zelenodolsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Yaransk, Kirov, Syktyvkar, Ukhta, Beryozovka (Russia) Continued by: The Right to Revenge The Right to Revenge Edit See also: The Right to Revenge (Novel) Author(s): Денис Шабалов (Denis Shabalov) First published in: June 2017 (Russia) Available in: Russian, Polish Set in: Serdobsk, Penza (Russia) Continued by: N/A Murancha Edit See also: Murancha (Novel) Author(s): Руслан Мельников (Ruslan Melnikov) First published in: January 2011 (Russia) Available in: Russian, Polish Set in: Rostov-on-Don (Russia) Continued by: N/A The Rest Edit Many other books have also been published under the Universe of Metro 2033 banner since the launch of Dmitry Glukhovsky's project in 2009, but information about most of them is scarce. The titles of some of these are: Track Marks Exit by Force Marmoreal Paradise The Wanderer The North In the Interests of the Revolution War of Moles Bezymyanka To See the Sun Below Hell Ghost Station Paramedics Britain Icy Captivity The Siege of Paradise The Last Refuge Unburied The Blinding Void Kingdom of Rats Muos The Bad Side of Peace Hunger The Witness Daughter of the Heavenly Spirit Abode of Dreams Cat and Mouse Rublyovka The One Standing at the Door Dark Target Crimea From the Depths Blindmen Dusk at the End of the Tunnel Snow Leopard The Measurer Sisters of Sorrow The Road of Steel and Hope Mutant The Host of the Yauza Born to Crawl Rublyovka-2 Crimea-2 The Apostate Map of Moscow Edit Highly detailed Polish map of the Moscow metro and its surroundings for the year 2035 Add a photo to this gallery Gallery Edit Authors EditGet the biggest daily news 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 Boxer Tyson Fury has become embroiled in a doping investigation, we can reveal. The world heavyweight champ is being probed by officials after traces of a banned anabolic steroid were allegedly discovered in a sample taken last year. If found guilty of doping, he could lose his three world title belts and face a lengthy ban. But Fury has denied the allegation with his promoter Hennesy Sports stating they were "baffled" by the story. Experts are understood to have found unacceptable levels of nandrolone in a sample taken before he won the world title from Wladimir Klitschko. Positive effects of the drug, naturally occurring in the body, include muscle growth. His cousin Hughie, a fellow heavyweight boxer, also allegedly tested positive for the substance. Both Fury, 27, and his cousin have denied any ­wrongdoing. Test samples understood to have been taken between February and March last year, ahead of Fury’s first bout with the former champ, sparked the probe by UK Anti-Doping officials. It is understood Fury and his cousin then attended a meeting in September, when he was told the levels of the steroid found were higher than the body would naturally produce. (Image: Reuters / Kai Pfaffenbach) But the officials insisted they wanted to investigate further. Fury is expected to be brought before an independent panel alongside his cousin to explain why high traces of the substances were allegedly found. It is understood the British Boxing Board of Control has been made aware of the situation and will await the inquiry’s outcome before deciding what action to take. Tyson Fury Sophie Ashcroft of UK Anti-Doping said: “UK Anti-Doping does not discuss or disclose details of any cases until due legal process has been completed.” (Image: Reuters) Fury has spoken of a need to crack down on drugs in boxing. In November, he said: “Boxing has a big problem with drugs. But it doesn’t bother me because at the end of the day it’s about determination.” BBBoC chief Robert Smith said he did not agree there was a “major problem” in the sport. Fury revealed on Friday he had been forced to postpone his July 9 rematch with Klitschko, who he beat last November, due to ankle injury. His promoter Mick Hennessy says: “There is no way we could let Tyson fight a man like Klitschko when anything less than 100 per cent fit.”British Basketball has won a one-year funding reprieve after to UK Sport over its £8.5m cut. The sport, which had been left with no elite funding for the build-up to Rio 2016, has not yet been told how much it will receive. Funding-hit British sports: Badminton: Lost £1.5m Lost £1.5m Basketball: Lost £8.5m Lost £8.5m Disability Archery: Lost 119k Lost 119k Handball: Lost £3m Lost £3m Judo: Lost £0.7m Lost £0.7m Powerlifting: Lost 252k Lost 252k Sitting Volleyball: Lost 767k Lost 767k Swimming: Lost £3.7m Lost £3.7m Table Tennis: Lost £1.2m Lost £1.2m Volleyball: Lost £3.1m Lost £3.1m Wheelchair fencing: Lost 552k Lost 552k Wrestling: Lost £1.4m Read more Wheelchair fencing, which lost its entire £552,000 budget, has also been given a year's funding. Table tennis, wrestling and volleyball (sitting and indoor) missed out on a reprieve. A UK Sport statement said basketball and wheelchair fencing presented "new and compelling performance information that reprioritised those sports". Both sports will receive one year's funding, with the remaining three years dependent on "strict performance criteria". Further talks will take place in the next few weeks to determine how much they will receive. British Basketball's performance chairman Roger Moreland said: "We are absolutely delighted with the decision of UK Sport. "They have acknowledged that we successfully presented compelling new performance data, which not only impressed the board but made them recognise that we are potential podium contenders for 2020." British Basketball has been very public in its appeal for support, with superstar Luol Deng revealing he had personally written to Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to reverse UK Sport's decision to pull all funding. UK Sport is renowned for its objective, 'no compromise' approach to funding - it doesn't do heart-tugging stories of Olympic dreams or Corinthian ideals about just taking part. It's in the business of winning, so its U-turn on basketball and wheelchair fencing is because those two sports convinced UK Sport that they really do have 'podium potential' - they've now got enough cash for a year to prove they deserve funding all the way to Rio In 2006, basketball was awarded £8.5m through to the 2012 Olympics, but that has been cut altogether. The men claimed a historic 90-58 victory over China at London 2012, while over the past six years the women's team have risen from the bottom of the global standings to their current position as world number 24. The
inevitable, but it’s not impossible, either. * This article originally stated that among all American state legislators, there is only one avowed atheist. In fact, according to the Center for Freethought Equality, there are several. We regret the error.The Hawks will have two more participants in All-Star Saturday Night with the additions of Dennis Schroder to the Skills Challenge and Paul Millsap to the Shooting Stars Competition this weekend in New York City. Schroder replaces Jimmy Butler in the Skills Challenge. He will face off against Kyle Lowry in the first-round of the new bracket format competition. Schroder will join teammate Jeff Teague in the eight-player field. Teague got a new first-round opponent when Elfrid Payton was named to replace Michael Carter-Williams. Teague and Schroder are on opposite sides of the brackets and can only meet in the finals. Schroder had previously been selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge Friday. Schroder announced his participation in the event on social media Thursday. “Excited to Compete in the Skills Challenge with My Speed Brother,” Schroder tweeted. Millsap replaces Anthony Davis in the Shooting Stars Competition and will team with Scottie Pippen and Elena Delle Donne. Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins is part of the competition and will team with Chris Bosh and Swin Cash as two-time defending champions. Hawks teammates Al Horford and Kyle Korver will join Millsap and Teague in the All-Star Game Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. Their Eastern Conference team will be led by Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer and his staff.Artisan will officially open Sept. 7, 2017, at the Delamar West Hartford Hotel at 1 Memorial Rd. By Ronni Newton Appetizers and wine with friends at a farmhouse table nestled in a garden of fresh herbs and vegetables … a light dinner al fresco under a shaded pergola lit by mason jar pendants … a beer and a burger in an intimate brick-floored tavern with the backdrop of a cozy fire on one side and a vibrant mural on the other … a full-course meal served in a casually-elegant Scandinavian-style room adorned with a mural of fig trees … a private event in a stunning room illuminated by copper chandeliers that hang from a gold-leaf barrel ceiling. All of these experiences can be had right in West Hartford, in a new restaurant named for the artistic nature of the food as well as the elements that create the unique establishment. Artisan is a feast for the eyes and the palate, a restaurant that offers a variety of beautiful dining atmospheres and a menu that features fresh-for-the-season New England-inspired and locally-sourced dishes. There’s something for everyone’s taste in seating as well as food in the distinct outdoor and indoor spaces and a menu that rather than being divided into courses is separated by: “The Garden, The Mill, The Sea, and The Land.” Each of those sections offers “taste and share” options as well as larger entrees. Artisan, located on the ground floor of the Delamar West Hartford Hotel, is the award-winning restaurant’s third location. Others are in the Delamar Southport (CT) and Newfane, VT. All are under the direction of Executive Chef and Partner Frederic Kieffer – who is also the executive chef of L’Escale at the Delamar Greenwich. Why Artisan? Kieffer said it started with the shell of a restaurant that became Artisan in Southport. “We wanted it to be casual and approachable,” he said, even though the restaurant is located in a luxurious boutique hotel. The focus turned to the artistry of the surroundings, with craftsman chosen to create the specialized decor. The farmers are the artisans of the ingredients, and the chefs are the artisans of the dishes they serve. “Altogether, Artisan is the best name. From the buildings to the farmers, everybody participates,” Kieffer said. The menu focus at Artisan is “New England-inspired cuisine,” said Kieffer, and will vary based on the seasonality of ingredients. Although the menu’s backbone is similar to the other Artisan locations, he said that one of West Hartford’s advantages is being closer to the farmers which allows for the development of deeper relationships. “The chowder is special to us,” Kieffer said. Ingredients in the “Artisan Seafood Chowder” include oysters, clams, shrimp, and fennel crackers. The Cioppino, a dish that originated in San Francisco, is prepared with lobster sauce rather than tomato broth as a base. Unlike many restaurants which offer vegetarian or vegan dishes as a special accommodation or an afterthought, Artisan’s “Garden” section of the menu receives just as much if not more focus than the rest. For those who are gluten-free, dishes can be found throughout all sections of the menu. The highlight of “The Garden” section is undoubtedly the “Baked Vegan Tian.” The ingredients will change with the seasons, Kieffer said, and currently includes spinach, eggplants, beans, and tomatoes, topped with a Romanesco sauce made from yellow peppers and almonds. “Tian means layers,” Kieffer said. “A lot of steps go into that dish. It’s not an afterthought.” Many of the dishes on the menu have a story. The shrimp in the “Royal shrimp and grits” is Stonington red shrimp. Kieffer said it’s one-of-a-kind, and there’s only one boat in the world – the Neptune – that harvests the catch of 400-2,000 pounds per year. “[The red shrimp] was found as a fluke because of scallop over-fishing,” Kieffer said, when the boats had to go farther and farther out to find their catch. The red shrimp has to be frozen on the boat because it’s harvested so far from shore. The dish’s grits are Anson Mills Carolina middlins – corn grits not rice grits. “It can’t be just the expected,” Kieffer said of his menu. The dessert menu wasn’t available for viewing yet, but Kieffer said it’s highlighted by a uniquely Artisan cheesecake. “Our cheesecake is very fluffy … served in a pot,” Kieffer said. It’s also seasonal, and currently topped with a late-harvest tomato marmalade. Other seasonal toppings will include pumpkin in the fall and dark chocolate in the winter. Chocolate ganache and almond tarte can also be found on the dessert menu. Chef de Cuisine Tom Kaldy, who has a background in French cuisine and spent many years in some of Las Vegas’ most highly-rated restaurants, comes to Artisan from Cavey’s in Manchester. He’s been working hand-in-hand with Kieffer for the past four or five months, and spent several months working at Artisan’s Southport location. Kaldy considers farm-to-table his specialty, and said “artisanal, locally-sourced” dishes are the focus of Artisan. “It’s classical French technique applied to local ingredients and preparations.” The chowder is a must-try, Kaldy said, but he has some other favorites. “I’m very excited about the charred leek ravigote with fried egg and Nordine’s bacon,” he added. That dish is from “The Garden” section of the menu. Kaldy also said he’s very pleased with the “ancient grains and duck egg” which can be found in “The Mill” section. The certified organic products are some of the best ingredients that can be found, some of which are gleaned directly from the garden right outside the door. “We have respect for the product … We’re not doing that to be trendy but it’s the way it should be,” said Kaldy. “There are little touches, things you don’t see often in Connecticut,” Kaldy said. “I plan on this being the best restaurant in West Hartford.” In addition to the food, guests have a spectrum of options in which to dine. The restaurant’s garden is an oasis in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square, ringed by espalier – pear trees with branches grafted so that each yields six different types of fruit, and trained to grow in a straight line like roses on a trellis. Inside the garden white and purple eggplant, a rainbow of peppers, and a variety of herbs are ready to be harvested for each day’s dishes. The garden, which is managed by gardener Renée Giroux, is an integral part of the restaurant’s mission of serving local and seasonal dishes. Giroux, formerly of Gilberti’s in Easton, now has her own farm in Warren, CT. Weather permitting, diners can stroll on a path through the garden before settling into one of Artisan’s outdoor spaces – the pergola or the garden area, which in the evening is lit with willow branch lanterns – to enjoy food and drink. There are a total of 70 seats outdoors. Enter the restaurant through handmade doors and diners will find several unique indoor dining options as well. The first space is the 30-seat Tavern, which has a floor created from 9,000 arranged in a beautiful herringbone pattern that surrounds a pewter bar crafted by L’étainier Tourangeau of Montbazon, France. Diners can order off the regular menu as well as from a Tavern menu that includes burgers (on homemade English muffins), sliders, and fish and chips. Just as much attention is paid to those dishes, Kieffer said, with homemade pickles, ketchup, ice cream, and sorbet. One wall of the Tavern boasts a colorful mural of large flowering tobacco fields – an image that pays homage to one of the region’s original industries and was custom-painted by Stockholm artist Jonas Wickman. In another corner, guests can relax while sipping their drinks on classic Gripsholm-style sofas and chairs in front of the specially-made Swedish farmhouse tile fireplace designed by Gabriel Keramik of Timmernabben, Sweden. The 50-seat dining room is more elegant, but Kieffer said it’s designed to be extremely approachable and welcoming, like a dining room in a home. Along one wall is another oversized mural by Wickham, this one depicting fresh figs, reminiscent of the garden that is just steps away. Another wall of the dining room has been reproduced to look like the red-tinted walls of Windsor’s tobacco barns, complete with uneven boards to allow for air flow. The most elegant feature of Artisan in the breathtaking 16-seat private dining room, accented by handmade copper-wire chandeliers suspended from a gold-leaf barrel ceiling. As executive chef of Artisan, Kieffer is also responsible for Delamar’s banquet operations, which will begin in December. He said he plans to hire a banquet chef who will follow the same criteria – a chef with an a la carte restaurant background who will focus on the quality rather than just quantity of the food. The attention to detail for the banquet operations even extends to the serving pieces, and Kieffer said a special line of chafing dishes has already been procured. Artisan will also be open to the public for breakfast. A continental breakfast is included with a hotel stay, but guests can upgrade to a cafe breakfast, Kieffer said. In addition to Kieffer, Artisan’s other collaborators include restaurateur Rick Wahlstedt (owner of L’Escale in Greenwich, as well as Le Bilboquet, Japonais, and Le Colonial) and Greenwich Hospitality Group Founder and Partner Charles Mallory. Wahlstedt, in a news release announcing the restaurant’s opening, said that Artisan “is a natural extension of the growing food-culture and fine living in West Hartford. This opening is the culmination of all the attention and consideration local purveyors, patrons and, yes – food artisans – have been giving to elevate the culinary experiences in this region.” Handling the day-to-day operations is General Manager Bruce Ballet, former manager of West Hartford’s Besito. Hicham Amaaou, director of operations, comes to West Hartford from Artisan Southport. Mallory said the opening of Artisan West Hartford is the culmination of the team’s vision. “We have been fortunate to be able to put together a very strong local team, who will execute their talent in a truly beautiful space, and with an outdoor dining and garden area that is unparalleled,” he said in the announcement. “The goal of delivering world-class food and service to a la carte and banquet customers is challenging, but I am very confident of our teams ability. The seamless synergies between the hotel and the restaurant will make staying in the hotel, eating at Artisan, or hosting an event large or small a pleasure.” Artisan opens to the public for dinner at 5 p.m. on Sept. 7, and will be open seven days a week. Dinner will be served from 5-10 p.m. on Sunday through Wednesday, and from 5-11 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday. The bar will remain open late. Breakfast will be served from 7-10 a.m. beginning Sept. 11, and lunch will be served Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. beginning Sept. 25. Brunch, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., will be served beginning Oct. 9. “Social Hour” also begins Sept. 25, and will be held daily from 3-6 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling 860-937-2525. More information will also be available on the Artisan website, www.ArtisanWestHartford.com. Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!Illustration: David Perezcassar The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been using mass surveillance devices known as IMSI catchers, in public, for a decade. In that time, the police have indiscriminately surveilled potentially thousands of Canadians without their knowledge, and stored that information for later use. Motherboard and VICE News obtained more than 3,000 pages of court documents that were produced as part of a case centering around a 2010 RCMP drug bust that unveiled a Montreal mafia slaying, codenamed Project Clemenza. Thanks to these documents, Canadians are finally getting a peek into the RCMP's use of mobile device identifiers—the police's term for IMSI catchers. On Friday, some of the men who pleaded guilty in the case that sprang from Clemenza are being sentenced in a Quebec court. These documents reveal that the RCMP cut corners in training officers on how to use mass surveillance devices, and routinely surpassed even US federal police in their embrace of the technology by retaining surveillance data after an investigation is concluded. "Clearly, they've been planning for some time to use them for day-to-day mass policing" IMSI catchers essentially act like fake cell phone towers. They force every phone within range—which may be up to two kilometres away—to connect and communicate information such as the handset's unique ID, the ID of the phone's SIM card, and its carrier and country of origin. Some IMSI catchers are capable of intercepting texts and phone calls. IMSI catchers are indiscriminate. They act more like a dragnet than a targeted surveillance tool, and one can imagine how many innocents may be surveilled when an IMSI catcher is deployed in a bustling city centre. Although the use of IMSI catchers by police in the US is well-known, the RCMP has been remarkably guarded about revealing its capabilities to the public. "This technology is so privacy-invasive that it is essential we be given enough information to ensure that it is only being used lawfully and with respect for our Charter rights," said Brenda McPhail, director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association's surveillance project. "Only then can we have a real debate about whether the benefits to public safety are at all proportionate to the profound privacy risks presented by this technology." In the past decade, as the RCMP has expanded its IMSI catcher program and increased its surveillance capabilities, the federal force has not filed a single privacy assessment to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, the nation's federal privacy watchdog, a spokesperson for the Commissioner told Motherboard. Despite efforts on the part of the RCMP and the Crown to suppress information relating to the use of IMSI catchers in Project Clemenza, the documents nonetheless paint the picture of a surveillance program that likely grew too fast for its own good, and raise serious questions about how the police subvert Canadians' privacy. This story is part of a joint investigation with VICE News. Check them out for more details on the court case that led to the police exposing their secret surveillance program. Extensive redactions in court documents related to the Clemenza case make it somewhat difficult to construct a detailed timeline of the IMSI catcher program, but it's clear that the RCMP's adoption of advanced mass surveillance began years ago. The RCMP's first IMSI catcher was purchased in 2005, according to testimony from RCMP peace officer Jocelyn Fortin. Between 2006 and 2007, officers were trained to operate the devices at so-called "controlled sites." But early use of the surveillance tech wasn't limited to test sites: testimony indicates that the RCMP received permission to use them in public for training purposes. In 2011, the RCMP purchased another IMSI catcher device, which was delivered in 2012. Officers received an additional three days of vendor training in spring of that year. Some devices may cost anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to over one hundred thousand dollars. Fortin testified that in 2014 the RCMP was "good to go" on two more "products." Redactions make it unclear whether the products in question were IMSI catcher devices, but the context of the comments—IMSI catcher procurement—suggest as much. It's impossible to say how many IMSI catchers the RCMP currently has. However, these documents, which cover events up to mid-2015, paint the picture of a wide-ranging program. "Our working theory was that originally that these devices were used in limited and extreme cases," said Tamir Israel, a lawyer for the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), which is based at the University of Ottawa. "Now, we're seeing them become tools of general use. Clearly, they've been planning for some time to use them for day-to-day mass policing." Officer Fortin testified that he has personally operated IMSI catchers in "over 30 different operations," and "on over 50 different subjects." Testimony from officer Mark Flynn in 2015 also reveals that, at that time, the RCMP maintained "a large facility" in an undisclosed location for Fortin to "test and determine and how [the IMSI catcher] functions and how to develop the methodologies that [the RCMP] would deploy." "We know that there are a large number of documents, and they stretch across the RCMP" Officer Josh Richdale, an IMSI catcher operator, testified that he had 300 working hours operating the equipment in the field, and that he personally has operated an IMSI catcher device at a range of two kilometres. Richdale also revealed two previously unknown uses of IMSI catchers in Canada. One was deployed at a range of two kilometres in a rural area near a firing range, although the exact location is unclear. Any cell phones in the area would have been forced to connect to the RCMP's device and send identifying information to the police. In another case, an IMSI catcher was deployed in Toronto to find a missing elderly man who was later discovered dead in a field. Exactly when these events occurred is not known. "The RCMP possesses and uses specialized tools and techniques under lawful authority in the execution of criminal investigations," RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Harold Pfleiderer told Motherboard in an email. "All our investigative efforts are directed at supporting public safety, [and] are targeted, limited, specific, proportionate and lawfully authorized by an independent judiciary." But the device used in Project Clemenza was, by definition, not "specific" or "targeted." The IMSI catcher's main function is to scan an area for any phones and collect the device ID, SIM ID, carrier, country of origin, and phone manufacturer. The IMSI catcher does not discriminate between innocent and guilty. Although the RCMP "avoid" conducting readings while driving or in crowded areas like malls, officer Richdale testified that "that's not to say [the RCMP] wouldn't do a reading in [those] areas." In the case of Project Clemenza, the defence argued "it is clear that, at times, thousands of innocent third parties" were surreptitiously surveilled by the RCMP. Court filings show that the RCMP deployed IMSI catchers at a range of one kilometre during Project Clemenza. Any phones within that kilometre radius would have had potentially identifying information swept up in the dragnet. The IMSI catcher used in Project Clemenza did not intercept the content of any communications, but the RCMP's surveillance abilities have grown with the increasing technical capabilities of IMSI catcher devices themselves. Now, some devices are capable of actually intercepting the content of text or voice communications. According to testimony from peace officer Fortin, the RCMP has obtained more IMSI catcher devices with greater capabilities since Project Clemenza. The nature of these capabilities was not disclosed. "The RCMP has received numerous requests from the public and journalists about their use of IMSI catchers, and they've routinely refused to produce those documents, or they've claimed they simply don't exist," said Christopher Parsons, a researcher at the University of Toronto-based Citizen Lab. "We know now that flatly isn't the case. We know that there are a large number of documents, and they stretch across the RCMP." Court documents reveal not just a large-scale RCMP surveillance program using IMSI catchers, but a program that may have grown too fast for its own good. Around 2010, according to testimony from peace officer Fortin, the RCMP was losing IMSI catcher operators and taking on new staff at a rapid pace. At this point, Fortin and his skills with IMSI catchers were already being stretched thin by RCMP demand. "I was getting called many times to operate the equipment on different [operations] across the country," Fortin said. "They gave the list [of certified operators] to the different Special 'I' [sections] across the country, that they should call before calling me or calling our office to get an operator for the system." The demand for resources led the RCMP to take certain shortcuts in training officers to be IMSI catcher operators, these documents show. According to Fortin, the original round of IMSI catcher operators was given a full week of training on the theory and practice of how to operate these devices. But during Clemenza, the demand for new operators was so high that "we couldn't provide that full week of training" for new employees, he testified. Instead, officers were trained on the job, in the field, and on ride-alongs with fellow officers. Officers testified that there is no standard for note-taking on the part of operators in the field, and IMSI catcher testing may not have resulted in any formal reports either. This is despite troubling findings, such as the fact that IMSI catchers prevent devices in range from making 911 calls—something that officer Flynn testified was only discovered through the RCMP's own testing. "Everyone should be seriously concerned about officers who have not received formal classroom training going out and using devices that disrupt the ability of people to make emergency calls," said Christopher Soghoian, the American Civil Liberty Union's chief technologist. When pressed about the quality of this training, Fortin testified that he didn't "fail" any IMSI catcher operators, and that "when the training is done, everybody is able to operate the equipment." Fortin said that some operators were not up to snuff, but he blamed this on the operators themselves and not their training. The RCMP also essentially authorized itself to use IMSI catchers during Clemenza, court documents indicate. The RCMP first sought a "general" warrant, officer Richdale testified, which authorized the RCMP to use an IMSI catcher. But it was a senior RCMP Criminal Operations officer who laid out the conditions of the device's deployment. "With his authorization, we would then proceed with the operation," Richdale said. According to officer Richdale, internal authorization to use an IMSI catcher and the terms of its deployment from a senior RCMP official may even come before a judge issues a general warrant. The RCMP declined to confirm whether this is still the case or not. "We don't even understand the authority under which these things are authorized, and that strikes me as a very serious problem," said Citizen Lab's Christopher Parsons. "We have to understand the laws that affect us." When IMSI catcher operators complete a session, all of the data they've just collected from people's phones is stored on USB drives or CDs by the RCMP. "Once they have that information, they can legally use it in other investigations. It's a tangible threat to the privacy of innocent people down the road" In one chilling instance, officer Richdale told the court, "If I were to use [an IMSI catcher] in this courtroom and I conducted a reading right now and everyone had a cellular device, [identifying information from] all the cellular devices would be obtained and kept in our database." The US Department of Homeland Security has a publicly viewable policy that says all IMSI catcher data collected as part of an investigation must be destroyed after the mission is completed, and after the target is located. "The US government's position is: yes, we technically send these probing signals into private places, but it's not a big deal because we destroy it afterwards," Soghoian said. "The privacy invasion is greater if they hang on to the data." But the RCMP, in contrast, pushes to retain IMSI catcher information, and requests this ability from the judge issuing the warrant, according to officer Flynn's testimony. "Whenever I hear any suggestion that there should be destruction of information, it bothers me," he said. When asked if officers are able to search these stored databases, which may contain the personal identifying information of innocent Canadians who are not under active investigation by the police, the RCMP declined to comment. Officer Richdale testified that the RCMP surveillance unit stores such information but keeps it from investigators. In his words: "We won't destroy it, but we won't disclose it either." What this means is that, essentially, police can capture your private information, even if you're not under investigation for a crime, and store it in a shadowy database which may be searched later, during unrelated investigations. "Once they have that information, they can legally use it in other investigations," said Israel, the CIPPIC lawyer. "It's a tangible threat to the privacy of innocent people down the road." Canadians have only begun to hear about the RCMP's use of IMSI catchers in recent years, and in bits and pieces at that. But the Project Clemenza court filings are now filling out the picture, revealing a large-scale operation that has been growing for over a decade. The documents only stretch to 2015, but there's no reason to believe that these practices have changed since then. More importantly, the Clemenza files suggest that the RCMP's IMSI catcher program grew rapidly and resulted in improper training of officers, that it established standard practices that encourage internal authorization before a judge's warrant, and that it absolved operators of the responsibility to keep detailed notes after surveilling innocent Canadians. Police have a job to do—that's beyond dispute. But powerful surveillance technologies, wielded without proper guidelines or oversight, go beyond the pale. Not only have the police been able to surveil innocent Canadians with impunity for more than a decade, but they did so without proper training, and potentially even without clear legal authorization. The most important question that Canadians can ask themselves and their elected representatives is: how, in our relatively stable Canadian democracy, have the police been able to hide the use of mass surveillance devices from the public for over a decade? At the very least, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police owes the public an explanation.The recent inundation of the Toronto Islands has been a shocking reminder of their vulnerability. This spring saw the worst flooding in years due to some severe rainfall and above-average lake levels. Island ferries remain closed to non-residents and the city has cancelled all island permits until at least July 31. A walk — or wade — around the island this past month would reveal near-deserted flooded pathways and lawns with walls of sandbags holding back flood waters to varying success. The newly-flooded areas already boast a spawning carp population. The severity of the flooding was quite variable across the islands. Lower lower-lying areas like Ward’s Island and around Gibraltar Point were hit hard yet Billy Bishop Airport remained open for business. I love maps and tend to think about problems spatially. I wanted to know more about the actual extent of the flooding and which areas were hit the hardest. Exhaustive online searching yielded little, so I decided to go ahead dig up some local elevation data. These two maps show the elevation of the Toronto Islands in metres above sea level and the areas most likely to have flooded this spring. Importantly, these maps show flood risk or vulnerability not the actual extent of the 2017 flooding. Mapping the latter is quite difficult and requires very recent aerial imagery and lots of processing. Mapping vulnerability is more easily done, and important for future planning and mitigation efforts. It involves combining elevation data and lake level data. The flooded areas on the map above are areas with an elevation below 75.931 metres — the highest recorded lake level in the Toronto harbour this May, as measured by the US Army Corps of Engineers. In other words, these are the areas that most likely experienced the worst of the flooding and are most likely to experience it again. It’s also worthwhile to mention that flood vulnerability — like so many things these days — is data dependent. These maps were made using elevation data created by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in 2002 with five-metre horizontal resolution using aerial photos. You can find the data through Ontario’s open data site. Toronto’s open data portal also has local elevation data created using similar methods and re-jigged into something called a triangulated irregular network, or TIN. In an interesting twist, when I mapped the flooding with this dataset the outlook for the islands was substantially worse, and in fact most of Billy Bishop was under water. So which dataset is to be believed? There’s no way to tell without actually going to the islands and measuring them, what’s called “ground truthing” the data. Better data are out there — like the ridiculously high-resolution lidar data — but are not freely available to the public. One thing is clear: this is likely not the last or worst flooding the Toronto Islands will experience. With the changing climate, Toronto can expect more frequent and severe rain events like the ones this spring, which means higher lake levels and more flooding in the city’s low-elevation areas. Understanding and communicating vulnerability will be vital endeavours for the City and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. But making data — making good data, to be clear — open and freely available so that communities can take action on their own can help in reducing future flood vulnerability and in adapting to climate change. top photo by Sam Javanrouh map illustrations by James Steenberg James Steenberg is an environmental scientist and writer. He is a research associate at Ryerson University in Toronto and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Follow him on Twitter @JamesSteenbergClass Fees Fees are paid monthly in $USD and due the first of each month. There are two plans for members: Basic and Unlimited. Basic membership includes 2 classes per week. Additional classes are $5 per class. Unlimited membership allows you to train as often as you can. Due to the unique nature of our team and location, we understand there will be time periods when other commitments disrupt your ability to train with us as often as you would like. If it's work or vacation pulling you away from the mats, simply communicate with Flavio or Yoko about your situation. You may suspend your monthly dues until you can return full time. During your hiatus, you may find you can get one or two classes into your schedule. In this case, you may forgo the monthly fee and simply pay $10 USD per session. For absences longer than 3 months, membership privileges will be revoked. However, you are free to renew whenever you are able to resume training.Amazon.com has a huge anti-trust problem: Donald Trump US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday that Amazon.com, the world's biggest online retailer, has "a huge anti-trust problem." Amazon India will no longer offer refunds on electronics For refurbished electronics like mobiles, tablets and laptops, Amazon India will issue refunds if the customers return the same within 10 days of purchase. BENGALURU: Amazon will debut its membership Prime service in India next month, says a tech blog that has obtained the information by looking at the source code of the Amazon India website.The blog, Maktech, said the source code reveals that the Prime service will have a dedicated landing page that is yet to be activated. Amazon Prime will give fresh ammo to the $107-billion e-tailing behemoth in its fight with Flipkart. The service enables users to pay a fixed amount in a year and, in India, it will allow such users to get guaranteed delivery in two days, and free delivery of lots of items with no minimum order size. In the US, Prime members also enjoy exclusive access to movies and TV shows, ad-free music, unlimited photo storage and Kindle books.According to sources, Amazon is also in talks with some leading content creators to support Prime services in India. A person familiar with the development said, “It’s been in the works for a while and they are looking to launch it soon, given the kind of focus they have on the Indian market and being able to close in on Flipkart. Amazon Prime could be big advantage to attract more consumers as users in the US have been using it regularly.”When TOI reached out to Amazon, the company said, “We do not comment on rumours or speculation.”“Amazon continues to make a significant investment to keep pace with Flipkart and Alibaba. I think India has grown in importance for Amazon, particularly since its foray into China has been met with modest success,” Kerry Rice, MD - equity research internet and digital media in Needham & Co, said recently.In the US, patrons subscribing to Amazon Prime are charged $10.99 monthly and $99 annually. Sources told TOI the pricing in India could be attractive and is expected to be lower initially to crack the price sensitive Indian market.“Amazon Prime could help solve logistics issues which are quite complex in India. But the key would be how Amazon prices it initially to get the users hooked to the service,” Satish Meena, an analyst with Forrester Research, said.FIFA has confirmed that it is investigating Real Madrid for alleged irregularities in signing minors. However, as yet no disciplinary proceedings have been launched. "FIFA is currently gathering information and documents to be able to correctly evaluate this matter", a spokesperson for football's governing body told the German press agency dpa. "For the moment no formal disciplinary proceedings have been opened. We are unable to provide any further information at this time", the spokesperson said. Real Madrid have assured that they are relaxed despite the FIFA enquiries, which could result in a hefty sanction if any irregularity were to be discovered. "All I'm going to say is that we agree with FIFA on this matter. We have worked with FIFA and shall continue to work with FIFA and of course, we're absolutely confident in Real Madrid's transfer dealings", said Emilio Butragueño, the director of institutional relations for 'Los Blancos'. Last season, FIFA set a clear precedent in sanctioning another of Spain's major clubs, Barcelona, placing an embargo on the club signing any new players until 1st January 2016 due to irregularities in signing and registering players under the age of 18 between 2009 and 2013. Barcelona's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was rejected. In recent days, MARCA has been reporting on FIFA investigations into other clubs, including Real Madrid.A/N: My first ever Elder Scrolls story! After playing Morrowind for the first time a couple of months ago (several years after Oblivion, believe it or not), I was inspired to write my own version of the Nerevarine's tale. How long it'll take to finish, I have no idea... but I'll try to keep updates as regular as possible, at least. So, here you have it: the adventures of Ada, Imperial outcast and very, very reluctant Nerevarine. Chapter 1: I Don't Want To Go To Morrowind It was a weird dream, I tell you that. I mean, I've had some strange dreams before, but this one was truly bizarre. Images flashed across my mind in a never-ending reel: fire, storms, a barren landscape, water droplets splashing into a pond... and scrolls covered in Daedric writing, which I don't even understand. I must have eaten some really bad food the night before. A woman's voice was speaking. "They have taken you from the Imperial City's prison, first by carriage, and now by boat. To the East, to Morrowind." "Morrowind?" I squeaked. "I don't want to go to Morrowind!" "Fear not," she reassured me. "For I am watchful. You have been chosen." "Chosen for what?" I asked plaintively. "And does it really have to be Morrowind? I mean, how about Valenwood? I always wanted to go to Valenwood." I have no idea why I thought I could reason with the mysterious dream-lady, but I guess you don't tend to think all that rationally when you're dreaming. It didn't matter in any case, because at that very moment I was woken up by someone roughly shaking my shoulder. "Wake up!" It was a hoarse, throaty voice, suggestive of a bad cold. "Wake up! We're here." I opened my eyes to see a male figure, naked from the waist up, staring down at me. He had grey-green skin, red eyes, and huge, sharply-pointed ears – each studded with several earrings – not to mention a vicious-looking scar running down one side of his face. A Dunmer, I thought. Well, that explained the scratchy voice. He looked concerned. "Why are you shaking? Are you okay?" "I… guess," I said weakly, trying to sit up. The back of my head hurt; I must have banged it against a packing crate. "Er… bad dreams." He nodded. "Yes, you were dreaming. What's your name?" "Um… Ada. Ada Ventura." I was still half-asleep, my head full of sandstorms and creepy disembodied voices, but I vaguely remembered my companion telling one of the guards that his name was Jiub. "Even last night's storm couldn't wake you." He leaned a little closer as
interview, follow this link.The mass shooting that killed 49 people in an Orlando, Florida, night club this past June has once again sparked ferocious debate about gun control legislation. Without fail, the emphasis in debates on the gun issue after a horrible tragedy like Orlando seems to be on stopping an assortment of perceived dangerous people, like terrorists and people with mental illness, from getting their hands on dangerous weapons. Source: Pixabay The of this dialogue frustrates scientists who, despite bans on federal funding for gun violence research, have amassed data that permit some fairly clear conclusions about gun ownership and gun violence. One of the most striking conclusions of this research is that the person most likely to be shot by a gun at home is a member of the owner’s household, not an armed intruder.[1] We might expect this finding to dramatically change the discourse around gun ownership from one about the right to protect oneself from intruders to one about the complex issues, such as and, that lead to the bulk of gun deaths in this country. These scientific facts, however, have not only failed to change the conversation but have also been largely unsuccessful at convincing people that on the whole gun ownership makes you less safe. In light of these failures, perhaps we should change the question from “how do we get guns away from people?” to “why do they want to own guns in the first place?” If people have been given all the information they need to make a rational decision about gun ownership, why do they persist in arguing that guns will keep them safe? Put another way, if it’s not a simple lack of information that’s causing people to make the irrational decision to purchase guns to protect themselves, then what else is going on here? What are the psychological principles that might lead people astray and threaten their safety? Source: Pixabay Two psychological principles seem most relevant here: human risk perception and the innate aversion to changing our minds. Risk perception is in fact a deeply psychological phenomenon that is often completely recalcitrant to statistical information. Take, for example, the now-cliché reminder that people are safer in an airplane than in a car. No matter how many times we hear this refrain, we are still convinced that flying is unsafe and that we are invincible in our cars. The perception of risk surrounding owning a gun is not so different. No matter how often we tell people how much more likely it is that their gun will be used to kill them, their spouses, or their children, they insist that those facts do not apply to them. Each gun owner feels in control of his or her gun and family: no one in my family will ever become or so enraged as to use a gun to settle a domestic dispute, he or she might think. Gun owners thus make what is an evolutionarily-determined error of overestimating small risk (having to confront an armed home intruder) and underestimating large risk ( and ). In addition to our difficulty with risk perception, it is clear that we humans are terrible at changing our minds. Psychologists and neuroscientists have shown that our brains are wired to reject change. Not only does confrontation with an idea that challenges a firmly held provoke activity in the centers of our brains but agreeing with people who share our beliefs actually stimulates the reward centers. Hence, being confronted with facts about the dangers of gun ownership when we have already been convinced that owning a gun will make us safer may actually cause our centers to fire, producing ferocious resistance. On the contrary, satisfying our pre-conceived notion that gun ownership will make us safer is actually pleasurable. [2] The challenge of convincing people that gun ownership is not safe is not unique in the history of public. Decades ago, people were very unwilling (and many still are) to accept the abundance of scientific evidence that cigarette is unsafe. Armed with much of the same evidence, many more people today accept the scientific consensus that cigarette is a hazard than in the 1950s when the evidence was just beginning to emerge. Even so, it is still not entirely clear what exactly is responsible for this greater acceptance of the evidence and the dramatic decrease in the number of cigarette smokers in the U.S. in the past 50 years. If we can, however, begin to understand some of the basic psychological principles that drive people to discount scientific evidence, we can craft more effective responses and apply them to a range of cases of science denial, from the anti-vaccine movement to denial. But without that deep psychological, without asking the “why” rather than the “how” question, we will not be able to avert potentially dangerous decisions that put all of us at risk. [1] Parmet WE, Smith JA, Miller MJ: Wollshlaeger v. Governor of Florida—the First Amendment, physician free speech, and firearm safety. New England Journal of Medicine 2016;374:2304-2307 [2] J. G. Edelson, Y. Dudai, R. J. Dolan, & T. Sharot, “ sub­strates of recovery from misleading influence,” Journal of, 2014, 34, 7744– 7753.Yatish Yadav By NEW DELHI: Scandals of the UPA regime, big and small, are tumbling out of abandoned closets. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has ordered a probe into alleged illegal appointments of State and District Coordinators for Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Castes under the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Chairman, Panna Lal Punia, after it received a series of complaints that bribes were given for appointments, which were carried out without prior sanction or intimation to the government as per rules. Punia is a Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh since 2014. Sources said around 22 appointments made by the NCSC came under the PMO scanner in September. It was alleged that huge sums exchanged hands in lieu of appointments. The PMO was told that ‘certain coordinators’ flaunted their VVIP status and were allegedly involved in extortion. They were illegally sporting the national emblem on their vehicles, using letterheads with NCSC office address as their place of functioning and possessing government identity cards to add to their self-created VVIP status. Ironically, most of the appointees are Congress functionaries or affiliated to the party. The NCSC was constituted under Article 338 of the Constitution to ensure implementation of safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes and also to inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of their rights and safeguards. “A preliminary inquiry by PMO revealed that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment did not sanction any such position and it was not even kept in the loop. In fact, the ministry told the PMO that if any such appointments have been made, they have no legal sanctity,” sources said. graft craft ■ Around 22 appointments made by NCSC chief PL Punia came under the PMO scanner ■ Certain State and District Coordinators for SC and OBC were flaunting their VVIP status, PMO toldThose suing under the Video Privacy Protection Act can't establish that Hulu knew what Facebook might do with information being shared. After nearly four years of litigation, Hulu has finally prevailed in a landmark privacy battle for the digital age. On Tuesday, a federal judge in California granted summary judgment on the basis that the plaintiffs lacked evidence that Hulu had "knowingly" disclosed the viewing habits of its users to Facebook. The proposed class action was filed in 2011 and looked to hold Hulu liable for violating the Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988. That was the law enacted by Congress in response to a video store that gave The Washington Post a list of videos that Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork had rented. The statute is intended to punish a "video tape service provider who knowingly discloses... personally identifiable information concerning any consumer of such provider." Once sites like Hulu and Netflix came along, and as entertainment companies like ESPN and Nickelodeon began offering streaming videos of their own, some lawyers saw the opportunity to apply the VPPA in a digital context. Over the last few years, many of the companies have been fighting the lawsuits on various grounds — for example, AMC is currently contending that those watching Walking Dead online aren't subscribers — but the lawsuit concerning Hulu has been the longest-running in this category and has set precedence as it has been litigated. Earlier, the judge allowed the plaintiffs to continue battling by rejecting Hulu's contention that plaintiffs had to show actual injury. The judge said that wrongful disclosure was enough. On another occasion, the judge threw out claims premised on Hulu sharing viewer data with metrics company comScore for advertising purposes. The judge said it didn't add up to "personally identifiable information." But the judge did allow a claim to advance over what Hulu was sharing with Facebook. Hulu then made another challenge to the lawsuit — and one that demonstrates why getting the VPPA to stick in the digital age will be a tough slog for plaintiffs. Hulu focused on what, if anything, it had done "knowingly." The parties began to examine how after Facebook launched its "Like" button in 2010, Hulu added a Facebook Like button to each hulu.com watch page. That meant Hulu transmitted to Facebook the watch page's address along with a Facebook ID cookie that could be put together, and according to the plaintiffs' expert, allow Facebook to identify a user, the user's video choices, and other information about the user. Maybe so, but U.S. District Judge Laurel Beeler says what Hulu is sending Facebook is different from the "paradigmatic case" of a video store giving a reporter Bork's video rental history. "The user‘s identity and that of the video material were transmitted separately (albeit simultaneously)," she writes. "By sending those two items Hulu did not thereby connect them in a manner akin to connecting Judge Bork to his video-rental history; that is, Hulu did not disclose information that 'identifie[d] a person as having requested or obtained specific video materials.' Unlike in the paradigmatic Judge Bork case, the connection here would be established, if at all, by an act of the recipient." The judge analogizes the situation to a video store clerk giving a local reporter a slip of paper showing only someone's name, and then weeks later, a list of video titles. "There is no obvious connection between the two," she writes. "In the VPPA‘s terms, no one has tied a person to specific videos." The judge basically says that something more is needed like extrinsic proof showing the "reporter and video provider had agreed to separate the disclosures in place and time." But she adds, "In terms of this case, if Hulu did not actually know that Facebook might'read' the c_user cookie and video title together (yielding something akin to the list of Judge Bork‘s videos), then there cannot be a VPPA violation." The plaintiffs can't come up with a genuine issue of material fact establishing a connection, even though they had attempted to demonstrate that Hulu knew that it was sending Facebook users‘ identities by doing things like using code to show the faces of a user's Facebook friends who had liked a given web page. The judge writes that it's not enough, and she won't send it to a jury. "More broadly, the plaintiffs urge, 'we all know' how these sorts of Internet services work: personal information is constantly shared and connected," states the opinion. "The court agrees that it would take willful ignorance to pretend otherwise. But a jury cannot be allowed to pass on liability based on broad hand waves toward what we all know, what we all expect about how our personal information moves around, and how things generally work in the age of the Internet." Below is the full opinion, which goes into other ways in which the plaintiffs unsuccessfully attempted to demonstrate that Hulu knew what it was doing. The lawsuit has been dismissed with prejudice. Hulu and its attorneys at O’Melveny & Myers score the win. "There will be an appeal," says attorney Joseph Malley, who along with Scott Kamber, Brian Strange and David Parisi represented the plaintiffs. Congress can always amend the privacy laws too, but for now, disclosures about online video habits appear to be resistant to punishment. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @eriqgardnerGuillermo del Toro has grown to be a staple name in atmospheric cinema. From the fantastic to the frightful, del Toro brings us to a new experience with every visit to his directing world of grim fantasy and monsters. His Hellboy duology is no exception, as his ambitious take on the comic book by Mike Mignola was something truly unique. Outstanding environments, gloomy designs, and the big Red played by the perfectly cast Ron Perlman. Every detail was counted by this visionary and the movies were met with praise as the definitive screen adaptation of the character. Unfortunately, with nearly a decade after Hellboy II: The Golden Army and so much effort given to making a final chapter to a trilogy, it was announced earlier this year that del Toro’s vision of a Hellboy 3 has ceased, with Neil Marshall of The Descent directing a reboot in place. This has also led to the shocking reality that Ron would no longer be able to swing the Right Hand of Doom anymore, with the role given to Stranger Things actor David Harbour. As it turns out, del Toro is a fan of Stranger Things himself and the show has taken a considerate amount of inspiration from films such as his. Though as harsh a reality as it must be for us, one can’t help but be curious if del Toro would have anything to say on this interesting casting choice. ScreenGeek opened the topic with del Toro during his book signing last Wednesday, promoting his upcoming art exhibit At Home with Monsters at the Art Gallery of Ontario. SG: I understand you’re a fan of Stranger Things. Phenomenal show. I’m wondering, if maybe with it coming full circle – David Harbour as the new Hellboy. Do you have any thoughts on it? GDT: No, I mean I like him. I don’t know him and I’m not involved with the movie. But I sure wish them luck, man. He’s a great guy. We left the topic with a true appreciation of his legacy by agreeing on the obvious: SG: But he surely won’t do as good as Ron [Perlman]. GDT: Oh, no. (laughs) Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters will be at the Art Gallery of Ontario until January 7th. Del Toro’s latest film The Shape of Water will be released December 8th.Last week, the National Catholic Reporter published a lengthy piece on reported sexual assaults at Notre Dame. Its fulcrum is the case involving Lizzy Seeberg, a 19-year-old freshman at nearby St. Mary's College who committed suicide in September 2010, just 10 days after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by a Notre Dame football player. That case led the civil rights office of the U.S. Department of Education to launch a seven-month investigation of Notre Dame that last summer resulted in a settlement agreement. The Seeberg case is awful enough, but according to a former school administrator whose own daughter says she was raped 10 years ago, "They"—Notre Dame—"do a poor job in general." The takeaway from the NCR story—written by Melinda Henneberger, a political reporter for the Washington Post and a 1980 Notre Dame graduate—is that Seeberg wasn't the first woman to be put through the university's meat grinder after making a sexual-assault accusation. And judging by Henneberger's reporting, she won't be the last. The smear about Seeberg was that she was "a troubled girl" who had "done this before" (according to friends and family members of a "long-serving trustee" at Notre Dame). She was "the aggressor" (according to the accused player's lawyer, a Notre Dame alum). She was "all over the boy" (according to a "top university official" at Notre Dame). After reporting the alleged assault to campus police, Seeberg was told by a friend of the football player: "Don't do anything you would regret. Messing with Notre Dame football is a bad idea." No charges were filed. Notre Dame police didn't interview the player—who was never disciplined by the school or the football program—until five days after Seeberg killed herself. Later, they told the family they weren't sure when they could follow up. "They said they were pretty busy," said Lizzy's mother, Mary, told Henneberger, "because it's football season and there's a lot of underage drinking." And then there's Joe Power, a Notre Dame alumnus and a lawyer representing the player against whom Seeberg made her accusation. When Henneberger reached him for comment, Power immediately tried to bully her. It's a pretty remarkable passage, featuring some lawyerin' straight out of the Joe Amendola Starter Kit. "Have you ever read the book To Kill a Mockingbird?" Power asked in a phone interview. Because, as in Harper Lee's classic, "this young lady was the aggressor." According to America's Best Lawyers, Power is the top personal injury litigator in the city of Chicago. Barreling right past innuendo, he said it was Lizzy who "had removed her blouse" and thrown herself on top of the player. And the player? "He put a stop to it, because his parents had taught him that was wrong. It's all untrue, according to the two independent witnesses." He's referring to the player's friend who texted Lizzy, and to his date. Neither was in the room when the incident occurred, but before they left, Power said, "They observed that she was being rather forward and dancing with the young man; she was dancing for him." (Lizzy described the same moment this way: While they were dancing, the player began "pulling me towards him. It was uncomfortable but I didn't know how to stop it. Then he told me to give him a lap dance and I didn't know what to do. He pulled me down on his lap and he had his legs spread out. He started pulling my body around his crotch area and told me to keep doing it.") When I asked Power whether his client's best friend and that friend's girlfriend could really be considered independent witnesses, he yelled, "First of all, you're a liar, because it's not his best friend, and she's no longer his girlfriend!" The two young men do now room together, in any case, and on social media the other young man posts video clips of his best plays, along with admiring comments. "You should be writing for the John Birch Society, or the Ku Klux Klan," the lawyer continued, presumably because the player is black. "If you were in To Kill a Mockingbird, you'd be on the side of the Klan," out to destroy a black man falsely accused by a white woman. "And if you slander this innocent young man," he thundered, "you will pay!" Advertisement On Nov. 21, 2010, the Chicago Tribune first reported Seeberg's allegation, subsequent suicide, and Notre Dame's silence on the matter. But that day, Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly made a joke in a conference call with reporters about the Tribune's ability to afford having dedicated so many resources to the story. There eventually was a campus disciplinary hearing for the player accused of sexually assaulting Seeberg in February 2011, but he was found "not responsible." (One of the more damning passages in Henneberger's piece includes a quote from Pat Cottrell, a retired Notre Dame security officer who specialized in sexual assault cases: "Just a regular Joe, if they were working a job on campus, I could go there and say, ‘Hey, I need to talk to you.'" But when an athlete is involved, he said, 'if they don't respond, they don't respond, and that makes it harder to do your job.' Notre Dame's statement said athletes get no special treatment, and police shouldn't in any case have to go through the Athletic Department.") Seeberg's treatment certainly woke up the echoes. There was the 2002 case in which three football players and a former player were expelled after they were accused of gang-raping a woman (only one none of the four men was charged with a crime convicted, and none served time in jail). "No one's going to believe you," the accuser says she was told. When she went to the cops anyway, Notre Dame officials "treated me horribly at every opportunity." They wouldn't let her park her car on campus, despite her fears that the players would come after her. The counseling center turned her away because of "pending legal matters," the accuser says, "though the legal matter they were talking about was the state versus these four rapists." There was a woman who in 1974 accused six Notre Dame football players of gang-raping her. She was hospitalized and spent a month in psychiatric care, but that didn't stop a university administrator from calling her "a queen of the slums with a mattress tied to her back." There was the 17-year-old St. Mary's student who in 1976 was raped by three men, two of whom had been accused in the 1974 case. The men were caught in the act. The woman says her resident assistant brought her to a top St. Mary's official, who informed her one of the men had raped another St. Mary's student. After that, she tells Henneberger, "I was told to shut up and mind my own business." Advertisement In February 2011, another woman said she was raped by an ND football player at an off-campus party. A resident assistant—who herself had been raped and subsequently shunned by campus officials—took her to the hospital, then to her (the resident assistant's) parents' home. There, her mother made breakfast and her father watched in horror as the young woman received text after text from the player's friends. "My wife and I looked at them, and they were trying to silence this girl." After the father informed Notre Dame officials about the texts, he said, they promised to get the guys to "knock it off." The case was never reported until the publication of Henneberger's story last week. The woman did not go to school officials specifically because of what had happened to Seeberg, and because she's afraid she'll lose her scholarship if she does. Advertisement Reported sexual assault at Notre Dame campus leaves more questions than answers [National Catholic Reporter] Image by Jim CookeShortly after the expensive and clumsy nationalisation of Northern Rock I made a speech to a large dinner in London that we needed to move on from talking in billions about public finance. I suggested we needed a new larger unit. I proposed the “Rock” or £100 billion as the sensible unit for account, management and discussion.We were clearly moving into an era of big government, where the odd billion was not worth discussing. It was just small change. A “rock” would buy you the NHS for almost a year, or a mortgage bank. Strangely the government thought they could afford both. In a few short months my proposal was blown out of the water by the terminal fascination this government has with RBS. Now we all talk in trillions, if we wish to discuss the true and dreadful sate of the public finances. I had come to the conclusion that the true liabilities of the state – including pension deficits, Northern Rock, PFI, PPP and Network Rail as well as the public debt the government recognises, reached about £2 trillion before the RBS adventure. On top of this today we should add the £2 trillion of the RBS balance sheet, now that we own or about to own practically all the shares and clearly stand behind every last bad debt and foolish investment this wretched bank has ever made. Or if you prefer not to consolidate this errant and overghty subsidiary, you need to account for the £0.5 trillion banking package last autumn which failed to work as intended, and the guaratees now being crafted for banks that will exceed another £0.5 trillion. If you were being kind you would conclude the taxpayer in on the line for at least £3 trillion, or twice the National Income. On private sector accounting rules it would be at least £4 trillion. The public accounts are being shot to pieces. Usual debate about whether to increase spending by a few billion or to cut taxes by a few billion have become futile against this huge move to mega buck spending on banks. The government has developed a dangerous and expensive habit of propping banks in the dearest way imaginable. I have not been blogging on the issue of Goodwin’s pension pot, because it is a small diversion from the collosal waste of public money going on in subsidising and backing toxic debt10Dec How to Rock Your Newsletters This Christmas While your newsletters might not be as exciting as a Christmas card through the post, you’d perhaps be surprised just how effective they can be during the festive season. Hit the right note with your customers, and you can generate a lot of interest for your business – which is something even Santa can’t deliver in your stocking! Want to find out how to maximize the appeal of your Xmas newsletters with winning content? Here are some great ideas. The Best Newsletter Ideas for Christmas 1. Shout about your sale Everyone loves a sale at Christmas. It feels almost as good as finding a gift under the tree, doesn’t it? When you’re announcing your sale, offer a discount that has real value, or run the risk that no-one will be interested. Let’s face it, 70% off tempts us a lot more than 10%! Make your email clear, uncluttered, and feature a direct call-to-action. 2. (Free) Ship ahoy! Free shipping is always a great incentive to stop people abandoning their shopping carts and hot-footing it to another website. Promote it in your email campaign to boost awareness and get more people through to your site. 3. Give a gift Aw, a present for us? You’re too kind! A gift at Christmas is certain to strike the right note with your customers, and they’ll love it even more if you’ve tailored it to match their tastes. MailChimp is giving away free socks, but you can give away a coupon if you’d prefer. It’s the thought that counts. 4. Send last-minute deal reminders What surprises customers even more than a particularly loud cracker being pulled in their vicinity? A last-minute deal, that’s what! Extend your sale, offer an even bigger discount and get customers visiting your site in droves. Make sure to give your email a sense of urgency to encourage excitement. 5. Start a countdown Your customers have only a short while to order your products to arrive by Christmas, and you need to let them know just how many days are remaining. It’s handy information to have, plus it ensures you drum up a bit of pre-Xmas excitement for your brand. Here’s a nice tool you could use for this: motionmailapp.com. 6. Get them guessing… with a quiz When we say a quiz, we don’t mean one of those horrendous riddles you get in Christmas crackers. We’re talking about a well-planned quiz that fits with your existing style and engages your customers. If you’re feeling particularly clever, think about how you can incorporate some of your products into the quiz. 7. Launch a contest or giveaway If your customers are still sitting on the fence when it comes to making a purchase, sometimes an email – detailing a contest or giveaway, can do just the trick. Offer free entry into an exciting competition every time they make a purchase, or a giveaway when they spend a certain amount or more. However, don’t deviate from your usual great style – keep with what you know works. 8. Let them see your human side Sometimes, the best email content is pure fun – nothing more, nothing less. It lets your customers capture a glimpse of your human side, which is never a bad thing. Unleash your inner Christmas critic and create some content about the world’s worst festive presents, or share your team’s New Year’s resolutions. 9. Share your traditions Again, gather the team together and ask them to come up with some of their craziest family Christmas traditions, then compile them in an email. We love Luminosity’s example. 10. Give expert advice There’s not a single experience in December more routinely stressful than Christmas shopping. If you’re a retail business, use your wisdom to offer some great tips for your customers – outlining how to avoid last-minute panics, whining children, or complete nervous exhaustion when trailing round the malls. Trust us, your support and guidance during this trying time will be gratefully received. 11. Put your customer in the spotlight Sure, you might enjoy the limelight at Christmas, but what about letting one of your customers take center-stage for a change? An email, profiling one of your best clients, not only acts as a powerful case study, but a rather impressive testimonial for your company. 12. Tell your 2015 story Your loyal fans want to hear about your year, so if you’re a natural storyteller, use your email to pen a pithy, engaging tale about your company’s key moments in the past year. And Don’t Forget… When you’re creating a fabulous email, remember to: Add high-impact imagery and animated GIFs Make your subject lines as enticing as a warm mince pie Inject personality… or even humor if you dare! Make preheader text compelling Make it responsive across all devices Test it out! Don’t even think about sending it before rigorously checking it first Oh, and one more thing! Don’t hesitate to reach us out if you need a fast email template coding help, professional email design consultation, or just out of curiosity! Useful Links Want more inspiration? Feast your eyes on these useful articles.EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scots will each be 1,400 pounds ($2,400) a year better off if they vote to remain part of the United Kingdom, Britain’s deputy finance minister Danny Alexander said on Wednesday. Alexander put his case for Scots to oppose independence in a referendum of Sept. 18, shortly after Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond said an independent Scotland’s public finances would be at least as strong as the rest of the United Kingdom’s. “By staying together, Scotland’s future will be safer, with stronger finances and a more progressive society,” Alexander said. “It means a UK dividend of 1,400 pounds a year for every man, woman and child in Scotland.” Salmond said that if Scotland had full powers to run its economy without interference from London, it would be 5 billion pounds a year richer by 2030 - something Alexander dismissed as a “bogus bonus”. “They’re desperately trying to distract attention from that fundamental question... that there simply wouldn’t be the same level of resources available for public services if Scotland were independent,” Alexander said. Scottish nationalists differ sharply with anti-independence campaigners on likely future tax revenue from North Sea oil, as well as whether an independent Scotland would be able to boost producitivty and slow the ageing of Scotland’s population. ($1 = 0.5952 British Pounds)You know when your store begins receiving signage with a cold, hard, street date listed on them, that things are looking pretty official. Take this Sprint store for example, who has begun receiving posters for the Galaxy Nexus LTE which, according to the bold print on the packaging, will be displayed in store windows this Sunday, April 15th. It has been rumored that the device could launch on April 22nd, and with posters going up a week before then, we’re inclined to believe that date more than ever. What’s interesting is the poster makes no mention of the device being LTE capable. Something I’m guessing Sprint wants to keep on the “DL” until it can roll it out in more markets. You can shake the higher-end specs of the HTC EVO 4G LTE at the Galaxy Nexus all you want, but there’s no denying the appeal of having a device loaded with the latest and greatest version of stock, vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich (with the higher probability of timely updates). Of course, only a handful of you will actually be able to enjoy Sprint’s LTE at device launch. The first cities ready for a handset that can tap into the 1900Mhz frequency have been announced as Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio. Any Sprint customers out there excited about this news? Will you be picking up the G-Nex this Sunday? Maybe the HTC EVO 4G LTE is a little more your style? Or maybe, just maybe… you’ll hold out a little longer for the rumored release of the Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note? Thanks, _Epic!ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Bomb blasts in two Pakistani cities killed at least 115 people on Thursday and wounded more than 270, offering harrowing evidence of how the country’s myriad internal conflicts could destabilize it as elections approach. The worst violence occurred in the southwestern city of Quetta, where two explosions a few minutes apart in the evening ripped through a snooker hall in a neighborhood dominated by ethnic Hazara Shiites, killing at least 81 people and wounding more than 170, the police said. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside the hall, and a second attacker then blew up his vehicle outside the club as police officers and journalists arrived, a senior police officer, Mir Zubair Mehmood, told reporters. Five police officers and one camera operator were killed in the second explosion. Hospitals were overwhelmed as casualties arrived through the evening. Hazara leaders said it was the worst sectarian attack in Quetta since attacks on their community started about 14 years ago.It’s the kind of idiotic comment that might have given even David Brent pause for thought. But the British comedian Ricky Gervais, creator of the show The Office, which featured a famously tin-eared and insensitive boss (Brent became the rather milder Steve Carrell character Michael Scott in the US version) was furiously attacked today after sending out a tweet suggesting that Jennifer Lawrence and the other celebrities whose naked pictures were stolen by hackers and distributed on the internet were themselves to blame for the debacle. Gervais tapped out his message, “Celebrities, make it harder for hackers to get nude pics of you from your computer by not putting nude pics of yourself on your computer,” just before 1pm local time in the UK, and it was swiftly retweeted over a thousand times, with commentary coming much more frequently from the outraged than the amused. Gervais, who has presumably given up on his former dreams of a Hollywood career, subsequently deleted the tweet, but it lives on in a thousand screen grabs, many of which accuse Gervais of victim-blaming. Despite deleting the tweet, Gervais defended his comment, writing, “Of course the hackers are 100 per cent to blame but you can still makes jokes about it. Jokes don't portray your true serious feelings on a subject.” He added, “Offence is the collateral damage of free speech,” and then said, “Whenever I defend freedom of speech someone always says "so you'd let Hitler off?" Haha. It wasn't his words so much as all that genocide.” It's not really what one would call a concilliatory tone, is it?The wonderful malistryx (I did some internet work to find out it was you, but your full name was on the package and not your username) sent me the greatest socks I've ever seen! They're all knee highs: one displaying Van Gogh's Starry Night; the next, life-like Me Koi Fish; and last of all, socks that fight crime with a large glittery Batman logo and a heroic flowing cape! I was overjoyed when I first opened them! The socks were definitely not what I was expecting; My brain got whacked very hard with the awesomeness of these socks. I was actually planning on buying my Awesomesocks gift for a special redditor today, so I took the opportunity to show off the Starry Night socks. Needless to say I got a lot of compliments, including a very positive 'audacious'. Wearing the artwork made me feel very natural and less awkward; it also made searching for socks to send to my match more fun. So basically I really love these socks. I tried to make the gift pictures as interesting as possible. So there are some cats and strange poses; it was very fun! Thank you very much for the amazing socks malistryx. I hope my match can be even half as satisfied with the socks I chose. :DTCU's Gary Patterson is much more interested in winning in November, December and January than he is in February. His track record is proof. The Horned Frogs have posted four top-5 finishes in the final polls over the past seven years and one other top-15 finish. Now, go back and find a top-10 signing class TCU has reeled in during that period. You won't. In fact, good luck in finding a top-20 signing class. Gary Patterson hasn't won many recruiting trophies, but he's hoisted plenty of hardware when it counts. AP Photo/David Goldman In the past four classes, the Horned Frogs' highest finish in the recruiting rankings was 37th. Not bad for a team on the cusp of making the inaugural College Football Playoff this past season and a one that's already showing up near the top of all the early preseason polls for 2015. "I tell people all the time, 'Yeah, we'd love to recruit a four- or five-star player, but we want him to have a two-star mentality or even a walk-on mentality, somebody that's going to keep rolling up his sleeves and not be happy with where he is,'" Patterson said. "Those kids have a chance to be a lot more successful if they approach it that way, and we have a lot better chance to develop them and fit them into our system." Gary Pinkel and Missouri have followed a similar plan. So have Michigan State and Mark Dantonio. Stanford and Wisconsin have also outperformed their recent recruiting rankings. And, yes, one of only two FBS teams over the past five years to finish in the top 10 in the final polls all five years, Oregon, hasn't exactly been a recruiting darling. The Ducks' signing class rank over the past four years has averaged 21.5. Granted, the other team finishing in the top 10 of the polls each of the past five years is Alabama, and the Crimson Tide have had four straight No. 1-ranked signing classes. Recruiting great players has been and always will be a prerequisite to winning championships, but so much more goes into evaluating those players and turning them into great players at the college level than merely counting stars. At Missouri, they have a name for their developmental program. It's called "Mizzou Made," which was coined by former Missouri safety and graduate assistant Kenji Jackson, who's now on Dave Steckel's staff at Missouri State. "
camera autofocus module, and the patent describes use of a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) which improves greatly in terms of both size and power efficiency over current designs. The current means of handling autofocus on the iPhone involves using a so-called voice coil motor (VCM), which is reliable and simple but also power-hungry and slower. MEMS tech has recently become more viable for mass production, according to Apple’s patent, and if done correctly, actually results in a lower component cost than the legacy VCM tech. The tiny size has been the big stumbling block to wider use until now, since the manufacturing process required to put these out was highly specialized, but recent improvements have made it much easier. So far, only rumors of smartphone makers using MEMS tech have been floated, without any actually appearing in shipping hardware just yet. MEMES tech would allow for not only faster autofocus, however, but also creative effects like post-capture refocusing of images, similar to what we’ve seen introduced from companies including Samsung and HTC, but with potentially better results. Apple isn’t necessarily going to use this tech in its next iPhone, of course, but this does seem like a rich area for the company to explore in terms of the value of the return on investment for its products. Cupertino loves touting its mobile camera tech, and MEMS is one way to boost its profile in that regard even further. It’s not clear, however, whether the relatively new tech is ready yet for deployment on a mass scale with, say, an iPhone 6 device this fall.by Miguel de Icaza True story. The hard disk that hosted my /home directory on my Linux machine failed so I had to replace it with a new one. Since this machine lives under my desk, I had to unplug all the cables, get it out, swap the hard drives and plug everything back again. Pretty standard stuff. Plug AC, plug keyboard, plug mouse but when I got to the speakers cable, I just skipped it. Why bother setting up the audio? It will likely break again and will force me to go on a hunting expedition to find out more than I ever wanted to know about the new audio system and the drivers technology we are using. A few days ago I spoke to Klint Finley from Wired who wrote the article titled OSX Killed Linux. The original line of questioning was about my opinion between Gnome 3's shell, vs Ubuntu's Unity vs Xfte as competing shells. Personally, I am quite happy with Gnome Shell, I think the team that put it together did a great job, and I love how it enabled the Gnome designers -which historically only design, barely hack- to actually extend the shell, tune the UI and prototype things without having to beg a hacker to implement things for them. It certainly could use some fixes and tuning, but I am sure they will address those eventually. What went wrong with Linux on the Desktop In my opinion, the problem with Linux on the Desktop is rooted in the developer culture that was created around it. Linus, despite being a low-level kernel guy, set the tone for our community years ago when he dismissed binary compatibility for device drivers. The kernel people might have some valid reasons for it, and might have forced the industry to play by their rules, but the Desktop people did not have the power that the kernel people did. But we did keep the attitude. The attitude of our community was one of engineering excellence: we do not want deprecated code in our source trees, we do not want to keep broken designs around, we want pure and beautiful designs and we want to eliminate all traces of bad or poorly implemented ideas from our source code trees. And we did. We deprecated APIs, because there was a better way. We removed functionality because "that approach is broken", for degrees of broken from "it is a security hole" all the way to "it does not conform to the new style we are using". We replaced core subsystems in the operating system, with poor transitions paths. We introduced compatibility layers that were not really compatible, nor were they maintained. When faced with "this does not work", the community response was usually "you are doing it wrong". As long as you had an operating system that was 100% free, and you could patch and upgrade every component of your operating system to keep up with the system updates, you were fine and it was merely an inconvenience that lasted a few months while the kinks were sorted out. The second dimension to the problem is that no two Linux distributions agreed on which core components the system should use. Either they did not agree, the schedule of the transitions were out of sync or there were competing implementations for the same functionality. The efforts to standardize on a kernel and a set of core libraries were undermined by the Distro of the Day that held the position of power. If you are the top dog, you did not want to make any concessions that would help other distributions catch up with you. Being incompatible became a way of gaining market share. A strategy that continues to be employed by the 800 pound gorillas in the Linux world. To sum up: (a) First dimension: things change too quickly, breaking both open source and proprietary software alike; (b) incompatibility across Linux distributions. This killed the ecosystem for third party developers trying to target Linux on the desktop. You would try once, do your best effort to support the "top" distro or if you were feeling generous "the top three" distros. Only to find out that your software no longer worked six months later. Supporting Linux on the desktop became a burden for independent developers. But at this point, those of us in the Linux world still believed that we could build everything as open source software. The software industry as a whole had a few home runs, and we were convinced we could implement those ourselves: spreadsheets, word processors, design programs. And we did a fine job at that. Linux pioneered solid package management and the most advance software updating systems. We did a good job, considering our goals and our culture. But we missed the big picture. We alienated every third party developer in the process. The ecosystem that has sprung to life with Apple's OSX AppStore is just impossible to achieve with Linux today. The Rise of OSX When OSX was launched it was by no means a very sophisticated Unix system. It had an old kernel, an old userland, poor compatibility with modern Unix, primitive development tools and a very pretty UI. Over time Apple addressed the majority of the problems with its Unix stack: they improved compatibility, improved their kernel, more open source software started working and things worked out of the box. The most pragmatic contributors to Linux and open source gradually changed their goals from "an world run by open source" to "the open web". Others found that messing around with their audio card every six months to play music and the hardships of watching video on Linux were not worth that much. People started moving to OSX. Many hackers moved to OSX. It was a good looking Unix, with working audio, PDF viewers, working video drivers, codecs for watching movies and at the end of the day, a very pleasant system to use. Many exchanged absolute configurability of their system for a stable system. As for myself, I had fallen in love with the iPhone, so using a Mac on a day-to-day basis was a must. Having been part of the Linux Desktop efforts, I felt a deep guilt for liking OSX and moving a lot of my work to it. What we did wrong Backwards compatibility, and compatibility across Linux distributions is not a sexy problem. It is not even remotely an interesting problem to solve. Nobody wants to do that work, everyone wants to innovate, and be responsible for the next big feature in Linux. So Linux was left with idealists that wanted to design the best possible system without having to worry about boring details like support and backwards compatibility. Meanwhile, you can still run the 2001 Photoshop that came when XP was launched on Windows 8. And you can still run your old OSX apps on Mountain Lion. Back in February I attended FOSDEM and two of my very dear friends were giggling out of excitement at their plans to roll out a new system that will force many apps to be modified to continue running. They have a beautiful vision to solve a problem that I never knew we had, and that no end user probably cares about, but every Linux desktop user will pay the price. That day I stopped feeling guilty about my new found love for OSX. Update September 2nd, 2012 Clearly there is some confusion over the title of this blog post, so I wanted to post a quick follow-up. What I mean with the title is that Linux on the Desktop lost the race for a consumer operating system. It will continue to be a great engineering workstation (that is why I am replacing the hard disk in my system at home) and yes, I am aware that many of my friends use Linux on the desktop and love it. But we lost the chance of becoming a mainstream consumer OS. What this means is that nobody is recommending a non-technical person go get a computer with Linux on it for their desktop needs (unless you are doing it so for idelogical reasons). We had our share of chances. The best one was when Vista bombed in the marketplace. But we had our own internal battles and struggles to deal with. Some of you have written your own takes of our struggled in that period. Today, the various Linux on the desktops are the best they have ever been. Ubuntu and Unity, Fedora and GnomeShell, RHEL and Gnome 2, Debian and Xfce plus the KDE distros. And yet, we still have four major desktop APIs, and about half a dozen popular and slightly incompatible versions of Linux on the desktop: each with its own curated OS subsystems, with different packaging systems, with different dependencies and slightly different versions of the core libraries. Which works great for pure open source, but not so much for proprietary code. Shipping and maintaining apps for these rapidly evolving platforms is a big challenge. Linux succeeded in other areas: servers and mobile devices. But on the desktop, our major feature and our major differentiator is price, but comes at the expense of having a timid selection of native apps and frequent breakage. The Linux Hater blog parodied this on a series of posts called the Greatest Hates. The only way to fix Linux is to take one distro, one set of components as a baseline, abadone everything else and everyone should just contribute to this single Linux. Whether this is Canonical's Ubutu, or Red Hat's Fedora or Debian's system or a new joint effort is something that intelligent people will disagree until the end of the days.Gigantes plaki, or baked giant beans, are about as Greek and about as good as a dish can be. There are countless variations of this classic dish and the recipe below is our family’s favorite. This recipe calls for parsley, celery, oregano and mint to flavor the delicate tomato sauce and beans. This combination is a bit lighter, brighter and slightly sweeter in taste than other versions with dill, carrot and/or cinnamon. Truth be told though, I don’t think I’ve ever met a plate of gigantes I didn’t like! Busy schedule? No worries – gigantes plaki can easily be made in parts or stages, I do it all the time. Prep your gigantes (or large lima) beans up to 2 days ahead, make your sauce the day before and then assemble and bake when you’re ready to enjoy – its just that easy. I often start soaking my beans in the morning and cook them later that same day – late afternoon or evening. Try to give your beans at least 8-10 hours of soaking time but you can go with as little as 6 or 7. I like to use Arosis brand gigantes but feel free to substitute any large or ford hook lima beans. Soaking your beans makes a big difference so don’t skip this step! The beans are much less gassy and take much less time to cook. You can set aside the cooked beans, covered in the refrigerator, for a few days until you’re ready to bake them. And the sauce takes really no time at all so I just make that right before adding to the pre-cooked beans and baking. The bean baking time here is about 2 hours in a 350 degree oven. I know many people who hike up the temp to 400 and cook for a hour and thats ok but to me, this is a slow cooking dish and the flavors will thank you for the extra time to come together. Remember that gigantes (or large lima) beans foam up quite a bit when you cook them. Don’t freak out if its your first time and don’t go too far from the stove as you’ll need to skim off the foam every 10-15 minutes or so. Its a messy affair should it boil over onto your stovetop….. To boil beans, cover with about 2-3 inches of water, do NOT add salt, and cook over medium-high heat for about 50 minutes from the time you put the pot on the heat. They should be done but not too done and will finish their cooking later in the oven. MAKE SURE TO SAVE 2 cups of the cooking water before you drain the beans. You’ll need it later for the sauce. It adds some of the starch from the beans into the sauce and gives you a thicker/creamier sauce. When ready to bake your gigantes, gently spread the boiled beans in an even layer in your pan. I find a 9x13x2 inch baking pan is perfect for 1 pound of beans (dried). For doubling or tripling the recipe, I use a large, deep ceramic casserole dish. The sides are about 4 inches high to accommodate the additional sauce. When making the sauce, a cup of olive oil may seem overly generous but you want your finished baked beans to be creamy good and this is the only fat in this dish so pour on! Sauté the chopped onions and celery, until they’re soft, add the garlic for a minute or two until tender and then add herbs and spices. Give the pan a good stir to mix everything together evenly. Then cook for only another minute just to release the flavors oils and add the crushed tomato. Cook for 5 minutes to bring the sauce together and then add your reserved cooking water. Bring sauce up to a boil and set aside until ready to bake your beans. When ready to bake, pour sauce over beans layered in pan and carefully stir to incorporate everything. Add 1 cup of water (room temp) to the pan and cook at 350 degrees for 2 hours. I give the pan a gentle stir every half hour or so but it isn’t absolutely necessary if you have to leave it on its own. Most of the water will have been absorbed and its a good idea to stir once and then allow the beans to stand undisturbed for about 15- 30 minutes before serving. Ingredients 1 pound dried beans (gigantes or large lima beans) 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (approx 2 medium onions) 1/3 cup chopped garlic 1 cup chopped celery (approx 2-3 stalks) 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint 1 tbsp crushed, dried oregano 1 tbsp salt 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 cup Greek olive oil 2 cups crushed tomatoes 2 cups reserved cooking water from beans 1 cup water, room temperature Soak dried beans overnight or at least 7 hours. Boil for 50 minutes and RESERVE 2 cups of cooking liquid before draining beans. Saute chopped onions and celery in olive oil over medium low heat until tender. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes until soft. Add herbs and spices, mix to combine completely and cook for just a minute to combine flavor oils. Add chopped tomatoes, stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes. Add reserved bean cooking liquid and bring sauce up to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to bake the beans. Layer cooked gigantes beans evenly in 9×13 baking pan and pour sauce over top. Add 1 cup room temperature water and bake, uncovered, for 2 hours in 350 degree oven. Stir approximately every half hour or so. Allow baked beans to rest for about 15-30 minutes before serving. Serve with crusty bread and a glass of buttery white wine for a most wonderful, traditional meal. For more amazing Greek vegan recipes, check out our six-week meal plan! It’s back by popular demand and available now – just click image below 🙂"So what do you think Goldilocks is up to?" Militia asked putting her hands on her hips as she looked up to Beacon. "We could go find out." Melanie replied with a shrug. Melanie smirked. "Mmmm we should pay her back for last time." Yang walked across one of Beacon's many training fields, the school was nearly empty for the long weekend and somehow she had ended up with no plans while everyone else was gone,she was bored stiff. "Hey there Goldilocks." "Uhhh do I know you?" Was Yang's response. Militia was very upset and prepared to give the blonde an earful, but her sister spoke first. "We're the two girls you ordered! We're here to clean your dorm. "I'm what now?" Yang asked increasingly confused. "Clean the dorm?..." The brawler snapped her fingers. "Weiss... alright this way I guess." Militia looked to her sister but smiled when she saw the devious look on Melanie's face as they followed after the brawler. The two huddled together, "I am not cleaning someone's panties." "It's okay sister, we can get our revenge -" Melanie began "By stealing her most prized possesion!" Militia finished with an equally as mischievous grin. Militia nodded but frowned. "Which is?" "I dunno. Maybe it's a comb." Mel said "Or a dress." Militia countered "Or a hat like that one guy from the club." Mel said fondly. "What does a bimbo like?" Was all Militia could say Yang looked back at the quietly arguing twins and smirked to herself. I'm going to fuck them and they're going to think they're clever for doing it. The red one piped up; "Hey sis, who're the two new girls!" Yang did a double take as she realized Ruby had replaced one of the twins. Said twin had comically landed on her rear about 3 feet behind the group. "Ruby what are you doing here?" Yang asked confused. Melanie on the other hand smirked wrapping an arm around Ruby. "We're here to help clean your dorm." Ruby dashed around in excitement "Oh my god, Weiss got us maids! We have to make them dress up and use frilly dusters and..." Her eyes grew twice as big. "Tease Jaune!" Mel and Militia cringed. But Yang began to giggle. "I love you sometimes sis; Let's do it!" She slammed her fist into her palm for emphasis. "…and I hate you sometimes sis." Militia groaned. It was not long after that the twin wore matching highly suggestive maid outfits. "You know yang these outfits are kinda strange... why did you have them again?" Ruby asked. "No reason, now then what shall we have them do first?" Yang quickly changed topics a mischievous and lustful spark gleaming in her eyes. Melanie saw the look in Yang's eyes and smiled her own little smile to the brawler. "Maybe this won't be so bad sis." "Ah Y-yes mistress." Militia was surprised by how her voice sounded and even more so by the spark of heat it had produced within her. Yang saw this and smiled. "Ruby why don't you take Militia there and I'll take Melaine here. "Take? Ohhh I'll take her to Jaune!" She dragged one twin by the hair and dashed off. Screaming "Siiiiiiis" Was all she could do as the world turned into red petals. As soon as they were gone Yang grabbed Melanie pulling her close both hands firmly on the startled twins ass. "Now then you know what's going on here." Melanie moaned into the brawler and smiled. "Oooh I certainly hope so." "Be more gentle!" Milita exclaimed as they made it to the hallway. "That's Mistress and I'll do with you as I please." Ruby replied. Again Militia felt that spark of heat and she swallowed thickly. "Y-yes mistress." Ruby stopped and thought. "Hmmm is team JNPR even here today? I think they're gone..." She looked at Militia out the corner of her eye. "Still I'm sure we can find something to do if they aren't." Melanie was very much in trouble... bent over a makeshift bunk bed - bare assed before a blonde with a very large paddle... It wasn't meant to be like this until Friday. Meanwhile her sister was actually cleaning... Yang slapped her hand onto the twins bare ass running her fingers across the wet slit and grinned. "Mmmm be good and I won't need this." Yang said shaking the paddle. Militia slowly ran her hands up and down Rubys exposed back the soap slipping between her fingers as she helped Ruby in the shower. "Hmmm what part of me needs to be cleaned next?" Ruby cooed. "W-wherever mistress wishes." Militia stuttered that heat burning hotter every time. The soft hands caressed her hair and Ruby sighed positively melting into the girl's arms. "Servants are awesome" She breathed. Melanie's hands were currently being used for more lewd purposes. Two fingers sliding in and out of her own pussy. "That's it give me a good show!" Yang demanded, holding her scroll to film. "Make sure you remember to Meow!" "m-meow..." The maid said weakly - she had worked for perverts before... but this was too much; and she wasn't getting paid. Yang noted the reluctance in Melanie's actions, smirking cockily she leaned down next to the twin, slipping her own fingers into Melanie's already occupied slit, she pulled the twins other hand to her still clothed crotch. Melanie blushed darker than she ever remembered. "I'll make this worth your while." Yang purred seductively. Militia had helped Ruby clean near every part of her she was currently shakily running her soapy hands along the underside of Ruby's breasts. "M-mistress?" She stuttered. "Hmmm?" Ruby purred pleasantly. "T-there's only one more place to clean..." Militia mumbled. "It would seem so." Ruby cupped her hand around Melanie's sliding it down towards her crotch. "You better do a good job." Ruby very much enjoyed her maid's attention. She had only ever touched little Rubes a few times - this was definitely a lot better than her own efforts. Mel's touch was both gentle and firm at the same time, despite her shaky hand. Ruby felt slightly guilty. "You don't mind doing this, right?" She asked looking over her shoulder. Militia wished she had gotten the bimbo. Mel wished she got the younger sister... "I-I'd do anything for you mistress." Militia murmured as she continued her work, her own juices were running warm and slick down her thighs from Ruby's orders." Yang pressed herself against Melanie making sure she could feel exactly what Yang had meant, and in a strange sort of way as much as Melanie was shocked she was more turned on. Militia continued to gently play with Ruby - making sure to support the girl as she leant back more and more. The girl began to buck her hips slightly and shut her eyes as she welcome Militia deeper. Melanie was finding out Yang was a lot more gentle when she was fighting. The blonde had a ball full of the twin's hair and was currently making her plaything beg for more camera time. Ruby arched back into Militia. "D-deeper." She moaned. "Yes mistress." Militia obeyed the only thought filling her mind was giving her mistress release even as her own nethers burned for attention. Yang was between her legs grinding her own crotch into Melanie's thigh and even through the fabric of Yang's shorts she could feel it hot and hard against her. Yang had just positioned her camera to capture them in bed promises of showing the video to all her friends dripping from her lips, and it just made Melanie burn hotter, Yang's fire was infectious it seemed. "I'm never going to need to watch this, you'll be back to do it for me live whenever I want won't you?" Yang growled. "Y-Yes mistress..." Mel murmured. "Ah no wonder you're so quiet... I'm keeping that tongue so busy." Yang laughed curelly. "I bet my sister had your twin doing all kinds of perverse things... I bet she'll have chains and everything." She moaned gently as the twin submitted to her work. Ruby had finally reached orgasm and lights danced in her eyes. Militia was practically carrying her now, her legs had long since stopped working."Yourrr... turn.." She slurred between huge breaths. Militia was so desperate, her body was screaming for her to say yes. "But...I'm to serve you..." "Nah, gotta be fairrr. Not gonna be...selfish bitch…like Yang" She could barely string two words together and ended up snoring into Militia's shoulder. Weirdest. Day. Ever. Militia pulled them out of the shower and wrapped up in towel sitting down with the the snoozing Ruby. "I... I'll be here when you wake up mistress." I wonder how Mel is doing with Goldilocks Yang smiled pleasantly the passed out Melanie tucked into her side, red marks and various fluids covering her exhausted body. Yang pulled up the footage she had recorded and pressed play the sounds of grunting and meaty thumps coming from the device, she grinned and pulled out a permanent marker writing "Property of Yang Xiao Dong" across Melanie's rear, she laughed to herself. Militia stepped out into the corridor, a little unsteady. She was really begining to consider snuggling in next to Ruby. She realized she was in a school where she was not a student. In a slutty maid outfit. While her sister was most likely being ravished by a psycho blonde bimbo. She promptly turned on her heel and returned to bed with Ruby... I could get used to the tiny little tyrant. As her eyes shut she had a strange thought; "Whose bed is this?" But Ruby nestled against her breasts and all she remembered was how kind a mistress she had.Usually when I call a show “visceral,” I mean it figuratively. It’s a convenient adjective to have in the ol’ word holster to describe emotional beats that land not through dialogue, but via images of shock or “aww,” tear-inducing scenes like a beloved character’s death on The Wire or crying over every single thing that ever happened on Friday Night Lights. By comparison, Game of Thrones is literally visceral: “The Old Gods and the New” featured more violent probing of innards than a foie gras protest video. I’d say I didn’t have the stomach for what the Hound did to Sansa’s would-be rapist, but, then again, by the time the Hound was done with him, neither did he. Maybe I’m just venting my spleen here, but what this episode accomplished took real guts: The chaos and animal savagery that has always lurked just below Westeros’s scrim of courtliness and gentility has finally broken through the surface and is bleeding out everywhere. While Cersei and Tyrion bicker over how best to arm King’s Landing, the starving wretches in the street are more interested in disarming royalty — or at least their assorted priests and hangers-on. All hopes the littlest Lannister may have had for neatly resolving this crown controversy were lost the minute Joffrey’s impatient subjects transformed into flesh-rending extras from The Walking Dead. In medieval times — the actual era, not the novelty restaurant — wise men would consult the entrails of the recently deceased to divine the future. We learned last night that the subjects of bloodthirsty Westeros aren’t ones to stand on ceremony, or even wait for the test subject to be all the way dead before treating his body like Indiana Jones treated the Temple of Doom. And you don’t need to be a visionary to predict what it all means. Even Hodor could tell that it’s only going to get worse. Of course, not all of the ferocious cuts came from the broadsword of Sandor Clegane. Some originated in the writers’ room. It may have seemed sudden that Theon managed to prance his way to the gates of Winterfell in the time it took Daenarys to change from one gown to another, but it was actually a relief. The continuing misadventures of the Sea Bitch sounds more like Hagar the Horrible fan fiction than like interesting television. And, to steal a page from Bran’s dream journal, why waste time watching the waters rising outside the walls when we can fast-forward to the flood? Regardless of how he got there, it’s clear the neediest Greyjoy burned up the last bits of his humanity along with the Dear Robb letter a few episodes back. Theon claims his old stomping grounds with Joffrey-esque villainy. (Bran, to his credit, does yield, but not before greeting his quasi-adopted brother with what appears to be a classic case of lazy Sunday girlfriend face. Seriously, Bran was so chill about this whole surprise invasion thing I expected him to start listing potential brunch spots and making catty jokes about the “Vows” section of the Times.) When crusty knight/beard-braid visionary Ser Rodrik Cassel (no relation to Ser Matthew Cassel of House Arrowhead) gets fresh with his former charge, Theon threatens him with imprisonment. But Finchy, his deputy, raises the stakes from the last time he had to deal with disrespect like this back in Slough. It won’t be enough to toss Ser Rodrick’s boots over the castle. He must pay with his head. And so, in one of the more disturbing scenes in a show that specializes in them, Theon hacks and slashes with all the grace and subtlety of a Fruit Ninja armed with a rusty katana. The macho swordsmen of Westeros put a high premium on “good” deaths not because they’re swaggering figments of a machismo-starved imagination — though they are that, too — but because it’s something to look forward to at the close of an unpredictable life that’s likely to be miserably short. By denying Roderik a clean end, Theon has most likely guaranteed the same fate for himself. Quite honestly, it was amateur hour for all of our current baddies. Theon is easily seduced by the goodies Osha has been hiding behind her wall, and, exhausted from a night of doing the wild thing with a Wildling, he lets his guard down and allows the two mini-Starks to escape. (Actually, it’s his guard who lets him down, by falling for the classic kiss your face/slit your throat grift. Come on, dude. Haven’t you ever been to Vegas?) And what more can we say about the cartoonishly evil Joffrey? If Jack Gleeson were even remotely capable of growing a mustache, there’s no doubt that he’d spend every moment of screen time twirling it. This week’s greatest hits include mocking his brother for crying and escalating a lone instance of flying manure into a homicidal shitstorm. When Sansa is separated from the group and trapped in an alley by some vengeful 99 percenters, only Tyrion and the aforementioned Hound even bother to remember her. “We’ve had vicious kings and we’ve had idiot kings, but I don’t know if we’ve ever been cursed with both,” the imp spits just before slapping his useless nephew. As enjoyable as it will be to see both Joffrey and Theon get their inevitable comeuppance, it’s impossible to shake the feeling that whatever nemeses are lurking around the bend will be even more cruel, and a good deal more capable. One of those baddies is already here, of course. Charles Dance is so imposing as Tywin Lannister that he even makes a movie-of-the-week memory about teaching his dyslexic son to read sound terrifying. Tywin hates illiteracy almost as much as he hates the Starks, as we learned when he banished his one uncultured cousin from his council. So it seems he’s developed a soft spot for the educated Arya — a relationship she uses the second of her magic murder wishes to protect. As for the other Starks, they’re torn between defending their home base and continuing their assault on King’s Landing. Even though a compromise is made — something about a bastard going north to deal with that bastard Theon — I can’t shake the feeling that Robb’s chances would be improved if only his mother were still wandering in the woods somewhere. Catelyn’s just bad mojo, barely back an hour before she’s cock-blocking her eldest son, who just wants to play field hospital with his new naughty nurse pal. (This was in keeping with what my podcast partner Chris Ryan calls Cat Stark’s ruinous habit of freelancing. “Everything she does ends up backfiring,” he wrote in an e-mail yesterday. “She is Queen Makes Things Worse.” To which I added, “She is Queen Makes Things Worse in the North.”) The biggest threats, of course, are the ones none of these silly quibblers takes seriously, the ones no one seems to see coming. To the north, Jon Snow and his mates pull a successful surprise raid on some Tuskan Raiders, er, Mance Rayders. The lone survivor is revealed to be why, it’s Gwen from Downton Abbey! It wasn’t a typist’s job she left for after all — it was a new career as an ice hunter! Sure, the hours are bad, but you really can’t put a price on the opportunity to freeze to death on your own terms. There are no glass ceilings north of the wall. Of course, there are no ceilings at all. But still: Progress is progress! (Side note: Between Rose Leslie and Iain Glen, I’m hoping we’re witnessing the beginning of a dedicatedly incestuous relationship between the casting departments of Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey. I know I’m not the only one interested in seeing the dashing Mr. Pamuk as the world’s prettiest Dothraki, Daisy the scullery maid as Daeysey, a scullery maid, and Burn Face as a plot-wrecking monster that would terrify even Melisandre.) Anyway, left alone to deal with his prisoner, Jon Snow establishes that proper decapitation technique just wasn’t part of Sanford Meisner Luwin’s curriculum at Winterfell Academy. Ygritte, the fiery redhead, melts his frigid sympathies, and soon the two are sledding down a fjord like a couple of doomed kids in a depressing Edith Wharton novel. Abandoned and alone, the only way for them to stay alive is by spooning. But the closer Ygritte wiggles, the more likely she is to wake up Jon’s sleeping direwolf. I think all of us who have seen The Blue Lagoon know where this is headed. And to the east, in the still-delightful fresco that is Qarth, Daenarys has managed to transform Ducksauce from suitor into secretary. But the meeting he arranges with the Spice King doesn’t go according to plan. When asked for a fleet of ships in return for future Queenly considerations, Captain Cardamom gently de-myrrhs: “I cannot make an investment based on wishes and dreams.” This is not a good line to use on Dany, who explodes like a delusional American Idol contestant in the audition rounds, screaming, “I’m no ordinary woman! My dreams come true!” (Sure they do, honey. Now calm down. We can’t all be Bikini Girl.) Dany’s tantrum is impressive (she rages about her treatment at the hands of the Spice King, Silk King, and Copper King, yet remains strangely silent about her audience with the Mattress King), but short-lived: While she was breathing fire, someone was stealing her dragons. Even worse, her entourage has been completed turtled; it appears she now has as many friends in Qarth as she does in the strange Kingdom she intends to rule. Halfhand’s words to Jon Snow seem as relevant here as they did beyond the wall — or anywhere the game of thrones is being played: “You start thinking you know this place, it’ll kill you.” Violence and death aren’t the inevitable destinations for those who desire the crown — they’re clearly an inescapable part of the journey. Sure, the first season wasn’t exactly a model study in Quakerism, but it seemed as if there were rules; Ned’s head never should have been detached from his body, but at least the executioner’s blade was sharp and true. If there’s one thing Sandor Clegane — and, in fact, the entire episode — taught us, it’s that nowadays once you start cutting people, there’s no telling what might come spilling out. Note on these recaps: I have not read the books and I have no intention to do so. My goal is to analyze and enjoy Game of Thrones strictly as a television show. So please, no spoilers or “I told you so”s in the comments, OK? OK!Liverpool Football Club have teamed up with BT Sport to offer supporters the unique opportunity to come together in the city of Liverpool to watch the UEFA Europa League final on giant screens at the Echo Arena. The exclusive event on Wednesday May 18 will form part of BT Sport and LFCTV’s separate Europa League final coverage. Those supporters who were unsuccessful in Monday’s match ticket ballot will have first option on purchasing up to two tickets for the special screening event of the big game. Doors at the Echo Arena will open at 6pm BST with 9,000 tickets available costing just £5. Ticket proceeds will be donated to the Liverpool FC Foundation to support the charity’s community programmes and partnerships across Merseyside, and BT Sport’s charitable initiative, The Supporters Club. The news follows BT Sport’s announcement that it will screen the UEFA Europa League final on its Freeview BT Sport Showcase channel. The match will also be shown live on YouTube at youtube.com/btsport and bt.com. The final has never been made available for free on the video platform before. There will be a carnival atmosphere with pre-match entertainment at Echo Arena Liverpool and refreshments will be available like other major events. Priority tickets for the live screening will be available to supporters who were unsuccessful in the official ballot from the Echo Arena Liverpool website until
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G., Thompson, E., and Rosch, E. (1991). The Embodied Mind. Cambridge: MIT Press. von Uexküll, J. (1909). Umwelt und Innenwelt der Tiere. Berlin: Springer. Weber, A., and Varela, F. J. (2002). Life after Kant: natural purposes and the autopoietic foundations of biological individuality. Phenomenol. Cogn. Sci. 1, 97–125. doi: 10.1023/A:1020368120174 CrossRef Full Text Wilson, B. A. (2010). Brain injury: recovery and rehabilitation. Wiley Interdis. Rev. Cogn. Sci. 1, 108–118. doi: 10.1002/wcs.15 CrossRef Full Text Wilson, B. A. (2011). ‘Cutting edge’ developments in neuropsychological rehabilitation and possible future directions. Brain Imp. 12, 33–42. doi: 10.1375/brim.12.1.33 CrossRef Full TextBEIJING — British garden parties are not known as occasions for blunt talk, especially if they take place at Buckingham Palace. But on Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II, clad in bright pink, had a frank exchange about China on her palace lawn with a Metropolitan Police commander, Lucy D’Orsi. They spoke of conflicts that unfolded in London in October when President Xi Jinping of China and his entourage made a state visit to Britain, and at one point, the queen referred to the visiting officials as “very rude.” A transcript of that exchange is below. First, before hundreds of onlookers, the queen, 90, was introduced to Ms. D’Orsi by the Lord Chamberlain, Earl Peel, who serves as head of the royal household. Ms. D’Orsi spoke of an episode in which Chinese officials stormed out of a meeting with her and Barbara Woodward, a longtime diplomat and the British ambassador to China. She called it “a testing time.” The queen commented, “They were very rude to the ambassador.”Getty Images Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced a “major policy revision” that aims to give bicycling and walking the same policy and economic consideration as driving. “Today I want to announce a sea change,” he wrote on his blog last week. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of nonmotorized.” The new policy, which was introduced a few days after Mr. LaHood gave a well-received speech from atop a table at the National Bike Summit, is said to reflect the Transportation Department’s support for the development of fully integrated transportation networks. It calls on state and local governments to go beyond minimum planning and maintenance requirements to provide convenient and safe amenities for bikers and walkers. “Walking and biking should not be an afterthought in roadway design,” the policy states. Transportation agencies are urged to take action on a number of fronts, including the creation of pathways for bike riders and pedestrians on bridges, and providing children with safe biking and walking routes to schools. They are also encouraged to find ways to make such improvements in concert with road maintenance projects and to protect sidewalks and bike lanes in the same manner as roads (by clearing them of snow, for example). Mr. LaHood also indicated the department is discouraging “transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians.” Not surprisingly, the news had bike enthusiasts excited. “It is simply the strongest statement of support for prioritizing bicycling and walking ever to come from a sitting secretary of transportation,” said Darren Flusche, policy analyst for the League of American Bicyclists. Nonetheless, some business groups have expressed concern that giving walking and biking the same policy considerations as other transportation modes, as Mr. LaHood recommended, would impede progress on other fronts. “Treating bicycles and other nonmotorized transportation as equal to motorized transportation would cause an economic catastrophe,” warned Carter Wood, a senior adviser at the National Association of Manufacturers. “If put it into effect, the policy would more than undermine any effort the Obama Administration has made toward jobs. You can’t have jobs without the efficient movement of freight.” At a House appropriations committee hearing last week, Congressman Steven LaTourette, Republican of Ohio, brought up the new policy and asked a Transportation Department official to clarify what Mr. LaHood means by “equal treatment.” “If we’re going to spend $1 million on a road, we’re not going to have half of it go to a bike lane and half of it go to cars?” he asked, according to a transcript of the hearing. “My interpretation of that would be equal in the eyes of policymakers as what is the expenditure you make, what is the benefit you get,” responded Roy Kienitz, D.O.T.’s under secretary for policy. “And if the freight project offers the best bang, great, but if the bike project offers a good bang, great for them.” “I don’t even understand how you get a bang for the buck out of a bicycle project,” Mr. LaTourette subsequently commented. “I mean, what job is going to be created by having a bike lane?”by Arrakis » 07 Jul 2017, 17:00 Hey Feudalists!During the current CBT #4 test run we plan to release another one of our main MMO features: the Battle System. In today’s devblog we’d like to provide a brief introduction to its key aspects.First of all, we would like to stress the reason why we think that battles are so important for our MMO and PvP players. The Battle system will be the primary method for countries and kingdoms to brawl for domination of the game world in an instanced battle area.The fact that it is instanced means that active PvP activities will not be affected by other players whom are not taking part, nor will other players be affected by participants of the battle. By ‘affected’ we not only mean direct game action involvement (looting, civilian casualties, backstabbing), but also performance-wise (to reduce render and network/server lag). Due to separate instancing, we can precisely track and share with players the following statistics: a list of guilds on both sides, initial amount of soldiers, casualties, soldiers that fled and were captured (we plan to implement these mechanics later).In order to start a battle, the attacking guild should craft a special ‘Challenge’ monument and place it on the defending guild or kingdom’s land. After that, both guild/kingdoms have approximately 24 real-life hours to prepare and get as many players as they can to use this monument and enlist on their side.Once the battle starts, we cap the amount of players on one of the sides to prevent very advantageous ‘zerging’ (x3 players amount advantage is the maximum). Participants are then moved into the instanced area, which is stripped of any buildings, objects and terraforming, leaving only natural foliage and water in the battle area.The rules of the battle are quite simple - be the King/Queen of the hill (the area in the center of the map, placed slightly closer to the defending armies side) or you will also be able to eliminate all players of the opposing side.The winner of the battle gets all the equipment of the losing army that was dropped on the ground during the battle and the losing guild’s monument sustains damage. The damage can even degrade the monument and significantly shrink the radius of the claimed lands around it. Along with the damaged monument, the losers also lose (ha, get it!) the ability to issue battle challenges for the next 3 real-life days.With these mechanics (and with unit and formation tweaks that are soon to come), we expect players will have a lot of fun clashing face-to-face in the open field/forest environment without walls to use for cover.Please keep in mind that this is a short explanation of the Battle System mechanics, with many details still being iterated on. If you guys can hold on while we perfect and implement this new feature, you will get answers to any questions you have upon its release!— The teamwanted second post, but 3rd is good enough i guess. 4th is fine... The NEW quick FAQ, because it appears we need a new one... 1. No, I am no longer working on this. My builds are old and not fully working. 2. No, this is not official cyanogenmod. It is not supported or endorsed by the cyanogenmod team. The only involvement cyanogenmod has here so far is giving us source and fixes to kang, build, and post. 3. Use the latest frikkin cwm or use twrp version 2.6.3.1 or greater! It will not ****ing flash with anything older! (Twrp 2.6.3.0 is the latest officially available for the d2vzw at the time of this writing. Yes, that conflicts with my above statement. Not my fault. Bug whoever is in charge of twrp for the d2vzw). 4. This is BASED almost ENTIRELY on the work of cyanogenmod. We are just unofficial build monkeys. They work, we build. If anyone is "stealing code," its us. (And using that term in that way violates the spirit of open source.) So seriously guys, quit fighting and causing issues. Either enjoy the roms, or gtfo. the (original) quick FAQ yes, I got this to build. no, it has not been tested. yes, things are broken. (only thing i know for sure is audio. but plenty of other stuff can go wrong) no, I will not be supporting these builds. wait for cm to release official nightlys if you want any kind of support. I might post changes on github. if i get around to it. again, do not expect support from me. Also, I do not own and I do not think I have ever seen a d2vzw. give me one, and I'll give much more support. now that that is over with, some details. this requires a recent version of cwm recovery (don't ask which. I use twrp2) or twrp2 version 2.6.3.1 or greater. the only major change i made was disabling alsa (audio). I also merged a couple d2 specific commits that cm hadn't yet. flash, and enjoy. build 2: outdated and gone.AutoGuide.com New spy photos rolled in today showing a car we have been waiting on for quite some time, the all-new 2016 Acura NSX. The first next-generation Acura NSX concept made its debut in Detroit back in 2012, and the car spotted today at the Nürburgring seems to carry over about 95 percent of that original design. A few noticeable changes are a slightly revised front fascia and new hood vents over the front wheel arches. SEE ALSO: Acura NSX and Affordable Ferrari Fighter: Chief Engineer A mid-mounted twin-turbo V6 provides grunt through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, but that won’t be the only power source. Each front wheel will have its own electric motor powering it as part of Acura’s Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive Setup, known as SH-AWD. There will also be another electric motor in the rear and all together, the system should add up to around 500 hp. SEE ALSO: Acura NSX Burns to the Ground Nurburgring Testing Honda has set the bar high for the new NSX, benchmarking it against cars like the Ferrari 458, McLaren MP4-12C and the Audi R8. Acura previously said that the car will cost somewhere in Porsche 911 territory, which carries a range starting from about $80,000 up to $180,000. Wherever the price tag lands, Acura claims that this will be a great performance bargain. GALLERY: Acura NSX Spy Photos GALLERY: Acura NSX Concept II Get the Flash Player to see this player. Get the Flash Player to see this player. Discuss this story at our Acura NSX ForumCharm City Carousel Entertainment Release: Charm City Carousel Entertainment Adds Carousel to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor Charm City Carousel Entertainment, LLC is excited to announce that they have opened a 36-foot carousel in Baltimore’s famed Inner Harbor this summer. “We opened on August 2,” said Mark Rosenzweig, Vice President of Charm City Carousel. “The ride will have a prime location in the southwest corner of the promenade. Everyone is excited because our carousel will join world-class tourist attractions like the Maryland Science Center and the National Aquarium.” Guests will need 1 ticket to ride and prices are: $3 for 1, $10 for 4, and $20 for 10 tickets. Parents of children 42 inches and below do not need to pay to ride if they stand next to their child. “We are honored to have our ride in the crown jewel of Baltimore, the Inner Harbor. It is one of the country’s best tourist attractions, but it is also where Baltimore’s families congregate. We appreciate Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s commitment to bring more families into the city and look forward to serving them. Two of our staff members are city residents and appreciate what a great place it is to raise a family.” The Charm City Carousel will be open: Through Labor Day: Open Daily 11AM September: Open Weekends and School Holidays 11AM October: Open Weekends and School Holidays 11AM Stats. On The Charm City Carousel: Width: 36 Feet Height: 28 Feet Menagerie: 30 Horses that stand 3-abreast and 2 Chariots About the Author: News Release News releases from various sources around South Baltimore. News releases from various sources around South Baltimore.The Mariott Cell, as the 20 Al-Jazeera staffers are dubbed by the official media, will stand today for the tenth time before Judge Mohamed Nagui Shehata of the Cairo Criminal Court. Since their apprehension on terrorism charges 155 days ago, the three Al-Jazeera English staff Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, have been daily vilified on both official and quasi-official media as miscreants, spies and conspirators. Their colleague from Al-Jazeera Arabic, Abdullah Elshamy, has been in custody without charges for 291 days, of them 132 while on hunger strike, objecting to his unjust and unlawful incarceration. Since May 16, he is kept in solitary confinement at Al-Akrab prison, infamous for barring convicted terrorists. His family has pleaded for his release given his decrepit health, while warning that the officials are using force-feeding to end his hunger strike by all means. Wistfully, only a handful of their colleagues, who are working for the official, private and/or partisan Egyptian media, have showed symbolic support for their release. Not one journalist or media institution has called for a national strike of all media conduits in Egypt towards the release of their jailed colleagues. It’s a shame. “Without courageous and liberty-yearning journalists, the foundations of democracy won’t be established” Without courageous, daring and liberty-yearning journalists, the foundations of democracy won’t be established in the bellwether country of the Arab World. Egypt’s media, since the publication of the first newspaper, The Khedive Journal (Gournal Al-Khedewe) in 1817, followed by the first official periodical, The Egyptian Affairs (El-Wakaa El-Masria) in 1828, didn’t have an easy ride. After almost 200 years of journalism in Egypt, the Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) considers the country the third deadliest place for the press in 2013, after Syria and Iraq. Reporters without Borders (RSF) issued an appraisal on May 21 of the current media freedoms in Egypt, which concluded that, “respect for media freedom has declined considerably since the army seized power”. The report documented that “at least 65 journalists have been arrested and 17 are still in detention.” Adding insult to injury, the Egyptian official press ignores such reports, and the Press Syndicate, the elected body of Egyptian journalists, is complying with the state’s justification that the arrested journalists are posing a dire threat to national security. It’s a shame. The news about the jailed journalists in the Egyptian media is non-existent. Egyptian journalists, for various reasons including fear, intimidation and/or apathy, are ignoring the ordeal of their fellow colleagues who are being imprisoned for none other than being reporters. Yet, this angst can be overcome with collective action among Egyptian journalists, who have rose up to the challenges many times before to protest the brutal regimes that ruled Egypt. In 1914, a number of Egyptian newspapers, for the first time, went on strike by ceasing their publications for one day to deplore the rise of military censorship. ALSO READ It’s time Egypt deals with Libya 37 years later, the flourishing newspaper industry at the time of the country’s penultimate monarch, King Farouk I of Egypt, ceased their publications after the government’s plans to introduce strict laws that would stifle the freedom of the press. During the reign of the Mubarak regime, the newspapers led by the Press Syndicate called for three strikes in 1995, 2006 and 2007 against the deteriorating conditions of the press. Such actions have embarrassed Mubarak, and forced his regime to handle the journalists’ demands, without brutal attacks or imprisonment. “Egypt’s journalists, anchors, media personalities, academics and intellectuals are silent” Egypt’s journalists, anchors, media personalities, academics and intellectuals are silent against the unjustifiable attacks exerted by the current regime against the flow of ideas and information. They should be the bulwarks against the atavistic methods of the current regime that is dragging the country to the precipice. The country’s intelligentsia, led by its journalists, should call for a national strike and mull other peaceful tactics to expose the regime’s undue actions against the freedom to express and disseminate information. If Egyptians won’t coordinate for the sake of their country and instead follow the regime’s narrative, it’ll soon be their turn to visit Al-Akrab prison. It’s not Al-Jazeera against Egypt, as the official narrative suggests through its controlled media to a pliable audience. It’s, rather, a confrontation between a regime that wants to consolidate its power without the rule-of-law, and reporters who are eager to offer an alternative storyline and challenge the official narrative. I call on all Egyptian journalists, media personalities and everyone who is working in the press in Egypt to synchronize a national strike for one day to send a message to the neo-Mubarakian regime, that they are sympathizing with their incarcerated colleagues. Put shame on the current regime, expose their disgraceful narrative and perpetual mendacity with a collective action that will resonate globally. The world ought to understand that the Egyptian intelligentsia is against the reprehensible practices of the current junta. Shame them till they free all of our colleagues.Construction crews have begun demolishing the bleachers at Wrigley Field as part of the stadium's offseason renovation. • GALLERY: Classic SI Photos of Ernie Banks • GALLERY: Ballpark Dogs The bleachers will be rebuilt with seating for an additional 300 fans. The walls behind the left and right field bleachers will be moved back onto the neighboring streets to create wider concourses and room for bullpens beneath the bleachers. The bleachers in centerfield will be renovated after next season. The renovation plans also include improvements to both clubhouses and the addition of lounge areas for fans. The Cubs received approval for the plans in July after a long battle against property owners in the neighborhood. The team held a groundbreaking ceremony last weekend. The construction will take place in several phases throughout multiple offseasons. The first phase is expected to be complete by Opening Day 2015. - Dan GartlandIt's a wrap, a doddle, an Israeli ceasefire just in time for Barack Obama to have a squeaky-clean inauguration with all the world looking at the streets of Washington rather than the rubble of Gaza. Condi and Ms Livni thought their new arms-monitoring agreement – reached without a single Arab being involved – would work. Ban Ki-moon welcomed the unilateral truce. The great and the good gathered for a Sharm el-Sheikh summit. Only Hamas itself was not consulted. Which led, of course, to a few wrinkles in the plan. First, before declaring its own ceasefire, Hamas fired off more rockets at Israel, proving that Israel's primary war aim – to stop the missiles – had failed. Then Cairo shrugged off the deal because no one was going to set up electronic surveillance equipment on Egyptian soil. And not one European leader travelling to the region suggested the survivors might be helped if Israel, the EU and the US ended the food and fuel siege of Gaza. After killing hundreds of women and children, Israel was the good guy again, by declaring a unilateral ceasefire that Hamas was certain to break. But Obama will be smiling on Tuesday. Was not this the reason, after all, why Israel suddenly wanted a truce? Egypt's objections may be theatre – the US spent £18m last year training Egyptian security men to stop arms smuggling into Gaza and since the US bails out Egypt's economy, ignores the corruption of its regime and goes on backing Hosni Mubarak, there's sure to be a "compromise" very soon. Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent Without the ads – for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month And Hamas has had its claws cut. Israel's informers in Gaza handed over the locations of its homes and hideouts and the government of Gaza must be wondering if they can ever close down the spy rings. Hamas thought its militia was the Hizbollah – a serious error – and that the world would eventually come to its aid. The world (although not its pompous leaders) felt enormous pity for the Palestinians, but not for the cynical men of Hamas who staged a coup in Gaza in 2007 which killed 151 Palestinians. As usual, the European statesmen appeared hopelessly out of touch with what their own electorates thought. And history was quite forgotten. The Hamas rockets were the result of the food and fuel siege; Israel broke Hamas's own truce on 4 and 17 November. Forgotten is the fact Hamas won the 2006 elections, although Israel has killed a clutch of the victors. And there'll be little time for the peacemakers of Sharm el-Sheikh to reflect on the three UN schools targeted by the Israelis and the slaughter of the civilians inside. Poor old Ban Ki-moon. He tried to make his voice heard just before the ceasefire, saying Israel's troops had acted "outrageously" and should be "punished" for the third school killing. Some hope. At a Beirut press conference, he admitted he had failed to get a call through to Israel's Foreign Minister to complain. It was pathetic. When I asked Mr Ban if he would consider a UN war crimes tribunal in Gaza, he said this would not be for him to "determine". But only a few journalists bothered to listen to him and his officials were quickly folding up the UN flag on the table. About time too. Bring back the League of Nations. All is forgiven. What no one noticed yesterday – not the Arabs nor the Israelis nor the portentous men from Europe – was that the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting last night was opening on the 90th anniversary – to the day – of the opening of the 1919 Paris peace conference which created the modern Middle East. One of its main topics was "the borders of Palestine". There followed the Versailles Treaty. And we know what happened then. The rest really is history. Bring on the ghosts. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowDon Julio Tequila is a tequila company navigating through change. After celebrating their 70th anniversary in 2011 (and releasing the very successful Don Julio 70, an innovative anejo claro), the company lost its namesake, Don Julio (aka Julio Gonzalez Estrada), in March of 2012. Just a year later, parent company Diageo parted ways with behemoth competitor Jose Cuervo, opening the door for Don Julio to become Diageo’s major showcase tequila. At the helm through all this is Master Distiller Enrique de Colsa, one of the most well spoken, fun, and engaging men in tequila. If the company is going through a big change, you’d never know it from Enrique, who is an evangelist for great tequila and Mexican spirits. Poised for tremendous growth, this year Don Julio planted over 1.8 million agave plants. Agave plants take seven years to mature, and so the result will be a staggering doubling of the current production levels of Don Julio tequila. Although Don Julio may not the largest producer of tequila, it is one of the more important. Don Julio has always been an innovator in the tequila space with a significant influence on other tequila producers. Don Julio’s squat bottle was a major innovation and inspiration for other premium tequila producers (including Patron) to change the shape and image of tequila. The signature squat bottle came about as most things at the company because of Don Julio himself. Frustrated that he couldn’t see across the table to talk to friends and family with tall tequila bottles in the way, he ordered them shortened, resulting in the signature squat bottle, and shaping the look of tequila for decades to come. In many ways Don Julio tequila is the embodiment of the way Julio Gonzales Estrada saw tequila. Although Enrique de Colsa runs the distillery, he does so with an amazing amount of reverence and respect to the way that Don Julio made his tequila. [Watch our Behind the Scenes of Don Julio Tequila Video to see how it’s all done.] As with all tequila, Don Julio’s tequila begins in the agave fields. Located in the highland area of Atotonilco, Don Julio grows their agave plants on land they lease. Not owning the land is very important, as it gives Don Julio the flexibility to move around and rotate their crop. Most people think of tequila as something that takes very little time to produce, since the base product, blanco tequila, is a white spirit. Whereas whiskey and cognac take their time to mature and age in casks, tequila’s major ‘aging’ time happens with the agave plants, which take a staggering seven years to come to maturity. Each agave plant is harvested by hand, an extremely labor intensive and back breaking process. The agave plant is cut from its roots and then the long spearlike leaves are sheered off, leaving behind an oval center that’s reminiscent of a pineapple. This core is called a piña and it’s the raw material used to make tequila. The piñas are trucked to the Don Julio distillery where they are cut into equal sized pieces in order to ensure that they bake evenly. The piñas are loaded into huge ovens called autoclaves where they are slowly baked over the course of several days. Uncooked, the piña itself isn’t sweet, more like a starchy potato quality to it, but like a carrot, when you bake it, the piña transforms dramatically, releasing sweet agave syrup. The baked piñas are crushed and doused with water, releasing the sweet agave syrup. This watery syrup is called agua miel, which translates to “honey water.” Don Julio adds yeast to this agave water and it is left to ferment. In addition to where they grow their agave (the soil and weather conditions of the Highlands greatly impact the flavors of the tequila), the yeast that Don Julio
can be used on space suits. I came away from Polit-Casillas' presentation with the impression that there was a lot more going on behind the scenes at JPL, but the main takeaway for me was that printing in micro-gravity (at least some varieties) is not that difficult because “A laser puts pressure that actually seals materials together.” The Future of Additive Manufacturing Figure 1. EOS’Future of Additive Manufacturing designs show why design optimization tools will be so important. Experts in polymer and metal. That's how EOS' Director of Global Application and Consulting, Gungor Kara, introduced his firm. The claim was backed up when he also shared some hard numbers, noting that at EOS “We sell more systems in metals than all of our competitors combined.” With such a lead in the metal printing space, EOS is also now focusing on empowering users to unlock the potential of their machines. Kara’s presentation highlighted optimization techniques and it was easy to see the logic behind the partnership with solidThinking. Simply look at the lattice structures in Figure 1 that make up potential car bodies and support beams. Imagine trying to model or design that by hand! There is no way this design could be efficiently done without the help of some serious mathematical modeling. It is this sort of optimization technique that will require a network of experts in various fields. As CEO of Morf3D, a service-provided and engineering consulting firm, Ivan Madera focuses on five major issues for companies trying to use additive manufacturing. For his customer base, primarily the big industries such as aerospace and medical,these issues boil down to: Design for additive expertise Fragmented value chain Little client collaboration Variability in build quality Lack of repeatability Morf3D's mission is to position itself as an expert in additive manufacturing to help ensure that major players do not invest in the wrong areas. Madera's job, it seems, is to ensure that everyone maintains a focus on the bottom line and what is achievable rather than getting lost in the sci-fi futuristic opportunities of additive manufacturing. With so much happening in the space, it is sometimes hard to know which is which. Gilles speaking at the solidThinking CONVERGE conference in Los Angeles. Nearly every presenter at the two-day conference weaved additive manufacturing into his or her talk. From Ralph Gilles, head of design for Fiat Chrysler, using it to get a feel for a new headlight, to Eric Long, associate director of architecture firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill, who uses it to produce scale models of new building designs, additive manufacturing is playing a role in an increasing number of design processes. To many consumers, 3D printing is still a buzzword—but as more and more designers, engineers, artists and creative types are exposed to the potential and as companies such as Altair and its subsidiary solidThinking continue making the design process easier, it is quickly becoming the backbone upon which new ideas take shape. This shift could very easily affect students and young engineers as well, who should take note. The job market for traditional processes could soon see change in a big way, as Gilles pointed out when he shared headcount numbers that showed a doubling of virtual modeling experts since 2008. This came curiously at the same time as a 25-percent reduction in clay modeling experts. If you missed this event, the CONVERGE conference is not a one-time thing. Altair is taking the show on the road to Germany, China, Japan, India and Korea, so expect to see more great uses of technology and additive manufacturing as each event pulls in speakers from the local area. Chris McAndrew (@CbMcAndrew) is a product development and marketing executive with nearly a decade of experience bringing concepts from the idea stage to market release in a variety of industries. He is a trained mechanical engineer, with a B.S. from Tulane University, and he is completing an MBA program at UCLA Anderson School of Business (’16).Bitcoin Scammers Are Targeting Hurricane Irma Victims: Beware Reports have started to come in of scammers attempting to steal from Bitcoiners that were possibly affected by Hurricane Irma. Also read: Bitcoin Cash Holding Steady Against Attacks From Chinese Gov’t Bitcoin Put in Danger by Hurricane Irma? Unlikely Earlier today, a representative from Athena Bitcoin posted on Reddit that the company had received an email from a phisher attempting to trick people into giving up their bitcoins. The Athena representative said: Below is an email received into Athena Bitcoin from yet another Blockchain.info phishing attempt. DO NOT follow the directions of this email and make sure everyone you know who uses Blockchain is aware of phishing attempts like this! On Mon, 11 Sep at 6:05 PM, No-reply [email protected] wrote: “As Hurricane Irma moved towards Tampa, Florida, our servers in Tampa were directly in the path of the eye of Hurricane Irma. The storm heavily damaged our servers and we are experiencing massive loss of data. This loss of data will lead to loss of bitcoins and private keys stored on these servers. There is a temporary backup of this data in the same location. This temporary backup will soon go offline and all data completely lost. “Blockchain has servers located in different countries. Only accounts whose private keys and bitcoins are stored in Tampa Florida are affected by this loss. If you are getting this email from us, it means your bitcoins and private keys are stored on our servers in Tampa, Florida. Immediate action is needed from you, now, before the temporary backup goes completely offline. “All your old bitcoin addresses are stored in Tampa. We have created a new bitcoin address for you on our servers located in Ontario, Canada. You are required to move all your bitcoins now to this new address. “Your new bitcoin address is [removed for safety purposes] “After moving your bitcoins to this address, your account balance will remain the same because the address is already part of your account. You will get an email from us notifying you of the successful move of your bitcoins from Tampa, Florida to Ontario, Canada. Please move your bitcoins now to avoid a complete loss of all your bitcoins. “Disclaimer: By sending this email to you ahead of the impending disaster, we will not be responsible for any loss of bitcoins you may encounter if you do not move your bitcoins to your new address provided in this email. “Please move your bitcoins now to your new bitcoin address [removed for safety purposes]“ Bitsonline has redacted the bitcoin address stated in the email for safety purposes. We advise our readers to not send bitcoin to any addresses that were sent to you unsolicited. The Athena representative posted this warning in both r/Bitcoin and r/BTC. Reminder: Blockchain.info Is Non-Custodial According to the phishing email, the alleged scammers are posing as Blockchain.info, one of the most popular bitcoin wallets in the world. As the email states, they tell people Hurricane Irma has damaged the company’s Tampa servers, and all the bitcoins stored there will be lost if immediate action is not taken. The fact that the alleged scammers have posed as Bitcoin.info may be cause for concern, since the wallet is a popular choice for those new to Bitcoin, who may not have a full understanding of how wallets work. It is important to note the Blockchain.info wallets are non-custodial, meaning the company has no control over its users’ bitcoin or private keys. Therefore, any damage done to company servers should only affect users access to the wallet during the outage. As long as users have their backup phrases stored in a safe place, they can recover their funds onto another bitcoin wallet. At press time, no one has sent any money to the bitcoin address provided in the email. However, several Reddit users have noted that the addresses are likely randomized, with each recipient receiving a different one. Therefore, it is currently unknown if anyone has fallen victim to this scam. At press time, Blockchain has not made any announcements regarding this phishing attempt on their website or social media channels. Bitsonline will continue monitoring this story and will update this article as new developments arise. Have you received this email in recent days? Let us know in the comments below. Images via Getty Images, Blockchain Join the Bitsonline Telegram channel to get the latest Bitcoin, cryptocurrency and tech news updates: https://t.me/bitsonlineA rendering of the Block 23 high-rise development that will include a Fry's grocery store on First Street in downtown Phoenix. (Photo: Red Development) Phoenix leaders said downtown has arrived as a true urban city center when they broke ground Thursday on a mixed-use project featuring the area's only grocery store. The project, led by RED Development, also is slated for 330 apartments, 200,000 square feet of office space and restaurants and retail at First and Washington streets. The site is known as "Block 23" for its place in Phoenix's original townsite. The team expects completion of the project sometime in 2019. Developers at the event said the full-service Fry's Food Store anchoring the complex comes after more than a decade of planning. City Council members and residents have for years pushed for better options in a "food desert" with little access to fresh food. But downtown needed to progress, mature and attract new residents before it could land a neighborhood Fry's, Mayor Greg Stanton said. Phoenix also is helping, with $18.3 million in development incentives as well as a long-term property tax break on the land. "This project is going to be a game changer for our city," Stanton said. Downtown investment 'feels safe' Developers referred to the project as the next phase of CityScape, a mixed-use complex developed by RED Development across the street. That project also received Phoenix incentives. The team knew more than a decade ago that a grocery store was a "missing link" downtown, said Mike Ebert, managing partner of RED Development. But CityScape came at a time when building in the urban core felt risky, he said. "Today investing in downtown feels safe, smart, wise," Ebert said. The store is a "well-deserved amenity" for communities just south of the site that often take multiple forms of transportation to reach fresh food, said Eva Olivas, executive director of the Phoenix Revitalization Corporation. Not only will the development save people time and money, but the project could bring them new job opportunities, she said. The complex also aims to generate its own customers with hundreds of new residential units that have the feel of an "urban boutique hotel," said Tom Bakewell, president of StreetLights Residential. The Phoenix City Council recently approved extra flexibility in the balance of residential and office space in the development after seeing huge demand on the office side, Community and Economic Development Director Christine Mackay said. Site played role in Phoenix's early history RED Development and Fry's announced the grocery store plans roughly a year ago. Much of the interim period was spent negotiating incentives from Phoenix and development rights for the land. The developer will receive about $18.3 million in payments and sales-tax reimbursements from the city, according to an agreement approved in October. MORE: Phoenix OKs incentives for downtown Fry's grocery store, high-rise NEWSLETTERS Get the AZ Memo newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Get the pulse of Arizona -- Local news, in-depth state coverage and what it all means for you Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for AZ Memo Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters For 50 years, the property will also maintain an existing property tax break, known as a government property lease excise tax. RED will purchase the land over that period for a total of $18 million. The city does not have an estimate for how much the incentive saves the company because the land has never generated property taxes, Mackay said. The city has long held the site. Most recently, the Barron Collier Companies secured development rights and a 75-year property tax break through a deal made in the 1990s. Barron Collier used the land for parking. Before that, the parcel changed from Phoenix's first City Hall and fire station to the Fox Theatre and a J.C. Penney store with a Cold War-era bomb shelter. Archaeologists also recently found signs of prehistoric people on the site. Part of Phoenix's incentives went toward evaluation and excavation of the land. READ MORE: Could a Cold War-era bomb shelter delay downtown grocery store? Phoenix grocery store construction site yields prehistoric artifacts City OKs incentives for downtown Fry's grocery store, high-rise How is Phoenix fighting food deserts? Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/2orJjzmBuy Photo Donnie Davis gives Tristan Jacobson, 9, a kiss outside their home in north Springfield on Friday, Apr. 22, 2016. Tristan has been living with Davis, who is his kinship guardian, since he was 5-years-old. They are holding a yard sale and Tristan is selling lemonade to raise money for his adoption. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader)Buy Photo Update from 5 p.m. Saturday: According to Donnie Davis, her yard sale and Tristan’s lemonade stand raised about $7,100. The family started a fundraiser on YouCaring.com called “Tristan’s Adoption Fund,” and more than $6,900 has been donated to that. As of Saturday afternoon, a total of $14,000 has been donated to help the Davis family adopt Tristan. “There’s not enough words to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has shown support or given us donations,” Davis said. “Everyone has made this possible. We will make sure this child will forever be ours.” Davis said any extra money will go toward Tristan's education. Original story posted Friday: Third-grader Tristan Jacobson sat patiently Friday afternoon, waiting for his next thirsty customer. For a dollar, the 9-year-old would happily crack open an ice-cold bottle of water, pour in a tiny packet of lemonade powder and shake. And that dollar, he said, will go toward paying legal fees so Tristan can be adopted. "She will be my parent," he said, motioning to Donnie Davis, who was watching from the front porch. "I'm happy because I have a new mom who loves me." Tristan attends Williams Elementary School and said he's having no trouble keeping track of money and making proper change for his customers. Math, after all, is his favorite subject. "I'm in fractions now," he said proudly. "It's easy for me." Davis is hosting a yard sale through 4 p.m. Saturday at their home in north Springfield. Tristan and his lemonade stand will be set up in the yard during this time. Davis said she and her husband, Jimmy, have been Tristan's kinship guardians since the boy was 5. They hope to raise about $5,000 for legal and adoption fees. The yard sale and Tristan's lemonade stand will help. "It means everything. He is absolutely our son. He is in our hearts," she said. "This is more for reassurance for him, knowing that he has his forever family and he has our name." Tristan has participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks for more than two years. Program Director Chelsea Dykman is in regular contact with the Davis family and Tristan. "(Donnie Davis) is great. She came in hoping to get him more positive people in his life," Dykman said. When Tristan was 4, his biological mom briefly had custody, but things didn't work out, Donnie said. At age 5, Tristan was placed with Donnie as a kinship guardian. Buy Photo Tristan Jacobson, 9, sits on a water cooler in front of his lemonade stand outside his home in north Springfield on Friday, Apr. 22, 2016. Along with a yardsale, Tristan is selling lemonade to help pay for his adoption by Donnie Davis, who is his kinship guardian. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader) Read or Share this story: http://sgfnow.co/1WhR7z9Danny Brown performs at Waterfront Park on July 16, 2016 in Louisville, K.Y. Following his 2013 studio effort Old, Danny Brown returns with his forthcoming LP Atrocity Exhibition, a nod to English post-punk band Joy Division's 1980 track of the same name. "The name of my next album is Atrocity Exhibition," the Detroit rapper tweeted Monday (July 18). When a Twitter user made the connection between Brown's album title and Joy Division, Brown responded, "Ummmmm I know that lol!!!" The Joy Division album, in turn, was named after a 1970 book by J.G. Ballard. Danny Brown Writing Children's Book 'About Self-Esteem in Black Girls' The name of my next album is — Danny Brown (@xdannyxbrownx) July 18, 2016 Atrocity Exhibition — Danny Brown (@xdannyxbrownx) July 18, 2016 This is the way!!!!..... Step inside!!!! #AtrocityEXhibition — Danny Brown (@xdannyxbrownx) July 18, 2016 Atrocity Exhibition is the title of my next album #Bruisers get ready!!!!! A photo posted by Danny Brown (@xdannyxbrownx) on Jul 18, 2016 at 3:55am PDT Brown also announced his Exhibition tour with fellow Detroit MC ZelooperZ and Houston rhymer Maxo Kream on Instagram. He recently released "When It Rain" last month.Rain puddles on a seat of one of Portland's Biketown bikes Friday. (KATU Photo) Portland's bikeshare has been a resounding early success, but soggy weather could damper its ridership. The city's Bureau of Transportation doesn't have any projections for how big of a drop it'll see this winter, but cycling goes down around 45 percent in the winter compared to the summer, according to the 2013-2014 Portland Bicycle Count. "I'm a Portlander. I like the rain. It doesn't matter to me, unless it's just a torrential rain," said Nam Vu, who insists he'll use BikeTown just as regularly in the winter. In its first winter Seattle's Pronto says it saw a drastic dip in ridership. Kimberly Padley visited Portland from Seattle over Labor Day weekend. She says she rarely sees people using Seattle's bikeshare. She says she was surprised to see how prevalent BikeTown was used, even on a day with on and off rain. "I don't think you'll have as big of a problem, maybe slightly," Padley said. "I would still ride in the rain." Portland's system has more bikes, and began in July, giving it momentum before rain becomes a regularity. Washington, D.C.'s bikeshare, Capital Bikeshare, sees around a 50 percent drop in ridership during the colder months. One explanation for the drop in rides is that there are fewer tourist. Portland hopes it has enough annual members, paying $12-a-month, to sustain its system during off-peak months. "We expect that locals will comprise most of the BikeTown riders," said PBOT spokesperson Dylan Rivera. PBOT says within the last few weeks it began requiring, and collecting, the zip codes for single-use riders. This data should give PBOT an idea of how many of its users are tourist.The Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulin-Cruz attempts to make the crisis in Puerto Rico political. The insufferable mindset to make things political is only exceeded by the ridiculous optic of calling for federal aid while surrounded by relief supplies provided entirely by the U.S. federal government. •50% of the native Puerto Rican National Guard refused to report to duty when the governor called them up. •Thousands of tons of supplies and equipment, provided by FEMA, U.S. military and U.S. relief agencies, sit at ports while municipal government has no process for delivering them. •Frente Amplio (PR Teamsters Union – truck drivers) are on strike and refusing to deliver supplies. •Over 10,000 U.S. federal personnel are providing recovery and relief on the island…. …and the priority for the Mayor of San Juan, with no power or infrastructure, is to have T-Shirts made to push a political agenda? Funny how Anderson Cooper never asks:Where does one get a shirt like this made when Puerto Rico is under water and out of power? (rhetorical question) . Because “Thank You” is just too damned challenging? (Again, rhetorical) The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 …Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 …want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 The military and first responders, despite no electric, roads, phones etc., have done an amazing job. Puerto Rico was totally destroyed. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 The Fake News Networks are working overtime in Puerto Rico doing their best to take the spirit away from our soldiers and first R's. Shame! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 PUERTO RICO – Speaking today exclusively and live from Puerto Rico, is Puerto Rican born and raised, Colonel Michael A. Valle (”Torch”), Commander, 101st Air and Space Operations Group, and Director of the Joint Air Component Coordination Element, 1st Air Force, responsible for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in the US commonwealth with a population of more than 3 million. Since the ‘apocalyptic’ Cat 4 storm tore into the spine of Puerto Rico on September 20, Col. Valle has been both duty and blood bound to help. AdvertisementsFellmongery is the preparation of animal skins for tanning. A pollard is an animal that has had its horns removed. In 1949, official statistics still listed Ireland’s “principal products” as including “fellmongery, laces, pigs’ heads, pollard and snuff”. Yet in that same year, 1949, my mother’s family moved into the Dublin Corporation house where I would later grow up. A poor, primitive, backward economy could build social housing on a large scale for people who lacked decent homes. And the rich, developed, globalised Irish economy of 2015 can’t. In the late 1940s, when my family was housed, Ireland was still recovering from the drastic economic effects of the second World War. The average industrial wage was £5.59 a week for men and £2.97 for women. In real terms, that’s less than a third of average industrial wages in 1998 before the Celtic Tiger bubble. Fewer than a third of households in 1949 had more than four rooms to live in. More than 60 per cent of households had no piped water supply. Nearly half had no sanitary facilities – only 255,000 houses had a flush toilet. And yet the State could build social housing. Health and education People were badly educated – in 1950, a grand total of 4,500 students sat the Leaving Certificate exam and the number in all our universities combined was 7,900. The entire output of Irish broadcasting was seven hours of radio a day. There were just 43,000 phone lines in the State, only a third of them domestic. And yet the State could build social housing. The Irish economy, dominated by agriculture and food production, was a paltry thing: total exports in 1949 amounted to just £61 million. Almost all of this went to the UK as raw product – the characteristic Irish export was a live cow in the hold of a cattle boat. In order of scale, the leading Irish exports in 1949 were cattle, horses, fresh hen eggs, ale/beer/porter, chocolate crumb, dead turkeys and tinned beef. This makes tinned beef our leading manufacturing export. And yet the State could build social housing. The estate I grew up in, Crumlin in southwest Dublin, was built by the local authority, Dublin Corporation, with funding from the central government. The process actually started in the 1930s, during the Great Depression: 250 acres of south Crumlin were acquired by compulsory purchase in 1934 and the building of over 3,000 houses began more or less straight away. The project was far from perfect. The houses were too small – most, like the one I grew up in, had just two bedrooms for big (often extended) Irish Catholic families. (Our household, by no means untypical, had three adults and five children.) Services and facilities were slow to follow. But the rent was affordable and the houses were a hell of a lot better than what most people had before. My mother had been living (with seven other people) in what was essentially a one-room cottage in the Liberties; my father grew up in a little hovel off the Dublin quays. The “market” never had and never would give them a decent place to live – the State did so instead. For all the problems, people in Crumlin had a secure roof over their heads and the chance to build a good community. We had homes. Why could the State do this in the hungry 1930s and the postwar 1940s but not now? Not because we can’t but because, as Enda Kenny put it last week, “interference in the market” must be avoided. The desperation to avoid the simple conclusion that government should build houses for people who need them is about ideology, not resources. Fine Gael, in particular, seems incapable of understanding housing as anything other than a market. Free-market ideology And still, after all we’ve been through, 75 per cent of the Government’s promised “social housing” is to be built (supposedly) by the private sector. There is an almost obsessive fear of stating the obvious – that a large proportion of people will never be decently housed by “the market”. Those citizens need a State that’s not afraid to clear the ground of narrow ideology and build on the foundations of real human needs. That might involve relearning another forgotten word – republic.OAKLAND — Ignacio De La Fuente, the gruff, straight-talking, influential former Oakland councilman, is returning to the limelight, this time as a member of the Coliseum authority board at what is perhaps its most critical time in two decades. His return comes as the Raiders are packing for Las Vegas and the Warriors are headed across the bay to San Francisco. It’s also an opportunity for redemption for the man who helped orchestrate the Raiders’ return to Oakland in 1995, a deal that brought the NFL franchise back but saddled the city and county with millions in debt. He will be part of the team that signs off on negotiated contracts for the arena and the football/baseball stadium, along with the Oakland City Council and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. This month, the county supervisors approved Supervisor Scott Haggerty’s appointment of De La Fuente to the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority to replace Mary Warren. Warren died at age 94 in August. “Right now we have the possibility of losing two teams,” De La Fuente said this week. “I live in Oakland; I love the city; I’ll definitely do whatever I can.” De La Fuente represented the Fruitvale district from 1992 to 2013 and was one of the council’s most powerful members. He served as council president for nearly a decade, assembling votes to usher in economic development proposed by then-Mayor Jerry Brown. A walkway at the Fruitvale Transit Village in his district bears his name. De La Fuente ran for mayor twice, losing to Brown in 1998 and Ronald Dellums in 2006. “Ignacio just ran into some bad luck there,” said county Supervisor Nate Miley, a former Oakland councilman and current authority board member. “He would have won if he weren’t facing two giants.” Part of De La Fuente’s legacy stems from the central role he played in helping lure the Raiders back from Los Angeles in 1995 when Al Davis owned the team. As part of the deal, $197 million in bonds paid for Coliseum renovations, including building a tall section of seats derisively dubbed “Mount Davis” and adding luxury boxes. The money was supposed to be paid off by selling “personal seat licenses” to season ticket holders, but not enough fans paid upward of $4,000 to be able to purchase season tickets long term. That left taxpayers on the hook: $95 million in debt remains for the Coliseum renovations, with another $68 million in debt for renovations made at Oracle Arena, where the Golden State Warriors play, according to Scott McKibben, executive director of the Coliseum authority. De La Fuente also served on the Coliseum authority in the 1990s. “The biggest problem about ‘95 was the city and county hung themselves out” by relying on using the seat licenses to pay it off, said Ralph Kanz, a former Oakland public ethics commissioner. “Outside of that, it didn’t look that bad, but it was a big assumption that that many people would be willing to pay that much money for the right to buy a ticket.” Looking back, De La Fuente acknowledges mistakes were made, but said that isn’t going to stop him and local leaders from working to keep the sports franchises in Oakland. “You can call it a bad deal, you can call it whatever you like, but we spent $200 million back in the day, remodeled the Coliseum, Oracle and retained three teams,” he said. “The way I see it, I don’t think it was a terrible deal. Could we do better? Absolutely, but talk is cheap and we just got to get it done.” Haggerty, who appointed De La Fuente, said the authority needs his institutional knowledge as it negotiates a new lease with the Warriors for their remaining seasons in Oakland, and tries to stop the Raiders from leaving to Las Vegas. “I wanted to pick somebody who can hit the ground running,” Haggerty said. The Warriors’ current five-year lease expires June 30. The team has paid $1.5 million a year in rent at Oracle. On Friday, the authority hired a law firm to advise them on their talks with the NBA team, which in addition to the lease includes negotiations on the remaining debt. Local officials have an uphill climb to try to keep the Raiders in Oakland. Owner Mark Davis has filed for relocation to Las Vegas, where he has $750 million in public money and another $650 million from casino mogul Sheldon Adelson to build a $1.9 billion stadium. NFL owners, who need to approve the move, could vote in March. A group led by NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott is working with Oakland officials to build a stadium, hotels, restaurants and offices at the current Coliseum site. They are expected to present their plan for the $1.3 billion development to an NFL committee in the coming months.Last summer the Supreme Court affirmed the right of same-sex couples to marry. The ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges capped off a 15 year period in which a majority of Americans shifted from opposing gay marriage to supporting it. But while the LGBT community is more accepted and represented in America than ever before, it is now facing an unprecedented flurry of attacks from Republican state legislation across the country. This isn’t a coincidence. The state bills come in a variety of forms, but they’re united in their goal of finding fresh ways to exclude LGBT Americans. A Kansas law has the relatively narrow goal of allowing student groups at public universities to discriminate based on “sincerely held religious beliefs.” Mississippi’s so-called “religious liberty” bill is broader, allowing businesses and religious organizations to deny service to mainly LGBT people based on their personal beliefs (governors in Georgia and Virginia vetoed similar legislation). And while North Carolina’s recent “bathroom bill,” is not cloaked in piety, its ambitions are frightening. It requires people use the bathrooms of their biological sex, denies cities the from creating their own LGBT protections, and guts the ability of workers to sue their employers for discrimination. These bills, all from just this year, are far from alone. “There’s really been an uptick over the past three years,” says Andy Garcia, program manager for Equality Federation, a nationwide LGBTQ activist organization. “We’ve never seen anything like this legislative session in terms of bills hostile to LGBT folks.” Last year his group tracked around 80 bills. This year, they’re looking at over 200. According to those fighting against them, these patchwork bills are cropping up now as a reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling. The bills are purported to be defensive, attempts to carve out space for certain religious people and institutions feeling put upon by gay marriage or trans women using the same bathrooms as their daughters. But in effect, they’re attempts to make LGBT Americans victims of their own sudden success. “The one big dramatic thing that has happened in the last two years is this Supreme Court decision” says Jeff Graham, executive director of advocacy organization Georgia Equality. “That has to be driving part of this.” It seems to be. In praising Mississippi’s recently passed law, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council said in a statement, “No person should be punished by the government with crippling fines, or face disqualification for simply believing what President Obama believed just a few years ago, that marriage is the union of a man and a woman.” While Obergefell v. Hodges kicked the anti-LGBT push into high gear, bills like the ones in North Carolina and Mississippi began appearing in other states before the Supreme Court ruling. The first legislation Garcia remembers was a 2014 “religious freedom” bill in Arizona that ended up being vetoed by then Governor Jan Brewer in Arizona. “That was the first time that we said oh whoa, this is specifically targeting LGBT folks,” says Garcia. Indiana governor Mike Pence ended up signing a similar piece of legislation last year in March. After severe criticism the Indiana law was altered to clarify it wouldn’t allow discrimination. Both those bills were intended as state versions of a piece of bipartisan legislation from the ‘90s called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (or RFRA, pronounced riff-ruh). “The idea behind RFRA at the time was that it would protect people of minority faiths,” says Maggie Garrett, legislative director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She says “in the ‘90s we were thinking about protecting people. For instance—a prisoner who wants to have a short beard because of their religious beliefs.” In recent legislation, it’s not being used to allow someone to express their religion, but rather to use their religion to deny access to others. In Michigan, for example, a RFRA bill passed last year that allows faith-based adoption agencies to refuse service to anyone on religious grounds, allowing discrimination against same-sex couples, as well as against single people or religious minorities. The other major touchstone for “religious liberty” bills is a measure still sitting in Congress sponsored by Utah senator Mike Lee called the First Amendment Defense Act, or FADA. “FADA is the new RFRA I joke,” says Garrett. FADA bills are narrowly focussed on protecting people from gay marriage in their business or organization. “They create this false dynamic that somehow marriage equality is infringing on other people’s religious freedom,” says Garrett. “The supporters of the bills claim that they’re about protecting religious liberty but they’re really about sanctioning discrimination.” Among other anti-LGBT legislation in the mix are the “bathroom bills” affecting the trans community, 13 of which are in play according to Reuters. Garcia says the bills are presented as “as student safety or physical privacy acts,” and claim that segregation by sex assigned at birth is an issue of safety, especially for girls and women. Perkins from the Family Research Council defends North Carolina’s bathroom bill, and implicitly, the attacks it received from the business community, by saying that under the bill “local officials can’t dictate how companies operate. That doesn’t mean businesses can’t pass their own bathroom policies—it means the government can’t tell them what those are.” Many bills end up being a mishmash of these approaches. In Georgia, Graham says the recently vetoed bill had elements of FADA and RFRA, including a very broad employment provision which “said that faith-based organizations could fire someone on any grounds.” An anti-LGBT bill that passed through the Missouri state senate following a 39 hour filibuster contains three layers, according to Steph Perkins, an activist with Missouri based activist group PROMO. One section says organizations can retain their tax exempt status if they refuse services to same sex couples. Another allows private businesses to deny their services to same sex weddings. The third part of the Missouri law is a Pastor Protection Act, a law which would prevent clergy from being compelled to perform same sex weddings. None of the activists I spoke with had any issue with provisions like this, because, as Garcia notes, they “reiterate protections that already exist in the constitution.” Although many of the latest crop of discriminatory bills contain a religious justification, they’re not necessarily being supported by a majority of religious authorities. “The faith voices that have opposed this legislation here in Georgia, have been very strong, very vocal, and very unified,” says Graham. He says he was supported in opposition to Gerogia’s bill by protestant denominations, Jewish groups, and even a Baptist group. The bills don’t seem to have a single origin—though legislators in one state can easily see what bills are making news in one state, and adapt them to their own. But they are supported by Christian groups like Alliance Defending Freedom, a litigation-oriented activist organization Think Progress called the “800-Pound Gorilla of the Christian Right,” and Perkins’ Family Research Council, a self described public policy Christian think tank founded in 1983, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as an “anti-LGBT hate group.” Both groups count major conservative activist James Dobson from Focus on the Family among their founders, and both are part of extensive networks of right wing Christian activists. “There has been an organized opposition for decades now,” says Garcia of anti-LGBT groups at the local, state and national level. Ironically, the organizational opposition to LGBT rights is a distorted mirror of the organizations fighting for those rights. “It looks like the LGBT movement,” says Garcia.For decades, scientists thought an excess of something special, a substance called royal jelly, elevated a regular honey bee larva to a queen. New research suggests we had it backward: It's what future queens aren't fed that matters. Royal jelly, which also is called "bee milk," looks like white snot. More than half of it is water, the rest is a combination
grown in the Philippines.” A few headlines indicate that Golden Rice is approved in the Philippines. In fact, Golden Rice will not be available for planting by farmers in the Philippines or any other country in the next few months, or even this year. The Philippine Rice Research Institute, in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute and other partners, have recently finished two seasons of field trials in the Philippines, but this doesn’t mean that Golden Rice is now ready for planting by farmers. Data from these trials must next be submitted to Philippine government regulators for their evaluation as part of the biosafety approval process. Secondly, the lead for the one story describes Golden Rice as “a new strain that boosts vitamin A levels and reduces blindness in developing countries.” It’s true that human nutrition research indicates that the beta carotene in Golden Rice is readily converted to vitamin A in the body, providing encouraging evidence that eating Golden Rice could help reduce vitamin A deficiency. However, it has not yet been determined whether daily consumption of Golden Rice does improve the vitamin A status of people who are vitamin A deficient and could therefore reduce related conditions such as night blindness. If Golden Rice is approved by national regulators, Helen Keller International and university partners will conduct a controlled community study to ascertain if eating Golden Rice every day improves vitamin A status. In short, Golden Rice will only be made available broadly to farmers and consumers in the Philippines if it is approved by national regulators and shown to reduce vitamin A deficiency in community conditions. This process may take another two years or more. In the meantime, we’re grateful for all the interest and support! Links to recent stories about Golden Rice: “After 30 years, is a GM food breakthrough finally here?” by Robin McKie, The Guardian "A Golden Rice Opportunity,” by Bjørn Lomborg, Project SyndicateDURHAM, N.C. -- A study of extinction patterns of 25 large mammal species in India finds that improving existing protected areas, creating new areas, and interconnecting them will be necessary for many species to survive this century. The study, by a team of researchers from the United States and India, appears in the March 10 online edition of the British peer-reviewed journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The team's analysis showed that forest cover and local human population densities are also key factors. Fostering greater human cultural tolerance for wildlife likewise will be critical. The study examined extinction probabilities for a range of species. It looked at species considered endangered or critically endangered on the 2009 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, including tigers, lions and elephants. And it looked at species of least concern, including jackals, wolves and other species. "India's fragmented network of relatively small protected areas has high carrying capacities for large mammals," said Krithi K. Karanth, who conducted the study as part of her doctoral thesis at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment. "But given the overall patterns of extinction estimated in our study, we need to create new areas, and connect them better, if many of the mammals are to persist into the future." Karanth currently is a postdoctoral scientist at Columbia University. She also is a research associate of the Centre for Wildlife Studies in Bangalore, India. To identify factors critical to the species' survival and estimate their extinction probabilities, she and her team collected 30,000 records, including hunting, taxidermy and museum records dating back to 1850. They divided India's geographical area into a grid with 1,326 individual local "cells" and entered the historical data into each cell. They then used occupancy estimation models, based on observations of more than 100 local wildlife experts, to infer the current occurrence of species in each cell. Their analysis revealed that protected areas were associated with lower extinction probabilities for 18 species. Higher proportion of forest cover was associated with lower extinction of seven species. On the other hand, time elapsed since the last historical citing was associated with higher extinction probabilities of 14 species, and human population density in a cell was associated with higher extinction probabilities of 13 species. One of the most important findings, Karanth noted, is that culturally tolerated species - animals that humans perceive as nonthreatening or beneficial - fared better overall. Using both historical data and current occupancy estimation models allowed Karanth and her team to distinguish more clearly between when a species was truly absent or locally extinct in a cell, and when it likely still exists but hasn't been detected in recent surveys or field observations. "Distinguishing between a species' absence and its simple non-detection is critical for accuracy," she said. "Failure to deal with non-detection results in underestimates of species occupancy and overestimates of local extinctions. This clouds our ability to determine the true impact of environmental and social factors on extinctions." Karanth added that for conservation to succeed, policymakers and land managers must also take into account rapid changes in land use, climate, population growth and spread, and economic development now occurring in India and southern Asia. ### Her co-authors on the study were Norman L. Christensen Jr., professor of ecology at Duke's Nicholas School; James D. Nichols and James E. Hines of the U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Division's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center; and K. Ullas Karanth of the Wildlife Conservation Society India Program and the Centre for Wildlife Studies in Bangalore.‘Fraud’ in NJ Family Court Calls resound to reform family law and stop legal abuse. PIX11 Investigates: Calls resound to reform ‘fraud‘ NJ family court “Family Court in New Jersey in our opinion is fraud and racketeering,” said Greg Roberts, founder of the Family Civil Liberties Union. “I call it the greatest fraud every perpetrated on the American public.” Roberts said the family court system tears families apart. While lawyers lob verbal grenades at both sides and collect money, the family is the casualty laying in the wake. “They treat families like criminals,” Roberts said. “Once you get into the family court system, you cannot get out of the family court system until your earnings and your savings are decimated.” The documentary “Divorce Corp” estimates divorce to be a 50-billion dollar a year industry. With little oversight, lawyers are incentivized to keep their clients in court to make as much money as possible. “When you have money, when you have assets, and when you have big income these big firms have absolutely positively no interest in resolving your case, even if you want to,” lawyer John W. Thatcher said in recordings obtained exclusively by PIX11. This slideshow requires JavaScript. Related articlesSean Murphy's Batman: White Knight is flipping the Dark Knight's mythos on its head, painting Batman as a crazed villain and Jack Napier as a reformed Joker trying to return Gotham City to its glory days. Napier, apparently cured of his Clown Prince of Crime persona, is on a mission, not just to right his wrongs, but to rid the city of the darkness that Batman's vigilantism has brought. RELATED: Batman: White Knight: Joker Pops the Question, Gets Popped in New Art Two issues in, Murphy, who's writing and drawing the series, smartly plays on the concept of the "white knight," reminding fans of that iconic line Aaron Eckhart used as Harvey Dent in Christoper Nolan's The Dark Knight. Similarly, Murphy isn't going about his hero's journey by brute force, but in a cerebral fashion and by the books, for the most part. After a near-fatal encounter with the Bat, Joker reevaluates his life in prison and emerges as a clean and sane Napier. He's now hellbent on social and political justice, but he also realizes he has to plug that gap in his heart and make amends with his soulmate. Ergo, Napier goes to Harley Quinn, asking her to follow his newfound path. However, Murphy throws a big twist in when Napier proposes to Harley in Issue #2 and she rebuffs him, citing a need to keep Gotham's wheel of chaos turning. As this Harley chastises him for going soft, she's knocked out by another Harley, who's revealed as Harleen Quinzel, the original who's back and ready to embrace the light with her puddin'. As she reveals more of their past, we see that she isn't just the moral compass of the story, but Quinzel is the one person who knows both Batman and Joker well enough to tell us who's truly the villain and hero at the end of the day. Murphy has positioned Quinzel as the litmus test to determine the true character of both men because she has seen them at their best and also at their worst, witnessing their evolution and their regression with a front-row seat. Murphy, recognizing that she's now in a role of more substance than style, further shakes up her status quo with Joker, not just with a sex scene or a proposal, but by reestablishing their original dynamic -- Quinzel as a therapist trying to help Napier find his purpose and true calling in this world. Harley explains that while she loves their chaos, she loves Napier more, which is why she went along with anything and everything he put forward to her as the Joker. However, his obsession with Batman means she was never going to be enough for him and eventually drove her away. Murphy reveals that the catalyst which caused her to leave Joker was when Quinzel found him torturing Jason Todd as Robin. She fled and brought Batman back to their lair where he mercilessly beat Joker on the verge of death, only for Quinzel to stop the Dark Knight from becoming that which he hates most: a murderer. What's even more disturbing is that as she confesses this, we find out Napier doesn't even remember if he killed the boy, as Todd's body had disappeared by the time they reached to save him. RELATED: Batman: White Knight is Gotham’s Liberal Wish Fulfillment Quinzel reminds him how big of a monster his depression, dementia and schizophrenia really made him, with Napier admitting he wants to correct the course he took in life, pleading with Quinzel that he doesn't just want her at his side, he needs her. This kind of vulnerability and intimacy sheds so much light on how she helped to make the Joker and why she's now trying to save Napier's soul, even if it costs her her own. Quinzel's return is made all the more important with this revelation that she also saved Batman from himself -- well, until we see him trip in White Knight #2 and force-feed Napier a bottle of mystery pills that seemingly cures him of his psychosis. What makes Quinzel such a bigger player in the grand scheme of things is that while both men have always struggled with their identities, that has never been a problem for her. She's always been herself; simply up for whatever the love of her life encourages her to blindly participate in. Now, the blinders are off and she's thinking more. She's not rash or swinging her baseball bat around, instead she's more rational and mature. As issue #2 ends, we see this with her skepticism of Napier's scheme to use Mad Hatter's technology and Clayface as a signal-booster to mind-control the likes of Bane, Poison Ivy, Riddler and a bunch of other fiends to wage a campaign against the Bat. RELATED: Batman: White Knight’s Joker Is That Crazy Ex Who Wants To Destroy You Batman's war crimes has cost the city a lot of infrastructure, injured people and even allowed corrupt politicians and businessmen to make a profit, so in her mind Quinzel is aligning with the lesser of two evils and doing the right thing. In his proposal to the imposter Harley, revealed as Marian Drews (a play on "merry-andrew," a.k.a. a clown) by Murphy on Twitter, Napier wants to give Harley the version of himself she always wanted. This means that deep down he always knew what she deserved so the fact that this person was there underneath all the crime is playing on Quinzel and tugging at her heartstrings, which will end up being her test. Napier potentially faking his reform to destroy the symbol of the Bat won't be the issue for Quinzel. The real issue will come if his antics destroys the symbol of their love. As for the imposter, Murphy stated that Drews' origins will come in issue #4 and we'll see just how she slipped in to replace Quinzel, who left after she thought Joker was beyond repair. The fact that Joker couldn't differentiate between the two will surely factor in down the line, reminding Quinzel how replaceable she was and can potentially be again. That said, White Knight is all about the duality of all of these characters and it's refreshing to see Quinzel, not just as a referee in the fight to come, but actually as the voice of reason.The therapeutic or experimental use of psychedelic drugs is safer than taking legal substances such as nicotine or alcohol, two leading members of a drug research organization have said. The two Norwegian scientists penned a letter in the Lancet journal claiming the ban on drugs like MDMA (ecstasy) and magic mushrooms are “inconsistent with human rights.” They add that there is “not much evidence of health problems” associated with the hallucinogens. Tony Krebs and her husband, Pål-Ørjan Johansen, who founded EmmaSofia, a group looking to expand the controlled use of MDMA, wrote that some psychedelic drugs could be used to effectively wean addicts off other damaging substances. READ MORE: High hopes: Cannabis legalization party to stand in UK general election “Based on extensive human experience, it is generally acknowledged that psychedelics do not elicit addiction or compulsive use and that there is little evidence for an association between psychedelic use and birth defects, chromosome damage, lasting mental illness, or toxic effects to the brain or other organs,” they wrote. They added that although psychedelics can cause temporary confusion and emotional anxiety, “hospitalizations and serious injuries are extremely rare. Overall psychedelics are not particularly dangerous when compared with other common activities.” “National and international policies should respect the human rights of individuals who choose to use psychedelics as a spiritual, personal development, or cultural activity.” Johansen, who worked to provide treatments for anxiety disorders, even claimed that taking psychedelic drugs was as safe as riding a bike. “Psychedelics often produce profound experiences while at the same time having a safety risk profile comparable to many activities of daily life, such as riding a bike or playing soccer.” He claims he was able to treat his own alcohol addiction through the medicinal use of MDMA. In an interview with Newsweek he said he believed the drug could also be useful in the treatment of heroin addiction. READ MORE: E-cigarettes rigged by drug users to smoke hallucinogen DMT “The commonality is that addiction and drug abuse have a function which is to escape from stress and difficult emotions like shame, loneliness, fear, guilt or shyness,” he said. “Recently our colleague, Matthew Johnson, completed a pilot study which with psilocybin for smoking cessation, also with encouraging results.” The couple set up EmmaSofia to promote access to therapeutic MDMA and continue to campaign for the human rights of people using psychedelic drugs. Their crowdfunding appeal raised $30,000 for their campaign to legalize such drugs. They believe certain psychedelics could be used not only to treat people battling addictions, but other medical conditions like Parkinson’s disease. EmmaSofia’s campaign has found support among a number of academics, including Professor David Nutt, a former drugs adviser to the UK government. However, a spokesperson for Public Health England told Newsweek it was unethical to treat addiction to illegal substances with other illegal substances, adding such a program would not have support in the UK.Corals are constantly under attack. Sea stars and other predators would love to take a bite, coral diseases lie waiting to take them out and many human-caused stresses persist in the water they inhabit, such as pollution, warming temperatures and rising acidity. One of the first signs of a sick reef is the takeover of seaweeds, which continually threaten even healthy corals. However, corals aren’t alone in the fight against greenery, according to new research published in Science. When attacked, some corals send out chemical signals to their bodyguards—small goby fish—who scrape off or eat the coral-choking seaweeds. Turtle weed (Chlorodesmis fastigiata) threatens corals because, upon contact, it releases a noxious chemical that disrupts their food source, the photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae) that live inside their cells, ultimately leading to coral bleaching. Although most fish don’t have a palate for such toxic seaweed, authors Mark Hay and Danielle Dixson from the Georgia Institute of Technology observed coral gobies—small fish that spend their lives living in a single coral colony—eating it, and they wondered if there was more to this behavior than taste. Hay and Dixson placed turtle weed on small staghorn coral (Acropora nasuta), a common reef-building coral found in the Pacific and Indian oceans, while in the presence of two goby species. The gobies cleaned up quickly: Within three days, 30% of the turtle weed was gone, and coral bleaching dropped by 70-80% compared to a goby-less seaweed invasion. “These little fish would come out and mow the seaweed off so it didn’t touch the coral,” said Hay in a press release. “This takes place very rapidly, which means it must be very important to both the coral and the fish.” In a series of experiments, the researchers worked out how the coral contacts the gobies to let them know that they need their hedges trimmed. Once the coral gets hit with chemicals from the invading turtle weed, it releases its own chemical signal—an emergency call to gobies—within 15 minutes. And, within another 15 minutes or less, gobies receive the message and swoop in to nibble away at the encroaching foliage. What are the gobies getting out of this arrangement? The broad-barred goby (Gobiodon histrio) got a boost in its own defenses. It produces its own poisonous mucus to deter predators and, after eating the noxious turtle weed, this mucus impaired their predators’ swimming ability more than twice as fast, the researchers found. But the other goby species—the redhead goby (Paragobiodon echinocephalus)—doesn’t eat the seaweed, simply shearing it off the coral. What is its benefit? “The fish are getting protection in a safe place to live and food from the coral,” Hay said. “The coral gets a bodyguard in exchange for a small amount of food. It’s kind of like paying taxes in exchange for police protection.” This kind of chemical signaling system is the first observed in coral reef organisms—but it surely isn’t the only one. Many coral reef organisms are interdependent, relying on one or two other species for food or habitat, which means that the loss of just a few species can accelerate the disappearance of many others. For example, if these coral-cleaning gobies were overfished, say for the aquarium trade, the reef would be threatened by seaweed takeover, which could then degrade the entire community. “Who would have thought that such a small, seemingly insignificant fish might play such a large role in keeping corals from being killed by seaweeds?” said coral reef biologist Nancy Knowlton from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, who did not participate in the research. “It’s a compelling example of why maintaining biodiversity is so important.” It’s also possible that such subtle chemical signals could be disrupted by ocean acidification. Clownfish and damselfish raised in seawater with the acidity scientists predict we’ll see in the year 2050 have trouble identifying scents in seawater to find their homes or avoid predators. If these gobies have similar problems, the impacts of acidification on reef communities could be greater than expected.Massimo Bordi is one of the most illustrious engineers in motorcycling history. He developed the 4-valve Ducati Desmo engine in the mid-80s, designed the Ducati 851, worked with Tamburini on the 916, and created the racing department Ducati Corse. After a stint as CEO of the giant Italian agricultural company Same, Bordi has returned to the motorcycling world to run MV Agusta—an invitation extended from his friend, the late Claudio Castiglioni. Here Bordi takes time out to answer the traditional ten questions of the Bike EXIF interview. What was the first motorcycle you bought with your own money? A Lambretta 125 that I immediately modified by skimming the cylinder head. What do you think is the most beautiful production motorcycle ever built? The Ducati 916 (below). Not because there was one particular component in the engine or frame that was outstanding, but because the combination of engine and chassis defined a new standard in motorcycle design and function. It was the fastest twin-cylinder in the world and an important technological step forward. What motorcycle do you despise? I don’t despise any motorcycles, but there are a few projects that were delusional—such as the Ducati 500 parallel twin. Or the Aprilia Moto (below), which in my opinion was a crude copy of the Monster created by a designer who doesn’t understand the difference between a motorcycle and a filing cabinet. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Work that is also my passion, horse riding and respect for others. Electric motorcycles: Yes or No? The only serious application for a car or motorcycle is the hybrid drive. Other than taxis, buses or other forms of city transport, I don’t see electric vehicles as an alternative. What is your favorite journey? The Maldives. I love to scuba dive and snorkel: it’s the perfect way to leave behind all the daily stress and truly relax. Which ‘everyday’ modern bikes do you think will become future classics? The equivalent of the Honda CB750 or Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, if you like? The new three-cylinder Brutale 675 (below). Who are your real-life motorcycling heroes? Without a doubt Giacomo Agostini, who is the most successful motorcycle racer of all time. Giacomo is not only the best rider ever, but also a great person. Are you optimistic for the future of motorcycling? Absolutely. I can’t see any reason why I should be pessimistic. Considering my passion for motorcycles, I could not imagine life without them. They offer the most intense emotions: adrenaline and stress relief. What is your current state of mind? I believe that I am currently living the best period of my life. I am working at MV Agusta, which is a small company with an enormous potential. This is the third great project of my life after Ducati and SAME Deutz-Fahr [Bordi was the CEO of this Italian-based agricultural machinery group, which includes Lamborghini Trattori]. And without a doubt it will be a big success, for which we all owe credit to Claudio Castiglioni (below). I live in Varese, close to the company, and am surrounded by horses, which are my second passion. What could be better than this? Massimo Bordi image courtesy of Motorcyclist magazine.Since bidding adieu to the minor league Newark Bears baseball team in 2013, Bears Stadium has been left vacant. The 6,200-seat stadium sits on eight acres adjacent to the waterfront and a short walk away from NJ Transit’s Broad Street station, which is accessible to Midtown Manhattan in 18 minutes. In 2016, Lotus Equity Group purchased the stadium for $23 million with plans to redevelop the site into a 24/7 live-work-play community. The project will create up to 2,000 residential units, 400,000 sf of office space, large- and small-scale retail, and cultural and public open space in the emerging Broad Street Station section of downtown Newark. Recently, Lotus Equity Group announced a team of four architecture firms that will be working on the project. The team includes Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, Michael Green Architecture, TEN Arquitectos, and Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners. “When designing this site, it was important to us that our approach be focused on community engagement, inclusion, and transparency,” says Ben Korman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Lotus Equity Group, in a release. “We chose a team of architects that will not only create beautiful buildings, but also shares our commitment to urban planning and design that will thoughtfully support the urban renewal of Newark’s Central Ward.” The project’s first phase of development is currently underway.Happy 40th Anniversary! 5-25 - Light Side (Normal and Hard) Nodes 5-26 - Dark Side (Normal and Hard) Nodes 5-27 - Galactic War, Mod Battles, and Mod Challenges Nodes 5-28 - Cantina Nodes 5-29 - Light Side (Normal and Hard), Dark Side (Normal and Hard), Galactic War, Mod Battles, Mod Challenges, and Cantina Nodes 40th Anniversary gift Luke Shards 1,000,000 Credits 36 MK I Ability Mats 27 MK II Ability Mats 12 MK III Ability Mats 5 Omega Ability Mats 15 Tier 4 XP Droids EMPIRE FACTION PASS- Grand Moff Tarkin NEW! Trouble on Tatooine Flash Event Code Name- Fulcrum Event Starts: June 2nd Ends: June 6th Code Name: Fulcrum Pack Code Name: Fulcrum Bundle 25 Character Shards: Ahsoka Tano (Fulcrum) Credits XP Droids Ability Mats Imperial High Command Bundle 80 Character Shards: Grand Moff Tarkin Credits XP Droids Ability Mats Phoenix Squadron in Chromium and Fleet Packs Mod Drop Rates and Shard Conversions 1 star character: 10 shards 2 star character: 25 shards 3 star character: 50 shards 4 star character: 80 shards 5 star character: 145 shards New Shards new nodes EA Play to Give Nute Gunray? BUGS Grand Moff Tarkin: Tarkin's special "Intimidation Tactics" can no longer be evaded. GHOST: Ghost's "Sensor Scrambler" will now reduce the correct amount of Potency on enemy ships To go along with the updated kit for Grand Moff Tarkin, his Capital Ship Executrix has received a small update as well. The unique ability "Victory at all Costs" Reinforcement Bonus has been changed from Potency Up to Retribution to fit the theme of the Ship better and provide more value to your Fleet Fulcrum AhsokaGrand Moff Tarkin. For more information on his Empire faction pass, please see more below!Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope with Double Drops! These events only last 24 hours, so be sure to make your way throughout the Cantina. For more information, please see the schedule when double drops are going to…well DROP below!You’ve all been waiting and it’s finally begun. It’s time to prepare for the Hero's Journey! Use these gifts to help Luke prepare for his Hero's Journey as he embarks on the path to become a member of the forgotten Jedi Order.Where is this journey leading? And what’s in store? We’ll find out more in August.Plenty of community sleuths called it, but for those still wondering, we can confirm that Grand Moff Tarkin has arrived to close our Empire rework series by receiving a devastating faction pass! Head your Squad with Tarkin's leader ability Tighten The Grip, which now adds Defense Down on enemies that go below 100% health on an EMPIRE characters turn. Each Basic attack now increases his Potency, while Ultimate Firepower now does additional damage based on Potency, allowing you to set up a devastating attack. This is complimented by his Special ability, Intimidation Tactics, which temporarily grants himself a 50% Potency up buff. Lastly, Tarkin's ability arsenal is rounded out with Callous Conviction, gaining defense equal to his Potency!Revisit the Galactic Empires unyielding commander of the Death Star and add him to your Squad today!May sees the introduction of a new type of event- Flash Events! Unlike other events, Flash Events only last one to four hours in each instance and repeat several times a day, so be sure to catch them when they launch! Flash Events difficulty and rewards are based off your account level. All initial runs of a Flash Event have more generous rewards, so be sure to participate early and often!Our first Flash Event Begins MAY 25th and takes you to the harsh desert planet of Tatooine. This lawless world holds many dangers and mysteries, especially for moisture farmers. To participate in this multi-tiered event, task Luke Skywalker with inspecting the perimeter of the farm as you join forces with Jawas to square off against marauding Tusken Raiders.Join forces with AHSOKA TANO (FULCRUM) and battle the Empire in the newest Marquee event! Maneuver through various locations on Lothal, battling the Empires multiple waves of Troopers as you familiarize yourself with her abilities.This adventure ends within the Malachor temple, facing the Fulcrum agent’s former master. Do you have what it takes to lead Fulcrum Ahsoka to her destiny?Level up your Ahsoka Tahno (Fulcrum) by purchasing this new limited time pack! Each pack guarantees at least 5 shards for Ahsoka Tano (Fulcrum), with a chance to get up to 330 SHARDS!Power up Ahsoka Tano (Fulcrum) with a Code Name: Fulcrum Bundle! Pack contents include:GRAND MOFF TARKIN has received one of the most epic faction passes yet with a brand new ability and two Zetas. Power him up today with this limited time bundle and unleash your fury! Pack Contents include:Rejoice! Your Phoenix Squadron favs from Star Wars Rebels season 3 are now available in the Chromium Packs! Additionally, GHOST and PHANTOM II can be attained via Fleet Packs. Add the Phoenix Squadron and their Ships to your collection today!Our Heroes journey begins, and with it comes a celebratory change! Going forward, the drop rate for Mods has been increased on Mod Challenges and Mod Battles nodes.Additionally, we have adjusted duplicate character shard yield rates in Chromium packs to the following:The Ewok Scout has been added to Dark Side 9-B HardGames permeate all areas of our lives today – across multiple devices and platforms, and reach players of all ages and genders around the world. With millions of hours spent in play every day, games are a powerful platform for positive, inclusive connections. That is why EA is partnering with several charities to give back to our player communities and support a more inclusive environment in video games.For more information regarding Nute Gunray, please refer to @CG_NotReallyAJedi dev Update <<HERE>> Shrouded in secrecy, but worth the wait!Ruben Castro's first-half goal proves enough for Real Betis to beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at home in the Copa del Rey. Real Betis have got the better of Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at home in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie. The Basque giants had the better of the chances in the opening minutes with Erik Moran, Carlos Gurpegui and Kike Sola all coming close. However, Betis stepped up their game in the latter stages of the first half and took the lead three minutes before the break. Juanfran galloped down the right wing and floated in a cross that Ruben Castro headed home close range. Bilbao could count themselves unlucky not to restore parity in the final minute of normal time when Sola's effort from close range came back off the post.by In an October 9 article for the website Truthdig.com, Chris Hedges, the former New York Times bureau chief turned dissident journalist, gives us a vivid description of Ketchup, one of the early leaders of Occupy Wall Street. “Ketchup, a petite 22-year-old from Chicago with wavy red hair and glasses with bright red frames, arrived in Zucotti Park in New York on September 17,” he writes. “She had a tent, a rolling suitcase, 40 dollars’ worth of food, the graphic version of Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” and a sleeping bag. She had no return ticket, no idea what she was undertaking, and no acquaintances among the stragglers who joined her that afternoon to begin the Wall Street occupation. She decided to go to New York after reading the Canadian magazine Adbusters, which called for the occupation, although she noted that when she got to the park Adbusters had no discernible presence.” Few readers of Truthdig.com would describe Ketchup as a “homeless woman,” although she is spoken of as living out of a suitcase. For Hedges, Ketchup is a free spirit, not a lost soul. Compare Hedges’ view of “ketchup” to a later article, this one in the New Yorker. It’s written by George Packer, a liberal magazine writer best known for his support of George Bush’s war in Iraq. First he introduces us to one of Ketchup’s fellow occupiers, a middle-aged man named Ray Kachel. “Until this fall, Ray Kachel,” Packer writes, “had lived virtually all of his fifty-three years within a few miles of his birthplace, in Seattle. He was a self-taught Jack-of-all-trades in the computer industry, who bought his first Mac in 1984.” Then, after a very long, and very sympathetic article. Packer does what Hedges refuses to do. He labels his subject as a “homeless person.” We are now in mid-November. After Occupy Wall Street is clubbed out of Zucotti Park at 2AM by a massive police blitzkrieg, Kachel wanders down to the East River to gather his thoughts. “Kachel,” Packer writes, “kept checking Twitter, but by four in the morning there was still no word about where the evicted occupiers were going to gather again, and his phone battery was dying. He was determined to find his comrades and help rekindle the movement that had so strongly connected him to other people. For the moment, though, he was alone: a homeless man in New York.” Photo by Stanley Rogouski. So what makes Ketchup and Ray Kachel seem so different? Is it only the different perspectives of Hedges and Packer? Or is it their age? The photo of Ray Kachel in the New Yorker shows him to be a middle aged man in a yellow rain jacket and a pair of jeans. He’s wearing a red ski cap and a hooded sweat jacket. He’s sitting back on a park bench, his face pale, his shoulders hunched, and his hands in his pockets. He looks spiritually exhausted, beaten. You can see Ketchup on the Steven Colbert show, where she and a fellow occupier try to explain, to Colbert’s great amusement, the difference between a “woman” and a “female bodied person.” She strikes you as the type who would argue a small difference of opinion for hours. Beaten and spiritually exhausted she’s not. On the contrary, she has the earnest sanctimony and vitality of youth. Indeed, it’s very difficult to describe anybody in her early 20s as a “homeless person.” Someone at that age always seems to have a friends couch to sleep on or parents to go back to. “Homeless person” has a finality to it, as if it also means “lost forever.” By the age of 53, you can indeed by lost forever. From September 17 until November 15, when it was violently broken apart by the NYPD, Occupy Wall Street at Zucotti Park was “home” to about 200 people, all of whom could have also been described as “homeless.” They lived under tarps and, after late October, in tents. They showered where they could and used the bathrooms at McDonalds or, until they were locked, at Burger King. They were subject to the constant surveillance and periodic harassment of the NYPD, as well as the open scorn of the New York tabloid media and random passers by. “Get a job hippie,” men in suits would shout as they power walked by on Broadway, not waiting for an answer. “Take a bath you dirty bums,” editorials in the New York Daily News would scold. They ate at a free soup kitchen, run by the occupants themselves and supplied by donated food and money. They were homeless, and yet they were not. For those two months in Zucotti Park, Occupy Wall Street was their home, a small city that had a library, distinct neighborhoods, it’s own police force, media and a distinct way of life now gone forever. At the same time, a war of propaganda raged inside the New York City media. On one side you had both New York City tabloids, the Daily News and the New York Post, Fox News and the conservative blogs. On the other side you had Occupy Wall Street itself its supporters in the social media and on the “respectable” left wing fringe of the corporate media, New York Times writers like Paul Krugman and less well known liberal journalists at Salon and Wonkette. The question they struggled over was this: Were the occupiers in Zucotti Park young idealists who had voluntarily made themselves homeless in to protest the financial industry, or were they hard core vagrants, drug abusers and criminals, homeless, not by choice, but by necessity? For Fox News and the New York Post, the goal was to soften up public opinion for the inevitable police raid. Knowing that New Yorkers would be more supportive of violence against the hard core underclass than they would against young idealists, they lost no time in portraying Zucotti Park’s occupiers as first, dirty hippies, and, when that didn’t work, drug users, thieves, and, finally, rapists. Occupy Wall Street’s defenders, on the other hand, worked just as hard to portray every Occupier as another Scott Olsen, the gainfully employed Iraq War vet who was violently assaulted by the Oakland Police on October 25, or as Chelsea Elliott, the young woman who was randomly maced by the now infamous NYC police officer Anthony Bologna. In other words, were the occupiers at Zucotti Park “homeless” or not? Were they still “Americans” who still had rights and civil liberties or were they members of a sort of American “untouchable” class, people who most Americans regard as disposable? The weekend before the eviction of Occupy Wall Street from Zucotti Park, for example, Frank Miller, the comic book artist and Hollywood screen writer, published a widely circulated attack on Occupy Wall Street. Miller’s attack
following such month. “(c) Roth HSA.—For purposes of this section— “(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘Roth HSA’ means a trust created or organized in the United States as a Roth HSA exclusively for the purpose of paying the qualified medical expenses of the account beneficiary, but only if the written governing instrument creating the trust meets the following requirements: “(A) Except in the case of a rollover contribution described in subsection (f)(5) or section 220(f)(5), no contribution will be accepted— “(i) unless it is in cash, or “(ii) to the extent such contribution, when added to previous contributions to the trust for the calendar year, exceeds the sum of— “(I) the dollar amount in effect under subsection (b)(2)(B), and “(II) the dollar amount in effect under subsection (b)(3). “(B) The trustee is a bank (as defined in section 408(n)), an insurance company (as defined in section 816), or another person who demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the manner in which such person will administer the trust will be consistent with the requirements of this section. “(C) No part of the trust assets will be invested in life insurance contracts. “(D) The assets of the trust will not be commingled with other property except in a common trust fund or common investment fund. “(E) The interest of an individual in the balance in his account is nonforfeitable. “(2) QUALIFIED MEDICAL EXPENSES.—For purposes of this section— “(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘qualified medical expenses’ means, with respect to an account beneficiary, amounts paid by such beneficiary for medical care (as defined in section 213(d) as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of the World’s Greatest Healthcare Plan of 2017) for such individual, the spouse of such individual, and any dependent (as defined in section 152, determined without regard to subsections (b)(1), (b)(2), and (d)(1)(B) thereof) of such individual, but only to the extent such amounts are not compensated for by insurance or otherwise. “(B) LIMITATION ON HEALTH INSURANCE PURCHASED FROM ACCOUNT.—Such term shall not include any payment for health benefits coverage that is not creditable coverage (as defined in section 36C). “(C) EXCEPTIONS.—Subparagraph (B) shall not apply to any expense for coverage under— “(i) a health plan during any period of continuation coverage required under any Federal law, “(ii) a qualified long-term care insurance contract (as defined in section 7702B(b)), “(iii) a health plan during a period in which the individual is receiving unemployment compensation under any Federal or State law, or “(iv) in the case of an account beneficiary who has attained the age specified in section 1811 of the Social Security Act, any health insurance other than a medicare supplemental policy (as defined in section 1882 of the Social Security Act). “(3) ACCOUNT BENEFICIARY.—The term ‘account beneficiary’ means the individual on whose behalf the Roth HSA was established. “(4) CERTAIN RULES TO APPLY.—Rules similar to the following rules shall apply for purposes of this section: “(A) Section 219(f)(3) (relating to time when contributions deemed made). “(B) Except as provided in section 106(d), section 219(f)(5) (relating to employer payments). “(C) Section 408(g) (relating to community property laws). “(D) Section 408(h) (relating to custodial accounts). “(d) Eligible individual; creditable coverage.—For purposes of this section— “(1) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘eligible individual’ means, with respect to any month, any individual if such individual is covered under creditable coverage as of the first day of such month. “(2) CREDITABLE COVERAGE.—The term ‘creditable coverage’ shall have the meaning given such term in section 36C(f). “(e) Tax treatment of distributions.— “(1) AMOUNTS USED FOR QUALIFIED MEDICAL EXPENSES.—Any amount paid or distributed out of a Roth HSA which is used exclusively to pay qualified medical expenses of any account beneficiary shall not be includible in gross income. “(2) INCLUSION OF AMOUNTS NOT USED FOR QUALIFIED MEDICAL EXPENSES.—Any amount paid or distributed out of a Roth HSA which is not used exclusively to pay the qualified medical expenses of the account beneficiary shall be included in the gross income of such beneficiary. “(3) EXCESS CONTRIBUTIONS RETURNED BEFORE DUE DATE OF RETURN.— “(A) IN GENERAL.—If any excess contribution is contributed for a taxable year to any Roth HSA of an individual, paragraph (2) shall not apply to distributions from the Roth HSAs of such individual (to the extent such distributions do not exceed the aggregate excess contributions to all such accounts of such individual for such year) if— “(i) such distribution is received by the individual on or before the last day prescribed by law (including extensions of time) for filing such individual’s return for such taxable year, and “(ii) such distribution is accompanied by the amount of net income attributable to such excess contribution. Any net income described in clause (ii) shall be included in the gross income of the individual for the taxable year in which it is received. “(B) EXCESS CONTRIBUTION.—For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term ‘excess contribution’ means any contribution (other than a rollover contribution described in paragraph (5) or section 220(f)(5)) which exceeds the contribution limitation with respect to the individual for the taxable year. “(4) ADDITIONAL TAX ON DISTRIBUTIONS NOT USED FOR QUALIFIED MEDICAL EXPENSES.— “(A) IN GENERAL.—The tax imposed by this chapter on the account beneficiary for any taxable year in which there is a payment or distribution from a Roth HSA of such beneficiary which is includible in gross income under paragraph (2) shall be increased by 10 percent of the amount which is so includible. “(B) EXCEPTION FOR DISABILITY OR DEATH.—Subparagraph (A) shall not apply if the payment or distribution is made after the account beneficiary becomes disabled within the meaning of section 72(m)(7) or dies. “(C) EXCEPTION FOR DISTRIBUTIONS AFTER MEDICARE ELIGIBILITY.—Subparagraph (A) shall not apply to any payment or distribution after the date on which the account beneficiary attains the age specified in section 1811 of the Social Security Act. “(5) ROLLOVER CONTRIBUTION.—An amount is described in this paragraph as a rollover contribution if it meets the requirements of subparagraphs (A) and (B). “(A) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (2) shall not apply to any amount paid or distributed from a health savings account (as defined in section 223) or a Roth HSA to the account beneficiary to the extent the amount received is paid into a Roth HSA for the benefit of such beneficiary not later than the 60th day after the day on which the beneficiary receives the payment or distribution. “(B) LIMITATION.—This paragraph shall not apply to any amount described in subparagraph (A) received by an individual from a health savings account or a Roth HSA if, at any time during the 1-year period ending on the day of such receipt, such individual received any other amount described in subparagraph (A) from a health savings account or Roth HSA which was not includible in the individual’s gross income because of the application of this paragraph. “(6) TRANSFER OF ACCOUNT INCIDENT TO DIVORCE.—The transfer of an individual’s interest in a Roth HSA to an individual’s spouse or former spouse under a divorce or separation instrument described in subparagraph (A) of section 71(b)(2) shall not be considered a taxable transfer made by such individual notwithstanding any other provision of this subtitle, and such interest shall, after such transfer, be treated as a Roth HSA with respect to which such spouse is the account beneficiary. “(7) TREATMENT AFTER DEATH OF ACCOUNT BENEFICIARY.—If an individual acquires an account beneficiary’s interest in a health savings account by reason of the death of the account beneficiary, such health savings account shall be treated as if the individual were the account beneficiary. “(f) Cost-of-Living adjustment.— “(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any calendar year beginning after 2016, the $5,000 dollar amount in subsection (b)(2) shall be increased by an amount equal to— “(A) such dollar amount, multiplied by “(B) the cost-of-living adjustment determined under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year, determined— “(i) by substituting ‘calendar year 2015’ for ‘calendar year 1992’ in subparagraph (B) thereof, and “(ii) by substituting ‘CPI medical care component’ for ‘CPI’. “(2) CPI MEDICAL CARE COMPONENT.—For purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘CPI medical care component’ means the medical care component for the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Department of Labor. “(3) ROUNDING.—If the amount of any increase under the preceding sentence is not a multiple of $50, such increase shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of $50. “(g) Reports.—The Secretary may require— “(1) the trustee of a Roth HSA to make such reports regarding such account to the Secretary and to the account beneficiary with respect to contributions, distributions, the return of excess contributions, and such other matters as the Secretary determines appropriate, and “(2) any person who provides an individual with creditable coverage to make such reports to the Secretary and to the account beneficiary with respect to such plan as the Secretary determines appropriate. The reports required by this subsection shall be filed at such time and in such manner and furnished to such individuals at such time and in such manner as may be required by the Secretary.”. (b) Limit on contributions to deductible health savings accounts.—Section 223 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(i) Limited contributions after 2016.— “(1) IN GENERAL.—No contribution may be accepted by a health savings account after December 31, 2016. “(2) EXCEPTIONS.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply— “(A) in the case of a rollover contribution described in subsection (f)(5) or section 220(f)(5), or “(B) in the case of a month for which an individual is covered by insurance that constitutes medical care and that is provided by an employer with respect to which an election is in effect for such month under section 131(b) of the World’s Greatest Healthcare Plan of 2017”..”. (c) Clerical amendment.—The table of parts for subchapter F of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by adding a the end the following new item: “PART IX. ROTH HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS”. “PART IX. ROTH HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS”. (d) Effective date.—The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2016. SEC. 202. Elimination of medical expense deduction. Section 213 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(g) Termination.—Except in the case of long-term care premiums (as defined in subsection (d)(10)), subsection (a) shall not apply to any amounts paid during any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2015.”. SEC. 203. Treatment of HSA after death of account beneficiary. (a) In general.—Section 223(f)(8) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended to read as follows: “(8) TREATMENT AFTER DEATH OF ACCOUNT BENEFICIARY.—If an individual acquires an account beneficiary’s interest in a health savings account by reason of the death of the account beneficiary, such health savings account shall be treated as if the individual were the account beneficiary.”. (b) Effective date.—The amendment made by this section shall apply with respect to interests acquired after the date of the enactment of this Act. SEC. 204. Treatment of concierge medicine. (a) HSAs.— (1) ROTH HSA.—Section 530A(c)(2)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as added by section 201(a) of this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following: “Such term shall include the payment of a monthly or other prepaid amount for the furnishing (or access to the furnishing) by a physician or group of physicians of physician professional services (and ancillary services).”. (2) HSA.—Section 223(d)(2)(A) of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following: “Such term shall include the payment of a monthly or other prepaid amount for the furnishing (or access to the furnishing) by a physician or group of physicians of physician professional services (and ancillary services).”. (b) Not treated as health insurance coverage.— (1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg), subtitle B of title I of the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.), PPACA, and this Act, the offering of concierge medicine shall not be treated as the offering of health insurance coverage and shall not be subject to regulations as such coverage under such Acts. (2) CONCIERGE MEDICINE DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term “concierge medicine” means the furnishing (or access to the furnishing) by a physician or group of physicians of physician professional services (and ancillary services) in return for payment of a monthly or other prepaid amount. SEC. 301. State flexibility in regulation of health insurance coverage. (a) In general.—States are given the flexibility under section 122(b) to revise their regulations of the health insurance marketplace, without regard to many of the requirements imposed under PPACA, in order to promote freedom of choice of affordable health insurance coverage options offered outside of an Exchange. (b) Construction.—Nothing in the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) or of any amendments made by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–191) shall be interpreted as preventing an employer from offering, or making an employer contribution towards, individual health insurance coverage for employees and dependent family members. (c) Association health plans.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed as prohibiting the formation of association health plans (as defined under State law). (d) High-Risk pools.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed as prohibiting States from establishing pooling arrangements for high-risk individuals. SEC. 401. Medicaid payment reform. (a) In general.—Title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 1903 the following section: “SEC. 1903A. Reformed payment to States. “(a) Reformed payment system.— “(1) IN GENERAL.—For quarters beginning on or after the implementation date (as defined in subsection (k)(1)), in lieu of amounts otherwise payable to a State under this title (including any payments attributable to section 1923), except as otherwise provided in this section, the amount payable to such State shall be equal to the sum of the following: “(A) ADJUSTED AGGREGATE BENEFICIARY-BASED AMOUNT.—The aggregate beneficiary-based amount specified in subsection (b) for the quarter and the State, adjusted under subsection (e). “(B) CHRONIC CARE QUALITY BONUS.—The amount (if any) of the chronic care quality bonus payment specified in subsection (f) for the quarter for the State. “(2) REQUIREMENT OF STATE SHARE.— “(A) IN GENERAL.—A State shall make, from non-Federal funds, expenditures in an amount equal to its State share (as determined under subparagraph (B)) for a quarter for items, services, and other costs for which, but for paragraph (1), Federal funds would have been payable under this title. “(B) STATE SHARE.—The State share for a State for a quarter in a fiscal year is equal to the product of— “(i) the aggregate beneficiary-based amount specified in subsection (b) for the quarter and the State; and “(ii) the ratio of— “(I) the State percentage described in subparagraph (D)(ii) for such State and fiscal year; to “(II) the Federal percentage described in subparagraph (D)(i) for such State and fiscal year. “(C) NONPAYMENT FOR FAILURE TO PAY STATE SHARE.— “(i) IN GENERAL.—If a State fails to expend the amount required under subparagraph (A) for a quarter in a fiscal year, the amount payable to the State under paragraph (1) shall be reduced by the product of the amount by which the State payment is less than the State share and the ratio of— “(I) the Federal percentage described in subparagraph (D)(i) for such State and fiscal year; to “(II) the State percentage described in subparagraph (D)(ii) for such State and fiscal year. “(ii) GRACE PERIOD.—A State shall not be considered to have failed to provide payment of its required State share for a quarter under subparagraph (A) if the aggregate State payment towards the State’s required State share for the 4-quarter period beginning with such quarter exceeds the required State share amount for such 4-quarter period. “(D) FEDERAL AND STATE PERCENTAGES.—In this paragraph, with respect to a State and a fiscal year: “(i) FEDERAL PERCENTAGE.—The Federal percentage described in this clause is 75 percent or, if higher, the Federal medical assistance percentage for such State for such fiscal year. “(ii) STATE PERCENTAGE.—The State percentage described in this clause is 100 percent minus the Federal percentage described in clause (i). “(E) RULES FOR CREDITING TOWARD STATE SHARE.— “(i) GENERAL LIMITATION TO MATCHABLE EXPENDITURES.—A payment for expenditures shall not be counted toward the State share under subparagraph (A) unless Federal payments may be used for such expenditures consistent with paragraph (3)(B). “(ii) FURTHER LIMITATIONS ON ALLOWABLE EXPENDITURES.—A payment for expenditures shall not be counted towards the State share under subparagraph (A) if the expenditure is for any of the following: “(I) ABORTION.—Expenditures for an abortion. “(II) INTERGOVERNMENTAL TRANSFERS.—An expenditure that is attributable to an intergovernmental transfer. “(III) CERTIFIED PUBLIC EXPENDITURES.—An expenditure that is attributable to certified public expenditures. “(iii) CREDITING FRAUD AND ABUSE RECOVERIES.—Amounts recovered by a State through the operation of its Medicaid fraud and abuse control unit described in section 1903(q) shall be fully counted toward the State share under subparagraph (A). “(F) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in the paragraph shall be construed as preventing a State from expending, from non-Federal funds, an amount under this title in excess of the amount of the State share. “(G) DETERMINATION BASED UPON SUBMITTED CLAIMS.—In applying this paragraph with respect to expenditures of a State for a quarter, the determination of the expenditures for such State for such quarter shall be made after the end of the period (which, as of the date of the enactment of this section, is 2 years) for which the Secretary accepts claims for payment under this title with respect to such quarter. “(3) USE OF FEDERAL PAYMENTS.— “(A) APPLICATION OF MEDICAID LIMITATIONS.—A State may only use Federal payments received under subsection (a) for expenditures for which Federal funds would have been payable under this title but for this section. “(B) LIMITATION FOR CERTAIN ELIGIBLES.— “(i) APPLICATION OF 100 PERCENT FEDERAL POVERTY LINE LIMIT ON ELIGIBILITY.—Subject to clause (iii), a State may not use such Federal payments to provide medical assistance for an individual who has an income (as determined under clause (ii)) that exceeds 100 percent of the poverty line (as defined in section 2110(c)(5)) applicable to a family of the size involved. “(ii) DETERMINATION OF INCOME USING MODIFIED ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME WITHOUT ANY 5 PERCENT INCREASE.—In determining income for purposes of clause (i) under section 1902(e)(14) (relating to modified adjusted gross income), the following rules shall apply: “(I) APPLICATION OF SPEND DOWN.—The State shall take into account the costs incurred for medical care or for any other type of remedial care recognized under State law in the same manner and to the same extent that such State takes such costs into account for purposes of section 1902(a)(17). “(II) DISREGARD OF 5 PERCENT INCREASE.—Subparagraph (I) of section 1902(e)(14) (relating to a 5 percent reduction) shall not apply. “(iii) EXCEPTION.—Clause (i) shall not apply to an individual who is— “(I) a woman described in clause (i) of section 1903(v)(4)(A); “(II) a child who is an individual described in clause (i) of section 1905(a); “(III) enrolled in a State plan under this title as of the date of the enactment of this section for the period of continuous enrollment; or “(IV) described in section 1902(e)(14)(D) (relating to modified adjusted gross income). “(iv) CLARIFICATION RELATED TO COMMUNITY SPOUSE.—Nothing in this subparagraph shall supersede the application of section 1924 (related to community spouse income and assets). “(4) EXCEPTIONS FOR PASS-THROUGH PAYMENTS.— “(A) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply, and amounts shall continue to be payable under this title (and not under subsection (a)), in the case of the following payments (and related administrative costs and expenditures): “(i) PAYMENTS TO TERRITORIES.—Payments to a State other than the 50 States and the District of Columbia. “(ii) MEDICARE COST SHARING.—Payments attributable to Medicare cost sharing under section 1905(p). “(iii) PEDIATRIC VACCINES.—Payments attributable to section 1928. “(iv) EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.—Payments for treatment of emergency medical conditions attributable to the application of section 1903(v)(2). “(v) INDIAN HEALTH CARE FACILITIES.—Payments for medical assistance described in the third sentence of section 1905(b). “(vi) EMPLOYER-SPONSORED INSURANCE (ESI).—Payments for medical assistance attributable to payments to employers for employer-sponsored health benefits coverage. “(vii) OTHER POPULATIONS WITH LIMITED BENEFIT COVERAGE.—Other payments that are determined by the Secretary to be related to a specified population for which the medical assistance under this title is limited and does not include any inpatient, nursing facility, or long-term care services. “(B) CERTAIN EXPENSES.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply, and amounts shall continue to be payable under this title (and not under subsection (a)), in the case of the following: “(i) ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT.—Expenditures described in section 1935(b) (relating to administration of the Medicare prescription drug benefit). “(ii) PAYMENTS FOR HIT BONUSES.—Payments under section 1903(a)(3)(F) (relating to payments to encourage the adoption and use of certified EHR technology). “(iii) PAYMENTS FOR DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND INSTALLATION OF MMIS AND ELIGIBILITY SYSTEMS.—Payments under subparagraphs (A)(i) and (H)(i) of section 1903(a)(3) for expenditures for design, development, and installation of the Medicaid management information systems and mechanized verification and information retrieval systems (related to eligibility). “(5) PAYMENT OF AMOUNTS.— “(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as the Secretary may otherwise provide, amounts shall be payable to a State under subsection (a) in the same manner as amounts are payable under subsection (d) of section 1903 to a State under subsection (a) of such section. “(B) INFORMATION AND FORMS.— “(i) SUBMISSION.—As a condition of receiving payment under subsection (a), a State shall submit such information, in such form, and manner, as the Secretary shall specify, including information necessary to make the computations under subsections (c)(2)(C) and (e). “(ii) UNIFORM REPORTING.—The Secretary shall develop such forms as may be needed to assure a system of uniform reporting of such information across States. “(C) REQUIRED REPORTING OF INFORMATION ON MEDICAL LOSS RATIOS FOR MANAGED CARE.—The information required to be reported under subparagraph (B)(i) shall include information on the medical loss ratio with respect to coverage provided under each Medicaid managed care plan with a contract with the State under section 1903(m) or 1932. “(b) Aggregate beneficiary-Based amount.— “(1) IN GENERAL.—The aggregate beneficiary-based amount specified in this subsection for a State for a quarter is equal to the sum of the products, for each of the categories of Medicaid beneficiaries specified in paragraph (2), of the following: “(A) BENEFICIARY-BASED QUARTERLY AMOUNT.—The beneficiary-based quarterly amount for such category computed under subsection (c) for such State for such quarter. “(B) NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS IN CATEGORY.—Subject to subsection (d), the average number of Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in such category in the State in such quarter. “(2) CATEGORIES.—The categories specified in this paragraph are the following: “(A) ELDERLY.—A category of Medicaid beneficiaries who are 65 years of age or older. “(B) BLIND OR DISABLED.—A category of Medicaid beneficiaries not described in subparagraph (A) who are described in section 1937(a)(2)(B)(ii). “(C) CHILDREN.—A category of Medicaid beneficiaries not described in subparagraph (B) who are under 21 years of age. “(D) OTHER ADULTS.—A category of any Medicaid beneficiaries who are not described in a previous subparagraph of this paragraph. “(c) Computation of per beneficiary, per category quarterly amount.— “(1) IN GENERAL.—For a State, for each category of beneficiary for a quarter— “(A) FIRST REFORM YEAR.—For quarters in the first reform year (as defined in subsection (k)(2)), the beneficiary-based quarterly amount is equal to 1 ⁄ 4 of the base average per beneficiary Federal payments for such State for such category determined under paragraph (2), increased by a factor that reflects the sum of the following: “(i) HISTORICAL MEDICAL CARE COMPONENT OF CPI THROUGH PREVIOUS REFORM YEAR.—The percentage increase in the historical medical care component of the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (U.S. city average) from the midpoint of the base fiscal year (as defined in paragraph (6)) to the midpoint of the fiscal year preceding the first reform year. “(ii) PROJECTED MEDICAL CARE COMPONENT OF CPI FOR THE FIRST REFORM YEAR.—The percentage increase in the projected medical care component of the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (U.S. city average) from the midpoint of the previous fiscal year referred to in clause (i) to the midpoint of the first reform year. “(B) SECOND AND THIRD REFORM YEARS.—The beneficiary-based quarterly amount for a State for a category for quarters in the second reform year or the third reform year is equal to the beneficiary-based quarterly amount under this paragraph for such State and category for the previous reform year increased by the per beneficiary percentage increase (as defined in subparagraph (E)) for such category and reform year. “(C) FOURTH THROUGH TENTH REFORM YEARS.—The beneficiary-based quarterly amount for a State for a category for quarters in a reform year beginning with the fourth reform year and ending with the tenth reform year is— “(i) in the case of a State that is a high per beneficiary State or a low per beneficiary State (as defined in paragraph (4)(B)(iii)) for the category, the amount determined under clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (4)(B) for such State, category, and reform year; or “(ii) in the case of any other State, the beneficiary-based quarterly amount under this paragraph for such State and category for the previous reform year increased by the per beneficiary percentage increase for such category and reform year. “(D) ELEVENTH REFORM YEAR AND SUBSEQUENT REFORM YEARS.—The beneficiary-based quarterly amount for a State for a category for quarters in a reform year beginning with the eleventh reform year is equal to the beneficiary-based quarterly amount under this paragraph for such State and category for the previous reform year increased by the per beneficiary percentage increase for such category and reform year. “(E) ANNUAL PERCENTAGE INCREASE BEGINNING WITH SECOND REFORM YEAR.—For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘per beneficiary percentage increase’ means, for a reform year, the sum of— “(i) the projected percentage change in nominal gross domestic product from the midpoint of the previous reform year to the midpoint of the reform year for which the percentage increase is being applied; and “(ii) one percentage point. “(2) BASE PER BENEFICIARY, PER CATEGORY AMOUNT FOR EACH STATE.— “(A) AVERAGE PER CATEGORY.— “(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall determine, consistent with this paragraph and paragraph (3), a base per beneficiary, per category amount for each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia equal to the average amount, per Medicaid beneficiary, of Federal payments under this title, including payments attributable to disproportionate share hospital payments under section 1923, for each of the categories of beneficiaries under subsection (b)(2) for the base fiscal year for each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia. “(ii) BEST AVAILABLE DATA.—The determination under clause (i) shall initially be estimated by the Secretary, based upon the best available data at the time the determination is made. “(iii) UPDATES.—The determination under clause (i) shall be updated by the Secretary on an annual basis based upon improved data. The Secretary shall adjust the amounts under subsection (a)(1)(A) to reflect changes in the amounts so determined based on such updates. “(B) EXCLUSION OF PASS-THROUGH PAYMENTS.—In computing base per beneficiary, per category amounts under subparagraph (A)(i) the Secretary shall exclude payments described in subsection (a)(4). “(C) STANDARDIZATION.— “(i) IN GENERAL.—In computing each such amount, the Secretary shall standardize the amount in order to remove the variation attributable to the following: “(I) RISK FACTORS.—Such risk factors as age, health and disability status (including high cost medical conditions), gender, institutional status, and such other factors as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, so as to ensure actuarial equivalence. “(II) GEOGRAPHIC.—Variations in costs on a county-by-county basis. “(ii) METHOD OF STANDARDIZATION.— “(I) CONSULTATION IN DEVELOPMENT OF RISK STANDARDIZATION.—In developing the methodology for risk standardization for purposes of clause (i)(I), the Secretary shall consult with the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, and the National Association of Medicaid Directors. “(II) METHOD FOR RISK STANDARDIZATION.—In carrying out clause (i)(I), the Secretary may apply the hierarchal condition category methodology under section 1853(a)(1)(C). If the Secretary uses such methodology, the Secretary shall adjust the application of such methodology to take into account the differences in services provided under this title compared to title XVIII, such as the coverage of long term care, pregnancy, and pediatric services. “(III) METHOD FOR GEOGRAPHIC STANDARDIZATION.—The Secretary shall apply the standardization under clause (i)(II) in a manner similar to that applied under section 1853(c)(4)(A)(iii). “(iii) APPLICATION ON A NATIONAL, BUDGET NEUTRAL BASIS.—The standardization under clause (i) shall be designed and implemented on a uniform national basis and shall be budget neutral so as to not result in any aggregate change in payments under subsection (a). “(iv) RESPONSE TO NEW RISK.—Subject to clause (iii), the Secretary may adjust the standardization under clause (i) to respond promptly to new instances of communicable diseases and other public health hazards. “(v) REFERENCE TO APPLICATION OF RISK ADJUSTMENT.—For rules related to the application of risk adjustment to amounts under subsection (a)(1)(A), see subsection (e). “(D) ADJUSTMENT FOR TEMPORARY FMAP INCREASES.—In computing each base per beneficiary, per category amounts under subparagraph (A)(i) the Secretary shall disregard portions of payments that are attributable to a temporary increase in the Federal matching rates, including those attributable to the following: “(i) PPACA DISASTER FMAP.—Section 1905(aa). “(ii) ARRA.—Section 5001 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C. 1396d note). “(iii) EXTRAORDINARY EMPLOYER PENSION CONTRIBUTION.—Section 614 of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C. 1396d note). “(3) ALLOCATION OF NONMEDICAL ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall establish rules for the allocation of payments under this title (other than those payments described in paragraph (1) or (5) of section 1903(a) and including such payments attributable to section 1923)— “(A) among different categories of beneficiaries; and “(B) between payments included under subsection (a)(1) and payments described in subsection (a)(4). “(4) TRANSITION TO A CORRIDOR AROUND THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.— “(A) DETERMINATION OF NATIONAL AVERAGE BASE PER BENEFICIARY, PER CATEGORY AMOUNT.—Subject to subparagraph (C), the Secretary shall determine a national average base per beneficiary, per category amount equal to the average of the base per beneficiary, per category amounts for each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia determined under paragraph (2), weighted by the average number of beneficiaries in each such category and State as determined by the Secretary consistent with subsection (d) for the base fiscal year. “(B) TRANSITION ADJUSTMENT.— “(i) HIGH PER BENEFICIARY STATES.—In the case of a high per beneficiary State (as defined in clause (iii)(I)) for a category, the beneficiary-based quarterly amount for such State and category for a quarter in a reform year (beginning with the fourth reform year and ending with the tenth reform year) is equal to the sum of— “(I) the product of the State-specific factor for such reform year (as defined in clause (iv)) and the beneficiary-based quarterly amount that would otherwise be determined under paragraph (1) for such State and category if the State were a State described in clause (ii) of paragraph (1)(C), instead of a State described in clause (i) of such paragraph; and “(II) the product of 1 minus the State-specific factor for such reform year and the beneficiary-based quarterly amount that would otherwise be determined under paragraph (1) for a State and category if the base per beneficiary, per category amount determined under paragraph (2) for the State and category were equal to 110 percent of the national average base per beneficiary, per category amount determined under subparagraph (A) for such category. “(ii) LOW PER BENEFICIARY STATES.—In the case of a low per beneficiary State (as defined in clause (iii)(II)) for a category, the beneficiary-based quarterly amount for such State and category for a quarter in a reform year (beginning with the fourth reform year and ending with the tenth reform year) is equal to the sum of— “(I) the product of the State-specific factor for such reform year and the beneficiary-based quarterly amount that would otherwise be determined under paragraph (1) for such State and category if the State were a State described in clause (ii) of paragraph (1)(C), instead of a State described in clause (i) of such paragraph; and “(II) the product of 1 minus the State-specific factor for such reform year and the beneficiary-based quarterly amount that would otherwise be determined under paragraph (1) for a State and category if the base per beneficiary, per category amount determined under paragraph (2) for the State and category were equal to 90 percent of the national average base per beneficiary, per category amount determined under subparagraph (A) for such category. “(iii) HIGH AND LOW PER BENEFICIARY STATES DEFINED.—In this subparagraph: “(I) HIGH PER BENEFICIARY STATE.—The term ‘high per beneficiary State’ means, with respect to a category, a State for which the base per beneficiary, per category amount determined under paragraph (2) for such category is greater than 110 percent of the national average base per beneficiary, per category amount determined under subparagraph (A) for such category. “(II) LOW PER BENEFICIARY STATE.—The term ‘low per beneficiary State’ means, with respect to a category, a State for which the base per beneficiary, per category amount determined under paragraph (2) for such category is less than 90 percent of the national average base per beneficiary, per category amount determined under subparagraph (A) for such category. “(iv) STATE-SPECIFIC FACTOR.—In this subparagraph, the term ‘State-specific factor’ means— “(I) for the fourth reform year, 7 ⁄ 8 ; and “(II) for a subsequent reform year, the State-specific factor under this clause for the previous reform year minus 1 ⁄ 8. “(C) NO ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURES.— “(i) DETERMINATION OF INCREASE IN FEDERAL EXPENDITURES.—For each category for each reform year (beginning with the fourth reform year and ending with the tenth reform year), the Secretary shall determine whether the application of this paragraph— “(I) to the category for the reform year will result in an aggregate increase in the aggregate Federal expenditures under subsection (a); and “(II) to all the categories for the reform year will result in a net aggregate increase in the aggregate Federal expenditures under subsection (a). “(ii) ADJUSTMENT.—If the Secretary determines under clause
really bad. And I read several books about the damn Loch Ness Monster, and the more I researched it, the more I found it wasn’t true at all. And that kind of annoyed me—that I spent all that time on it. And so that kind of led me to being more interested in the topic [of skepticism]. But I agree with you that “skepticism” is often taken as a negative word, and skeptics [are seen] as negative people. They’re denialists or pessimists, and I want to get rid of that. In the comic we will have a scene eventually where Scout encounters for the first time, that she’s ever seen, alternative medicines, and she kind of scoffs at them and replaces them with something else. And that’s not a negative thing—replacing something with low efficacy with something that actually heals people isn’t negative; that’s the definition of a positive thing. AiPT!: Are you afraid that no one else will see it that way? What kind of an audience do you think this is going to have? Greb: One thing I did with my comic—I was very open about it. I’m sure there are other comics that have good skeptical characters, or good atheist characters, like my book has, but I’m letting everyone know that right off the bat. It’s in our tagline. I want that to be very open. Just like there were comics, traditionally, that had gay characters in them—but it wasn’t branded that way—but now when a book has more gay characters, or trans characters or whatever, they’re much more open about advertising that. And so that’s what I wanted to do for the pro-science movement. So I think people … who read the book will be aware of that, so I hope they appreciate that. If they don’t, maybe they can at least learn what the perspective from this group is, and either hate it more or hate it less. AiPT!: [laughs] You mentioned the tagline for the book, “Science returning to a world that’s forsaken it.” Can you unpack that a little bit, and the meaning, too, of the name, After the Gold Rush? Greb: I won’t too much, because I’m kind of mystery-mongering the plot a bit. AiPT!: That’s a bad skeptic. Greb: Yeah, [laughs], so basically, a lot of stories in current sci-fi media are post-apocalyptic, and this one isn’t. We solved a lot of our problems, things are getting better, but we forgot about one thing, and so we have this paradigm shift, kind of far into the future. And Scout finds herself as kind of the last relic of this Star Trek-like, very science-based society, and she’ll be returning to Earth for the first time. And she isn’t, like, the most scientifically brilliant person in the world or anything (well, I guess she is, technically; she’s the only one left), but she wouldn’t have been. It’s the values of the culture she was raised in [being] returned to the world, is what a major part of our story’s about. And the term “after the gold rush” is of course just after our advancement, our exploration, our high point of knowledge. It’s not, obviously, the Gold Rush itself; it’s one of those metaphor things. Page two of After the Gold Rush #1 AiPT!: Before you even started the Kickstarter, you were kind of promoting things on Twitter a little bit, and it seemed like you got a lot of followers really quickly. And once you started the Kickstarter—that was funded within, what, a week was it? Greb: Yeah, in seven days we got funded. We had a really good start. We got a lot of exposure from Kickstarter—they actually picked us for Project of the Day—that was really nice. So someone there liked us, and that was really awesome … Hopefully we can get to [$7,000] on Kickstarter, which is our stretch goal, which will fund issue two, which would also give everyone who’s backed us issue two as well. And Twitter, yeah, we’ve had a great response. I actually never used Twitter, really, until I started trying to promote my book, and we’ve had a good response there. I think people really appreciate Isaac’s art. I think that’s really helped show off my idea and I think there’s not a lot of media targeted to the skeptic and atheist and pro-science community, so I think that’s helped us find a niche. AiPT!: Tell me a little bit about the art. How did you hook up with Isaac? What does he bring to the project? Greb: I actually met Isaac on DeviantArt. I just was staying up with my editor and roommate Drew [Pierce], and we’d just stay up all night, kind of scouring the internet, trying to find the right artist. We found a couple people we liked, but nobody really, we thought, could pull off the book as good as Isaac. He had a really good style for being in the mid-point between, kind of, more comic/cartoony stuff, but also kind of, more like this kind of retro sci-fi look—I thought he could pull off kind of a mix between that. He really helped [flesh] out my characters and get them the way I wanted them, so he’s been a massive help. AiPT!: So what kind of characters can we expect in the book? Greb: Scout is our protagonist. We also have some other characters we’ve showed off, although I haven’t really explained their role[s] too much. The Axman will be a major character in the story. Like I said, I have to be kind of vague about these things, because of my mystery-mongering. Gutenberg is our antagonist of sorts, and you can also see the three hunters … There’s a shot of Scout’s parents—their role to play, if any, is yet to be explained. That’s our main cast of characters. We have some more major characters that are pretty darn important to the story that I don’t want to give away yet. We also have Scout’s eventual dog friend, that you can see on the Kickstarter art. He won’t be introduced in the story unless we get to issue three. So if you really want to see the dog in this story, help us get to [$]7,500. That’s our stretch goal for issue three. AiPT!: If everything went perfectly, what is your ultimate goal for this project? Greb: Well, I plan it to be 25 issues. I want to make 25 issues. I don’t care if I don’t make any money off it; I just want to make the bloody book. I think that if we can get to issue five and make a trade paperback, they’re a bit more profitable, because you’re printing the art you already have made, and people really like trades. I think the funds from that would be able to keep the book going and we could get if finished. My hopeful goal is that we can reach issue five and make that trade paperback and then get the 25 issues. And I think the thematic goal, the non-logistical goal, would be to really just create some more positive skeptic and atheist characters in media, so people who feel that way, maybe don’t know they feel that way, have better representation, someone else to look at. People who don’t understand that view can get a better glimpse into it. And also, there’s not a lot of females in the skeptic and atheist community, and there’s definitely not enough in the science community. And you know, I’m just a guy, I can’t help that a whole lot myself, but I can create a female character and hopefully that does a little bit, if possible. After the Gold Rush #1 is already funded on Kickstarter, but until September 5, you can still get on board and help make sure the entire story is completed.In recent months both Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have defended the Momentum group from criticism. Created as a result of Corbyn’s leadership campaign, the grassroots movement aims to organise activists in towns and cities in order to create a mass movement for the Labour leader. Despite this, the far-left group has repeatedly been accused of being linked to deselection threats against centre-left Labour MPs. However, it seems that Momentum’s biggest problem may actually be learning to control its supporters. As the Sunday papers report that Corbyn is to sack Benn from his shadow cabinet as part of a new year reshuffle, it now appears that the shadow Foreign Secretary has also won the attention of Momentum activists. Hilary Benn tweeted his followers on Sunday to give them an update on the floods which are wreaking havoc on his constituents in Leeds. He said that he had spent the day trying to help those affected. At which point, an account purporting to be the ‘Huddersfield branch of Momentum’ joined the conversation and warned him that he would soon have a lot more time on his hands to deal with the flooding crisis. ‘Shadow cabinet reshuffle soon lad,’ they replied. ‘So soon you’ll have more time to spend with your constituents.’ Labour MPs including Rachel Reeves were quick to criticise the comments: “@MomentumHudds: @hilarybennmp Shadow Cabinet reshuffle soon lad. So you'll have more time to spend with your constituents.” Unbelievable. — Rachel Reeves (@RachelReevesMP) December 27, 2015 Good grief! What sort of person thinks to tweet this in such grim circumstances?! pic.twitter.com/CnlWMzXyo9 — Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) December 27, 2015 As did Momentum, who issued a statement to distance themselves from the account, saying that they do not endorse the tweet. Yet mystery still remains about the group’s ties to the so-called ‘Huddersfield branch’. While some have suggested it is not a part of Momentum and instead the work of a lone troll — given that the Twitter account was created before Momentum was founded — the Facebook account that the Twitter links to does have clear ties with Labour. Local Labour councillor David Sheard is listed as a friend of the account, which again bills itself as the ‘Momentum Group for Huddersfield’. It seems the Momentum critics could have been on to something after all when they said that the group’s local branches may not be all that they seem.Audubon’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography Respect for birds and their habitats must come before getting that perfect shot. Here's how to be a responsible bird photographer. The first essential element in bird photography is a sincere respect for the birds and their environment. In any conflict of interest, the well-being of the birds and their habitats must come before the ambitions of the photographer. Here are some basic guidelines. Avoid causing unnecessary disturbance or stress to birds. Use a telephoto lens and maintain enough distance to allow your subject to behave naturally. Blinds offer a great way to watch and photograph birds without disturbance. Never advance on birds with the intention of making them fly, whether they are lone birds or flocks of birds. This disrupts natural processes such as resting, foraging, or hunting, and causes them to expend energy unnecessarily. If your approach causes a bird to flush (fly or run away) or change its behavior, you’re too close. Some birds may “freeze” in place rather than flying away, or may hunch into a protective, aggressive, or pre-flight stance. Watch for changes in posture indicating that the birds are stressed, and if you see these, back away. Learn the rules and laws of the location. If minimum distances exist for approaching wildlife, follow them. Use flash sparingly (if at all), as a supplement to natural light. Avoid the use of flash on nocturnal birds (e.g., owls, nightjars) at night, as it may temporarily limit their ability to hunt for food or avoid obstacles. Before sharing locations of specific birds with other photographers or birders, think carefully about potential impacts to the birds or their habitats, both individual and cumulative. Remove GPS data from your images for rare or sensitive species like owls. Concern for birds’ habitat is also essential. Be aware and respectful of your surroundings. Avoid trampling sensitive vegetation or disturbing other wildlife. Do not use drones to photograph birds, especially at their nests. Although drones can be useful when working with researchers and biologists to document bird populations for science (such as island nesting colonies), drones in general can be very disruptive to birds. They are also illegal in national parks and some state parks. Be cautious with remotely triggered cameras. Setting a trap around a fresh kill or cache is generally acceptable, but supplying bait or other lure in order to attract an animal is not acceptable. Never use direct flash, which may temporarily blind owls; a flash with a filter that lets only infrared light through is acceptable. Nesting birds are particularly vulnerable and need special consideration. Keep a respectful distance from the nest. If you’re using a macro lens or including the nest as a focal point in an image with a wide-angle lens, even if you’re operating the camera remotely, you’re probably too close. Telephoto lenses of at least 500mm are recommended. Avoid flushing the adults, scaring the young, or doing anything to draw the attention of predators to the nest. For example, repeatedly walking to a nest can leave both a foot trail and scent trail for predators. Do not move or cut anything from around the nest, such as branches or leaves, as these provide both essential camouflage and protection from the elements. Never use drones to photograph nests, as they can cause injury and stress to the nestlings and parents. Beach-nesting birds (shorebirds and seabirds) require special care. Respect and give space to the boundaries of roped-off nesting areas. Parents frightened from their nests leave young vulnerable to swift predation from gulls and other animals. Situate yourself so that you are not in a direct line from the nest area to the water, which can inhibit the family and/or chicks from heading down to the waterline to feed. It is vital that chicks feed as much as possible to gain enough weight to survive their upcoming migration. If the young are feeding at the shoreline, take special care to keep your distance so they don’t hurry back to nest area/dunes. Accompany shorebird and seabird chick photos with detailed captions that explain how you respected their space and needs. Leading by example is a critical component of ethical photography. Luring birds closer for photography is often possible but should be done in a responsible way. The guiding principle: Could it be harmful to the bird? Always research the species and its behavior. Bird feeding stations, whether or not they’re used for photography, should be kept clean, stocked only with appropriate food items, and positioned with the birds’ safety in mind. Never lure birds (including but not limited to hawks, owls, eagles, ospreys, roadrunners) with bait. “Bait” includes live animals (such as snakes, fish, mice, crickets, worms); dead animals or parts of animals; processed meat; and decoys such as fake mice. Baiting can change the behavior of these predatory birds in ways that are harmful for them. Playback of bird voices to lure them closer for photography should be used sparingly, and not at all in the case of endangered birds, or birds at critical points in their nesting cycle. When a bird leaves his or her nest to pursue or defend their territory from a perceived challenger or predator, eggs and/or chicks are left open to predation and weather conditions. Show respect for private and public property, and consideration for other people. Enter private land only with permission. On public property such as parks and refuges, be aware of local regulations, hours, and closed areas. Be respectful of birds located on private land but viewable from a public vantage point, and also respect the privacy of these private land owners. If they are uncomfortable with your presence, leave. In group situations, be considerate of other photographers and birders watching the same bird. Remember that your desire to photograph the bird doesn’t outweigh the rights of others to observe it. Remember also that large groups of people are potentially more disturbing to birds, so it may be necessary to keep a greater distance. When choosing to photograph at a zoo, sanctuary, or rehabilitation centers, make sure it’s properly accredited and conforms to best practices. Check with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to see if a zoo is accredited by them. For sanctuaries, the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries is an accrediting organization that requires members to observe a strict code of ethics. In general, avoid shooting at non-accredited zoos (or zoos accredited with ZAA, which is very different than the AZA), such as roadside zoos, or wildlife centers or so-called sanctuaries where animals and birds are kept strictly for entertainment and profit. Never shoot at game farms: they are not held to any standards, the animals are bred for a life in captivity solely for profit, and the resulting photos portray an illusion of an animal in the wild. (Note that game farm photos are explicitly prohibited from all leading photo contests, although zoo photos are often permitted). It’s essential to be thoughtful about sharing and captioning your bird photos, in print, online, and for social media. Always note in your caption if a bird is captive, and explain its circumstances if you can. Integrity and honesty are crucial components of ethical photography, and will establish trust in your viewers. Was the bird baited for the purpose of scientific research and the photo taken under the strict supervision of researchers? It’s important to explain as much. For assistance in captioning, refer to the Truth in Captioning guidelines issued by the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). With each image you share, try to think not only about ethics, but also the appearance of ethics. When viewers scroll through a gallery of photos, the image may communicate much more strongly than the caption, and that could present a problem when there's something about the photo that requires explanations. Compiled with the help of Jennifer Bogo, Walker Golder, Sean Graesser, Melissa Groo, Erik Johnson, Kenn Kaufmann, Jim Verhagen, Stan Stenner, the Audubon photo and social media teams.DRUG testing for the unemployed and the suspension of payments to people with outstanding arrest warrants are two options to be debated as the Abbott Government prepares a major overhaul of welfare. Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews declared, “We won’t rule this in or out’’, when asked about drug testing as he flagged a major overhaul based on New Zealand’s radical reforms to break the welfare cycle. The Abbott Government has confirmed it is looking closely at New Zealand’s “simpler, more coherent’’ system of streamlining payments but it has developed cold feet on the radical option of a single, uniform payment, preferring the New Zealand model of fewer payments. “Australia’s welfare system is complex and expensive,’’ Mr Andrews said. “This review will look at welfare reforms overseas, including New Zealand where they have simplified their welfare system by introducing five new payments that replaced 11 old payments.’’ Asked whether the reforms could include New Zealand’s most controversial change, drug testing for the unemployed, Mr Andrews said the Government was not ruling it out. Two years ago, north Queensland Liberal MHR George Christiansen raised the idea, arguing that many workers were already drug tested. “If it’s good enough for a hard-working miner, who pays taxes, to undergo a mandatory drug test, then it’s good enough for the person who receives those taxes in welfare,” Mr Christiansen said. The drug testing of welfare recipients has been attacked as a waste of money by critics in New Zealand for its low rates of positive results. Of the 8001 jobseekers sent for drug testing, only 22 tested positive to drug use or refused to take tests. Under the NZ reforms, people who fail a drug test or refuse to apply for a drug tested job, must agree to stop using drugs or their benefit will be cut by 50 per cent. They are then given 30 days to allow any drugs they have taken to leave their system. The policy only applies to jobseekers who are available for jobs that require drug testing. The NZ Government says about 40 per cent of the jobs listed require drug tests. Those on benefits are sanctioned if they refuse job opportunities which require a drug test or if they fail a test. Those who fail a test are also required to pay back the test’s cost out of their benefits.TF-Images/Getty Images Schalke 04 midfielder Leon Goretzka is reportedly set to turn down offers from a clutch of European football's biggest names to join Bayern Munich. The German's contract with his current club is poised to expire at the end of the 2017-18 season, meaning he is free to discuss terms with another team from January onwards. According to Fabrizio Romano of Calciomercato, he will make the switch to Bayern. "Juventus have been scouting him for a very long time," the report continued. "The Bianconeri director of football Fabio Paratici is a long time admirer of the footballer, but the Old Lady won't make an attempt to sign him." It's suggested Juve will not try to get the better of Bayern in the chase for Goretzka "as executives of the two clubs are on very good terms." As well as the Italian champions, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are also said to be keen on signing the midfielder, though he is poised to move to the Allianz Arena on a free transfer. Goretzka is one of the most exciting prospects in the German game at the moment, having cemented his position in the Schalke midfield. The uMAXit Football account took a look at the figures behind the 22-year-old's impressive 2016-17 campaign in the Bundesliga: It's not a shock that so many of European football's elite are interested in snapping up Goretzka on a free transfer, as he has so much to his game. The midfielder is at his best when deployed in the middle of midfield, where he can tap into his multifaceted playing style to have a big influence on matches. Goretzka doesn't shirk his defensive responsibilities and is always alert to danger, but he's also adept at pushing forward and can open up passing avenues with his surges. TF-Images/Getty Images For Schalke, losing him for nothing would represent a big disappointment. ESPN's Janus's Michallik believes the Bundesliga side would be able to pick up a massive amount of money for the player if his contract wasn't set to run out: For a rising star of German football, it may make sense to move to the biggest club in the Bundesliga. But there will be challenges for Goretzka at Bayern. Indeed, there are stars aplenty to call upon in midfield, including Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara, Joshua Kimmich, Sebastian Rudy and Corentin Tolisso, while Renato Sanches is also expected to return from his loan at Swansea City at the end of the season. The Schalke man would be far from guaranteed a starting spot. Still, that'd be the case at most of the clubs aforementioned. It means the onus will be on Goretzka to raise his game for the remainder of this campaign and give himself the best chance possible of starting football matches for his new team in 2018-19.Uber hit my email inbox with two new incentives last night: a $20/hour rate guarantee for morning rush hours over the course of next week and a month-long contest where drivers in Boston will split $12,000 in prize money, including a $5,000 first prize. I couldn’t help but notice that the first one came less than 12 hours after a morning rush hour in Boston where surge prizing started just after 6 a.m. and really didn’t let up throughout most of the day. The $20 guarantee is a nice touch, but it’s $5 less than the $25/hour guarantee they were offering in peak times just after announcing price cuts in Boston last month. And, as slow as those last two weeks of August were, the rate guarantee never kicked in for me (remember, that’s gross hourly fares and is before Uber takes it’s 20% cut). The second email outlined a contest that was essentially two contests in one: the first was for drivers who make 100 or more trips in September and the second was for drivers who make 200 or more trips during the month. Of the drivers who meet the minimum trip requirements, the three with the highest ratings in each category will receive cash prizes ranging from $500 to $5,000. I couldn’t help but notice this was released on a day when Uber was taking lots of lumps from its drivers. In Los Angeles, 50 Uber drivers rallied to protest recent rate cuts. Uber drivers in New Jersey were grumbling about more rate cuts in that state. And there was even speculation that drivers were trying to align themselves with organized labor. The contest is a nice touch, but it only helps the six drivers who are lucky enough to win. I say lucky enough because passenger ratings can be so fickle. Although I do very little different from week to week, my rating has fluctuated from as high as 5.0 to as low as 4.63. Damned if I know what I’m doing wrong in some weeks and right in others. So now I have an incentive to go above and beyond: I can go out and buy a bevy of chargers to offer my passengers no matter waht device they carry. I can spring for a case of bottle water, but then I have to decide whether a cooler in the trunk will result in a negative rating when a passenger going to the airport can’t fit all of his luggage in there. But worst of all, I’m encouraged to drive more. Tht means more drivers on the road, which means more supply and less money going directly into my pocket. For $12,000 in Boston, Uber insures that passengers aren’t dealing with the 15-20 minute wait times I was seeing yesterday morning. In response to the L.A. protests, an Uber spokesperson said ““Drivers are making more money now due to higher demand than they did before the price cut. We will continue to work with them individually to ensure their small businesses thrive.” The drivers disagree, noting rates of $2.50 per mile when they started, which encouraged them to lease new vehicles, that have now gone down to $1.10 per mile. It’s hard to think of yourself as a small business owner when pretty much everything about your business is out of your control. About the Author Dave Copeland is the founder and editor of the Ridesharing Report. He is a former business journalist and is driving for Uber and Lyft as part of his PhD research on the sharing economy.In section 21(1), after “1980”, insert “or section 85 of the Te Urewera Act 2014”. Te Urewera, as defined by section 7 of the Te Urewera Act 2014. Te Urewera, as defined in section 7 of the Te Urewera Act 2014; and In section 2, definition of owner, after “National Parks Act 1980” insert “or the Te Urewera Act 2014”. land that is Te Urewera land, as defined by section 7 of the Te Urewera Act 2014: In this section, Te Urewera Board has the meaning given in section 7 of that Act. To the extent to which it is applied for the purposes set out in the Te Urewera Act 2014, income derived by Te Urewera Board is exempt income. every warranted officer and honorary warranted officer who is warranted for the purposes of the Te Urewera Act 2014, while acting in the exercise and performance of powers and duties conferred and imposed by the Te Urewera Act 2014. owned by the Crown, Te Urewera Board, or the trustees of Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua under the Te Urewera Act 2014, but subject to note 2. Te Urewera Board and trustees have the meanings given in section 7 of the Te Urewera Act 2014 In section 5, insert in its appropriate alphabetical order: Ngāti Manawa Claims Settlement Act 2012 (2012 No 27) In section 10, definition of conservation document, replace paragraph (c) with: (c) Te Urewera management plan, as defined in section 7 of the Te Urewera Act 2014 Before section 20, insert: 20AA Interpretation and transitional provision (1) In sections 20 to 33,— conservation management plan has the meaning given in section 2(1) of the Conservation Act 1987 conservation management strategy has the meaning given in section 2(1) of the Conservation Act 1987 Te Urewera Board has the meaning given in section 7 of the Te Urewera Act 2014 Te Urewera management plan has the meaning given in section 7 of the Te Urewera Act 2014. (2) Until the date when the management plan required by section 44 of the Te Urewera Act 2014 is approved under that Act, Te Urewera National Park management plan approved in 2003 under section 48 of the National Parks Act 1980 applies to Te Urewera (including Tāwhiuau Maunga), to the extent that it is not inconsistent with sections 4 and 5 of the Te Urewera Act 2014, as if the plan were approved for Te Urewera (including Tāwhiuau Maunga). In section 21(1)(a), after “Boards”, insert “, Te Urewera Board, and the Minister of Conservation”. In section 21(1)(b), after “Authority”, insert “and Te Urewera Board”. In section 22(1), after “directed at”, insert “Te Urewera Board and”. In the heading to section 23, delete “of Conservation Authority and Conservation Boards”. In section 23(1), after “Board”, insert “, Te Urewera Board, or the Minister of Conservation”. In section 23(2), after “making”, insert “or considering”. In section 23(2), after “Board”, insert “, Te Urewera Board, or the Minister of Conservation”. In section 23(2)(b), replace “the conservation document or proposal or recommendation” with “Te Urewera management plan or the conservation document, proposal, or recommendation”. Replace section 24(2)(b) with: (b) not an amendment to a conservation management plan or conservation management strategy for the purposes of section 17I of the Conservation Act 1987, or to Te Urewera management plan for the purposes of section 48 of the Te Urewera Act 2014. In section 25(2), after “Director-General”, insert “or Te Urewera Board”. Replace section 26(1) with: (1) The following persons must take action in relation to the protection principles: (a) the Director-General; or (b) Te Urewera Board; or (c) if relevant management functions are undertaken by the chief executive of Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, the chief executive. (1A) The actions that must be taken include those set out in paragraph 5 in the Ahikāroa in Part 1 of the schedule of the deed of settlement, with the necessary modifications. In section 26(2), replace “Director-General retains” with “persons referred to in subsection (1) retain”. In section 26(3), replace “Director-General” with “persons referred to in subsection (1)”. In section 26(4), replace “Director-General” with “persons referred to in subsection (1)”. In section 27(1), after “Director-General”, insert “or Te Urewera Board”. In section 27(3), replace “section 46(1) to (4) of the National Parks Act 1980” with “section 48 of the Te Urewera Act 2014”. In section 28(1), replace “The Minister of Conservation” with “Te Urewera Board”. Replace section 29 with: 29 Purpose of Ahikāroa The purpose of the Te Urewera Act 2014 is not affected by the fact that part of Te Urewera is subject to Ahikāroa. Replace section 30(2)(b) and (c) with: (b) the area concerned is removed from Te Urewera by legislation. In section 30(3), replace “(2)(b) or (c)” with “(2)(b)”. In section 30(4)(a), replace “dispose” with “introduce legislation for the disposal”. In section 30(4)(b), replace “responsibility for managing” with “Crown responsibility in relation to”. In section 30(5), replace “(4)(a) or (b)” with “(4)”.In the past quarter I’ve been working on analysis of telemetry pings for the telemetry dashboard, I previously outlined the analysis architecture here. Since then I’ve fixed bugs, ported scripts to C++, fixed more bugs and given the telemetry-dashboard a better user-interface with more features. There’s probably still a few bugs around, decent logging is still missing, but data aggregated is fairly stable and I don’t think we’re going to make major API changes anytime soon. So I think it’s time to let others consume the aggregated histograms, enabling the creation of custom dashboard. In the following sections I’ll demonstrate how to get started with telemetry.js and build a custom filtered dashboard with CSV export. Getting Started with telemetry.js On the server-side the aggregated histograms for a given channel, version and measure is stored in a single JSON file. To reduce storage overhead we use a few tricks, such as translating filter-paths to identifiers, appending statistical fields at the end of a histogram array and computing bucket offsets from specification. This makes the server-side JSON files rather hard to read. Furthermore, we would like the flexibility to change this format, move files to a different server or perhaps do a binary encoding of histograms. To facilitate this, data access is separated from data storage with telemetry.js. This is a Javascript library to be included from telemetry.mozilla.org/v1/telemetry.js. We promise that best efforts will be made to ensure API compatibility of the telemetry.js version hosted at telemetry.mozilla.org. I’ve used telemetry.js to create the primary dashboard hosted at telemetry.mozilla.org, so the API grants access to the data used here. I ‘ve also written extensive documentation for telemetry.js. To get you started consuming the aggregates presented on the telemetry dashboard, I’ve posted the snippet below to a jsfiddle. The code initializes telemetry.js, then proceeds load the evolution of a measure over build dates. Once loaded the code prints a histogram for each build date of the 'CYCLE_COLLECTOR' measure within 'nightly/27'. Feel free to give it a try… Telemetry. init ( function () { Telemetry. loadEvolutionOverBuilds ( 'nightly/28', // from Telemetry.versions () 'CYCLE_COLLECTOR', // From Telemetry.measures ('nightly/28', callback) function ( histogramEvolution ) { histogramEvolution. each ( function ( date, histogram ) { print ( "--------------------------------" ); print ( "Date: " + date ); print ( "Submissions: " + histogram. submissions ()); histogram. each ( function ( count, start, end ) { print ( count + " hits between " + start + " and " + end ); } ); } ); } ); } ); Warning: the channel/version string and measure string shouldn’t be hardcoded. The list of channel/versions available is returned by Telemetry.versions() and Telemetry.measure('nightly/27', callback) invokes callback with a JSON object of measures available for the given version/channel (See documentation). I understand that it can be tempting to hardcode these values for some special dashboard, and while we don’t plan to remove data, it would be smart to test that the data is available and show a warning if not. Channel, version and measure names may be subject to change as they are changed in the repository. CSV Export with telemetry.jquery.js One of the really boring and hard-to-get-right parts of the telemetry dashboard is the list of selectors used to filter histograms. Luckily, the user-interface logic for selecting channel, version, measure and applying filters is implemented as a reusable jQuery widget called telemetry.jquery.js. There’s no dependency on jQuery UI, just jquery.ui.widget.js which contains the jQuery widget factory. This library makes it very easy to write a custom dashboard if you just want write the part that presents a filtered histogram. The snippet below shows how to create a histogramfilter widget and bind to the histogramfilterchange event, which is fired whenever the selected histogram is changed and loaded. With this setup you don’t need to worry about loading, filtering or maintaining state as the synchronizeStateWithHash option sets the filter-path as window.location.hash. If you want to have multiple instances of the histogramfilter widget, you might want to disable the synchronizeStateWithHash option, and read the state directly instead, see jQuery stateful plugins tutorial for how to get/set a option like state dynamically. Telemetry. init ( function () { // Create histogram-filter from jquery.telemetry.js $ ( '#filters' ). histogramfilter ( { // Synchronize selected histogram with window.location.hash synchronizeStateWithHash : true, // This demo fetches histograms aggregated by build date evolutionOver : 'Builds' } ); // Listen for histogram-filter changes $ ( '#filters' ). bind ( 'histogramfilterchange', function ( event, data ) { // Check if histogram is loaded if ( data. histogram ) { update ( data. histogram ); } else { // If data.histogram is null, then we're loading... } } ); } ); The options for histogramfilter is will documented in the source for telemetry.jquery.js. This file can be found in the telemetry-dashboard repository, but it should be distributed with custom dashboards, as backwards compatibility isn’t a priority for this library. There is a few extra features hidden in telemetry.jquery.js, which let’s you implement custom <select> elements, choose useful defaults, change behavior, limit available histogram kinds and a few other things. A complete custom dashboard with CSV export, minimal Javascript code and bootstrap styling, as illustrated in the screenshot above, is available at gist.github.com/jonasfj/8280124. You can fork the gist and build your custom dashboards on top of it. Gist like this
Pace High School. “Freeman complied with the request and offered the prayer at the event. It appears this was a school-sponsored event attended by students, faculty and community members.” In response, the Christian Educators Association International filed a motion to intervene in order to overturn the consent decree, arguing it amounted to a violation of teachers and administrators’ First Amendment free exercise rights to practice their religion with prayer. Noting that the battle has been a polarizing force in the community, a judge ruled in February that CEAI did not have standing and did not demonstrate that the consent decree would have a “chilling affect” on its members’ religious observances. In a news release, Liberty Counsel, Liberty University’s legal arm, said in light of the new law it will now file a motion requesting the court overturn the consent decree. Basically the law says that, unless they sign a waiver, teachers and staff can’t be legally required to stop leading school prayer and proselytizing to students. I can’t believe this won’t go unchallenged. I have no doubt that those evangelical educators believe their First Amendment rights were being infringed by the consent decree. After all, don’t hide your light under a bushel. But school should not be a bully pulpit. As the courts have maintained, students have the right to go to school for an education free of teachers’ attempts to indoctrinate them to their religious beliefs.In the 20 years as owner of Barbara-Jo’s Books To Cooks, one day seared in Barbara-jo McIntosh’s memory. (The store name takes an uppercase J, in defiance of the lowercase j in her actual name.) It showed her the true worth of her shop. “On Sept. 11 when that horrible thing happened, people came in droves to the shop to be comforted. The day was full, so full of people coming in, wanting to talk about it and wanting to cook for their loved ones,” says McIntosh. “People kept coming and coming that whole week, including Americans who were stuck in the city. I’m very proud that people found comfort here.” International culinary giants, like Ferran Adria, Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, Michel Roux, Nigella Lawson, Yotam Ottolenghi, Daniel Boulud and Ruth Reichl and others have held intimate cooking or talk sessions at the shop near West 2nd Avenue and Pine Street in Vancouver. Others were famous clients, like Stanley Tucci who visited often. The shop had an open kitchen and 12 seats for regular culinary events, sometimes several a week. She also ran a food-lovers book club where sessions ended with a meal. As of Feb. 28, Barbara-Jo’s Books To Cooks closes its doors. The store couldn’t compete with Amazon and given the Canadian dollar (in buying books from the U.S.), the business wasn’t sustainable. Books will be selling for 25-per-cent off until the end of February. A new business, called The Uncommon Cake, will move in. Hamid Salimian, a chef and now an instructor at Vancouver Community College’s culinary-arts program, learned about the closure Monday morning. “I’m really emotional right now. I went to discuss a cooking class I’m doing there on Jan. 28 and she told me,” says Salimian. “I’ve been a client for 20 years, buying from her and going to events. It’s an amazing place and it’s so sad it’s closing. “She used to travel to France, the U.S., Spain to meet with little publishing companies doing unique stuff, gathering information that just wasn’t available and brought that knowledge to Vancouver. Her shop was unique in so many ways and we had so much knowledge to gain from her passion and love for the industry,” he says. “She’s not a person who brags about what she does. She just does it silently and walks away. She’s helped me in my career numerous times by being who she is. It’s a little emotional for me today.” McIntosh is optimistic. “It was my dream and I did it. Now it’s time to coddiwomple,” she says. “You won’t find it (an English slang) in the dictionary, but it means to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.” CLICK HERE to report a typo. Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email [email protected] insurance premiums to see almost 5 per cent hike after green light from Government Updated Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged people to stick with private health insurance as the Government approves a nearly 5 per cent increase in premiums. Top family hospital cover will go up by an average of $200 to almost $4,500 a year when the price hike takes effect in April. The price of singles cover is set to lift by about $100 to almost $1,250. The 4.8 per cent lift is the lowest in a decade, but still three times the rate of inflation. Mr Turnbull said the increase would "absolutely" hurt families, but urged people to keep paying for insurance. Citing labour costs and technology as drivers of price increases, he said he understood the concerns over cost of living. "Every additional cost hurts," he told Melbourne radio station 3AW. Health Minister Greg Hunt also acknowledged the cost of living pressures, saying he would work with insurance companies to ensure value for money. "Every single dollar is important to every single family," he said. Labor's spokeswoman for health Catherine King said people were "getting less and less" for their money. "This $200 increase comes on top of some of the highest premium increases on record, spiralling complaints against private health insurers and Australians increasingly discovering they are simply not covered for basic inclusions in their policies," she said. Price rises will vary between health funds and policies. Members of the insurance industry said the increase was necessary to ensure health funds stayed ahead of rising health costs. "Health sector costs are rising faster than CPI inflation and key components of health inflation such as the cost of medical devices are beyond the control of health funds," Private Healthcare Australia chief executive Rachel David said in a statement. "Health funds, other private sector stakeholders like hospitals and medical specialists need to work with Australian governments to keep input cost down and bend the relentless upward curve of health inflation." Consumer advocates said the annual rise in premiums provided a good opportunity for people to review their options. "If you're earning under $90,000 a year and you're under 31, the answer might be not to have private health insurance at all," CHOICE's Tom Godfrey said. "In fact you're probably best to take it out when you need it. "Unfortunately people [are] downgrading into what we call junk policies — policies that can cost you up to $1,400 a year but not cover you for around 5,000 treatments including for stroke, heart disease and cancer." Topics: health, health-insurance, health-policy, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia First postedBy Michael Brendan Dougherty St. John Chrysostom, once said “The road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.” Here’s proof that he was right. In an interview this week with Connecticut Magazine, Cardinal Edward Egan, withdrew his 2002 apology for the Church’s handling of the sex-abuse scandal, which was once read in all New York parishes. A decade after that letter, the former archbishop of New York, and former bishop of Bridgeport, now describes the handling of the priest-abuse crisis under his watch as “incredibly good.” He said of the letter, “I never should have said that,” and added, “I don’t think we did anything wrong.” “I never had one of these sex abuse cases.” he said, before adding pompously, “If you have another bishop in the United States who has the record I have, I’d be happy to know who he is.” He also claimed that the Church had no obligation to report abuse to the civil authorities. These are lies, strutting around with pride. The Church is required to report abuse, according to laws on the books since the 1970s. Bishop Egan ran a diocese that was notoriously dangerous for children. Contrary to his claim, during his twelve-year enthronement at Bridgeport, Egan repeatedly failed to investigate priests where there were obvious signs of abuse, according to The Hartford Courant. His diocese had to settle the cases and awarded victims some $12-15 million in damages. Here is just one incredible case of negligence. According to the Hartford Courant, in 1990, Egan received a memo about “a developing pattern of accusations” that Rev. Charles Carr of Norwalk had fondled young boys. Egan kept Carr working for another five years, only suspending him after a lawsuit was filed, and then in 1999 making him a chaplain at Danbury’s hospital. How about another? The Connecticut post also reported that early in his reign, dozens of people came forward to accuse Rev. Raymond Pcolka of Greenwich of sexual abuse and violence against children. Egan claimed that the accusers were never “proved” to be telling the truth. Well, Egan never even bothered to interview them and kept Pcolka in ministry. And, speaking as a Catholic, who lived in the New York Archdiocese under Cardinal Egan’s reign, I can say Egan did punish some priests. But not child-abusers. He swiftly punished and evicted those Catholic priests that said the Traditional Latin Mass (later liberalized by Pope Benedict XVI), if he thought they didn’t pay him sufficient deference. In short: Egan coddled child-abusers, and persecuted decent priests during his ignominious reign as a Prince of the Church. His entire interview reeks of a narcissism and self-regard that is so palpable it makes your eyes water. Again, speaking as a Catholic, God is merciful with those who repent and do penance. It is time for Egan to repent before his victims and before God. Otherwise, he’ll end up as pavement. #### You might also like…Former Top Security Officials Criticize Trump's 'Ill-Conceived' Ban In Court Filing Enlarge this image toggle caption David McNew/Getty Images David McNew/Getty Images President Trump's ban on some Muslim travelers and immigrants "was ill-conceived, poorly implemented and ill-explained" — and harms, rather than advances, U.S. interests, say 10 former officials who led parts of America's diplomatic and security apparatus over the past 20 years. "In our professional opinion, this Order cannot be justified on national security or foreign policy grounds," the group wrote to the court weighing the legality of Trump's executive order that targets seven majority-Muslim nations. The group, which includes former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former CIA Director Michael Hayden, is siding with two states (Washington and Minnesota) that on Friday won a temporary restraining order that suspended Trump's ban. Over the weekend, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit refused his administration's request to restore the ban. The document that Albright and the other experts signed is entered as Exhibit A in the states' case against Trump's ban, which the states say "unleashed chaos" when it was enacted by executive order in late January. While Albright and the other experts cite their work in government that extends back decades, four of the former officials on the list were receiving intelligence briefings up until Trump's inauguration — including former Secretary of State John Kerry and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice. The group includes veterans of the Bush and Obama administrations. After his ban was put on hold, Trump tweeted, "What is our country coming to when a judge can halt a Homeland Security travel ban and anyone, even with bad intentions, can come into U.S.?" He later implied that if an attack occurs, federal Judge James Robart should be blamed: "Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!" Both sides of the case are facing Monday deadlines to submit their briefs for the next round in the legal fight, with a ruling possible early this week. The states say that withdrawing the temporary order blocking the ban would "unleash chaos again." Albright, Hayden and their colleagues told the court, "Very few attacks on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001 have been traced to foreign nationals at all. The overwhelming majority of attacks have been committed by U.S. citizens." And in another reference to Sept. 11, the group states that even that terrorist attack didn't provoke the U.S. government "to broadly bar entrants based on nationality, national origin, or religious affiliation." The states attacking the ban say the president's order disrupted the personal lives of thousands of people and undermined businesses and universities that rely on ties to the seven banned countries. After Washington filed its suit one week ago, Minnesota joined its case. Saying the president's order runs counter to America's values, the former security and diplomatic officials state, "Rebranding a proposal first advertised as a 'Muslim Ban' as 'Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States' does not disguise the Order's discriminatory intent, or make it necessary, effective, or faithful to America's Constitution, laws, or values." Criticizing the ban, the former officials say Trump's administration hasn't aired any facts or allegations regarding threats posed by any specific person or phase of the current visa vetting process. Here's the full list of former officials who signed the document: Former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and John Kerry; Former CIA directors Michael Hayden and Leon Panetta (who was also a Defense secretary); Former CIA deputies and acting directors John McLaughlin and Michael Morell; Former Deputy CIA director Avril Haines; Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice; Former Deputy National Security Advisor Lisa Monaco; Former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano;By Riot Mirross Hextech crafting and loot are now live in NA! We’re introducing the new system to reward you with loot-filled chests through Champion Mastery when you or your premade perform well and also provide a way to pick up randomized content at large discounts. Craft, earn, or purchase content like champions, skins, ward skins and summoner icons in new loot chests you earn by performing well across a variety of champions or as part of a premade. When you or someone in your premade party earns any S rank, you’ll acquire a chest. You can earn up to four chests each month, and each champion you play can earn you one chest per season. Each time you win any matchmade game, there’s a chance you’ll earn a key and winning with friends increases the chance of a key drop. Generally, you can expect to earn a few keys each month. For those who just want to pick up content at a significant discount, we’re offering chests and keys individually in the store. All chests contain random loot worth more than the cost of the chest (well, depending on how you feel about Teemo) so you can purchase with the confidence of knowing you’re getting a good deal (but a direct purchase from the store will still be the best way to pick up specific items). We’ve been testing Hextech Crafting and loot for over a month, and we’re excited to bring the system live around the world. We’ll be rolling out Hextech Crafting to each region throughout the next few weeks, starting with NA (Turkey has already been live for the beta test). While this is the official launch, as with any part of League, Hextech Crafting and loot will continue to evolve (including tuning drop rates and the loot mix of each chest). One important note: if you use Hextech Crafting or loot, anything you unlock (shards, essence, even permanent content that you craft) using the new system WILL NOT transfer with you if you leave the server. We’re planning to remove this restriction once all regions have Hextech Crafting. When Hextech Crafting and loot launch on your server, all players will receive a special First Day chest, which includes a skin shard for a champ you own, a ward skin shard, and enough essence to permanently unlock one of them. Trying to explain Hextech Crafting and Loot can be kinda tricky, so visit the 2016 Season Update or check out the FAQ below if you still have questions. GLHF and we’ll see you on the Rift!The World’s First and Only Completely Honest Résumé of a Graphic Designer Objective My objective is the Truth with a capital T, mentally composed in Bodoni or, on the weekends, Garamond. I believe dishonest design is the scourge of humanity. What do I mean by that? Simply step outside. Fraudulence is everywhere. From the rat-tail curve encircling the “H” of the Hilton logo to the poorly kerned signage at your local bus depot, we live in a visually polluted environment. Graphic designers must keep our hoodies zipped tight along with our values. My aim is total unsparing honesty as it pertains to my craft. I will pull no punches and expect the same from you, should we have the benefit of working together in the future. Experience Red Octopus (2007-Present) Here at this mismanaged company, I am the Creative Director for clients including McClure Financial, Take 2 Television, and Señor Pepe’s Frozen Foods, a Foodjoy Brand. For five hair-thinning years I have attempted to infuse iconic graphic artistry in everything from printed brochures to online banner ads. I lead a crew of energetic but woefully trendy young designers who have never learned to set type by hand and never will. My account team is combative and seems to delight in miscommunicating with clients. While I’m being up front with you, we recently pitched Foodjoy’s Squirtburst Fruit Drinks. The entire packing industry did. You probably did. And you know what? Two months of work turned out to be a creative cattle call initiated by Squirtburst’s CMO to get respect from his peers in solids. Apparently, the liquids side of the office park gets no love from upper management. He simply filched my ideas and brought everything in-house. To which I said to Sylvia, our lead account skirt, “How dare you make your bed with the flesh off my back!” and broke one of the presentation boards over her head. You must remember, those things are made of Styrofoam. I put my eight hours in the HR-mandated class and thought mostly about how I’m not an angry person, just overly passionate. I also considered what I said to Sylvia: two expressions that don’t really make sense together. Blame the heat of the moment. I’ve learned my lesson. I’d be hard pressed to say a keen sense of Truth drives, has driven, will be driving, or even rides shotgun with anyone at Red Octopus. Management holds many secret meetings without me. The leftover Cosi sandwiches and cookies are a disgusting giveaway. If only I could be in every meeting, I may have been able to make a difference, may have Zambonied the eyeball-defiling layouts and dipshits aside. But I am only one graphic designer, uncompromising but all too human. In my portfolio, you will see that unproduced package redesign for Squirtburst, inspired by kinetic typography popular in the West Coast concert posters of the 1960’s. In this designer’s opinion, it creates a visual appeal unprecedented in the beverage aisle. The client called it “uninspired” and said it would make kids “vomit if they stared at it for too long.” Next time you’re at the grocery store, please, pick up any Squirtburst drink and compare our taste levels. Lucid Concepts (2004-2007) I loved everything about this company, and regret I worked only three short years there. It was run on chaos in the morning, fear in the afternoon, and Ritalin at night, all qualities for producing great design. Lucid is where I produced my most misunderstood piece, the one-hundred-and-twenty-two page deck explaining why Citadel Airlines should change their logo’s main colorway from one shade of red to another. Ridiculed in trade publications when it leaked on SlideShare, I’ll note here that Citadel not only increased their new passenger base by an impressive margin, but also plane crashes and malfunctions actually decreased from seven per annum to two. Since I am sure you have total Pantone recall like myself, close your eyes and picture this: Pantone 167. Open your eyes and cleanse them by looking at a drab wall. Close again. Now picture Pantone 145. And open. Much less “fiery,” correct? I was behind that. If you can comprehend the world of different feelings evoked by these two superficially similar shades, as Citadel did, then we need to do business. Bergmann and Partners (1999-2004) A Swede afflicted with a lisp and gigantism ran this insignificant shop right into the ground. I had thirty-plus responsibilities, a good many of them involving the slaughter of massive amounts of trees. I designed direct mail pieces for the now-defunct CompuNet. If you remember getting these in your mailbox, that was not my fault, and if you can picture the lurid type and laser light effects, you will understand why it isn’t in my portfolio. This is where I learned how not to design. Education Kornbluth Institute for the Arts (1994-1998) Ah, the foundation. What an entrée into my chosen calling! Mac computers had been introduced, but ambitious students such as myself were still photosetting page layouts with Zip-a-Tone, Letrapress, and other toxic chemicals. I took it one step further and gave myself harder and harder words to kern. My professor and I discovered the toughest combination of letterforms: PUSSY WILLOW. It pains me to see it printed on this page, as I’m sure it does you. One truly needs the benefit of working with lead spacers. I used InDesign for this résumé, and as it stands I could drive a truck through the space between the S and the Y, so please look to my student appendix for that perfected catkin and a few of my other typographic marvels. University of Maryland (1990-1994) I majored in Business and minored in Psychology, but my memories during this time are hazy. One night, I tried to kill myself by overdosing on Tylenol, and I would have succeeded had it not been for the dining hall’s Corned Beef Hash. I got sick before my liver could fail. I thank this event for my massive levels of stamina. You will never see me by the coffee machine. I prefer to hand-grind my beans as the sun rises, draped in one of my many plush bathrobes acquired in hotels on press checks, with alternating wrist flicks suggesting hope and despair. Skills All the computer programs known to man, except for Microsoft Word. That is where graphic design goes to lay down and die.CAMERAS installed high in a tree in the US state of Iowa have made an internet sensation of a family of bald eagles, whose nest is streamed online live day and night. "Why viral, I'm not really sure," Bob Anderson, director of the Raptor Resource Project, said of the success of the eagle webcam. "The world just likes to hear something good instead of negative," he said. "This is all positive, this makes people feel good." Mr Anderson had been transmitting live images of the nest, 25m high in Docorah, Iowa, mainly for schools and universities. But this year, using a new site, UStream, the eagles are challenging the likes of troubled actor Charlie Sheen for internet popularity. There have been 11 million online views, according to the project's website. Some 150,000 viewers at a time check out the live action, captured by two cameras installed on branches 150cm above the nest. The male and female eagles have been together since the winter of 2007-08, the project's website explained. They have successfully hatched and fledged eaglets each year since. Interest spiked in late February when the mother laid three eggs, two of which have hatched. The third is expected to hatch any day now. Most days viewers can see the wind pushing about the feathers of the eagles, as well as spot the remains of a muskrat, rabbit, crow and trout lying in the nest. "Our dream always has been to provide an insight to wildlife, as a science tool for school," Mr Anderson said. "It's a wonderful education tool, people are learning the good and the bad of nature." "Now," he continued, "kids are learning that animals do eat other animals and that is the way of life. "They are gaining a great insight to Mother Nature." Streaming Video by Ustream.TVIf Thomas does get away from the Kings, he'll be a real prize for the receiving team. He's among the hardest working guards in the league, which is saying something. But the defensive issues are what might put Thomas in play despite being a restricted free agent. The Kings defended better as the year wore on, so there's a chance the front office could believe it can be a top defensive squad even with Thomas at the point. But GM Pete D'Alessandro has also made comments about needing to be a better passing team -- I.T. is a score-first point guard -- and the team is enamored with young Ray McCallum. Statistically, the 25-year-old Thomas is one of the league's best point guards. He averaged 20 points and six assists per game in 2013-14 and has put up a True Shooting of.574 in each of his three seasons despite an ever-growing usage rate. But he's 5'9 and has some serious defensive deficiencies (despite being rather strong and, of course, quick). The size issue alone with limit his salary somewhat -- the league's mighty mites don't get max deals. After the trade to Sacramento, Gay shot really efficiently and had a PER near 20. That's not worth a max-level deal, but it's pretty darn good, and Gay is only 27. If he does opt out, he'll be a popular target for teams needing supplemental scorers. Don't rule out the Kings working out a deal with Gay in which he opts out to make room under the luxury tax threshold for Isaiah Thomas, himself and another pick-up (which may come along via trade). Gay would still make plenty of dough, but he'd trade some of that in 2014-15 for long-term security. The Kings' other free agent of note may not opt out at all: he's due $19 million if he stays on his deal. But becoming a free agent in 2014 may offer the opportunity to rack up a substantial multi-year deal while Gay comes off a successful 2013-14 campaign. 16. Zach Randolph Player option UPDATE: Randolph signed a two-year extension to stay in Memphis through the 2017-18 season. Randolph is in a similar situation as Rudy Gay: He'll need to weigh a one-year payday vs. a multi-year deal. Z-Bo is due $16.5 million in 2014-15, but could opt out to secure a longer contract coming off of a rather successful season at age 32. Randolph figures to have only one large multi-year contract left in his career, so opting out and picking up a four-year deal in the high seven or low eight digits annually might be his best move. If he does hit the market, teams will know exactly what they are getting: a burly but inefficient scorer who works best in the pivot and is a master rebounder. He's so integral to Memphis' spirit that it'd be odd to see him leave, but strange things happen at this price point, and the Grizzlies hardly seem stable right now. 17. Luol Deng The Cavaliers cost Deng a lot of money this year. If he'd remained with the Bulls and became a free agent, he might have ranked among the top-10 options on the market. But he went to Cleveland at midseason, the Cavaliers continued to struggle as the locker room combusted and the Bulls did just fine without their longtime small forward. Deng brings defense and mid-range shooting. He's still just 29, but has a lot of NBA miles on the odometer and has a history of injuries. He'd figure to be a good pick-up for a rising team that already has strong primary scorers and needs to fill a wing hole for the next four years. But it'll probably cost that team upward of $35 million, and maybe a lot more. 18. Pau Gasol Pau Gasol's next stop is all about fit. He'll be 34 before next season begins, and the All-Star seasons are gone. But he's still one of the most skilled big men in the NBA, and he did average 17 points and nine rebounds per game last season. Gasol's best role going forward might be as a third big man or as a frontcourt co-star to a more brawny big man. The perfect fit, actually, might be next to his brother Marc Gasol in Memphis, depending on what happens with Zach Randolph. One issue worth watching is whether Pau, who has made a lot of money in his NBA career, is willing to sacrifice a big contract to contend for a third championship. If so, he could land with a contender on a cheap, short deal and make a big difference. 19. Avery Bradley Restricted Avery Bradley is still a mystery after four years in the league. Well, he's not so much a mystery as an odd young player. He has the size of a point guard, but might have the worst court vision among all NBA guards. He's a decent scorer and hit 40 percent of his three-pointers last season, but certainly isn't a big-time offensive weapon. But his defense is rather brilliant, especially against quick guards. He's like a smaller Tony Allen. Valuing defense appropriately for everyone but centers is difficult work, and pricing it is even tougher. And so there is the story of Avery Bradley's free agency. No one knows what to expect. 20. Paul Pierce The Truth will be 37 before next season begins. He's officially at the point in his career where signing him to a multi-year deal is a risk, because his production has slipped. It's hard to tell what's a function of his inability to get shots off as he slows down vs. the impact of that stacked Brooklyn offense, which served to deflate everyone's usage rate. The good news is that Pierce was still rather efficient this season, and that he's unlikely to make huge financial demands. He could be a really good pick-up for the right team if he doesn't commit to staying in Brooklyn. 21. Jordan Hill He only played 20 minutes per game under Mike D'Antoni, but the stats suggest Jordan Hill is actually pretty darn good as a roleplaying center. He's an excellent rebounder, a decent shotblocker and a solid scorer who shoots efficiently so long as he stays away from the long twos. On-off data isn't kind, though, and that should make teams hesitant to give him the farm. But he's potentially a Robin Lopez type for teams looking to add depth up front. 22. Channing Frye Player option Frye was due $6.8 million in 2014-15, but he opted out to seek a long-term deal. He's 31 years old and had a major health scare in 2012 (a heart issue that cost him a season), but he also seems to love Phoenix and the Suns organization. So whether he'll be a free agent is a toss-up, in my mind. If he is on the market, Frye is a classic stretch-four with a history of making his team better. More than half of his shots last season were threes, and for his career he hits them at a 38-percent rate. He's not a prolific scorer (under 15 points per 36 minutes traditionally) and he's an atrocious rebounder. But Phoenix's overall numbers are much better when he's on the floor. He'll be popular among teams looking for shooting. 23. Trevor Ariza Contract Year Trevor Ariza is a thing. It landed Ariza a nice, fat contract back in 2009, and it will do the same in 2014. That's why I have him ranked lower than you might expect: His career shooting numbers are way different than his 2013-14 shooting numbers, and without an elite point guard like John Wall the assumption is that he'll be taking bad threes once again. Either way, Ariza is a fine defender, so he gets plenty of credit for that. If he's not hitting his shots, he offers little else on offense, however. Last season he shot well above league average. But he was below average -- sometimes massively so -- in each of the five previous seasons. With Ariza's shooting, you can look at last season or you can look at his NBA body of work. That determines how much value you find in him. 24. Shaun Livingston Livingston is one of the better back-up point guards in the NBA. That's a big thing given how important lead guards have become to most NBA offenses. The Nets relied on Livingston as Deron Williams struggled with injury and consistency during the 2013-14 season, and you have to believe Brooklyn will make a major play to bring him back. He would appear to be a strong candidate for the mini mid-level otherwise, with lots of teams looking for depth at the position. 25. Spencer Hawes Hawes is like Ariza in that his 2013-14 shooting percentages were great... but his history points to a less efficient gunner. Hawes is a stretch-five who took 300 threes last season, hitting 40 percent of them. He's a mediocre rebounder, decent shotblocker and pretty good passer, as well. His overall defense is dicey. He's basically a bigger, younger Frye without a much shorter track record of hitting his outside shots consistently. He'd be a nice Plan B for teams looking to add some frontcourt shooting. 26. Greivis Vasquez Restricted Vasquez has a pretty special combination: He's big and he's an incredible passer. The problem is that he lacks lateral quickness, and is a step slower than his contemporaries overall. He's also not a totally intuitive scorer and is an inconsistent shooter. But on a team with strong finishers, he's a huge offensive asset. You'll just need to play him with a guard who can cover the league's speedsters and surround him with shooting. 27. Anthony Morrow Player Option Shooting has never been more important in the NBA, and there are few shooters better than Anthony Morrow. Ergo, Anthony Morrow is important! A career 42 percent from beyond the arc, Morrow has racked up triples at every stop. The problem is that's pretty much all he does. Still, he'd be a huge boon for teams needing range. The Kings should be chasing him hard. 28. Vince Carter Even at age 37, Carter remains a really solid supplemental scorer who doesn't hurt the team when he's on the court. He moves the ball well, can play a little defense and rebounds as well as most two-guards. His shooting is a bit more erratic, but he also claimed a higher than expected usage rate (23 percent) this season; lowering that by shooting less frequently could buoy his percentages as he plays out his career. He would appear to have at least two more decent seasons remaining, though there's always a chance an older player could just blow up and give you nothing. 29. Marvin Williams Williams' career has never come together. He'll be 28 heading into next season, though, and his full name is Marvin Gaye Williams Jr., so... there's a lot to like. The biggest problem with Williams is that he's remarkably passive on offense, with a supremely low usage rate (16.7 percent last season). He has the physical attributes to be an offensive force, but has never been assertive. It may be folly, but the right coach could turn Williams into something valuable. That's odd to say about a nine-year veteran. But Williams has been pretty good as recently as three years ago, and appears to have plenty of mileage left. Here's to second third chances. 30. Darren Collison Player option Collison is what he's been his whole career, and what he'll probably be for another six years: reliable and solid. Unlike many speed demon point guards, Collison isn't horribly erratic, a feast or famine type. He just plays his game, delivering the ball in decent spots, offering up some scoring and challenging opponents on defense. Fans may bemoan that he's not as explosive as you'd hope he would be, but reliability is an underrated attribute. 31. Nick Young Player option Nick Young was one of the NBA's best scorers this season. That's not an exaggeration: he averaged almost 22 points per 36 minutes at efficiency better than league average. Unfortunately, that could be a fluke -- he's never scored that frequently or efficiently in the past -- and he doesn't do much else of value on the court. He's an excellent option as a bench scorer, though; he could win a Sixth Man Award before his career ends. 32. Rodney Stuckey At age 28, we know what Stuckey is in the NBA: a high-usage, low-efficiency scorer who can move the ball and has the physical make-up of a decent defender. Stuckey's best role going forward may be as a Jamal Crawford type, creating shots off the bench against bench defenders. Remember how maligned Crawford was earlier in his career. Volume scoring takes a different look depending on team quality and role. A mini mid-level might be in the cards for Stuckey. Dallas seems like an appropriate destination. 33. Nate Robinson Player option UPDATE: Robinson elected to decline his player option and stay with Denver. Nate Rob continues to do what he continues to do: score a bunch. He's been successful in every post-Knicks stop, and if he leaves Denver he'll likely be successful again. He can be hot or cold on a nightly basis, but over the course of a season you know what you are likely to get: buckets galore. 34. Evan Turner No one knows what to do with Evan Turner. But he was Philadelphia's best player before he was a disaster in Indiana. Perhaps the wild role adjustment he faced with the Pacers was too much to handle mid-stream. Perhaps he can only thrive on a team lacking talent. Perhaps he just needs time to find his place in a new situation. Regardless, the Pacers' implosion killed Turner's value at the worst possible time. The best solution might be for Turner to sign the qualifying offer if Indiana extends it. (That is actually a
that will determine the future of software development. Sooner or later, this case will arrive before SCOTUS. Personally, I think the sooner it's decided that APIs cannot be copyrighted, the better. Related Stories:Alien Abduction Survey Alien Abduction Survey Have you been abducted? Take our free alien abduction survey and find out! Alien Abduction Survey This survey identifies typical experiences shared by many abductees. While it is not intended to cover all similarities, it lets you compare your experiences with those of known abductees. Your anonymous responses will be entered into the database and summarized on a future home page. This is an informal survey and not meant to replace a thorough evaluation. It should not be taken by individuals suffering from diagnosed psychiatric disorders. Answer each question with a "yes" or a "no" 1 Do you take more vitamins than most people? Yes No 2 Do you have sinus trouble or migraine headaches? Yes No 3 Do you feel you are psychic? Yes No 4 Do you secretly feel you are special or chosen? Yes No 5 Do you secretly fear being accosted or kidnapped if you do not constantly monitor your surroundings? Yes No 6 Do you have trouble sleeping through the night for unexplainable reasons? Yes No 7 Have you seriously considered or did you install a security system for your home even if there was no justification? Yes No 8 Do you have dreams of flying or being outside your body? Yes No 9 Do you dream about seeing UFOs, being inside UFOs, or interacting with UFO occupants? Yes No 10 As a child or teenager, was there a special place you secretly believed held a spiritual meaning just for you? Yes No 11 As a child or adult, did you ever hear a voice inside your head talking to you which wasn't your own? Yes No 12 Did you ever experience a period of time while awake where you could not remember what you had done during that period of time? This missing time may have been a half hour, several hours, a whole day or more. Do not answer "yes" for memory lapses due to highway driving, drinking binges, chronic pain, medical conditions, exhaustion, effects of medication, mind-altering substances, or being lost in reading a good book. Yes No 13 As a child or adult, have you seen faces or beings near you when in bed which were not explainable? Yes No 14 Have you ever seen a UFO? Yes No 15 Have you ever seen a UFO up close within short walking or driving distance? Yes No 16 If you have seen a UFO up close, were you strongly compelled to walk, drive or stand near it? Yes No or Not Applicable 17 Do you have a waking memory of being inside a UFO or interacting with its occupants? Yes No 18 Do you feel fear or anxiety over the subject of aliens or UFOs? Yes No 19 Have you had multiple sightings of UFOs? Yes No 20 Are you more sensitive to issues affecting the earth, its environment and all life forms than other people? Yes No 21 Do you have dreams where superior beings, angels, or aliens are educating you about mankind, the universe, global changes or future events? Yes No 22 Does your home have unexplainable sounds, apparitions, or unusual events which are attributed to ghosts? Yes No 23 As a child or adult, have you had nosebleeds or found blood stains on your pillow for unexplainable reasons? Yes No 24 Have x-rays or other procedures revealed unexplainable foreign objects lodged in your body? Yes No 25 Have you awakened to discover unexplainable marks or bruises on your body? Yes No 26 Your age: 19 or Under 20 - 29 30 - 39 40 - 49 50 - 59 60 - 69 70 - 79 80 and over 27 Your gender: Male Female 28 Your ethnicity: White Black Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander Native American 29 Do you want to receive a copy of Newsletter #1 which answers questions about the alien abduction survey in greater detail? Yes No 30 Count how many "yes" answers you have for questions 1 - 25. Put total "yes" answers in this box: Then click the button to get your score. * * * Enter your search terms Submit search form Web Search this Website Best Expressions Web Design & Hosting Alien Abduction Experience and Research Copyright �1996 - 2016. All Rights Reserved.Image copyright Getty Images A US jury has ordered technology giant Apple to pay more than $234m (£152m) in damages for patent infringement. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the patent licensing arm of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the verdict was important to guard its inventions from unauthorised use. The jury had earlier decided that Apple incorporated patented microchip technology into some iPhones and iPads without permission. Apple said it would appeal. The company declined to comment further. The amount was less than the foundation had claimed. It had originally sought as much as $862m. The sum was lower in part because the judge ruled that Apple had not wilfully infringed the patent. University of Wisconsin-Madison computer sciences professor Gurindar Sohi, one of the inventors of the microchip technology - designed to boost the performance of computer processors - was in the federal court in Madison, Wisconsin, for the decision. "For Dr Sohi, I hope you felt that your invention was vindicated,'' US District Judge William Conley said. 'Seminal work' Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, said: "This is a case where the hard work of our university researchers and the integrity of patenting and licensing discoveries has prevailed. "The jury recognised the seminal computer processing work that took place on our campus.'' The case relates to use of the technology in the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus - but an additional lawsuit making the same claim against Apple's newest models, the 6S and 6S Plus, has also been filed. The University of Wisconsin sued Intel over the same patent in 2008. That case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. Despite recent well-publicised truces between some big tech firms, fierce patent battles are still being fought in courts globally. A judge recently threw out claims by graphic card specialist Nvidia that Samsung and others had infringed three of its patents. Apple's annual revenue in 2014 was $182bn.Its seems that the defensive end of the Houston Texans, JJ Watt, can do it all this season. Not only is he a feared one-man wrecking crew on the defensive front, but... In Week 2 against Oakland, Watt lined up at tight end and caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick. Two weeks later he intercepts a pass and rumbles 80 yards for a score against Buffalo. It's what everybody has come to expect of Watt, who seems a threat to raise the bar for defensive linemen every time the ball is snapped. But he continues to surprise his fans, and fans of football... off the field. Last week on his way home, Watt saw a pee wee football team practicing. He stopped by and gave an impromptu inspirational speech to the young players that no one there will ever forget. One of the players, Roman LoPreto said: When our coach, [Fred Weary - former offensive guard for the Houston Texans] told us we had a special guest speaker... I couldn't believe my eyes when JJ Watt walked up. It was an inspiration to have my idol walk up and stand less than three feet away from me. I want to play in the NFL one day and I know the words JJ Watt told me with stay with me forever. Another player, Drew stated, "It made me want to try harder in football and listen to my coaches."Police-reported hate crimes in Canada rose in 2016 for the third year in a row, and became much more violent, according to new data from Canada's national statistical agency. Statistics Canada said Tuesday that attacks against a person’s sexual orientation, as well as people identified as South Asian, Arab or West Asian, East or Southeast Asian ethnicities, and as Jewish, all saw increases. The increase in hate crimes coincides with a surge in rallies organized by far-right groups in Canada. Last weekend, tensions flared at dueling far-right and anti-fascist demonstrations in Quebec City, prompting dozens of arrests. Earlier this month, discriminatory posters appeared on the University of Victoria campus. The year began with a violent mass shooting that left six men dead in January at a Quebec City mosque. There were 1,409 police-reported hate crimes in Canada last year, the data agency said. That is up from 1,362 in 2015, 1,295 in 2014 and 1,167 in 2013, a year which saw a drop from 2012. Last year's number of hate crimes also registered well above the average number of incidents (1,360) since data became available in 2009. Violent hate-motivated crimes such as assault, threats, and criminal harassment also jumped to 563 in 2016, up 16 per cent from the year prior. The most violent hate crimes targeted sexual orientation. There were 176 police-reported hate crimes against sexual orientation in 2016, an increase of 35 from 2015, spread across the country from British Columbia to Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. Almost three-quarters of hate crimes motivated by hatred of the victim's sexual orientation were violent, police data show, compared to 45 per cent targeting ethnicity and 27 per cent targeting religion. Meanwhile, the 214 crimes targeting Black populations in 2016 remained by far the most common type of police-reported hate crime in Canada, at 15 per cent of all such crime. Police-reported hate crimes against the Jewish population also climbed to 221 incidents in 2016, 43 more than the year prior. The spike in anti-Jewish crimes were concentrated in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba. South Asians were attacked in 72 police-reported incidents in 2016, 24 more than the year prior, a spike concentrated in B.C. and Ontario, while those identified as Arab or West Asian were attacked in 112 incidents, 20 more than in 2015, with increases concentrated in Quebec. There were also 61 police-reported hate crimes against East or Southeast Asians, concentrated in B.C. Last year, Statistics Canada said incidents targeting Muslims drove a rise in hate crimes in 2015. There continued to be police-reported hate crimes against Muslims, Catholics and Aboriginal peoples in 2016, although these categories declined in 2016 compared to the year prior. Muslims suffered 139 hate crimes in 2016 according to police data, 20 fewer than in 2015. There were also 27 hate crimes against Catholics, down from 55 in 2015. The data only covers criminal incidents that are found by police upon investigation to have been motivated by hate against a defined group. The data agency cautions that police data on hate crimes “likely undercounts the true extent of hate crime in Canada,” as victims aren’t always willing to come forward, and police may not have the expertise or resources to identify the crime. For example, the 2014 General Social Survey on Victimization, which measures self-reported Canadian hate crimes, showed that two-thirds of the 330,000 criminal incidents seen by victims as hate-motivated were not reported to police. This story was produced thanks to readers like you. You can help, too. Please provide your support here.The Mad Max game (2015) is loaded with small details that make the world feel like a living breathing entity. The wasteland is full of lore and history which shows in every area. Everything in the environment was placed with gentle care. Quest items are hinted at through decorations in the world. To illustrate this, I’ve collected the top five small details that make Mad Max great. Thrall Rustlers: Slavery plays a big part in the wasteland. A handful of main characters are slaves. Nearly every camp has slave cages. The player hears a lot of discussion about the slave trade, yet there aren’t slave caravans or opportunities to free slaves in the game. What there is however, is a very interesting idea. They only appear in one mission before Max wipes them out, but the Thrall Rustlers have a very cool concept. A slaving guild that only kidnaps people with strange deformities or useful skills. Had this been developed a bit more, this could have been an impressive faction. For the Thrall Rustlers quest, I would have enjoyed seeing Max use Chumbucket as bait (since he is a renowned mechanic with a deformity), then follow the slavers to their hideout. This would also better establish the relationship between Max and Chum. There was a lot of opportunity in this quest for something really interesting, if only it had been given an extra push. Christmas in Underdune: Upon driving into the legendary Underdune for the first time, I was floored by the amount of detail. The player is tasked with getting a garland of electric lights from this buried airport. What’s impressive is that it’s not without reason. There is a logical explanation as to why there are electric lights in Underdune. It was Christmas time before the fall. The player can recognize this as soon as they enter the airport’s largest cavern. The lobby is decorated with hanging metal wreathes, long ago stripped of their leaves, but still identifiable because of the ribbons hanging from their bases. There’s also a large golden star hanging from the ceiling in that same cavern. It’s one thing to send players into a deathtrap for a McGuffin, it’s another to let them know why the item is there. This is great environmental storytelling. Livable Camps: Every camp in the wasteland looks like a place that people could realistically live in. Care was taken to add animals cages, beds, toilets, and knick knacks to every single location. Again, the world doesn’t just feel lived in, it feels alive. At certain locations (specifically scavenger locations in Dump), Warboys can be seen gazing upon the landscape or resting in their beds. Unlike the raiders in Fallout 3, who are on constant patrol for enemies, the Warboys in Mad Max have duties (though small and scripted) beyond waiting for the player to show up. It’s a small detail, but it brings the world to life. Max’s Leg: You can’t have Mad Max without his iconic leg brace. Avalanche took great care with this seemingly tiny detail. When Max falls from a great height, he struggles to walk for a few dozen steps. The farther Max falls, the greater his injury. During my last playthrough, Max fell down a slope somewhere in Gutgash territory. When he finally stood up, I realized he was actually holding his brace and was unable to move for a few seconds. This tiny detail adds a lot of character, separating Max from other generic video game protagonists. Knowing that someone took the time to animate Max holding his leg, the player can tell that a lot of love went into this game. 5. Language: I’ve often thought what separates good fiction from great fiction is in-universe language and phrases. Tolkien created the Elven language for the world of Middle Earth. Frank Herbert included a glossary with Dune. Likewise, the Mad Max game reflects a world where society has collapsed and formal education is a myth. Phrases become muddled. Letters and numbers disappear as tribal cultures takes over the wasteland. Occasionally while passing a balloon, Chumbucket will say (and this is reflected in the subtitles) “Look! A Hoddarballoon!” This is a great and subtle example of a fluid wasteland language. Chumbucket has never seen the words “hot air balloon” in writing, he only imitates what others have said until the three words become one muddled idea. This is just one instance of how the developers changed language in Mad Max; combined with other terms like “Kamakrazee” and “Lighties,” the player understand that this world is not the same Max was born into. Furthering the collapse of the English language in the Wasteland, the player will notice that written language has been replaced with hieroglyphics. Carved into a flatscreen in Deep Friah’s temple is a sacred location described through pictures. This is the first of several treasure hunts involving pictures. During other quests, Max will hunt for treasure using images of the old world, rather than specific locations. Written English only exists on crumpled photographs and weathered road signs. This is surprisingly effective in building the theme that the civilized world is gone forever. Did you witness any other small details in the Mad Max game? If so, please share in the comments section!2014-05-20 Sisi diff sarmatiko May 20th, 2014 3,200 Never 3,200Never Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features! rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint text 98.62 KB [+] - new item [-] - removed item [*] - changed item (x => y) - group changes [+] - effect or attribute has been added to item [-] - effect or attribute has been removed from item [y] - effect is implemented [n] - effect is not implemented Items: [*] Station Container [*] volume: 1000000.0 => 2000000.0 [*] Bustard [-|y] eliteIndustrialShieldBoostAmountElite1 [-|y] shipBonusCargoCI [-|y] zColinShieldHPPerLvl [+|n] eliteIndustrialABHeatBonus [+|n] eliteIndustrialArmorHardenerHeatBonus [+|n] eliteIndustrialArmorRepairHeatBonus [+|n] eliteIndustrialFleetCapacity1 [+|n] eliteIndustrialMWDHeatBonus [+|n] eliteIndustrialReactiveArmorHardenerHeatBonus [+|n] eliteIndustrialShieldBoosterHeatBonus [+|n] eliteIndustrialShieldHardenerHeatBonus [+|n] eliteIndustrialShieldResists2 [+|n] shipBonusShieldBoostCI2 [-] shipBonusHPExtender1: 5.0 [*] agility: 0.93 => 1.0 [*] armorHP: 2391.0 => 2300.0 [*] 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=> 371000.0 [*] shieldCapacity: 1266.0 => 1000.0 [*] shieldKineticDamageResonance: 0.3 => 0.15 [*] shieldThermalDamageResonance: 0.6 => 0.4 [*] signatureRadius: 115.0 => 120.0 [*] Alpha Hull Mod Reinforced Bulkheads [-|y] modifyMaxVelocityOfShipOnline [+|y] cargoCapacityMultiply [-] maxVelocityBonus: 0.95 [+] cargoCapacityMultiplier: 0.95 [*] Basic Reinforced Bulkheads [-|y] modifyMaxVelocityOfShipOnline [+|y] cargoCapacityMultiply [-] maxVelocityBonus: 0.95 [+] cargoCapacityMultiplier: 0.95 [*] Beta Hull Mod Reinforced Bulkheads [-|y] modifyMaxVelocityOfShipOnline [+|y] cargoCapacityMultiply [-] maxVelocityBonus: 0.93 [+] cargoCapacityMultiplier: 0.93 [*] Local Hull Conversion Reinforced Bulkheads I [-|y] modifyMaxVelocityOfShipOnline
a lot more criminal behavior because of it.” Nothing could be further from the truth, said Dan Skye, editor in chief of High Times magazine, which is staging the event. “It’s a legal practice,” Skye said of medical marijuana use in California. “People are medical patients, and they are allowed to use their medicine. There’s nothing bad about it. We’re dealing with these kind of stone-age attitudes.” CANNABIS SHOWCASE The cannabis and hemp expo at the state-owned Orange Show started Saturday, Feb. 7. The event, in its third year in San Bernardino, is not open to minors. It celebrates “the incredibly diverse and emerging medical marijuana movement,” the event’s website boasts. Festivalgoers with a medical marijuana recommendation get a wristband allowing them to enter a fenced-off area where they can consume pot legally. The aroma of weed permeated the air Saturday afternoon as visitors smoked marijuana through glass pipes at dozens of booths. “Of course you’re going to have a bunch of people coming to get high,” said Chris Stearns, a 31-year-old San Diego resident who attended the event. “It’s called High Times for a reason.” Pot lovers indulged in medicated hot wings, cannabis cake, and other drug-laced sweets. Even canines weren’t left behind, as dog owners could purchase hemp-derived treats for their furry friends. When they weren’t taking bong hits, festivalgoers stopped at tables showcasing glassware, vaporizers and other drug paraphernalia. Collectibles offered different quantities of marijuana for sale with names such as “moonrocks” and “superbuds.” Outside the consumption area, guests could attend seminars on “cannabis use for enhanced creativity,” “the evolution of organic horticulture,” “the emerging edibles industry,” and how to avoid upsetting “your cannabusiness clientele.” They also could pick up literature on pot legalization and purchase clothes and other products made with hemp. It’s not the last Inland event to extol the virtues of marijuana. Blaze ‘N’ Glory, a music and cannabis culture festival, comes in May to San Manuel Amphitheater, the Devore venue owned by San Bernardino County. Hempcon Cup, billed as America’s largest cannabis industry, health, lifestyle and culture event of the year, arrives at the Orange Show in November. QUESTIONS RISE While marijuana-themed events are a trip for pot supporters, they’re a downer for others who say they send the wrong message. Francisco Pegueros, president and CEO of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), is among the foes. The Inglewood-based group works with police agencies that talk to kids about the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. “The more frequently these types of events occur, and the more mainstream they are viewed as, the perception of harm is reduced,” Pegueros said. Skye disagreed, saying public attitudes are shifting in favor of marijuana. Californians’ support for legalizing pot grew from 13 percent in 1969 to 55 percent in December 2013, according to a Field Poll. In 1996, state voters passed the Compassionate Use Act, which allowed marijuana to be grown, distributed and used for medical purposes. Full legalization, which would allow recreational use, may be coming to California next year if a potential initiative passes. MORE MARIJUANA, MORE PROBLEMS? Marijuana-themed events are nothing new at the Orange Show, which hosted Cypress Hill’s Smokeout music and medical marijuana festival starting in 1998 and continuing on and off through 2012. San Bernardino should look into what can be done to stop marijuana-friendly events, said Mulvihill, the councilman. He said he’s disappointed the Orange Show allows pot-themed events. Dan Jimenez, Orange Show general manager, could not be reached for comment late this week. “I would suspect people will be bringing marijuana and sharing it,” Mulvihill said. “That sounds to me like it’s going to create a very permissive environment around the Orange Show.” Skye, the High Times editor, said those entering Cannabis Cup won’t be searched for marijuana. He compared the atmosphere at the High Times’ event to a typical concert. “At any festival, whether it’s a music festival or anything, people light up,” Skye said. “People smoke marijuana out in the open.” A San Bernardino police spokesman said pot-themed events don’t generate more arrests than rock concerts and other shows at the fairgrounds. Illegal activity “occurs at a lot of events in the city, not just marijuana events,” Lt. Rich Lawhead said. “Historically, we haven’t had a whole lot of enforcement issues that I can recall over the last few years at these type of events.” The Orange Show has a security force and picks up the tab for city police officers to work overtime at the event, Lawhead said. High Times also hires its own security company, Skye said. Police will be there to prevent illegal smoking and make arrests if they catch anyone lighting up outside the designated area, Lawhead said. NICE ‘WEATHER AND WEED’ Meanwhile, San Bernardino County officials are gearing up for Blaze ‘N’ Glory on May 15 and 16. The music and cannabis culture festival is on the grounds surrounding the amphitheater at Glen Helen Regional Park. The county-owned amphitheater is operated by way of a contract with promoter Live Nation. A contract provision requires the county to be notified when an event is scheduled, but the county can’t pick and choose what shows or acts are booked, county spokesman David Wert said. Under the contract, Live Nation arranges and pays for private security and reimburses the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for overtime costs to staff events, Wert said. Some arrests and medical issues happen at most events, Wert said, but “it doesn’t seem to be any more for a rave than it is for a country concert.” “Unfortunately, any time you get 20,000 or more people together in one place, there’s going to be a few knuckleheads,” he said. The county has strongly urged Live Nation to ensure that Blaze ‘N’ Glory “is not promoted, billed, themed or conducted as a marijuana-friendly event,” Wert said. In a news release announcing Blaze ‘N’ Glory, the band Pepper is quoted as saying, “It’s basically Christmas with better weather and weed.” Festival producers Live Nation and SGE couldn’t be reached for comment by their spokeswoman, Kristine Ashton-Magnuson. In neighboring Riverside, promoters haven’t inquired about putting on a pot-themed event at the Riverside Convention Center, said Debbi Guthrie, senior vice president of Raincross Hospitality Corp., the company contracted by the city of Riverside to manage the facility. Each request is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Whether it’s approved would depend on the quality of business, time and day of the week, history of the event in other cities and the type of crowd it attracts, Guthrie said. Moreno Valley resident Rolando Tolentino, 34, was part of the enthusiastic throng at Cannabis Cup Saturday. It was his first pot festival. “Right now, I’m getting high with the honey,” he said, showing a small bottle of honey made with hemp seed oil. “I love it, I love it, I love it. I found my new Disneyland.” Contact the writer: [email protected] Just Set a Wind Power Record…Again Wind turbines are as ubiquitous as clogs, Legos and tall people in Denmark. Unlike the latter three, though, Denmark’s wind turbines were busy setting a world record in 2015. According to Energinet, Denmark’s electric utility, the country’s turbines accounted for the equivalent of 42 percent of all electricity produced for the year. It’s the highest proportion for any country — breaking a record the country set just last year — ​and represents more than a doubling compared to just 10 years ago. A wind turbine in Hvide Sande, Denmark. Credit: Vesta Wind Systems A/S There are other countries that generate more wind energy each year, but Denmark gets the largest chunk of its energy from wind by far. The government has committed to generating 50 percent of its energy from wind by 2020 and 84 percent by 2035. Denmark is part of the European Union, which committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 at the recent Paris climate talks. In western Denmark, the heart of the country’s wind industry, turbines spun up more energy than the region could use for more than 16 percent of the year, letting the country sell some of its surplus power to its Scandinavian neighbors (though on less gusty days, Denmark also bought nuclear, hydro and solar power back from them). The sheer number of turbines is one key ingredient for generating a huge amount of wind power. The other is, of course, wind, and as luck would have it, the winds blew harder than normal last year (note this is probably not due to El Niño for a change). The amount of offshore wind generated in Denmark is also staggering. The country has more than 1,200 megawatts of generating capacity already installed and two other major projects in the works that will generate an estimated 1,000 megawatts, or enough to power 300,000 American homes. In comparison, the U.S. has a whopping zero megawatts of offshore generating capacity, representing what scientists say is a huge “missed opportunity” for clean energy. That’s slated to change in 2016 with the Block Island facility set to open off of Rhode Island. It’ll only have 30 megawatts of generating capacity, but hey, you have to start somewhere. You May Also Like: Gulf of Maine Fishermen Face Warming ‘Double Whammy’ States’ Electricity Goals Have Limited Reach: Study Warming Could Mean Major Thaw For Alaska Permafrost Citing Climate Change, Obama Halts Federal Coal LeasingNEW YORK (Reuters) - An experimental Ebola vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline caused no serious side effects and produced an immune response in all 20 healthy volunteers who received it in an early-stage clinical trial, scientists reported on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The trial, which began on Sept. 2 and will monitor the volunteers for 48 weeks, is primarily aimed at assessing how safe the vaccine is. But the immune response offered hope that it would also be effective. “The safety profile is encouraging, as is the finding that the higher dose of vaccine induced an immune response quite comparable to that which has completely protected (lab) animals from Ebola,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is conducting the trial in Bethesda, Maryland. The intramuscular vaccine was developed at NIAID and Okairos, a biotechnology company acquired by GlaxoSmithKline. It contains genetic material from two Ebola strains - Zaire, responsible for the current outbreak in West Africa, and Sudan - but no virus, so it cannot cause the disease. Because it is unethical to expose volunteers to Ebola, researchers assess the effectiveness of candidate vaccines by whether they trigger production of anti-Ebola antibodies and immune-system T cells. The trial enrolled volunteers ages 18 to 50. Half received a lower dose and half a higher dose. All 20 developed anti-Ebola antibodies within four weeks, with those on the higher dose producing more. Dose also affected production of T cells; seven of 10 people on the high dose produced one crucial kind of T cell, but only two on the low dose did. The higher the dose required to trigger immunity, the more challenging and expensive it will be to produce large quantities of vaccine, manufacturers say. Dr. Daniel Bausch of Tulane University, who wrote an accompanying commentary, called the results promising but cautioned that there are many more challenges ahead before the vaccine’s safety and efficacy are established. Another GlaxoSmithKline vaccine, against the Zaire strain, is undergoing safety trials in England, Mali and Switzerland, while one from Iowa-based NewLink Genetics is being tested in Maryland. This week, Merck announced that it would buy the rights to NewLink’s vaccine for $50 million. A trial of an Ebola vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is scheduled to start in January.Citizens for Tax Justice point out what I was saying just the other day: We only hear all this crying and moaning about the deficit when it's something for regular working people, and not a powerful lobby. And of course, the Republican'ts are right out there in front of the Hypocrisy Parade: And yet, many of the lawmakers who argue that the health care reform legislation is “too costly” are the same lawmakers who supported the Bush tax cuts. Their own voting record demonstrates that health care reform is not a matter of costs, but a matter of priorities. It’s difficult to see how the Bush tax cuts could provide us with two and a half times the benefits of health care reform. In 2010, when all the Bush tax cuts are finally phased in, a staggering 52.5 percent of the benefits will go to the richest 5 percent of taxpayers. President Bush and his supporters argued that these high-income tax cuts would benefit everybody because they would unleash investment that would spark widespread economic prosperity. There seems to be no evidence of this, particularly given the collapse of the economy at the end of the Bush years. The tax legislation enacted under President George W. Bush from 2001 through 2006 will cost $2.48 trillion over the 2001-2010 period. This includes the revenue loss of $2.11 trillion that results directly from the Bush tax cuts as well as the $379 billion in additional interest payments on the national debt that we must make since the tax cuts were deficit-financed. [...] Over the upcoming decade (2010-2019), the costs of the health care proposals approved by three committees in the U.S. House of Representatives are projected to be around $1 trillion. (One committee trimmed the costs of its health care bill below that amount, but an official estimate of the cost reductions was not available at the time of this writing.) The chairmen of the three House committees have explicitly stated that their goal is a final bill that is deficit-neutral in the decade following enactment. It’s unclear if they have accomplished this yet, since the Congressional Budget Office has not yet issued final cost estimates of the bills, and the legislation is likely to change before the full House votes on a final bill. But President Obama and Democratic leaders have also committed to ensuring that health care reform will not increase the budget deficit. Under the House bills, roughly half of the costs would be offset with savings in our existing health care programs, while the other half would be offset with a surcharge on the incomes of wealthy taxpayers. In contrast, President Bush and his allies in Congress never even attempted to replace the revenue lost as a result of their enormous tax cuts. The Bush tax cuts were deficit-financed, which increased the national debt and resulted in greater interest payments on that debt, as already explained. These figures make clear that costs cannot be the real concern of lawmakers who oppose the House health care legislation and yet supported the Bush tax cuts. Their position seems to be that showering benefits on the wealthiest five percent of taxpayers and leaving the bill for future generations is preferable to making health care available for all at a much lower cost and paying that cost up front. That demonstrates a different set of priorities than most Americans have, but it doesn’t demonstrate much concern about costs.Atlus Japan has recently filed nine different trademarks for various corporate names related to video games. In June 2017, three similar trademarks were filed for “Atlus Games,” “Atlus Studio,” and “Studio Atlus.” All nine trademarks relate to the following Japanese trademark classifications: Class 9: Video game software for dedicated video game consoles. Video game software for dedicated video game consoles. Class 28: Arcade video game machines and video game consoles. Arcade video game machines and video game consoles. Class 41: Electronic publishing for entertainment locations. Atlus Game Works Application Number: 2017-135291 2017-135291 Trademark: [image] [image] Applicant: Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus Co., Ltd. Application Date: September 28, 2017 September 28, 2017 Class: 9, 28, 41 Atlus Interactive Application Number: 2017-135292 2017-135292 Trademark: [image] [image] Applicant: Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus Co., Ltd. Application Date: September 28, 2017 September 28, 2017 Class: 9, 28, 41 Atlus Entertainment Application Number: 2017-135293 2017-135293 Trademark: [image] [image] Applicant: Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus Co., Ltd. Application Date: September 28, 2017 September 28, 2017 Class: 9, 28, 41 Atlus Development Studio Application Number: 2017-135294 2017-135294 Trademark: [image] [image] Applicant: Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus Co., Ltd. Application Date: September 28, 2017 September 28, 2017 Class: 9, 28, 41 Atlus Entertainment Development Application Number: 2017-135295 2017-135295 Trademark: [image] [image] Applicant: Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus Co., Ltd. Application Date: September 28, 2017 September 28, 2017 Class: 9, 28, 41 Atlus Game Studio Application Number: 2017-135296 2017-135296 Trademark: [image] [image] Applicant: Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus Co., Ltd. Application Date: September 28, 2017 September 28, 2017 Class: 9, 28, 41 Atlus Softworks Application Number: 2017-135297 2017-135297 Trademark: [image] [image] Applicant: Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus Co., Ltd. Application Date: September 28, 2017 September 28, 2017 Class: 9, 28, 41 Atlus Software Application Number: 2017-135298 2017-135298 Trademark: [image] [image] Applicant: Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus Co., Ltd. Application Date: September 28, 2017 September 28, 2017 Class: 9, 28, 41 Atlus Game Factory Application Number: 2017-135299 2017-135299 Trademark: [image] [image] Applicant: Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus Co., Ltd. Application Date: September 28, 2017 September 28, 2017 Class: 9, 28, 41 What these trademarks would be used for is unknown, and so is the matter of them surfacing in any relevant way in the future. Previous Trademark The most recent previously registered Atlus related trademark was “Shin Megami Tensei Liberation,” filed by Atlus Co., Ltd. on September 8, 2017 presumably for Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation. — @trademark_bot via The Official Trademark GazetteBorn and raised just outside of Boston, Trail Blazers forward Noah Vonleh has understandably been a New England Patriots fan his entire life. But when Super Bowl LI rolls around on Sunday, Vonleh may find himself cheering just a little bit for the Atlanta Falcons, the Patriots' opponent in the big game. Falcons' star running back Tevin Coleman is Vonleh's second cousin. The Blazer forward's mother is a cousin to Coleman's father, giving the family two professional sports careers to follow. "We’re pretty close," Vonleh said of his relationship with the Falcons running back. "He’s on my mom’s side of my family; we used to go to family reunions and hang out together, play football and stuff. We talk every now and then. We’re both playing professional sports, but every now and then we check in on each other. We’ll try to link up this summer. I know our schedules are pretty different, but we’re gonna try to find time to hang out like when we were younger." Though Vonleh grew up in New England and Coleman was raised in the Chicagoland area, the cousins' time intersected in college as Vonleh played one season at Indiana University while Coleman starred for the Hoosiers' football program for three years to earn unanimous All-American honors as a junior. The short time together in Bloomington provided the two a chance to grow closer. "We hung out from time to time," Vonleh looked back on their time at Indiana. "He was on the football team, I was on the basketball team so our schedules were kinda different. Whenever we got the chance, we hung out." Though loyal to his family, Vonleh will still be unequivocally cheering for the Patriots on Sunday -- though he hopes to see Coleman have a good showing versus New England. "I hope he has a great game, but I’m gonna go with the home squad," he said. "That’s who I’ve been going with for most of my life, I’m definitely sticking with them and repping them to the fullest, but I hope [Coleman] has a great game." As for Vonleh's fellow New Englanders in Rip City, guards Pat Connaughton and Shabazz Napier are just as amped for the game, while fellow Massachusetts native Jake Layman is currently with the D-League Windy City Bulls. Connaughton, for one, is quite confident in quarterback Tom Brady's chances of delivering a fifth Super Bowl ring to the Patriots organization. "I think TB12 [Brady], the GOAT [greatest of all-time], will prevail as usual," Connaughton said with Boston pride. "I’m excited for it." As the lone represenative from Atlanta on the Blazers roster, forward Al-Farouq Aminu has had to put up with a lot of ribbing from Connaughton and others this week. "Every time me and Chief [Aminu] do something on the floor, I say it’s Patriots vs. Falcons," Connaughton said. "It gets me a little more focused for the competition." Added Aminu: "We got four guys from Boston, so it’s been pretty lopsided in fan support around here. There’s been a lot of [trash talk]. It’s been fun, though. I’m just glad they’re in the Super Bowl and hopefully they can win one. "It’s amazing, man," he continued. "It’s our second time in the Super Bowl. First time, we was doing the Dirty Bird. This time, It’s all about that offense that’s been doing really well." With a game in Oklahoma City tipping off at noon Pacific on Sunday and a 50-minute flight to Dallas following, the Blazers are likely to land well after the Super Bowl's 3:30 pm Pacific kickoff time. The team is doing all it can to fit Super Bowl viewing into their travel schedule. "Personally, I’m going to find a way for [Blazers video coordinator] Jon Yim to stream it live, somehow," Connaughton said. "If that doesn’t work out, I’ll be refreshing Twitter every few seconds. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have people send me text messages. We should land, hopefully, to get [in Dallas] by the second half. "By that time, it’s very possible that it could be over with the Patriots winning, you never know; the firepower of the Patriots can never be undermined."Caffeine. Bubbly. It's about time you two met. No, not that kind of bubbly. But we like where your head is at. We're talking about tonic water, the latest ingredient to show up in trendy espresso drinks. Unexpected? Definitely. But after one taste, we swear you'll be wondering: Where has this been all my life? The truth is, espresso tonics—sometimes called caffe tonics or black tonics—have been around for a while. They're on menus in trendsetting cities like Tokyo, Toronto, Melbourne, Stockholm, Helsinki and Berlin. And now they've touched down in San Francisco thanks to Kevin Bohlin, founder of 7-month-old Saint Frank Coffee shop, who discovered them through a Swedish micro-roaster at an international barista competition. The concept is as simple as it sounds: A long shot of espresso is poured over a fizzy glass of artisanal tonic water on ice. But the result is surprisingly complex—a sweet and citrusy, creamy and effervescent, so-beautiful-you-can't-help-but-Instagram-it concoction with a Guinness-style frothy head. It's a cup of coffee and a palate cleanser all in one. How to Make Your First Espresso Tonic Pulling one off actually takes some know-how, Bohlin says: "First off, not just any combination of espresso and tonic will do." He tasted through eight brands of tonic—some too lemony, some too bitter—before finding a just-right fit in Fever Tree. The second secret, he says, is pulling an espresso shot with a clean, non-bitter profile that complements the tonic. "We use a single-origin Central American espresso—quintessentially clean and bright—and pull it much lighter to enhance the citric, fruit-forward quality." Finally, order matters. Start with six ounces of tonic water on the rocks, then slowly pour the two ounces of espresso on top. "If you pour them too fast or in the wrong order, it'll overflow," Bohliin says. Somewhere, a regular iced coffee weeps.Michael Reagan has come out swinging at his brother Ron Reagan, CNN and MSNBC for a controversial TV ad that promotes atheism. The conservative commentator took to Twitter on Friday to proclaim he was boycotting both cable news networks for running a 30-second spot that features his liberal brother plugging the Freedom from Religion Foundation. I AM BOYCOTTING BOTH.MSNBC, CNN airing FFRF's Ron Reagan endorsement ad - Freedom From Religion Foundation https://t.co/on3aVrGGYA — Michael Reagan (@ReaganWorld) March 3, 2017 He also said their father, the late Ronald Reagan, was "crying in heaven" over Ron's TV endorsement of the organization whose members do not believe in God. Our father is crying in heaven!MSNBC, CNN airing FFRF's Ron Reagan endorsement ad - Freedom From Religion Foundation https://t.co/7rVTSMajQx — Michael Reagan (@ReaganWorld) March 3, 2017 The ad is appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and the "Rachel Maddow Show," and on CNN's "CNN Newsroom," "The Lead with Jake Tapper" and "The Situation Room." In the ad, Ron looks into the camera and explains he is "an unabashed atheist, and I'm alarmed by the intrusion of religion into our secular government. "That's why I'm asking you to support the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the nation's largest and most effective association of atheists and agnostics, working to keep state and church separate, just like our Founding Fathers intended." Ron identifies himself as a "lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell." The ad had previously been refused by CBS, NBC, ABC and Discovery Science. The Freedom from Religion Foundation describes itself as "the nation's largest association of freethinkers (atheists and agnostics), with more than 27,000 members. It works as a state/church separation watchdog." This week, the foundation condemned a proposed West Virginia bill to name the Bible as the "official state book," calling it unconstitutional. And last month, its co-presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor wrote the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Energy and Natural Resources to question President Donald Trump's nomination of Dan Coats to be director of national intelligence. According to the FFRF, "throughout Coats' career, his religion has played an important role. He helped author Don't Ask, Don't Tell, has opposed gay marriage, and has vowed to 'defend the sanctity of life from the moment of conception' — all because of his religious beliefs." Ron has not yet responded to his brother's fiery remarks. The political beliefs of Michael and Ron have been like night and day for years, with Michael being an unabashed conservative like their father, the late President Ronald Reagan, and Ron being a card-carrying liberal and longtime atheist. Michael, 71, a Newsmax contributor, is the half-brother of Ron, 58. Michael was adopted as an infant by Ronald Reagan and his first wife, Oscar-winning star Jane Wyman. Ron is the only son of Ronald Reagan and his second wife, actress Nancy Davis.Black Merda ( BLAK MURD-ər)[a] is an American rock band from Detroit, active from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s and reuniting in 2005. The core band members are guitarist/vocalist Anthony Hawkins, bassist/guitarist/vocalist VC L. Veasey, and guitarist/vocalist Charles Hawkins, plus original drummer/vocalist Tyrone Hite. Hite was a native of Detroit; the Hawkins brothers and Veasey were all born in Mississippi and came of age in Detroit. History [ edit ] Early session and backup work [ edit ] Anthony Hawkins and VC Lamont Veasey (also known as VC L Veasey, Veesee L Veasey, The Mighty V!) met in elementary school. Hawkins and Tyrone Hite met in high school in Detroit in the early 1960s, and all worked as session and backup musicians in the Detroit scene in the following years. Hawkins and Veasey worked frequently as session musicians for companies such as Fortune Records, Golden World Studios, and producer Don Davis, while Hite worked in sessions originally as a singer before taking up the drums. Many singers and musicians would show up at the Hawkins house where most of the rehearsals would take place. Singers that would go on to great stardom, such as Stevie Wonder, David Ruffin, Gwen Owens, and Edwin Starr.[citation needed] Mrs. Hawkins' house was always filled with music almost every day of the week doing the early years of the group that would become known as Black Merda. Hawkins, Veasey, and Hite originally performed together as the Impacts, then as the Soul Agents backing up Edwin Starr, Gene Chandler, Wilson Pickett, The Spinners, The Artistics, Billy Butler, The Chi-Lites, Joe Tex, Jackie Wilson, The Temptations, and other soul/R&B acts affiliated with Motown and Brunswick Records. The Impacts were hired as the backing band for the 1965 single "Agent Double-O Soul" by Edwin Starr. Starr took them on as his permanent backing unit and dubbed them the Soul Agents. A horn section consisting of Victor Stubblefield and Gus Hawkins worked with the group periodically during this period. By 1967 the Soul Agents had appeared on the subsequent Starr singles "Twenty Five Miles" and the seminal "War". Hawkins and Veasey (who had been writing songs together since they were 14 years old) also scored as songwriters in 1967 with "I Will Fear No Evil" by Robert Ward (produced by Don Davis), the B-side of his hit "My Love Is Strictly Reserved For You". Hawkins, Veasey, and Hite (while working with Starr) began to move away from the standard R&B sounds of the period and became heavily influenced by the hard rock sounds of Cream, The Who, and especially Jimi Hendrix. Veasey had first learned of Hendrix from a Seattle newspaper story in 1966 while stationed with the military in Washington State. Veasey introduced Hawkins and Hite to the album Are You Experienced, and the three were inspired to refashion themselves as a rock power trio in the mold of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Still known as the Soul Agents, in 1967 the trio cut what is believed to be the first cover of a Hendrix song on record, a rendition of "Foxy Lady" that has become a rare collector's item. During this period, Charles Hawkins (younger brother of Anthony) was added on second guitar to broaden the group’s sound. Another influence on the group's new musical interests was the general shift in the R&B scene toward harder-edged soul and funk with socially conscious lyrics. As Black Merda [ edit ] Now a quartet with the addition of Charles Hawkins, the band continued working with Edwin Starr as the Soul Agents, with Starr approving of the change in sound to guitar-based psychedelic rock and funk. But in 1968 they decided to craft a new identity as a self-contained rock band. After considering the name Murder Incorporated after the notorious criminal organization Murder, Inc., the band settled on Black Murder (suggested by Veasey) as a comment on the rampant inner-city violence experienced by many African Americans during that period. Considering that many young black people were at that time being killed by the police and the Ku Klux Klan in Detroit and in the south, Veasey wanted to choose a name that would be a shocking reminder to the public of how bad the situation was. The spelling was later changed to Black Merda as an African American slang spelling (suggested by Anthony) of the word "murder" while retaining the original theme. Black Merda continued with Starr for a brief period, as well as backing The Temptations in 1969, but began to view the R&B scene as passé compared to the experimental rock and funk music of Hendrix and other young artists. Regardless, Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations expressed interest in producing Black Merda, and introduced them to like-minded singer Ellington "Fugi" Jordan. They collaborated with Fugi on his psychedelic funk song "Mary Don't Take Me on No Bad Trip", released by the Chess Records subsidiary Cadet (started by Marshall Chess, son of the Chess founders) in 1968, which became a popular single in Detroit, though Black Merda did not receive credit on the record. A full album of songs by Fugi in collaboration with Black Merda was recorded but was not released until 2005, under the title Mary Don't Take Me on No Bad Trip from the TuffCity/Funky Delicacies record label. Fugi also introduced the band to Marshall Chess, who was interested in working with rock and experimental acts. Marshall signed Black Merda on Fugi's recommendation alone. Black Merda’s debut album was released in 1970, and the band briefly became known as leaders among the burgeoning black rock and heavy funk scene that also included up-and-comers Funkadelic and The Bar-Kays. The album suffered from a lack of promotion due to management changes at Chess Records. Disillusioned, the band moved to California to back Fugi once more, as well as Eric Burdon and War. The band later returned to Detroit, but without Tyrone Hite, who decided to stay in California. Black Merda began work on their second album without an official drummer, with session drummer Bob Crowder being hired just before recording. The album Long Burn the Fire was released in 1972 by Chess subsidiary Janus Records, with only Veasey and the Hawkins brothers pictured on the sleeve. The band's name was changed to Mer-Da on the front cover of the album in an attempt at greater accessibility. The second album also suffered from poor promotion, and the band members later broke up and returned to more orthodox session work in soul and R&B. Reunion [ edit ] Black Merda in 2008 (L-R Charles Hawkins, Anthony Hawkins, VC L. Veasey) In 2005, the Funky Delicacies label released the compilation disc The Folks from Mother's Mixer, collecting all the songs from the two original albums, Black Merda and Long Burn the Fire. Thanks to the new attention brought by this compilation and a cult following that showed a growing interest in the obscure black rock of the early 1970s, the Hawkins brothers and Veasey reunited in 2005. (Hite had died in 2004). The reformed Black Merda has played at several festivals in Detroit and the surrounding region as well as New York's Central Park SummerStage concerts series and The Ottawa Blues Festival in 2006. A compilation of rarities titled The Psych-funk of Black Merda was released in 2006. The band has since released the albums Renaissance (2006) and Force of Nature (2009). The long-delayed appreciation for Black Merda's influence was further reflected in 2005 when rapper Ja Rule sampled their 1972 track "Lying" as the backing track for "Exodus Intro" on his Exodus album. In 2007 The Detroit Metro Times named the 1970 track "Cynthy-Ruth" as one of The 100 Greatest Detroit Songs Ever! Further recognition was garnered when "Cynthy-Ruth" was featured in the HBO documentary The Nine Lives Of Marion Barry that aired in August 2009. Kanye West sampled "Cynthy-Ruth" for use in the track "Teriya King" on the 2009 album Serious Japanese that he produced for Japanese rappers the Teriyaki Boyz. The band was featured in the Spinner.com article "In Living Color: 20 Important Black Rockers Past and Present" in 2010. "Take A Little Time," the single from the 2009 album Force Of Nature, was featured on the Mojo Magazine compilation Heavy Soul in 2010. Their self-titled 1970 debut album was chosen as one of "Detroit's greatest hits that should have been" by the Detroit Metro Times (November 10, 2010, Music Issue). Discography [ edit ] Albums Singles "Foxy Lady" – The Soul Agents (precursor to Black Merda, 1968) "Mary Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip" – Fuji featuring Black Merda (Cadet, 1969) "Cynthy-Ruth/Reality" (Chess 1970) "Prophet/Cynthy-Ruth" (Chess 1970) "Revelations" – Fuji featuring Black Merda (Cadet, 1970) "Red Moon" – Fugi featuring Black Merda (Grand Junction, 1971) "Take a Little Time" – (Vampi Soul, 2009) Notes [ edit ] References [ edit ]The father of two young girls rescued from the icy North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton Sunday afternoon is thanking the passerby and his dog who saved them. "I'm very grateful for Adam Shaw and his dog," said Cory Sunshine. "My girls are safe and sound. He is truly
Linhe, including 23 fellow health-care workers, and to the deaths of his father, mother, and wife. Li’s crime was a brief but violent outburst in a Linhe hospital, during which he attacked doctors for refusing to dress his dead father in appropriate funeral garb, out of their fear of contracting SARS. Li was scheduled for execution; his ultimate fate is still unknown. Other heads rolled after Li’s, though few were publicly revealed. Second, fever-check stations were installed at every transport hub, airport, truck stop, and site of public congregation in the country by May 10. In addition, every hotel, theater, hospital, and school conducted mandatory fever checks routinely through non-contact thermometer devices. On any given day in Beijing, I was subjected to more than a dozen fever checks, typically at the entries of buildings or after being pulled over along a roadway by police. Fever stations were staffed by local health departments’ personnel alongside visible authority figures — uniformed police or soldiers. Meanwhile, the most dramatic construction effort I have ever witnessed unfolded. On Beijing’s outskirts, in an unpopulated area, the government erected a 1,100-bed quarantine hospital with its own sewer-treatment system, water supply, and electricity supply — all built in just six days. I watched in astonishment as isolation rooms, complete with negative air pressure to prevent the virus from spreading to health workers, appeared almost as if by magic. Crew members toiled around the clock, creating from prefab modules a world-class infectious diseases hospital in less than a week. Anybody presenting with a fever at check stations in Beijing was masked, packed into an ambulance, and deposited in the new isolation facility. There were no human rights, civil liberties, or even tests to confirm SARS infection — a child might have strep throat, but his cough and fever were all police needed to drag him out of his mother’s arms and haul him away to the SARS quarantine hospital. The homes and families of fever patients were then quarantined by police. Residents had no right of refusal, and quarantine violation could be “prosecuted” immediately with the firing of a policeman’s pistol. Health authorities brought food and supplies to the quarantined households daily, examining each of the residents for SARS symptoms while they were there. Any fever or coughing would result in immediate transport to the isolation wards. This strategy was implemented the same way across the entire country, with hospitals that seemed to sprout up overnight and hundreds of thousands of people placed in isolation for their fevers. (The Chinese government never released an actual tally of the numbers of its citizens detained, forcibly hospitalized, executed, or imprisoned in relation to the SARS epidemic.) As I drove across the country, repeatedly pulling over to undergo mandatory inspections at police-manned fever stations, I feared something might make my temperature rise, putting me in a dreaded isolation ward. I popped aspirins several times a day as a precaution — a provision that could foil temperature-based surveillance. I recall in early May 2003 pulling into a highway checkpoint in the mountains of Shanxi to find a long line of 18-wheeler cargo trucks held in position by an armed officer. The truck drivers were a surly but obedient lot, submitting to fever tests and nervously watching health officials dressed in full PPE (personal protective equipment) spacesuits spray their truck cabs with disinfectants. Despite the gravity of the situation, I couldn’t help but laugh, imagining how a similar group of American truck drivers would behave, rifles hooked in their cabs, hearing CB radio warnings from other drivers, and demanding that the cops get the heck out of their way. By July 6, 2003, China officially declared its SARS epidemic over (a declaration certified by the WHO), and the country eagerly set out to socialize, making up for months of mandatory or self-imposed epidemic isolation. The Chinese government has never revealed how much this radical approach to epidemic control cost, how many people were placed in mandatory confinement or treatment, what percentage of them actually turned out to have SARS, and how many individuals were imprisoned or executed for violating rumor-mongering or quarantine edicts. My Council on Foreign Relations colleague Yanzhong Huang estimated in 2004 for the U.S. Institute of Medicine that China lost nearly a full percentage point in GDP during SARS and that the mass-control effort, including the construction of instant hospitals, cost $1.1 billion to the central and local governments combined. The effort “worked,” in that it brought China’s epidemic to a halt. But the social and economic costs were exorbitant, and the model could only be repeated in an authoritarian setting. There Must Be a Better Way As the Virginia researchers found in their study, the current epidemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone (if not also Guinea) has reached a stage akin to that which followed China’s April 20, 2003, announcement and subsequent mass disbursement of SARS by fleeing students and migrant workers. The epidemic has spread across nearly every nook and cranny of the two African countries and into every social setting. The health infrastructure has disappeared entirely. In its place stands nothing more than Ebola care centers with little to offer ailing virus victims. Public faith and trust have eroded; wild conspiracy theories and rumors are rampant. Although Liberia’s President Johnson Sirleaf has recently rejected dire forecasts for her country’s Ebola fight, she is pushing legislation granting her the power to shut down press and broadcasters that spread false rumors. The language of national security has been invoked, questioning the very survival of the state. Food prices across the region have soared some 24 percent over the last two months, and starvation looms. The economies of the affected countries are in tailspins, and the World Bank and IMF predict much worse financial and trade hardships. The IMF now forecasts continentwide economic gloom, thanks to Ebola. “Across West Africa, a generation of young people risk being lost to an economic catastrophe as harvests are missed, markets are shut, and borders are closed,” Johnson Sirleaf said in a BBC “Letter to the World” on Oct. 19. “The virus has been able to spread so rapidly because of the insufficient strength of the emergency, medical, and military services that remain underresourced.” The treatment approach to limiting Ebola’s spread is failing, as even a recent surge in international support hasn’t come close to matching needs and patients are still being turned away from overcrowded facilities. The U.N. office that is coordinating the global response recently issued a detailed strategic plan and budget requirements — so far only about a third of the money has been provided. Among the worst scofflaws is Canada, which initially promised CA$35 million in support for the U.N. effort and, has to date, delivered a mere CA$4.3 million. The U.N. strategy, portions of which would be executed by a variety of agencies and international responders, focuses on identifying people who are infected with Ebola through the classic public health method of contact tracing. The highly labor-intensive tactic starts with getting the names of individuals who had close contact with each known Ebola sufferer, finding every one of them, separating out those who have fevers or other symptoms of the disease, and monitoring the others over time. Nigeria successfully prevented an Ebola epidemic in its country by using this technique, monitoring more than 1,200 contacts for 42 days and limiting the disease’s death toll to eight individuals. Of course, the scale of Liberia’s, Sierra Leone’s, and Guinea’s epidemics is orders of magnitude larger than Nigeria’s. Effective contact tracing would entail tracking down and monitoring tens of thousands of people. The United Nations’ strategic plan, which was originally drawn up more than a month ago, reckoned that the cost of effective contact tracing would be just under $190 million. The epidemic has grown enormously since the plan was drawn up, and with each day of inadequate financing, the effort falls further behind. Contact tracing costs are just a small part of the big strategy, which envisioned providing medical care not only for all Ebola victims, but also for the thousands of people no longer able to obtain routine treatment for everything from malaria to auto accidents — a total price tag of just under $1 billion in September. Isabelle Nuttall, director of the WHO’s global capacities, alert, and response effort, told reporters, “We cannot underestimate the importance of contact tracing,” and she warns that the affected countries lack the capacity to execute such tactics, as do most of their African neighbor states. At the most basic level of epidemic control — counting the numbers of sick, dead, and recovered disease victims — all three countries are failing miserably and officially reported tolls delivered to the WHO are universally believed to be gross understatements. But there is no clear agreement about just how far off the numbers are — twofold? Threefold? In lieu of effective contact tracing and humane isolation with treatment, the countries have resorted to quarantines of entire geographical areas and neighborhoods within their capital cities. The tactic has had a chilling impact on food production, trade, and the movement of supplies. And unlike in China’s SARS situation, where authoritarianism bred compliance, outrage and resistance have often emerged. Sierra Leone shut down the country for three days of mandatory quarantine of all citizens in a drastic effort to find the infected and halt the spread — it failed. If the world cannot manage to muster promised monies and mobilize far more personnel and equipment to confront the epidemic, the governments of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia may be compelled to implement strategies as severe as China’s SARS endgame, dragging thousands into isolation without respect for their rights or civil liberties, and even at gunpoint. The world must not compel such hellish action. The less odious, more humane alternative of building quality treatment centers on a scale to actually absorb thousands of needy patients and provide meaningful care that improves survival and thus lures Ebola sufferers out of hiding could still work today. It is hugely expensive, and it demands thousands of skilled health workers and support staff from all over the world. But in the absence of ample aid, three nations that nobly came back from the horrors of civil war into their dawns of democracy may be forced backward into an Ebola authoritarian horror.EU quotes "[There's no way Britain could accept that] the most vital economic forces of this country should be handed over to an authority that is utterly undemocratic and is responsible to nobody" (British Prime Minister Clement Attlee in response to the Schuman Plan 1950) "Parliament must...resign itself to becoming a rubber stamp." (Lord Kilmuir, advice to Edward Heath, December 1960) "We should frankly recognise this surrender of sovereignty and its purpose." (Edward Heath, Hansard, 17 November 1966) “America would welcome it if Britain should apply for full membership in the [EEC], explicitly recognising that the Rome treaty was not merely a static document but a process leading towards political unification.” (George Ball Under-Secretary of State for JFK 1961) "The single market was the theme of the Eighties; the single currency was the theme of the Nineties; we must now face the difficult task of moving towards a single economy, a single political unity". (Romano Prodi, 13 April 1999) "Let's imagine Europe is a football club and you join, but once you're in it you can't say let's play rugby". (French foreign minister Laurent Fabius) "We perform the duties of freemen; we must have the privileges of freemen..." (Chartists 1836) "The [Lisbon Treaty] is indeed a tidying -up exercise, it sweeps the rest of our sovereignty under the Brussels carpet". (Lord Pearson) "The Government’s guiding principle was...to swallow the lot and swallow it now." (Sir Con O’Neill, the British diplomat who led the UK’s negotiations for EEC membership under Heath) "I look forward to the day when the Westminster Parliament is just a council chamber in Europe." (Kenneth Clarke, Conservative Chancellor in International Currency Review Vol 23 No 4 1996) "The EU is the old Soviet Union dressed in Western clothes" (President Gorbachev) "Europe's power is easy to miss. Like an 'invisible hand', it operates through the shell of traditional political structures. The British House of Commons, British law courts, and British civil servants are still here, but they have all become agents of the European Union implementing European law. This is no accident." ( Mark Leonard co-founder and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, the first pan-European think tank ) "We need to build a United States of Europe with the [EU] Commission as government". (Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner 2014) "A supranational union is a multinational political union where power is delegated to an authority by member states". (Wikipedia) “A coup d’état by a political class who did not believe in popular sovereignty”. (Tony Benn on the European Communities Act 1972) "Once [WWI was over, countries] went back to rules & customs of parliamentary democracies. I felt out of my depth". (Jean Monnet, Father of EU') "EU Parliament is incredibly responsive to lobbying institutions, but is unresponsive to public opinion". (Gisela Stuart, Labour MP 2009) "Europe will be forged in crises, and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises". (Jean Monnet, Father of EU') "I have lived in your future ….and it doesn’t work". (Russian dissident Vladimir Bukovsky on the EU) "Determined to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe". (Treaty of Rome 1957) "This Treaty marks a new stage in the process of creating an ever closer union..." (Maastricht Treaty 1992) "This Treaty marks a new stage in the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe". (Lisbon Treaty 2007) "Never out on principle; never in on principle [regarding EEC membership]. It depends on the terms and whether it is best for Britain". (Labour leader Harold Wilson, May 1975) "Now we've signed it - we had better read it" (Douglas Hurd, former Foreign Secretary on the Maastricht Treaty) "The supremacy of Community Law when in conflict with national law is the logical consequence of the federal concept of the Community" (H P Ipsen, 1964 - 9 years before the UK joined) "[Norway] held a referendum [on the EU] that went the wrong way" (Douglas Hurd, former Foreign Secretary on the Maastricht Treaty) "Public opinion will be led to adopt, without knowing it, the proposals we dare not present to them directly. All the earlier proposals will be in the new text, but will be hidden and diguised" (Valery Giscard D'Estang. on the Lisbon treaty) "The Tories have been indulging in their usual double talk. When they go to Brussels they show the greatest enthusiasm for political union. When they speak in the House of Commons they are most anxious to aver that there is no commitment whatever to any political union." (Labour MP Hugh Gaitskell, October 1962) "It means the end of a thousand years of history." (Hugh Gaitskell - 1906-63, on a European federation; speech at Labour Party Conference, 1962) "The Constitution is the capstone of a European Federal State." (Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian Prime Minister) 'If it's a Yes we will say "on we go", and if it's a No we will say "we continue".' (Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Council) “The substance of the Constitution is preserved. That is a fact.” (German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the Lisbon Treaty) "I have read some of [the Lisbon Treaty] but not all of it." (Caroline Flint, former Minister for Europe) "The primary reason why Britain entered into [EEC] negotiations was political, political in its widest sense." (Edward Heath, lecture at Harvard, 1967) “They must go on voting until they get it right.” (Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission) "If you go through all the structures and features of this emerging European monster you will notice that it more and more resembles the Soviet Union." (Russian dissident Vladimir Bukovsky) "The European Union is a state under construction." (Elmar Brok, Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs) “I have never understood why public opinion about European ideas should be taken into account at all,” (French PM Raymond Barre) “I believe neither the French nor the Dutch really rejected the constitutional treaty.” (Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg) “Let’s be clear about this. The rejection of the constitution was a mistake that will have to be corrected.” (Valéry Giscard d’Estaing) “The 'no' votes were a demand for more Europe, not less.” (Romano Prodi, former President of the European Commission) "I don’t want an ‘in or out’ referendum because I don’t think out is in Britain’s interests.” (David Cameron, who won't hold a referendum because he thinks he'll lose) "...there are constitutional innovations." (Mr Patrick Jenkin, former Tory MP during 2nd reading of European Communities Bill 1972) "In Brussels one says "member state". You may imagine it means the same thing as country or state, but "member state" does not. Note that adjective. Member modifies state. Like "wooden" modifies "leg". The noun stays the same, but the essence of the thing is gone." ( Mary Ellen Synon, Bruges Group Annual Conference 2013) "No government dependent on a democratic vote could possibly agree in advance to the sacrifices which any adequate plan for European Union must involve. The people must be led slowly and unconsciously into the abandonment of their traditional economic defences, not asked…" (Peter Thorneycroft, former Tory MP) "[Bailouts are] expressly forbidden in the treaties by the famous no-bailout clause. De facto, we have changed the treaty." (French Europe minister Pierre Lelouche) "The transfer by the States from their domestic legal system to the Community legal system of the rights and obligations arising under the Treaty carries with it a permanent limitation of their sovereign rights... against which a subsequent act incompatible with the concept of the Community cannot prevail" (ECJ Case 6/64) "[The EU Constitution represents] a visible move in only one direction...from intergovernmentalism to supranationalism...and this should be explained to the people of Europe" (Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus) "European integration is fortunately a train moving too fast for anyone to stop it." (Vaclav Havel, Czech Politician) "The European Parliament is a caucusing body that is incredibly responsive to lobbying institutions, but it is completely unresponsive to public opinion." (Gisela Stuart, Labour MP June 2009) “Millions of people in this country will feel as I do, that legislation passed in this way, with no consent, cannot command the assent of the country and would lack moral and constitutional validity." (Douglas Jay MP during 2nd reading of European Communities Bill 1972) "It is an illusion to think that [EU] states can hold on to their autonomy." (Hans Tietmeyer, head of the Bundesbank 1991) "...within ten years 80% of our economic legislation, perhaps even fiscal and social as well’ would come from the EU." (Jacques Delors, President of EU Commission 1988) "The huge cost of the Common Agricultural Policy to taxpayers and consumers far outweighs any benefit to them..." (Memo by MAFF to House of Lords European Communities Committee 1995) "...we must now face the difficult task of moving towards a single economy, a single political unity." (Romano Prodi, President of EU Commission 1999) "The day of the nation state is over." (Roman Herzog, German president, 1996) "The European system of supranationality comes at the cost of democracy." (Lord Leach of Fairford) "The [EU] Council of Ministers will have far more power over the budgets of member states than the federal government in the United States has over the budget of Texas." (Jean-Claude Trichet, current head of the European Central Bank) "One must never forget that monetary union, which the two of us were the first to propose more than a decade ago, is ultimately a political project. It aims to give a new impulse to the historic movement toward union of the European states" (Giscard d’Estaing, who drafted the EU Constitution 1997) "The process of monetary union goes hand in hand, must go hand in hand, with political integration and ultimately political union. EMU [economic and monetary union] is, and always was meant to be, a stepping stone on the way to a united Europe" (Wim Duisenberg, first president of the EU Central Bank) "Once the interlude of [WWI] was over, [countries] all went back to the rules and customs of traditional parliamentary democracies. I felt out of my depth." (Jean Monnet 'Father of Europe') "We need to build a United States of Europe with the [EU] Commission as government." (Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner 2014) "We had imagined a political 'grand design', a new international order..." (Jean Monnet 'Father of Europe') "I like the English style of life. I feel more at home here in London" (Tintin creator, Belgian born Herge) "We are not forming coalitions between States, but union among people" (Jean Monnet, 'Father of Europe') "The sovereign nations of the past can no longer solve the problems of the present: they cannot ensure their own progress or control their own future. And the Community itself is only a stage on the way to the organised world of tomorrow." (Jean Monnet, 'Father of Europe') "That such an unnecessary and irrational project as building a European super-state was ever embarked on will seem in future years to be perhaps the greatest folly of the modern era. And that Britain... should ever have become part of it will appear a political error of the first magnitude." (Lady Thatcher, Statecraft) "There is no question of Britain losing essential national sovereignty” (Ted Heath)Economist: World's 8th-biggest economy nears fiscal oblivion Arnold Schwarzenegger was skiing in Idaho when his office released a detailed outline of California's 2009-10 budget. It would be unfair to suggest that the governor is unconcerned about the state's dire fiscal situation. On the contrary, he has tried to focus minds on it for months. But the episode does, perhaps, hint at how seriously he expects his proposed solution to be taken. California, first in many things, is facing America's worst budget crisis. The gap between projected revenues and spending during this fiscal year and next amounts to $41.6 billion, which is almost half the total sum that the state expects to raise next year. Unlike the federal government, California is not allowed to get out of the jam by running a deficit. It is finding it hard to borrow to meet even short-term needs. Infrastructure work has virtually stopped. If nothing is done to close the gap soon -- and perhaps even if it is -- the state will begin issuing IOUs as early as next month. Recession triggered the crisis but did not cause it. California relies heavily on income taxes, especially those paid by the top 1 percent of earners. These veer up and down with the markets. But instead of saving money in boom years, the state locks in higher spending on public services and embarks on projects that need long-term investment. Dave Cogdill, head of the Republicans in the state Senate, likens it to a family that adopts children in good times, only to find that it cannot afford to feed them when the economy sours. Schwarzenegger's solution, which he will describe in detail later this week, combines swinging spending cuts (even to normally inviolable schools) and equally swinging tax increases. He wants to lift the sales tax by 1.5 percent until 2012. This would take it to between 8.75 percent and 10.25 percent, depending on where one is in the state. Although painful, the governor's proposed budget is still rather optimistic. It assumes, for example, that federal spending on infrastructure will jump, that the cost of fighting fires will be less than half of what it was this year, and that the state will be able to sell $5 billion in bonds by July. The plan anyway faces crippling opposition in the state Capitol. The Democrats who dominate both houses of the legislature find deep cuts to education and health care unpalatable. The Republicans, who can muster enough votes to block the governor's budget, refuse to consider tax increases unless they are accompanied by a root-and-branch overhaul of state finances and a mass sell-off of state assets. The divide between the two camps is as wide as Yosemite Valley. The Democrats have devised a plan to get around this problem, albeit a desperate and legally questionable one. They want to relabel many taxes as "fees" and increase them. Although it takes two-thirds of legislators to pass a tax increase, fees could be increased by a simple majority vote. Republicans, who have more than a third but less than half of the seats in both chambers of the legislature, would be overridden. Schwarzenegger vetoed the Democrats' proposed budget last week, although he did not reject their ruse in principle. As the politicians squabble, the budget hole deepens. The governor has put a deficit counter on his Web site, like the national debt clock in New York. It does not appear to be concentrating minds. Noreen Evans, a Democratic member of the state Assembly, cannot see how the deadlock can be broken: "I'm known in the Capitol as a Pollyanna, and I'm losing hope."The President of Mexico has said his country will never pay for the border wall being proposed by Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, describing the billionaire’s “strident rhetoric” as reminiscent of Adolf Hitler. President Enrique Peña Nieto’s outspoken remarks, published on Monday in Mexico’s Excelsior newspaper, echoed those of his predecessors Felipe Calderón and Vicente Fox, who have both compared Mr Trump to the Nazi dictator in recent weeks. The Republican front- runner has built his White House bid partly on a platform of antagonism towards Mexico, promising to build a wall the length of the southern US border to keep out Mexican “rapists and drug traffickers”. He has repeatedly said Mexico will fund its construction. Mr Peña Nieto said there was “no scenario” in which his government would pay for the wall. 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. The Mexican President went on: “There have been episodes in human history, unfortunately, where these expressions of this strident rhetoric have only led to very ominous situations. That’s how Mussolini got in, that’s how Hitler got in – they took advantage of a situation, a problem perhaps, which humanity was going through at the time, after an economic crisis.” The rise of fascism, he added, had led to “global conflagration”. Mr Trump’s verbal attacks on Mexico may have alienated many US Latinos, but they have served him well among white, low-income voters without college degrees. Today, he plans to expand his coalition of supporters to include the so-called “Reagan Democrats” of the US Rust Belt, as the Republican presidential race sweeps into Michigan. Polls give the property mogul a double-digit lead over his rivals in today’s primary election in the state. Last week he held a large rally in Macomb County, whose blue-collar industrial workers were found by pollsters to have swung dramatically from the Democrats to Ronald Reagan during the 1980 election, helping to clinch that Republican victory. Now those voters appear to be flocking to Mr Trump, potentially posing a threat to Democrats across the Midwest – not just in Michigan but also in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Illinois. Mr Trump’s pledges to crack down on immigration, curb free trade and return manufacturing jobs to the US play well in Michigan, home of the troubled US car industry. On the campaign trail, he has made much of a new $2.5bn Ford plant in Mexico; speaking in Macomb, he vowed to impose hefty tariffs on vehicles manufactured there. Mr Trump has denied claims of a personal relationship with an alleged racist mobster who was a regular at one of his casinos. Trump Plaza in Atlantic City was fined $200,000 (£140,000) after a 1991 investigation found the casino removed black dealers from its tables at the request of Robert LiButti, who had hurled slurs at its female and African-American workers. The late Mr LiButti, who had ties to mafia boss John Gotti, socialised with Mr Trump several times, his daughter Edith Creamer told Yahoo News. But, in a statement, Mr Trump said: “I knew many high-rollers. I assume Mr LiButti was one of them, but I don’t recognise the name.” We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowModular C is an extension of the C programming language that has been proposed by Jens Gustedt. It consists in the addition of a handful of directives and a naming scheme transforming traditional translation units into modules. The change to the C language is minimal since we only add one feature, composed identifiers, to the core language. Our modules can import other modules as long as the import relation remains acyclic and a module can refer to its own identifiers and those of the imported modules through freely chosen abbreviations. Other than traditional C include, our import directive ensures complete encapsulation between modules. The abbreviation scheme allows to seamlessly replace an imported module by another one with equivalent interface. In addition to the export of symbols, we provide parameterized code injection through the import of snippets. This implements a mechanism that allows for code reuse, similar to X macros or templates. Additional features of our proposal are a simple dynamic module initialization scheme, a structured approach to the C library and a migration path for existing software projects. The preprint #8751 contains a first research report describing Modular C. You can find a reference implementation of a compiler frontend with our gforge project cmod. In particular, you may download it at: Constructive feedback, improvements and patches are highly welcome.Candy and sweets shop, Velvet, closes Velvet A Candy Store, an ice cream, fudge and candy shop located next to Bruegger’s Bagels on Grand River Avenue, announced in a Monday night Facebook post that its East Lansing location has closed. Velvet, owned by wife and husband duo Trisha and Erik Berakovich, had been in operation since July 2015. The State News previously reported the East Lansing location was Velvet’s third, having closed the previous Mackinac Island and Harbor Springs locations due to seasonality. The aforementioned Facebook post alludes to Velvet's "next location", hinting a relocation may be in the works. Fans of the store have expressed their disappointment, mourning the store in over 100 comments made on the post in 18 hours. The post has also been shared more than 50 times. Velvet could not be reached for comment at the time of publication. Stay with the State News as more details become available.Gov. Nathan Deal’s goal of leaving his successor flush with $2 billion in the state’s savings account is way ahead of schedule, thanks to a strong economy and relatively tight spending plans. A fiscal 2016 end-of-the-year report shows the state’s preliminary shortfall reserves at a record $2.05 billion. That’s up about 43 percent from the end of 2015. The fiscal year ended June 30. Reserves will drop a bit early next year when the state doles out money to fund increases in k-12 school enrollment, but it still marks a milestone for a governor determined to leave the state in much better financial shape when he retires in 2019 than it was when he took office after the Great Recession. “It’s not politically very exciting,” said Kelly McCutchen, the president of the conservative Georgia Public Policy Foundation. “It’s like maintenance. If any Republican is in a tight race this fall, they are not going to run ads on the fact that there is a $2 billion state reserve. But it’s good fiscal management.” Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Hill, R-Reidsville, said while he’d like to see the state savings account continue to grow because the money can go quickly in an emergency, the current size of the reserves has some significance. “You have to give the governor a lot of credit because there is always pressure to spend money and give pay raises,” Hill said, “but he has always been steadfast about building the reserves.” State reserves are important for many reasons. High on the list is the fact that they help fund the essentials of state government — paying thousands of teachers, prison guards and state patrolmen, for instance — during recessions. State reserves fell to $51 million in 2004 when Georgia’s government was going through a fiscal recession, climbed to $1.54 billion in 2007, then dropped back down to $103 million during the Great Recession. That may sound like a lot of money, but it costs about $91 million a day to run state government. So during the Great Recession, the state had about a day’s worth of money in the bank. Big reserves also are important in helping the state keep its AAA bond rating, which allows the government to borrow money at low interest rates. That saves the state millions of dollars a year in interest payments. The good bond rating is particularly important because the state is in the midst of a spree of road-building and other construction projects. Lawmakers approved a record construction budget during the 2016 session. The skyrocketing reserves are due largely to Deal and his staff making purposefully conservative estimates about how much tax money will be collected. Legislators can only budget to spend what the governor estimates the state will take in. The state collected a record amount of taxes in the past fiscal year, far above what the government spent. Even with the record tax take, Deal’s budget director, Teresa MacCartney, sent out a memo to state agencies telling officials not to ask for an increase in their budgets next year. Some extra spending is guaranteed. Schools will get a boost. The state Medicaid agency has already said it needs an extra $300 million. Deal announced Thursday plans to give state law enforcement officers a 20 percent raise. In addition, the governor wants to change the formula for funding k-12 schools, which could cost money, and he wants to build an expensive state courts building down the street from the Capitol. There will be other calls to increase spending as well, particularly after budgets were deeply cut during the Great Recession. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in June that many state agencies still spend less per capita today than they did before the recession when inflation and population growth are taken into account. And Hill expects continued calls to “give money back to taxpayers” by cutting taxes. Deal’s ability to meet his goal of socking away $2 billion in the state’s savings account two years before he leaves office may only make those voices louder. “Now that it’s been hit, we’re back to the usual tug and pull of tax cuts or spending increases,” McCutchen said. McCutchen has been among those calling for reducing the state’s income tax rates. When asked whether the $2 billion state reserves will be used as part of his argument during the 2017 General Assembly session, he responded, “We’re constantly looking for opportunities to reform the tax code.”Want to see Tom get annoyed? Of course you do. Well then tune in and pull up a chair. The article that got to me was so exasperating because it’s 2014 and it’s the New York Times. It’s too late in the day and too beside-the-real-point for a publication such as the Times to do this, though I’m not saying such a thing is impossible at my own publication either. I can’t decide whether to link to it or not. I think I won’t. I’ll place it squarely in the category of Concern Trolling, a great conceptual meme that identifies opinions that purport to be on your side and just trying to help, but function in the exact opposite way. I won’t get into motives here because I don’t know what they are and it doesn’t make any difference. The piece says that ‘environmentalists’ are using bad ‘tactics’ in drawing comparisons between current weather catastrophes and climate change. Any linkage to a specific event can’t be specifically proven, but that’s not the stated concern of this piece. The ‘concern’ is that as a tactic it can ‘backfire’ and not win over conservatives to climate change action. Not win over conservatives! The article doesn’t place ALL the blame on faulty environmentalist tactics. It pauses to include what may be the most understated disclaimer in history: “Other factors contributed. Some conservatives and fossil-fuel interests questioned the link between carbon emissions and global warming.” Some! Really??? Now to the ‘backfire’ part of this. This is just maddening. If environmentalists aren’t careful, it says, sufficient support for an adequate policy response might go away. Go away! As though it was ever even close to being there in the first place. They cite Al Gore’s 2006 ‘Inconvenient Truth’ as contributing to backlash and division. Do they think no one has any memory whatsoever? Let me remind those who don’t. Before “Inconvenient Truth’ there was close to ZERO widespread public concern about climate change. This film was a watershed in opening people’s eyes to the pending climate calamity and getting people to take the issue seriously. The backlash was not about the particulars of the argument, the backlash was against how effective it was in bringing the nation closer to actually doing something about it. The article says a better ‘tactic’ is to emphasize ‘popular solutions.’ Only one problem with ‘popular solutions.’ They don’t come ANYWHERE CLOSE TO BEING ADEQUATE solutions. And finally, please please just stop saying it is the responsibility of ‘environmentalists’ to come up with tactics to persuade the rest of us, who by implication are perfectly entitled to sit back and not take our responsibilities on this issue seriously unless and until ‘environmentalists’ come up with arguments that are appealing to us in every way. Gaaaaah!To the downloaders out there who got free copies of The Avengers, Game of Thrones, and Rihanna songs, you’re welcome. It was supposed to be informative. It was supposed to show you how to defend yourself if you were flagged by the Copyright Alert System (CAS), the new anti-piracy
Seth Rich’s killer?" Kelly asked Assange. "We’re very interested in anything that might be a threat to Wikileaks’ sources," Assange answered, later adding that Wikileaks had "received a variety of information" about the case. Assange would neither confirm nor deny that Rich was "necessarily connected to our publications." Assange also accused the Clinton campaign of stoking "a kind of neo-McCarthy hysteria" about Russia's alleged role in the DNC hacking and Moscow's purported links to the Trump campaign. "The Trump campaign has a lot of things wrong with it," Assange said, "but as far as we can see being Russian agents is not one of them." On Wednesday, Assange told "The Kelly File" that "absolutely" new information culled from Clinton's emails would be released prior to the November election. Earlier Thursday, a federal judge ordered the State Department to begin releasing almost 15,000 more emails from Clinton's tenure as secretary of state by Sept. 13. The emails were uncovered by the FBI during their investigation into Clinton's use of a private server.President Barack Obama is pushing back against the notion that Donald Trump is fighting for ordinary Americans. Instead, Obama calls Trump an elitist. “Mr. Trump embodies global elites and has taken full advantage of it his entire life,” the president said in an interview with National Public Radio. “So, he’s hardly a spokesperson — a legitimate spokesperson — for a populist surge of working-class people on either side of the Atlantic.” (Curiously, Obama chose to refer to Trump as “Mr. Trump.”) Obama cautioned Americans and Europeans not to read too much into the unexpected Brexit vote, calling it a “pause” in the ongoing effort to integrate Europe into a untied bureaucratic entity. “There’s been a little bit of hysteria post-Brexit vote, as if somehow NATO’s gone, the trans-Atlantic alliance is dissolving, and every country is rushing off to its own corner,” he said. “That’s not what’s happening.” He tried to soften the blow, blaming the European Union for progressing too fast without explaining the benefits to its coalition countries. “I think this will be a moment when all of Europe says, ‘Let’s take a breath and let’s figure out how do we maintain some of our national identities, how do we preserve the benefits of integration, and how do we deal with some of the frustrations that our own voters are feeling,’” Obama said. He also attributed the success of the Brexit “Leave” campaign to xenophobia and nationalistic sentiments, adding that Trump was trying to inflame those tensions. “There’s a xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment that’s flashing up not just in Great Britain but throughout Europe that has some parallels with what Mr. Trump has been trying to stir up here,” Obama said.The New York Red Bulls’ youth movement is on full display in Arizona camp. With the first team at home for CONCACAF Champions League, four Red Bulls academy players joined the New York’s preseason camp and received their most significant minutes on Wednesday against Houston Dynamo. Kevin O’Toole, Zach Ryan, Kazu Shigenobu and goal scorer Omir Fernandez each played 45 minutes, with significant impact on the game. “We got some good performances from young guys,” head coach John Wolyniec said. “Some academy guys like Omir Fernandez and Kazu [Shigenobu] so I’m definitely happy about that and the other [academy] guys too.” Fernandez, who scored his first goal with the senior team before setting up New York’s equalizer, was thrilled with the opportunity. “You want to make an impact as an academy player,” Fernandez said. “I was glad to get an assist and a goal. It’s a great feeling, I enjoyed the moment a lot.” For Fernandez and the academy players, the experience to train at the highest level, play against MLS competition and the chance to prove themselves in front of the coaches has been invaluable. “With the academy I have to be a leader and here I have to prove myself,” Fernandez said. “These guys are pushing me. Physically, mentally, everything. I’m enjoying every single moment.”By Graham Healy To say that the 1994 Fleche Wallone raised eyebrows would be to put it mildly. The Italian Moreno Argentin and two of his Gewiss team-mates, Evgeni Berzin and Giorgio Furlan filled the podium, but it was the manner of the win which was astounding. The trio just rode away from the rest of the peloton with 69 kilometres still remaining and pulled away from the really strong chasing group. The race that year was 205 kilometres long and featured three ascents of the Mur de Huy. The early break had been caught as the peloton ascended the Mur for the second time, as Gewiss led the bunch up the climb. Going over the top, one of the Gewiss team, Bruno Cenghialta let a gap open to his three team mates and they pulled clear. The trio then rode a team time-trial to the finish, and despite a concerted effort by the likes of Lance Armstrong, Davide Rebellin, Claudio Chiappucci, Franco Ballerini, Davide Cassani and Gianni Bugno, they finished well clear of the rest. Bugno claimed fourth place, 1’14” behind. Afterwards, Armstrong said that “they crushed us.” It was obvious to many observers that what they had witnessed wasn’t natural and questions were asked. After the race, French sports newspaper L’Équipe interviewed the team’s doctor Michele Ferrari. Journalist Jean-Michel Rouet asked Ferrari if his riders used EPO. Ferrari denied prescribing the drug but said he would not find it wrong, saying that it was not dangerous and compared taking EPO to drinking orange juice. He told the reporter, “I do not prescribe this thing. But EPO is freely available in Switzerland, for example, without a prescription and if a rider uses it, it does not fundamentally alter the performance of the rider. EPO is not dangerous, it is the abuse that is. It is also dangerous to drink ten litres of orange juice.” In addition to their victory in Fleche Wallonne, the Gewiss team also took victories that year in Tirreno-Adriatico, Criterium International and Milan-San Remo through Furlan, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege was won by Berzin. However, their domination of the sport would not continue as other teams would play catch-up.Honolulu police and CrimeStoppers are seeking help in identifying a woman wanted in connection with the robbery of a 94-year-old woman in the victim’s home Saturday in Kaneohe. SHARE ADVERTISING Honolulu police and CrimeStoppers are seeking help in identifying a woman wanted in connection with the robbery of a 94-year-old woman in the victim’s home Saturday in Kaneohe. Police said an unknown woman entered the victim’s apartment and assaulted her before searching the apartment at about 6 p.m. The woman fled with the victim’s property in an unknown direction, police said. She was described as 20 to 30 years old, 5 feet 2 to 6 inches tall, 140 to 160 pounds, with brown “ehu” color hair, a black top, blue jeans, and black shoes. Police have opened a second-degree robbery investigation in connection with the case. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME from a cell phone. Anonymous tips can also be made on the CrimeStoppers website or by downloading the app P3 Tips.After WWII Rescue, Soldier Fred Hargesheimer Devotes Life to Helping his Saviors When American fighter pilot Fred Hargesheimer was shot out of the sky over Papua New Guinea during World War II, a group of friendly natives saved his life. Ever since, he's devoted his life to repaying the favor. During World War II, American fighter pilot Fred “Hargy” Hargesheimer was attacked by a Japanese pilot while flying on a mission over Papua New Guinea. As the sound of enemy fire echoed through the sky, he felt bullets pound against his small plane. When the plane’s left engine erupted into flames, he strapped on his flimsy parachute and jumped. If he’d stayed on board, he was sure to die in the plane crash. Though he might survive the parachute jump, he would be stranded in the jungle alone. Either way, it was almost certain that he’d never make it home alive. Against all odds, he survived – but that near-fatal accident transformed Hargesheimer’s life in a way that he never could have imagined. “I’m so grateful for getting shot out of the sky,” he told The Associated Press, 64 years later. When the pilot jumped from his falling plane, he landed in the depths of a Pacific island rainforest. He had no possessions except a small survival kit that included a compass, a machete, extra ammo, and 2 chocolate bars. He had no idea where he was, and was sure that if he was discovered, he would be killed. For 31 days, he pushed his way through the thick jungle trees, drinking rainwater and subsisting on snails after his chocolate supply ran out. He had just about given up on ever making his way out of the rainforest when suddenly, he heard the voices of native islanders coming from the nearby river. Hargesheimer stayed hidden, assuming that they’d attack him if they found him. But when they discovered him, they handed him a note written in English by an Australian officer, saying that they had aided other soldiers and could be trusted. The villagers took the starving soldier to their village, Ea Ea, and gave him his own hut. They fed him boiled pig, took him fishing, taught him their language, and nursed him back to health when he became sick with malaria. Most importantly, they kept him hidden when Japanese soldiers passed through the area –a decision that could have cost them their own lives. “If they’d seen my boot prints, I think they would have tortured everyone in the village until they produced me,” he told The AP. Eight months after the plane crash, Hargesheimer finally returned to the United States, courtesy of a submarine pick-up arranged by Australian soldiers. He married, became a father, and got a sales job in Minnesota. But he never stopped thinking about the people of Ea Ea, and the kindness they had showed him. He vowed to return to Papua New Guinea one day to repay them for saving his life. In 1963, he finally made it back, taking a ship to the island where he’d spent so much time. The villagers lined up on the beach to greet him, singing a rendition of “God Save the Queen” in his honor. It didn’t seem like enough to simply thank them for helping him during his time of need. So when he learned that the village needed a school, he decided to do everything he could to build it: Over the next three years, he reached out to everyone he knew for donations, and returned with $15,000 to build the village’s first elementary school. When it opened its doors, it had 74 students. Today, there are more than 400. That wasn’t Hargesheimer’s last connection with the people of Ea Ea –in 1970, after their own children had left the home, he and his wife decided to move to the island and join the community there. They spent four years in the village, where they taught students and helped to build a second school. Though they had to cope without the comforts they’d been used to in America, those four years were the best of their lives, according to Hargesheimer’s wife, who died in 1985. Hargesheimer, now 91, recently returned to Ea Ea for what will be his last visit. His fighter plane had just been discovered in the depths of the jungle, and he had been invited to view the wreckage of that fateful crash –in his mind, the best thing that ever happened to him. Hargesheimer has a hero’s reputation in Ea Ea, where he is known by the formal title, “Masta Preddi.” But he believes that no matter how hard he has worked to repay the hospitality the villagers showed him all those years ago, it will never be enough. “These people were responsible for saving my life,” he told the AP. “How could I ever repay it?” For more details on this remarkable story, read Hargesheimer’s book, The School that Fell from the Sky. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. DisqusImage caption President Mursi had recalled parliament in defiance of the military council The highest court in Egypt has overturned a decree by President Mohammed Mursi to recall parliament. Mr Mursi had issued the decree in defiance of a military council ruling that dissolved parliament. Members of parliament gathered for a brief session earlier in the day before the ruling of the Supreme Constitutional Court was announced. Thousands have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest against the court's latest decision. Protesters chanted slogans calling the decision "illegitimate" and denouncing the military, reports say. The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says the ruling leaves unresolved the question of who holds the power usually vested in parliament and many months of legal wrangling over what happens next could now follow. Both the president and the military will want to show they are in charge, he says, but the struggle will probably be played out in courtrooms and the backrooms of politics, rather than on the streets. 'No other agenda' The same court sparked the current impasse last month, when it said the parliamentary election was null and void because of flaws in the law setting it up. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party - Mr Mursi's power base - has the biggest bloc of seats in the parliament, and the current political impasse is seen by analysts as being part of a power struggle between the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) and the party. Image caption The parliament session was adjourned after a brief sitting Members of parliament met for their brief session before it was adjourned by Speaker Saad al-Katatni. Mr Katatni said that by holding the assembly, MPs were not contradicting the dissolution ruling "but looking at a mechanism for the implementation of the ruling of the respected court. There is no other agenda today". The MPs approved Mr Katatni's proposal that the parliament seek legal advice from a high appeals court on how to implement the supreme court's ruling on the election. Some non-Islamist MPs boycotted the session, criticising Mr Mursi for what they said was an attack on the judiciary. The liberal Free Egyptians party said Mr Mursi's "violation of the Supreme Court's decision" represented a "challenge to the legitimacy of his own rule", as Mr Mursi had taken his oath of office in front of the court. The Scaf said it was confident "all state institutions" would respect the law and constitution. The dissolution of parliament took place the day before Mr Mursi was elected in Egypt's first ever free presidential poll. It is unclear how events will unfold as the situation - with the new president elected without a new constitution having been drafted - is unprecedented, analysts say. At the same time as dissolving parliament, the Scaf also issued a constitutional declaration stripping the president of any authority over the military, giving itself legislative powers and the power to veto the as-yet-undrafted constitution.Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. EVERY ELECTION produces reams of analysis. Some of it is sharp, some—well, let’s be charitable and say no more. But how can you tell the difference? One quick way is to look for dumb ideas. Call them memes, urban legends, conventional wisdom. But whatever you call them, they’re ideas that deserve to die. As you plow through this year’s election commentary, here are five to watch out for. 1 Obama has squandered the popularity he built up during the 2008 campaign. This one belongs in the “never deserved to live in the first place” camp. It’s true that Obama has lost popularity faster than his immediate predecessor, George W. Bush. But Obama’s popularity tracked Bush’s almost precisely right through September 10 of their respective first years in office: On that day, Obama’s approval stood at 52 percent compared to 51 percent for Bush. But then, according to Gallup, Bush’s approval rating jumped from 51 percent to 86 percent in the single week after 9/11. That’s the only real difference between Bush’s first two years in office and Obama’s. And what about presidents whose approval ratings didn’t rocket up after a terrorist attack on American soil? In the summer of their second year in office, Bill Clinton’s approval rating was at 43 percent, Bush Sr.’s stood at 60 percent, the Gipper rated 42 percent, and Jimmy Carter 39 percent. And Obama? Forty-five percent. So there’s just nothing very unusual here. This is what happens when a president’s honeymoon is over, the economy is in bad shape, and the opposition noise machine is in 24/7 attack mode. Plus, there’s this question to ask about Obama’s sinking popularity: compared to what? In an AP poll (PDF) over the summer, congressional Democrats scored 37 percent, Republicans scored 30 percent, and Congress as a whole scored a dismal 24 percent approval rating. Obama (who in that poll stood at 49 percent) may have lost some steam in the past couple of years, but by a wide margin he’s still the most popular thing DC has going for it. 2 Democrats are in for a November pummeling because they overreached. Or because health care reform is unpopular. Or because it’s just an anti-incumbent year. This one comes in a variety of bipartisan flavors. Conservatives think Democrats are unpopular because they’ve been trying to take over the economy; liberals think it’s because they’ve been too soft on banks. Conservatives think public hostility to health care reform has hurt Democrats; the left thinks it was the lack of a public option that did them in. Don’t believe it. Journalists love stories, and so do their readers. So we look for narratives to explain election results and opinion polls. But the big picture is a lot simpler. First, the party in power almost always loses seats in midterm elections, and the more seats they have, the more they lose. In 2006 and 2008, Democrats won a lot of congressional seats in reddish states and districts. In 2010, they’re suffering through the inevitable flip side of holding all those precarious seats. But even that’s not the most important thing. In the same way that real estate is about location, location, location, elections are about the economy, the economy, the economy. Plenty of research has been done on presidential elections, and the results are pretty unequivocal: The state of the economy plays by far the biggest role. Midterm congressional elections have received less study, but Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at UC-San Diego, has a well-regarded model (PDF) that predicts about 70 percent of the seat changes from one election to another. Its key ingredients are change in disposable income, the size of the current majority, and the president’s approval rating. In other words, maybe a third of this election—at most—has anything to do with Obama’s too-cool demeanor or the “ground zero mosque” or Glenn Beck‘s histrionics. That’s not nothing, of course. Candidates matter, strategy matters, message matters, and—of course—money matters. It just doesn’t matter as much as most pundits think, and any one of their pet theories probably accounts for no more than a percent or two of the outcome. Mostly, it’s about the fact that when the economy is bad, people blame the party in power. 3 Obama should have focused like a laser on jobs instead of fiddling around with health care reform. To some extent, this is obviously a matter of opinion. If you’re David Brooks and you think the health care bill was a lousy idea, then of course you think Obama should have spent less time on it. But the question is, would that have helped Democrats? There’s not much doubt that actually increasing employment would have helped. See No. 2. Employed people are people with disposable income, and people with disposable income are more likely to vote for the party in power. But what could Obama have done to get more people working? Within a month of taking office, he had signed an $800 billion stimulus, 36 percent of which came in the form of tax cuts. Two months later, he announced a rescue plan (PDF) for GM and Chrysler, saving perhaps another million jobs. And later in the year, he proposed a further $200 billion jobs program, using unspent money from Bush’s bank bailout. It’s an open question whether Obama wanted a bigger stimulus bill in the first place, or whether he would like to pass another one now. The White House carefully refrains from calling any of its current jobs programs a stimulus. But what they call it hardly matters. Republicans have 41 votes in the Senate, and that’s pretty much the end of the story for any program big enough to make a difference. My colleague David Corn is right that Obama’s efforts to trumpet the jobs that his stimulus plan saved or created haven’t connected with the public. But it’s unlikely that flying out to more plant openings, giving more speeches, and generally making it clear that he’s 100 percent focused on employment would have made that much difference. The public doesn’t respond much to speeches; it responds to jobs. And the plain fact is that in the face of GOP obstructionism, Obama and the Democrats in Congress can’t do much about that. 4 The public is terrified of budget deficits and has turned against vast government spending programs. You could be forgiven for believing this. Everyone from Fox News to the Washington Post insists it’s true, and even President Obama seems to buy into it. That’s why he set up a commission charged with producing a deficit-reduction plan soon after the November election. But what about the public? The most vocal deficit hawks are in the tea-party movement, but when the New York Times asked earlier this year what issue made them angriest, only 5 percent of tea partiers said it was the deficit. Asked to choose between cutting the deficit and cutting taxes, a majority chose tax cuts. The same Times poll showed that 9 percent of Americans (and 11 percent of tea partiers) said government spending was their biggest flash point. That’s still not very high. And when you ask people what they want to cut, the only thing a majority can agree on is foreign aid—which accounts for a grand total of 1 percent of the budget. Conservatives have gotten a lot of mileage out of the deficit. It’s a pretty good, all-purpose way of attacking virtually anything that Democrats propose, and that makes it effective politics. No one should blame them for making as much hay with it as they can. But are people really angry about spending and deficits? The evidence just doesn’t support it. 5 A big loss in November means Obama is a one-term president for sure. Please. Bill Clinton got pummeled in 1994 and won reelection easily in 1996. Ditto for Reagan in 1984. In politics, two years is an eternity, and Obama has plenty of time to recover from a bad showing this November. Beyond that, just figure the odds. How many times in the last century has a party captured the White House and then lost it only four years later? Answer: exactly once, when Jimmy Carter’s already-bruised presidency ran head-on into the Iranian hostage crisis and a brutal recession. The plain fact is that Americans are almost always willing to give a party at least eight years in the Oval Office before turfing them out. Obama is nowhere near Carter territory yet, and nothing about his temperament suggests he’ll ever get there. The next two years are going to be tough ones. But opinion polls are fickle and often reflect a bad economy more than they do enduring beliefs. Journalists are addicted to overplaying conflict. The liberal base will almost certainly regain its energy when it’s faced with a real, live Republican opponent. And although conservatives are unquestionably doubling down on the crazy, we’ve seen this movie before, too. The American public was transfixed by the John Birch Society for a few years in the ’60s and transfixed again by the Whitewater crowd in the ’90s. But that stuff doesn’t wear well. Obama probably will.A family friend of Ahmad Khan Rahami, the alleged perpetrator of the bombings in N.Y. and N.J., says Rahami attended the Muslim Community of New Jersey mosque and was there two weeks ago, but his overall attendance was “inconsistent.” The imam of the mosque is an official with an Islamist group named the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). The Muslim Community of New Jersey mosque, which hascondemned Rahami’s terrorist attacks, lists its imam and religious affairs director as Asif Hirani. Hirani is also an official with ICNA, serving as the program manager for its proselytizing campaign known as “WhyIslam” and an instructor for a branch of ICNA known as the Islamic Learning Foundation. ICNA was derived from a Southeast Asian Islamist party called Jamaat-e-Islami. You can read our more comprehensive profile of ICNA here. There is no indication that ICNA or Hirani support or approve of ISIS and Rahami’s bombings, but a 300-page teaching guide made by ICNA tells ICNA supporters that it is based on the work of some of the pioneers of the Islamist extremist movements, including Hamas financier Yousef Al-Qaradawi. Read the full story at the Clarion Project.House sales in Toronto experienced a 70-per-cent collapse in August, the trade industry group BILD reports. The news comes as debate reaches a fever pitch over whether Toronto’s housing market is in the midst of a bubble. There were 1,242 new homes sold in the Greater Toronto Area in August of 2012, down 70 per cent from 3,496 sales in August of the previous year, according to data compiled for the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD). That represents the lowest monthly volume since 2009, BILD said in a statement, and the lowest sales for the month of August ever recorded in the 13 years BILD has kept track. BILD suggested the slowdown may have to do with the federal government’s recent decision to tighten mortgage rules, which saw the maximum amortization period for a government-insured mortgage fall from 30 years to 25, and the maximum amount that can be borrowed against one’s home reduced to 80 per cent of equity, from 85 per cent. "The federal government has been working on reducing household debt levels and recently adjusted mortgage lending rules. August was the first full month with the new rules in place and it appears these regulations have affected consumer confidence, resulting in significantly reduced sales of new homes," BILD President and CEO Bryan Tuckey said in a statement. "BILD will be carefully monitoring new home sales during the next three months to see if this decline becomes a trend." Toronto’s housing market — in particular its condo market — has been the source of worry recently for many analysts who say prices and sales volumes have outstripped economic fundamentals. In a recent blog post, analyst Ben Rabidoux described Toronto’s housing market as “a fly in search of a windshield.” Rabidoux argued that supply and demand are becoming out of whack in the city. In spite of steep drops in sales volumes, “developers continue to launch new products, and at an eye-popping pace. In August, housing starts in the multi unit segment (primarily condos) soared 108 per cent over last year.” While many prospective home buyers may cheer to hear that homes could soon be more affordable, at least in Toronto, economists warn that a significant slowdown in housing could have repercussions for the entire economy. In a report issued last month, Scotiabank warned that “balance sheets heavily skewed to real estate leave Canadians vulnerable to an adverse shock, including a sharp rise in unemployment and/or a sharp drop in home prices.” Scotia predicted that home prices would decline on average 10 per cent across the country, and the market would take a decade to recover, based on previous housing market cycles. But Capital Economics predicts a 25-per-cent decline in house prices, which would inevitably lead to rising unemployment. As BILD noted in its report, there are 193,000 people employed in construction in Toronto alone. Also on HuffPostHow to transfer a Google Analytics property from one Google Account to another Wes Cossick Blocked Unblock Follow Following Oct 26, 2016 Last month, Google released the much needed ability to move Google Analytics properties between accounts. Why is this useful? Given that Google Analytics is now over 10 years old, the organization of your Google accounts may be a bit different than it was in when you first started using the service. But it used to be impossible to move a property between accounts without starting over and losing all of your data. That’s where this new feature comes in. Before I explain how to use it, it’s very important to understand the terminology and organization of Google Analytics. This is where I was initially tripped up, because there’s quite a bit of inaccurate information out there. Terminology Google Account: What you sign into on Google’s website. Essentially an email address and a password which allows you to use all of Google’s many services. Google Analytics Account: The account that houses properties within Google Analytics. Useful for specifying account-level permissions that stay the same even when new properties are added. Property: The website or app that you’re collecting tracking data on. Organization You may have read elsewhere that Google Analytics is organized like so: Google Account > Google Analytics Account > Properties This is not correct and will make it difficult to conceptualize the move process. The actual organization is as follows: Google Analytics Account, managed by Google Accounts > Properties The key here is that Google Accounts don’t own or contain a Google Analytics Account. Instead, think of a Google Analytics Account as a separate entity that’s managed by one or more Google Accounts that have specific permissions. A Google Account that has all available permissions can be referred to as an “administrative account” for that Google Analytics Account. Got it? Good. How to move properties I’ll describe how to continue by way of example. Let’s say you’re moving a property from a personal Google Account ([email protected]) to a generic company account ([email protected]). First, in your personal account’s admin settings, create a new Google Analytics account (see below). Creating new Google Analytics Account Because a Google Analytics Account must have at least one property, you’ll need to create a new property during the account creation process. If you have no new properties you need to create, just call the property “Fake” and give it a fake URL—you’ll be able to delete it later. Next, give the company (aka “destination”) Google Account full permissions for the new Google Analytics Account. This can be done through the “User Management” link (shown below). Adding permissions Now, find the property you want to transfer, click the “Property Settings” link, then the “Move property” button (shown below). Moving the property The move process may take a few minutes to complete. Once it does, return to the Admin section of Google Analytics and delete your personal account from the “User Management” section of the new Google Analytics Account. At this point, your personal Google Account ([email protected]) no longer has any permissions to manage the new Google Analytics Account. Instead, it is exclusively managed by the company’s Google Account ([email protected]). By the way, if you created a fake property, you can remove that now too. Conclusion In summary, what you’re really doing is moving the property between Google Analytics Accounts, then changing the users who manage that account. It’s quite simple, as long as you understand what’s going on.Fans have an obsession with tanking for a high lottery pick, thinking it is the correct strategy for all rebuilding clubs. When Knicks GM Scott Perry met with the media Saturday in Chicago, he sent a message to fans — and his players. No tanks. Team president Steve Mills and Perry aren’t focused on gaining another high lottery pick. They’d prefer the Knicks overachieve and play games with playoff meaning in April. In other words, be different than their two most recent opponents in the Bulls and Hawks, who own the league’s two worst records and are expected to be 1-2 in the lottery seedings come May. “I don’t think that’s healthy for any culture,’’ Perry said of tanking. “I think if you try to institutionalize losing, that’s hard to get out of your building.’’ After their discouraging performance in Chicago, the Knicks pulled out a Garden cliffhanger against the Hawks in the fourth quarter, 111-107, moving to 13-13. All the right young core guys did well in crunch time — Ron Baker, experiencing a sophomore jinx but finally making his first big imprint on a game this season with 31 scrappy minutes; rookie Frank Ntilikina hitting a big 3, collecting three steals, hitting a late free throw; Kristaps Porzingis reversing a recent downward spiral with 30 points; Doug McDermott piling on 23 points. According to a source, Mills and Perry are aware Porzingis needs to see signs of progression if he is going to stay here long-term. A 25-57 finish won’t have the 7-foot-3 Latvian enthused about committing this summer when he gets a chance to sign a rookie contract extension. Mills and Perry have courted Porzingis’ brother/agent Janis Porzingis, so they know their urgency. Porzingis wants to be in the playoffs for the first time. His first two NBA seasons have been over by March 1. “I don’t believe in it either,’’ Porzingis told The Post regarding tanking. “Every season you have to go with the expectations of making the playoffs. That’s the way to get better. If you do make the playoffs, that experience, you can’t change for nothing. Every player should as soon as you start you career. The sooner you get that, the more you’re prepared for the future. I’m really looking forward to making the playoffs.’’ If the Knicks don’t make the playoffs — and chances are they fall short with Tim Hardaway Jr.’s potential extended absence with a lower leg injury — at least the players would have grown from being in a playoff hunt. That’s more than can be said about the Hawks, Bulls and incoming Lakers. The Knicks host LaVar Ball’s son Tuesday. “Fans were guessing we’d be worse than we are now,’’ Porzingis told The Post. “The way we’re playing, it’s something achievable.’’ Mills and Perry set low expectations entering training camp, but by no means did they wish the Knicks would jockey with the Bulls and Hawks for worst in the East. Their urge to dump Carmelo Anthony appeared to be a sign of dropping to the bottom. But the new regime — and the fired Phil Jackson — just wanted to be done with Anthony because he didn’t fit their new identity as an organization emphasizing defense and passing. Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek is trying to win, otherwise young building block Willy Hernangomez would be the center backup, not Kyle O’Quinn. “We’re always looking to win the game,’’ Hornacek said. “Sometimes you want to give guys looks and opportunities, but that’s from practice where they earned it. It’s a little bit of a fine balance but ultimately we’re trying to win games and putting out guys who might give it to us.’’ If the Knicks lose Porzingis, who will be a perennial All-Star if not superstar, the franchise faces a hopeless future. So if the Knicks do fall out of the race by February’s trade deadline, Perry will have a lot to think about in potentially unloading someone with trade value such as Courtney Lee. “It’s part of my daily grind,’’ Perry said of those decisions. Perry would rather not have those conversations with teams in February. Perry prefers to still be in the race — the only surefire way of ensuring Porzingis sticks.The huge humpback whale whose friendliness precipitated a surreal seven-year — so far — federal hunt for criminality surely did not feel put upon. Nevertheless, our unhinged government, with an obsession like that of Melville’s Ahab, has crippled Nancy Black’s scientific career, cost her more than $100,000 in legal fees — so far — and might sentence her to 20 years in prison. This Kafkaesque burlesque of law enforcement began when someone whistled. Black, 50, a marine biologist who also captains a whale-watching ship, was with some watchers in Monterey Bay in 2005 when a member of her crew whistled at the humpback that had approached her boat, hoping to entice the whale to linger. Back on land, another of her employees called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to ask if the whistling constituted “harassment” of a marine mammal, which is an “environmental crime.” NOAA requested a video of the episode, which Black sent after editing it slightly to highlight the whistling. NOAA found no harassment — but got her indicted for editing the tape, calling this a “material false statement” to federal investigators, which is a felony under the 1863 False Claims Act, intended to punish suppliers defrauding the government during the Civil War. A year after this bizarre charge — that she lied about the interaction with the humpback that produced no charges — more than a dozen federal agents, led by one from NOAA, raided her home. They removed her scientific photos, business files and computers. Call this a fishing expedition. She has also been charged with the crime of feeding killer whales when she and two aides were in a dinghy observing them feeding on strips of blubber torn from their prey — a gray whale. To facilitate photographing the killers’ feeding habits, she cut a hole in one of the floating slabs of blubber and, through the hole, attached a rope to stabilize the slab while a camera on a pole recorded the whales’ underwater eating. So she is charged with “feeding” killer whales that were already feeding on a gray whale they had killed. She could more plausibly be accused of interfering with the feeding. Never mind. This pursuit of Black seems to have become a matter of institutional momentum, an agent-driven case. Perhaps NOAA, or the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section, has its version of Victor Hugo’s obsessed Inspector Javert. In any event, some of the federal government’s crime-busters seem to know little about whales — hence the “whistle-as-harassment” nonsense. Six years ago, NOAA agents, who evidently consider the First Amendment a dispensable nuisance, told Black’s scientific
1 kbps/24-bit, no English dub! TW : Japanese DTS HD MA 5.0 @ 3731 kbps/24-bit, no English dub! Extras : JP: Packaging, [Show spoiler] Main disc : Storyboards (1080p) "Summer of Goodbye" by Aoi Teshima Music Video (1080p, 5:45) Aoi Teshima: Concert in 360° (1080p, 52:18) Press Conference: "Summer of Goodbye" (1080, 39:17) AR (afureko) recording script First Screening: A Discussion with Hayao and Goro Miyazaki (1080p, 6:14) Screening of the film at the Scala-Za cinema (1080p, 23:46) Trailers (15, 8:18) TV Spots in 1080p [A (0:23), B (0:22), C (0:37), D (0:19), E (0:17), F (0:22), G (0:37), H (0:19), I (0:17), J (0:22), K (0:22), L (0:21)] Trailer in 1080p [1 (0:53), 2 (2:09), 3 (0:38)] Special disc (only available in Yokohama Special Edition): Goro Miyazaki interview Aoi Teshima Yokohama Present/Past Scenes Music Video Yokohama guide map In addition, people who pre-order any version will receive a pair of marriage protection charms (縁結びお守り enmusubi omamori?). Starting on 16 March 2012, people who buy or pre-order any Studio Ghibli Blu-ray Disc or DVD in Japan will receive a randomly selected (out of six available) character sticker of From Up On Poppy Hill. The sticker includes a link to a site with personal computer wallpaper and a Flash-animated ringtone for mobile phones. US: [Show spoiler] Storyboards (1080p; 1:30:51) Director Goro Miyazaki on Yokohama (1080i; 17:37). Yokohama—Stories of the Past and Present (1080i; 22:36) "Summer of Farewells" Music Video (1080i; 5:45) English Voice Cast Featurette (1080p; 21:48) Press Conference—Theme Song Announcement (1080i; 39:33) Hayao Miyazaki's Speech After the Staff Screening (1080i; 6:14) Japanese Trailers and Teasers (1080p; 7:11) U.S. Trailer (1080p; 2:25) (From press release) Original Japanese and English Language Versions with Subtitles and Dubtitles 20-Page Booklet Containing Original Project Proposal by Hayao Miyazaki and a Letter from Goro Miyazaki UK: Packaging, [Show spoiler] Storyboards (PiP) Press Conference - Theme Song Announcement (1080i, 39:17) Interview with Goro Miyazaki (1080i, 17:36) Hayao Miyazaki's Staff Speech (1080i, 6:12) Music Video "Summer of Farewells ~ From Up on Poppy Hill ~" - Performed by Aoi Teshima (1080i, 5:43) Original Japanese Trailers and TV Spots (16, 1080p, 7:19) [0:46, 02:05, 0:32, 0:18, 0:17, 0:17, 0:32, 0:14, 0:12, 0:17, 0:32, 0:14, 0:22, 0:07, 0:17, 0:17] Yokohama Featurette ~ Stories of Past and Present (1080i, 22:34) Making of Poppy Hill ~ Featurette with English Cast (1080p, 21:47) Studio Ghibli Collection Trailer (Laputa, Ponyo, Arrietty, Totoro, Kiki) [720p, 7:05) FR: no English subtitles TW: Packaging and menu screenshots, [Show spoiler] Postcards of Concept art of the various Latin Quarter Clubhouse characters Yokohama Historial Guidemap Storyboards Aoi Teshima Concert 360 in Nicofarre Aoi Teshima Music Video of Summer of Goodbye with Yokohama historical footage Press Conference of the Theme Song Announcement * Subtitles : JP: subtitles (main feature) US: subtitles + dubtitles (from the press release) UK: subtitles (yellow) FR: no English subtitles TW: subtitles Region Coding : JP: Region A (B, C unchecked) US: Region A locked UK: Region B locked FR: Region B (A, C unchecked) TW: Region A locked * Reviews : JP: US: Blu-ray.com, DVDizzy, Collider, Blog Critics, IonCinema, Movie Korner, Hi-Def Ninja UK: Conclusion : 20) The Wind Rises (July 20, 2013) BDInfo : JP MGVC (Collection), UK Picture Quality : JP: AVC @ 25864 kbps JP MGVC: AVC @ 31706 kbps UK: --to be released September 29th-- Audio Quality : JP: Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 @ 4096 kbps/24-bit, English DD 5.1 @ 448 kbps JP MGVC: Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 @ 4096 kbps/24-bit, English DD 5.1 @ 448 kbps UK: --to be released September 29th-- Extras : JP: [Show spoiler] checked by me Recording script Storyboards (1080p) "Hikokigumo" music video (1080p, 5:04) Retirement Press Conference (1080i, 1:22:46) Promotional material - Trailer (1080p) 1 (0:43), 2(0:42) - Original Japanese Theatrical Trailer(1080p, 4:21) - TV Spot (1080p)A (0:38), B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I (0:22 each) Studio Ghibli Trailers (Kingdom of Madness, From up on Poppy Hill, The Secret World of Arrietty) JP MGVC: no extras included in the Hayao Miyazaki collection (check here) UK: --to be released September 29th-- Subtitles : JP: JP MGVC: UK: --to be released September 29th-- Region Coding : JP: Region free JP MGVC: Region free UK: --to be released September 29th-- Reviews : Conclusion : 21) The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013) Not available yet General Rules / Tips / Notes / Guideline : - The Japanese releases which are not digital have a lot of grain (unless stated otherwise). - The UK/AU versions are identical and have no to minimal grain (unless stated otherwise). - The US versions have grain but due to the lower bitrate, it's less apparent than the JP releases and they are nearly indistinguishable in motion. - The subtitles section is to address whether the subtitles are dubtitles or subtitles. I will add whichever language you want me to, as long as we have info which is which. Subtitle language options are available in the database - The JP releases have various promotional material for each film. The titles of each will not be entirely accurate (TV Spot / Theatrical trailer / Promo film / etc) - The JP releases are Digibooks,they are very expensive and (usually) region-free. Supplemental material usually does not carry subtitles (this is hard to confirm, be sure to check with others before buying) - HK releases are most of the time similar to the JP releases in terms of PQ (see Ponyo though - there are exceptions), they are cheaper but do not contain English dubs (subs are included). Region coding varies [unless stated otherwise] - For people who don't care about money I'd recommend the Japanese edition. This edition usually also comes with an abundance of extra language options [German, French, Mandarin, Cantonese etc] (see the database for individual titles) - For people who want value-for-money / English localization (whatever that entails) I'd recommend the US edition -> very good PQ (lower bit-rate than JP) + AQ and good extras (be careful of subtitles vs. dubtitles) - For people who want value-for-money / English localization / don't like grain / better bonuses / don't want to wait for the US editions I'd recommend the UK releases -> DNR'ed but very good PQ + AQ + usually better extras than the US version ( DNR is not the rushed kind, see comparison pictures ) - If you have info about editions in different countries (Spain, Italy, Germany etc.), I will be very happy to include these entries. But bare in mind that this is not a list of every international release. We have an excellent database for this. There listing everything here is pointless if there is no extra info (the source of the film, audio options, extras etc) on the matter. Sources: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.jp, Asian Blu-ray Guide, GhibliWiki, UKAnimeNetwork Contributors: Pyoko, Exist2Inspire, toddly6666, svenge, manicsounds, sailor53, Sinthetic, Kajino P, TwelveMind, GxyExpress999, insomniac013, NorthSea0il, disneywildcat, Jafar, Billy Moon, Shingster, Mortimer 16)17)18)19)20)- The Japanese releases which are not digital have a lot of grain (unless stated otherwise).- The UK/AU versions are identical and have no to minimal grain (unless stated otherwise).- The US versions have grain but due to the lower bitrate, it's less apparent than the JP releases and they are nearly indistinguishable in motion.- The subtitles section is to address whether the subtitles are. I will add whichever language you want me to, as long as we have info which is which. Subtitle language options are available in the database- The JP releases have various promotional material for each film. The titles of each will not be entirely accurate (TV Spot / Theatrical trailer / Promo film / etc)- The JP releases are Digibooks,they are very expensive and (usually) region-free. Supplemental material usually does not carry subtitles (this is hard to confirm, be sure to check with others before buying)- HK releases are most of the time similar to the JP releases in terms of PQ (see Ponyo though - there are exceptions), they are cheaper but do not contain English dubs (subs are included). Region coding varies [unless stated otherwise]- For people who don't care about money I'd recommend the Japanese edition. This edition usually also comes with an abundance of extra language options [German, French, Mandarin, Cantonese etc] (see the database for individual titles)- For people who want value-for-money / English localization (whatever that entails) I'd recommend the US edition -> very good PQ (lower bit-rate than JP) + AQ and good extras (be careful of subtitles vs. dubtitles)- For people who want value-for-money / English localization / don't like grain / better bonuses / don't want to wait for the US editions I'd recommend the UK releases -> DNR'ed but very good PQ + AQ + usually better extras than the US version ( AVS Forum, Blu-ray.com Database, DVDbeaver.com : Pyoko, Exist2Inspire, toddly6666, svenge, manicsounds, sailor53, Sinthetic, Kajino P, TwelveMind, GxyExpress999, insomniac013, NorthSea0il, disneywildcat, Jafar, Billy Moon, Shingster, Mortimer Last edited by Lnds500; 08-21-2014 at 12:11 PM.24 Pages Posted: 20 Oct 2012 Date Written: October 18, 2012 Abstract In this paper we present a macroeconomic microfounded framework with heterogeneous agents -- households, firms, banks -- which interact through a decentralized matching process presenting common features across four markets -- goods, labor, credit and deposit. We study the dynamics of the model by means of computer simulation. Some macroeconomic properties emerge such as endogenous business cycles, nominal GDP growth, unemployment rate fluctuations, the Phillips curve, leverage cycles and credit constraints, bank defaults and financial instability, and the importance of government as an acyclical sector which stabilize the economy. The model highlights that even extended crises can endogenously emerge. In these cases, the system may remain trapped in a large unemployment status, without the possibility to quickly recover unless an exogenous intervention.South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation Stake ownership structures (as of 2012 ) An LG microwave oven LG's ad campaigns have sometimes utilized celebrities such as South Korean pop girl group Girls' Generation for their products, such as this for the LG Cookie cell phone in 2010. LG Corporation (Hangul: 주식회사 LG), formerly Lucky-Goldstar (Korean: Leogki Geumseong; Hangul: 럭키금성; Hanja: 樂喜金星), is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation. It is the fourth-largest chaebol in South Korea. It is headquartered in the LG Twin Towers building in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul.[2] LG makes electronics, chemicals, and telecom products and operates subsidiaries such as LG Electronics, Zenith, LG Display, LG Uplus, LG Innotek and LG Chem in over 80 countries. History [ edit ] LG Corp. established as Lak Hui Chemical Industrial Corp. in 1947.[3] In 1952, Lak Hui (pronounced "Lucky", currently LG Chem) became the first South Korean company to enter the plastics industry. As the company expanded its plastics business, it established GoldStar Co. Ltd. (currently LG Electronics Inc.) in 1958. Both companies Lucky and GoldStar merged and formed Lucky-Goldstar in 1983.[4] GoldStar produced South Korea's first radio.[4] Many consumer electronics were sold under the brand name GoldStar, while some other household products (not available outside South Korea) were sold under the brand name of Lucky. The Lucky brand was famous for hygiene products such as soaps and HiTi laundry detergents, but the brand was mostly associated with its Lucky and Perioe toothpaste. LG continues to manufacture some of these products for the South Korean market, such as laundry detergent. Koo Bon-moo renamed the company to LG in 1995.[4] The company also associates the letters LG with the company's tagline "Life's Good". Since 2009, LG has owned the domain name LG.com. Joint ventures [ edit ] Since 2000, LG and Hitachi created a joint venture called Hitachi-LG Data Storage. In 2001, LG had two joint ventures with Royal Philips Electronics: LG Philips Display and LG Philips LCD, but Philips sold off its shares in late 2008.[5] In 2005, LG entered into a joint venture with Nortel Networks, creating LG-Nortel Co. Ltd. International markets [ edit ] On 30 November 2012, comScore released a report of the October 2012 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share that found LG lost its place as second in the U.S. mobile market share to Apple Inc.[6] On 20 January 2013, Counterpoint Research announced that LG has overtaken Apple to become second largest in U.S. market share.[7] On 7 August 2013, comScore released a report of the June 2013 U.S. Smartphone Subscriber Market Share that found LG fell to fifth place in the U.S mobile market share.[8] Logo [ edit ] The company logo of LG features a circle containing the letters "L" and "G", presented in the form of a smiling human face.[9][10] The original LG corporate logo, used from January 1, 1995, until December 31, 2014, in Helvetica typeface. The new LG corporate logo in use from January 1, 2015, using a different typeface, along with a slightly darker magenta. The audio logo is used in radio commercial and TV commercial that is 7 note jingle for LG.[citation needed] Associated companies [ edit ] Structure and financial position [ edit ] LG Corporation is a holding company that operates worldwide through more than 30 companies in the electronics, chemical, and telecom fields. Its electronics subsidiaries manufacture and sell products ranging from electronic and digital home appliances to televisions and mobile telephones, from Thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal displays to security devices and semiconductors. In the chemical industry, subsidiaries manufacture and sell products including cosmetics, industrial textiles, rechargeable batteries and toner products, polycarbonates, medicines, and surface decorative materials. Its telecom products include long-distance and international phone services, mobile and broadband telecommunications services, as well as consulting and telemarketing services. LG also operates the Coca-Cola Korea Bottling Company, manages real estate, offers management consulting, and operates professional sports clubs. [19] Group families [ edit ] Electronics industries [ edit ] LG Electronics LG Appliances LG Display LG Innotek Silicon Works ZKW Group Chemical industries [ edit ] LG Lever Korea Food & Beverages Home Care Personal Care Telecommunications [ edit ] LG has owned the LG Twins and Changwon LG Sakers. Brand ambassadors [ edit ]This is a little guide to display dynamic login messages on a Debian system. This is one of those things where the internet has plenty of resources, but they are mostly outdated and contradictory. Even typing man motd in Debian is a sad experience. It is not a difficult thing to do but it can be a big waste of time to sort out the contradictions. Hopefully, this post will help get the big picture from one single place. Short history Ancient times Time ago, most distributions just printed the contents of /etc/motd upon login. MOTD stands for message of the day (although it was static), and was put in place at installation time, only to be changed at upgrade time maybe. $ cat /etc/motd The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software; the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright. Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by applicable law. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 $ cat /etc/motd The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software; the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright. Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Some distributions such as Arch keep operating this way. Ubuntu came along Then, Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex (2008) introduced a package update-motd, which consisted of a script called update-motd. an entry in /etc/cron.d calling update-motd every 10 minutes. a folder /etc/update-motd.d The script runs all the scripts in /etc/update-motd.d using run-parts, then stores all output in /var/run/motd. /usr/sbin/update-motd #!/bin/sh # # update-motd - update the dynamic MOTD immediately # # Copyright (C) 2008-2014 Dustin Kirkland <[email protected]> # # Authors: Dustin Kirkland <[email protected]> # [ comments edited out by ownyourbits ] set -e if! touch /var/run/motd.new 2>/dev/null; then echo "ERROR: Permission denied, try:" 1>&2 echo " sudo $0" 1>&2 exit 1 fi if run-parts --lsbsysinit /etc/update-motd.d > /var/run/motd.new; then if mv -f /var/run/motd.new /var/run/motd; then cat /var/run/motd exit 0 else echo "ERROR: could not install new MOTD" 1>&2 exit 1 fi fi echo "ERROR: could not generate new MOTD" 1>&2 exit 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 #!/bin/sh # # update-motd - update the dynamic MOTD immediately # # Copyright (C) 2008-2014 Dustin Kirkland <[email protected]> # # Authors: Dustin Kirkland <[email protected]> # [ comments edited out by ownyourbits ] set - e if! touch / var / run / motd.new 2 > / dev / null ; then echo "ERROR: Permission denied, try:" 1 > & 2 echo " sudo $0" 1 > & 2 exit 1 fi if run - parts -- lsbsysinit / etc / update - motd.d > / var / run / motd.new ; then if mv - f / var / run / motd.new / var / run / motd ; then cat / var / run / motd exit 0 else echo "ERROR: could not install new MOTD" 1 > & 2 exit 1 fi fi echo "ERROR: could not generate new MOTD" 1 > & 2 exit 2 /etc/motd was then made into a symbolic link to /var/run/motd And pam_motd copied it Then, PAM thought that that was actually a cool idea and copied it from Ubuntu. In modern Linux, PAM is in charge of login authentication. SSH uses the pam_motd module /etc/pam.d/sshd session optional pam_motd.so motd=/run/motd.dynamic 1 session optional pam_motd.so motd=/run/motd.dynamic Ok, now we have yet another file, /run/motd.dynamic. We can see that they almost literally copied the code. if (do_update && (stat("/etc/update-motd.d", &st) == 0) && S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) { mode_t old_mask = umask(0022); if (!system("/usr/bin/env -i PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin ru n-parts --lsbsysinit /etc/update-motd.d > /var/run/motd.new")) rename("/var/run/motd.new", "/var/run/motd"); umask(old_mask); } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 if ( do_update && ( stat ( "/etc/update-motd.d", & st ) == 0 ) && S_ISDIR ( st. st_mode ) ) { mode_t old_mask = umask ( 0022 ) ; if (! system ( "/usr/bin/env -i PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin ru n-parts --lsbsysinit /etc/update-motd.d > /var/run/motd.new" ) ) rename ( "/var/run/motd.new", "/var/run/motd" ) ; umask ( old_mask ) ; } For this reason, even in Debian if we create the folder /etc/update-motd.d, which does not exist by default, it will be run at every login in the same way as if we had Ubuntu’s update-motd package installed. Confusing huh? Well it gets worse because over time, Debian and Ubuntu have changed things, like the scripts populated in /etc/update-motd.d and the use of special files. Files involved /etc/motd – The classic, static file. Does not exist anymore in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, not even as a symbolic link to /var/run/motd. If it is created, however its contents will be printed too. /var/run/motd – This was used by Ubuntu’s first implementation. It is not used anymore. It is just ignored by PAM. /var/run/motd.dynamic – This is what is shown on login currently. It is updated by /etc/init.d/motd at every boot. It is also updated by PAM by running the scripts in /etc/update-motd.d/, if they exist. . It is updated by /etc/init.d/motd at every boot. It is also updated by PAM by running the scripts in /etc/update-motd.d/, if they exist. /etc/motd.tail – The Ubuntu package used to populate /etc/update-motd.d. One of them would cat the contents of this file so it was easy to add static content. That script does not exist in the package anymore, so the file does not have the intended effect. How to then? Okay, so once we understand why Google confuses us, it is pretty easy to customize our MOTD. First, make sure to disable /etc/init.d/motd, as it writes to /var/run/motd.dynamic. /etc/init.d/motd... # Update motd uname -snrvm > /var/run/motd.dynamic... 1 2 3 4... # Update motd uname - snrvm > / var / run / motd. dynamic... In my Raspbian Jessie, for instance it already came disabled. Just in case sudo systemctl disable motd 1 sudo systemctl disable motd Then, just delete current static MOTD, create /etc/update-motd.d folder and place scripts in it. mkdir /etc/update-motd.d rm -f /etc/motd # in Debian still exists 1 2 mkdir /etc/update-motd.d rm -f /etc/motd # in Debian still exists Scripts are run by run-parts, so they need not have an extension. They must start with digits so they will be run in order. Finally, you can opt to get rid of the “last login” message if you want /etc/ssh/sshd_config PrintLastLog no 1 PrintLastLog no This is a simple example cat > /etc/update-motd.d/10logo <<EOF #!/bin/sh echo cat /etc/issue EOF cat > /etc/update-motd.d/20updates <<'EOF' #!/bin/sh echo echo "uptime is $( uptime )" echo "date is $( date )" EOF chmod a+x /etc/update-motd.d/* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 cat > / etc / update - motd.d / 10logo << EOF #!/bin/sh echo cat / etc / issue EOF cat > / etc / update - motd.d / 20updates << 'EOF' #!/bin/sh echo echo "uptime is $( uptime )" echo "date is $( date )" EOF chmod a + x / etc / update - motd.d / * Next login we will get Debian GNU/Linux 9 uptime is 15:40:52 up 2 days, 4 min, 1 user, load average: 1.54, 1.48, 1.04 date is Wed Apr 5 15:40:52 UTC 2017 1 2 3 4 5 Debian GNU/Linux 9 uptime is 15:40:52 up 2 days, 4 min, 1 user, load average: 1.54, 1.48, 1.04 date is Wed Apr 5 15:40:52 UTC 2017 Some ideas FIGlet You can use good old FIGlet. It will take your input and create some text based ASCII art. $ figlet ownyourbits _ _ _ _____ ___ __ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __| |__ (_) |_ ___ / _ \ \ /\ / / '_ \| | | |/ _ \| | | | '__| '_ \| | __/ __| | (_) \ V V /| | | | |_| | (_) | |_| | | | |_) | | |_\__ \ \___/ \_/\_/ |_| |_|\__, |\___/ \__,_|_| |_.__/|_|\__|___/ |___/ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 $ figlet ownyourbits _ _ _ _____ ___ __ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __| |__ (_) |_ ___ / _ \ \ /\ / / '_ \| | | |/ _ \| | | | '__| '_ \| | __/ __| | (_) \ V V /| | | | |_| | (_) | |_| | | | |_) | | |_\__ \ \___/ \_/\_/ |_| |_|\__, |\___/ \__,_|_| |_.__/|_|\__|___/ |___/ You can even get “fonts” for it here $ figlet -ct -f roman ownyourbits.o8 o8o. "888 `"'.o8.ooooo. oooo oooo ooo ooo..oo. oooo ooo.ooooo. oooo oooo oooo d8b 888oooo. oooo.o888oo.oooo.o d88' `88b `88. `88..8' `888P"Y88b `88..8' d88' `88b `888 `888 `888""8P d88' `88b `888 888 d88( "8 888 888 `88..]88..8' 888 888 `88..8' 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 `"Y88b. 888 888 `888'`888' 888 888 `888' 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 888. o. )88b `Y8bod8P' `8' `8' o888o o888o.8' `Y8bod8P' `V88V"V8P' d888b `Y8bod8P' o888o "888" 8""888P'.o..P' `Y8P' 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 $ figlet -ct -f roman ownyourbits.o8 o8o. "888 `"'.o8.ooooo. oooo oooo ooo ooo..oo. oooo ooo.ooooo. oooo oooo oooo d8b 888oooo. oooo.o888oo.oooo.o d88' `88b `88. `88..8' `888P"Y88b `88..8' d88' `88b `888 `888 `888""8P d88' `88b `888 888 d88( "8 888 888 `88..]88..8' 888 888 `88..8' 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 `"Y88b. 888 888 `888'`888' 888 888 `888' 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 888 888. o. )88b `Y8bod8P' `8' `8' o888o o888o.8' `Y8bod8P' `V88V"V8P' d888b `Y8bod8P' o888o "888" 8""888P'.o..P' `Y8P' System info You can play with lm-sensors to get information such as fan speed or temperature. Also, you can print any of the typical system info provided by standard tools. #!/bin/sh upSeconds="$(/usr/bin/cut -d. -f1 /proc/uptime)" secs=$((${upSeconds}%60)) mins=$((${upSeconds}/60%60)) hours=$((${upSeconds}/3600%24)) days=$((${upSeconds}/86400)) UPTIME=`printf "%d days, %02dh%02dm%02ds" "$days" "$hours" "$mins" "$secs"` # get the load averages read one five fifteen rest < /proc/loadavg echo "$(tput setaf 2).~~..~~. `date +"%A, %e %B %Y, %r"` '. \'' /.' `uname -srmo`$(tput setaf 1).~.~~~..~. :.~.'~'.~. : Uptime.............: ${UPTIME} ~ ( ) ( ) ~ Memory.............: `cat /proc/meminfo | grep MemFree | awk {'print $2'}`kB (Free) / `cat /proc/meminfo | grep MemTotal | awk {'print $2'}`kB (Total) ( : '~'.~.'~' : ) Load Averages......: ${one}, ${five}, ${fifteen} (1, 5, 15 min) ~.~ ( ) ~. ~ Running Processes..: `ps ax | wc -l | tr -d " "` ( : '~' : ) IP Addresses.......: `ip a | grep glo | awk '{print $2}' | head -1 | cut -f1 -d/` and `wget -q -O - http://icanhazip.com/ | tail` '~.~~~. ~' Weather............: `curl -s "http://rss.accuweather.com/rss/liveweather_rss.asp?metric=1&locCode=EUR|UK|UK001|NAILSEA|" | sed -n '/Currently:/ s/.*: \(.*\): \([0-9]*\)\([CF]\).*/\2°\3, \1/p'` '~' $(tput sgr0)" 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 #!/bin/sh upSeconds = "$(/usr/bin/cut -d. -f1 /proc/uptime)" secs = $ ( ( $ { upSeconds } % 60 ) ) mins = $ ( ( $ { upSeconds } / 60 % 60 ) ) hours = $ ( ( $ { upSeconds } / 3600 % 24 ) ) days = $ ( ( $ { upSeconds } / 86400 ) ) UPTIME = ` printf "%d days, %02dh%02dm%02ds" "$days" "$hours" "$mins" "$secs" ` # get the load averages read one five fifteen rest < / proc / loadavg echo "$(tput setaf 2).~~..~~. `date +" % A, % e % B % Y, % r "` '. \'' /.' `uname -srmo`$(tput setaf 1).~.~~~..~. :.~.'~'.~. : Uptime.............: ${UPTIME} ~ ( ) ( ) ~ Memory.............: `cat /proc/meminfo | grep MemFree | awk {'print $2'}`kB (Free) / `cat /proc/meminfo | grep MemTotal | awk {'print $2'}`kB (Total) ( : '~'.~.'~' : ) Load Averages......: ${one}, ${five}, ${fifteen} (1, 5, 15 min) ~.~ ( ) ~. ~ Running Processes..: `ps ax | wc -l | tr -d " "` ( : '~' : ) IP Addresses.......: `ip a | grep glo | awk '{print $2}' | head -1 | cut -f1 -d/` and `wget -q -O - http://icanhazip.com/ | tail` '~.~~~. ~' Weather............: `curl -s " http : //rss.accuweather.com/rss/liveweather_rss.asp?metric=1&locCode=EUR|UK|UK001|NAILSEA|" | sed -n '/Currently:/ s/.*: \ (. * \ ) : \ ( [ 0 - 9 ] * \ ) \ ( [ CF ] \ ).*/\2°\3, \1/p'` '~' $ ( tput sgr0 ) " adapted from here. Here is one example output Termpix You can get even fancier using tools like termpix. This tool creates ASCII art from pictures, and shows better if we have half block capable fonts available. This is what I used for the MOTD in NextCloudPi. landscape-sysinfo This one is Ubuntu only. sudo apt-get install landscape-common 1 sudo apt-get install landscape-common $ landscape-sysinfo System load: 1.39 Processes: 3 Usage of /: 3.1% of 9.99GB Users logged in: 0 Memory usage: 34% IP address for eth0: 172.17.0.3 Swap usage: 0% Graph this data and manage this system at: https://landscape.canonical.com/ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 $ landscape-sysinfo System load: 1.39 Processes: 3 Usage of /: 3.1% of 9.99GB Users logged in: 0 Memory usage: 34% IP address for eth0: 172.17.0.3 Swap usage: 0% Graph this data and manage this system at: https://landscape.canonical.com/ Banner sudo apt-get install sysvbanner 1 sudo apt-get install sysvbanner
all Stand in the thrall of my tidal wall Mothers to your bosoms, Grab your child and sing, As to your breasts cascade and sing: Brothers and fathers, Down to the thing in the middle of the town To judge at the thing These the effeminate priests of Frey That don their drag And shriek through the day That drag their God through the muddiest fields Spilling seed to raise the yields These the odd castrated womb-men On this onerous land of no men There the infernal priestess of Freyja, These her people layer on layer Then the infernal priestess of Freyja Visiting the farms The seething seer Visiting the farms And rarely leaving Mounting the tumulus The people grieving Dodens doddering dead and dying. Hear the modest priests of Ing Who’s harkening always let us sing That let’s us free our tightest waistband Let’s us fertilise our own land Spunked entire nations from one phallus Spunked the vegetation into being Spilled the super seed into the one day superceded earth. Old Mother Fucker She was a cocksucker To give her poor family a home Went down on their ding song And drank for a sing song But ended her sad life alone. Around the church in Yatesbury the dead Lie scattered underneath the sacred yew As Sheila the Witch attending Sunday prayer Praises a God but never tells them who And from my Wall observing Sheila the Witch Praises her God but never explaining which. And every Monday night by the light of Moon Those Meddlesome meddlesome meddlesome bells And the heavy metal of the heathen bells Meddlesome meddlesome meddlesome bells And the bad heavy metal of the heathen bells Meddlesome meddlesome meddlesome bells And the heavy metal of the heathen bells Meddlesome meddlesome meddlesome bells And the bad heavy metal of the heathen bells And Doggen can testify to my claim That the Christians of Yatesbury are Christian in name But their stomping pounding actions attest To their Christianity happiest at rest And Doggen who played at the John Stewart Hall Can attest that its keeper is the heathenest of all Is a shapeshifter tending to her hogweed hidden And her dear Paul wallows in the village pond nay midden For all of us are boundaried by Wan’s Dyke at the west And the great world hill which spies us and can never let us rest Bringing on Iranian Mithra From its home beneath the east Caught always in the thrall of my Wall Caught always in the thrall of my Wall Stand in the thrall Stand in the thrall Stand in the thrall of my wall Stand in the thrall Stand in the thrall Stand in the thrall of my wall Stand in the thrall Stand in the thrall Stand in the thrall of my wall Here in the bloodlust deeper scar For here be the wall of Johnny Guitar Here in the bloodlust deeper scar For here be the wall of Johnny Guitar Play your gloom axe Stephen O’Malley Sub bass ringing the sides of the valley Sub bass climbing up each last ditch and combe Greg Anderson purvey a sonic doom... Don’t blame the messenger of gloom, Don’t blame the messenger of doom, For this be the Ragmarockingest aeion In stillness O’Malley and Anderson play on... play on... play on... Text přidala Joker Video přidala JokerSolar systems with life-bearing planets may be rare if they are dependent on the presence of asteroid belts of just the right mass, according to a study by Rebecca Martin, a NASA Sagan Fellow from the University of Colorado in Boulder, and astronomer Mario Livio of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. They suggest that the size and location of an asteroid belt, shaped by the evolution of the Sun's protoplanetary disk and by the gravitational influence of a nearby giant Jupiter-like planet, may determine whether complex life will evolve on an Earth-like planet. This might sound surprising because asteroids are considered a nuisance due to their potential to impact the Earth and trigger mass extinctions. But an emerging view proposes that asteroid collisions with planets may provide a boost to the birth and evolution of complex life. Asteroids may have delivered water and organic compounds to the early Earth. According to the theory of punctuated equilibrium, occasional asteroid impacts might accelerate the rate of biological evolution by disrupting a planet's environment to the point where species must try new adaptation strategies. The astronomers based their conclusion on an analysis of theoretical models and archival observations of extrasolar Jupiter-sized planets and debris disks around young stars. "Our study shows that only a tiny fraction of planetary systems observed to date seem to have giant planets in the right location to produce an asteroid belt of the appropriate size, offering the potential for life on a nearby rocky planet," said Martin, the study's lead author. "Our study suggests that our solar system may be rather special." The findings will appear today in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters (published by Oxford University Press). Martin and Livio suggest that the location of an asteroid belt relative to a Jupiter-like planet is not an accident. The asteroid belt in our solar system, located between Mars and Jupiter, is a region of millions of space rocks that sits near the "snow line," which marks the border of a cold region where volatile material such as water ice are far enough from the Sun to remain intact. At the time when the giant planets in our solar system were forming, the region just beyond the snow line contained a dense mix of ices, rock, and metals that provided enough material to build giant planets like Jupiter. When Jupiter formed just beyond the snow line, its powerful gravity prevented nearby material inside its orbit from coalescing and building planets. Instead, Jupiter's influence caused the material to collide and break apart. These fragmented rocks settled into an asteroid belt around the Sun. "To have such ideal conditions you need a giant planet like Jupiter that is just outside the asteroid belt [and] that migrated a little bit, but not through the belt," Livio explained. "If a large planet like Jupiter migrates through the belt, it would scatter the material. If, on the other hand, a large planet did not migrate at all, that, too, is not good because the asteroid belt would be too massive. There would be so much bombardment from asteroids that life may never evolve." In fact, during the solar system's infancy, the asteroid belt probably had enough material to make another Earth, but Jupiter's presence and its small migration towards the Sun caused some of the material to scatter. Today, the asteroid belt contains less than one percent of its original mass. Using our solar system as a model, Martin and Livio proposed that asteroid belts in other solar systems would always be located approximately at the snow line. To test their proposal, Martin and Livio created models of protoplanetary disks around young stars and calculated the location of the snow line in those disks based on the mass of the central star. They then looked at all the existing space-based infrared observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of 90 stars having warm dust, which could indicate the presence of an asteroid belt-like structure. The temperature of the warm dust was consistent with that of the snow line. "The warm dust falls right onto our calculated snow lines, so the observations are consistent with our predictions," Martin said. The duo then studied observations of the 520 giant planets found outside our solar system. Only 19 of them reside outside the snow line, suggesting that most of the giant planets that may have formed outside the snowline have migrated too far inward to preserve the kind of slightly-dispersed asteroid belt needed to foster enhanced evolution of life on an Earth-like planet near the belt. Apparently, less than four percent of the observed systems may actually harbor such a compact asteroid belt. "Based on our scenario, we should concentrate our efforts to look for complex life in systems that have a giant planet outside of the snow line," Livio said.Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the lunar surface during the first moon landing in 1969. LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — NASA has begun drafting guidelines to protect the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 landing sites, listing them as off-limits, and including ground-travel buffers and no-fly zones to avoid spraying rocket exhaust or dust onto aging, but historic, equipment. Robert Kelso, NASA’s director of lunar commercial services at Johnson Space Center in Houston, has taken a hard look at future revisits to the Apollo sites and how to protect U.S. government artifacts on the moon. Kelso has carved out a set of guidelines intended to safeguard the historic and scientific value of more than three dozen "heritage sites" on the lunar surface. The report, which was released on July 20, is titled "NASA’s Recommendations to Space-Faring Entities: How to Protect and Preserve the Historic and Scientific Value of U.S. Government Lunar Artifacts." [Photos: NASA's Apollo Moon Missions] A greater urgency for guidelines has been sparked by the Google Lunar X Prize’s offer of $20 million to any private team that lands a robotic rover on the moon’s surface. An additional $4 million has been offered for any team that snaps pictures of artifacts near or at the Apollo landing sites. The twists and turns of the last tracks left by humans on the moon crisscross the surface in this LRO image of the Apollo 17 site. In the thin lunar soil, the trails made by astronauts on foot can be easily distinguished from the dual tracks left by the lunar roving vehicle, or LRV. Also seen in this image are the descent stage of the Challenger lunar module and the LRV, parked to the east. (Image: © NASA/Goddard/ASU) Key question For Kelso, a key question is: "As the small commercial landers make preparations for possible visits to these historic sites, how do we protect these culturally significant sites from damage so that we can inspect them historically and scientifically?" The recommendations listed by NASA are intended to apply to U.S. government artifacts on the lunar surface, such as: Apollo lunar surface landing and roving hardware; Unmanned lunar surface landing sites (e.g., Surveyor robotic landing sites) and impact sites, such as those of NASA's Ranger spacecraft, as well as the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) that slammed into the moon in October 2009; U.S. government experiments left on the lunar surface, tools, equipment, miscellaneous moonwalking gear; and Specific indicators of U.S. human, human-robotic lunar presence, including footprints and rover tracks. Archaeological input A recognized leader in the emerging field of space heritage and archaeology is Beth O’Leary, an anthropology professor here at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. O’Leary has spent more than a decade working with historians and archaeologists researching how to study and curate human artifacts on the moon. [Photos: Our Changing Moon] Given a small grant from NASA and the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, O’Leary spearheaded work through a Lunar Legacy Project that investigated protection of the Apollo 11 landing site. “There is a need for more archaeological input into the process of protecting what is certainly humanity’s most extraordinary series of events that led us off the Earth and onto the Moon,” O’Leary told SPACE.com. The recent capacities of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) — now circling the moon — has demonstrated that the probe could be used by archaeologists as an important remote sensing tool for identifying and mapping historic lunar sites. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon in July 1969 in this photo snapped by Neil Armstrong. (Image: © NASA) Keep-out zones O’Leary said that the NASA guidelines create a series of keep-out zones and boundaries around the historic artifacts and features at all Apollo sites. Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 are acknowledged as having special historical and cultural significance, she said. Those two locales are treated as unique by prohibiting visits to any part of these sites, and all future visiting vehicles would remain beyond the "artifact boundaries" of each entire site. "This provides a robust zone of protection around these two sites," O’Leary said. In the NASA study — for hopper configuration landers that are able to perform "low-altitude"/tangential fly-bys of identified sites — special guidelines have been written to ensure negligible plume interactions at the surface. High heritage value "For me, the NASA document represents a giant leap for lunar historic preservation," O’Leary explained. "NASA references its ownership of its lunar hardware and the need for protecting what it calls 'witness plates' or 'lunar assets' — those significant artifacts it created in the past that are now on the moon. This is a critical first step and many more have to follow, but for the first time NASA formally recognizes the heritage value of Apollo 11 and other extraordinary lunar sites." The NASA report also recognizes there have been no human impacts to the sites, which are in pristine, undisturbed condition except for the effects of the space environment. "Importantly, it recognizes that future missions can disturb or change the earlier lunar sites in ways that scientific and historic information can be lost," O’Leary said. Also, some of the sites are still active and continue to provide data — such as Apollo retro-reflectors used to measure the distance between the Earth and moon via laser ranging. "It was time for a preservation strategy," O’Leary said. Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is a winner of this year's National Space Club Press Award and a past editor-in-chief of the National Space Society's Ad Astra and Space World magazines. He has written for SPACE.com since 1999.Terror groups like ISIS are recruiting unaccompanied child refugees by paying for them to get into Europe. A report from counter-extremism firm the Quilliam Foundation also warned hundreds of under-18s have gone missing in the UK since migrating. The youngsters' passage to Europe and the UK is being funded by the terror groups, who hand over cash to human smugglers to get them over the border having radicalised them at some stage along the way. An Albanian refugee child grimaces after receiving loaves of bread in the center of Kukes, a northern Albanian border town (file photo) Terrorists are also actively recruiting in refugee camps and a new government strategy isn't expected to address the issues until May. Militants give out food to the children and attempt to buy their allegiance by paying for the first leg of their journey to Europe. 'Children and young people who are indoctrinated and recruited by IS are an important resource,' the report says. Having gained entry to countries in Europe, many children vanish from the care system. This is understood to be over fears they will not be granted asylum, while others are abducted, trafficked further or sexually exploited, the report said. The foundation's report says extremists may attempt to infiltrate refugee groups and radicalise young minds at any stage of the trip. Figures from 2015 show 340 children went missing between January and September and that 132 of those remained unaccounted for at the end of the year. White British ISIS child executioner Abu Abdullah al-Britani (JoJo Dixon) about to kill a Kurdish prisoner The government's answer to this is expected to include measures to increase the amount of available foster placements and supported accommodation. Lily Caprani, Unicef UK deputy executive director, said: 'Currently, too many children with a legal right be in the UK are forced into the hands of criminal traffickers and smugglers because no system is in place to get them to safety. 'We need to ensure that children in danger are helped by the law, cared for and educated, and not pulled into a new horror by the lawless. 'This shows why it is so urgent for our Government to step up efforts to get unaccompanied children out of dangerous camps and into homes waiting for them in the UK.' Rosalind Ereira from Solidarity with Refugees said: 'Among the most eye-opening points in this report is the fact that while most of us understand that our failure to provide safe passage to refugees endangers refugee lives, we might not understand that it also creates a threat to our own national security. 'Money paid by refugees to smugglers not only helps to fund Islamic State activities, but refugees are signed up to support IS in exchange for their travel. 'Where we fail to offer security to refugees, we leave the door open for radicalisation. 'We need to understand that the provision of safe and legal routes for refugees is in the best interests of all of us.' Refugees making their way to Europe via the Mediterranean may have to pay smugglers up to $560 for passage towards the coast. ISIS, capitalising on this route, offer free passage to those willing to join the terror group and the militants are also able to provide a degree of security. The report says: 'The financial lure is ever-present on the refugee journey - to those reaching the Mediterranean coast, ISIS offer potential recruits up to $1,000 to join the organisation.'Remedy Ice Cream is made in Calgary and infused with shatter — a concentrated form of marijuana. The operation may not be legal but it's not exactly underground, either. Co-founder Chris Vasconcellos says the ice cream is meant for licensed medical marijuana patients only. As a licensed user himself, he said he was looking for a different way to consume his medicine, which led him to the idea. Remedy Ice Cream bills itself online as "Canada’s first & finest medicinal ice cream creamery." (Remedy Ice Cream Co./Facebook) He doesn't have a licence to sell the drug, however, so he's wary of law enforcement — but still willing to talk publicly about what he does. He's created a widespread online presence and has been making the rounds on pot-themed podcasts, promoting the product as a first of its kind in Canada. Vasconcellos said he makes the ice cream in small batches, each yielding about 30 four-ounce containers. His online ads stipulate a minimum order of six containers — priced at $15 apiece — for orders within the city and 10 containers for customers elsewhere. "We do local deliveries in Calgary and then for Canada-wide we do shipping, next day, with dry ice so it's guaranteed to arrive there frozen," he told CBC News. He said customers are required to submit copies of their driver's licence and medical marijuana prescriptions. "There's always that worry of being caught or hassled or questioned or arrested or anything like that," he said. "But really, any type of person that's in my industry has that type of fear." And he's far from alone in the industry. 'People are getting creative' Only one company in Alberta — the industrial-sized Aurora Cannabis — is currently licensed to sell medical marijuana, but that hasn't stopped budding entrepreneurs from starting their own, small-scale operations. Jeff Mooij, owner of the 420 Clinic in Calgary, routinely turns people away who come to his Inglewood storefront, hoping it will stock their culinary cannabis concoctions. "We get people — probably on a weekly basis — coming to show us their edible products that they've made and wanting us to help them sell it," Mooij said. "It happens all the time and there is a demand for it, so it's not surprising people are getting creative." Jeff Mooij, owner of the 420 Clinic in Inglewood, says he routinely turns away producers of edible marijuana products who come to him wanting to sell their concoctions on his shelves. (Andrew Brown/CBC) The 420 Clinic doesn't actually provide any marijuana to its customers, but does sell products like vaporizers for consuming it. It also advises medical cannabis patients and helps them navigate the sometimes confusing federal system for legally accessing the drug. Calgary police declined an interview but a spokesperson noted the only legal way to obtain medical marijuana is to order from a licensed producer and have it delivered through the mail. While Aurora is the only licensed producer in Alberta, there are dozens across Canada — and a long list of applicants hoping for federal approval to join their ranks. 'Grey area' still a 'black market' Vasconcellos said he looked into the licensing process, but it's more designed for large-scale growers than small-sized outfits producing edible forms of the drug. With the legalization of recreational marijuana looming in 2018, he said there's an added level of competition among the sizeable but still semi-underground industry. "With everybody and their brother kind of doing it, it's, you know, kind of a grey area for a lot of people," he said. "So a lot of people are really just kind of taking the risks right now to try and get their name out there and promote business and stuff like that, just to hopefully be ahead of the game." Remedy Ice Cream comes in a variety of flavours, from "Wake and Bake Coffee" to "Cookies and Dream" to "High Tea." Chris Vasconcellos, left, appears on the Expert Joints Live! webcast, along with samples of his marijuana-infused product, Remedy Ice Cream. (YouTube/Screenshot) Vasconcellos described his unnamed partner in the venture as "pretty much a master creamer" and said they've figured out a way to ensure consistent dosing of THC — the active ingredient that provides pot's high. "We've sat down with a couple of chemists and some formulators and we've come up with a custom formula that works for our ice cream. We also get our products tested, as well, from a lab," he said. "We know exactly what we're getting per four-ounce container, so we know that we can ensure to our patients that this is what it says, unlike a lot of other products on the market." But Mooij is skeptical. He said proper dosing is tricky with edibles, even for experienced users consuming more regulated products, such as those available in U.S. jurisdictions where marijuana has been legalized. The 420 Clinic offers recipes and lessons for patients who want to infuse their own food with cannabis, he said, but buying edibles produced by someone else remains a dicey proposition in Canada. "It's still a black market and you don't know where it's being made." Pushing the boundaries The situation, Mooij said, underlines the need for the federal, provincial and municipal governments to develop more coherent policies surrounding marijuana. Across Canada, activists and entrepreneurs have been increasingly pushing the boundaries of the existing law, knowing it's soon due for a radical change. Dispensaries that openly sell cannabis from storefronts have been shut down in numerous cities only to re-open, in some cases, a short while later. Ottawa police officers exit the Wee Medical Dispensary Society shop on Rideau Street during a raid on Nov. 4, 2016. (Judy Trinh/CBC) Calgary police wouldn't comment on whether they're investigating Remedy Ice Cream or any other edible-marijuana producers, but Mooij figures small-scale operations wouldn't be a top priority when it comes to drug enforcement in the city. "We have a person dying every two days in this city on fentanyl or opiates, so marijuana is very low down on the scale, and rightfully so," he said. 'Trying to do good' ​The online reviews for Remedy Ice Cream on a popular marijuana website are stellar — a perfect five stars out of five, from 15 customers — and Vasconcellos said he's really proud of that. He said he recognizes the risk in trying to grow the business but also he believes he's filling a void and providing a product that wouldn't otherwise be available for medical marijuana patients who prefer not to inhale their medicine. "I have a family myself, so I really have to worry about that as well, but I'm also an entrepreneur and a businessman and I'm trying to really provide for my family and trying to do good for everybody else as well," he said. "I'm trying to bring a product that is not in Canada yet, really."EARL TOWNSHIP (WPMT)- Police are investigating a robbery this morning at the Ephrata National Bank branch along the 900 block of North Railroad in EarlTownship. New Holland police said the man walked into the bank around 9:30 a.m. and gave the teller a note demanding money. There was no weapon involved in the robbery. Investigators said the robber got away with an undisclosed amount of cash. He was described as a white male, early 40s, dark colored hair, small build, 5’5″ to 5’9″in height. He was last seen wearing a checkered shirt, dark pants, knit hat and colored tinted sunglasses. He was seen getting into a dark green four-door vehicle, possibly a VW, which was last seen heading north on Wanner Road. Anyone with information is asked to call Lt. Heisse at 717-354-4647.AFP | With the second round of France's presidential election less than a week away, tens of thousands of people took part in the traditional Labour Day rallies in Paris - albeit separate ones. Monday’s separate May Day rallies in Paris mirrored the divisions within France’s labour movement, where traditional hostility to Marine Le Pen’s far right is struggling to translate into support for her opponent, Emmanuel Macron. ADVERTISING Read more It wasn’t so long ago that more than a million people marched on Labour Day, under the joint banners of France’s leading trade unions, to call for a massive vote against Jean-Marie Le Pen. Fifteen years on, another Le Pen is once again in the second round of the presidential election, but the alliance against the far right is fractured. On Monday, France’s leading trade unions held separate rallies in the French capital, having failed to agree on a common stance ahead of Sunday’s presidential run-off. The division reflected the dilemma that has gripped much of the French left, torn between its ingrained opposition to the National Front and its deep suspicion of Macron. Sophie, Suzanne, Camille & Violette, 14 to 17, lament declining awareness of Le Pen's far-right threat among French youth #mayday pic.twitter.com/F3DnjHJzLJ — bendodman (@bendodman) May 1, 2017 Veteran unionists Jeanne Bolon and Annette Hazanavicius were both part of the million-strong march in 2002. But this time their CFDT union had to surrender the iconic Place de la République to the rival CGT, and move further north at Jaurès metro station, named after the left-wing hero and pacifist who was murdered by a nationalist on the eve of World War I. Bolon blamed the rift between unions on “tensions within the CGT”. She suggested the leftist union was too scared to endorse Macron, fearing it would upset members who dislike the former economy minister and are tempted by Le Pen’s overtures to the working class. “At the CFDT we also criticise [Macron’s] neo-liberal policies, in a constructive way,” said the 74-year-old. “The point is, with Macron we can talk, whereas with Le Pen we won’t ever again.” ‘There is a real danger’ The CFDT’s event was easily the smallest of the two union rallies. It was also the more homogenous one, with a near-consensus on the need to vote for Macron in order to shut out the far right. "We mustn't make same mistake as Brexit, Le Pen much graver danger," says theatre great Ariane Mnouchkine, in impeccable English #mayday pic.twitter.com/7b6FSxmUe9 — bendodman (@bendodman) May 1, 2017 Many, like world-famous theatre director Ariane Mnouchkine, said they had little enthusiasm for Macron, but were terrified at the prospect of Le Pen fetching a huge score – or even clinching the presidency. “The situation is very, very serious, there is a real danger,” said Mnouchkine, 78. “We will vote for Macron, not because we like his programme [...] but because he is much preferable to something that would be a shame and a catastrophe for France, for Europe, and for the world.” The founder of the Theatre du Soleil warned the French “not to make the same mistake as the British, who didn’t see the danger behind Brexit”, adding: “Le Pen coming to power is even more of a danger.” Standing nearby, Marie Adeline-Peix, 48, waved a French flag “because it belongs to every one of us, not just Le Pen”, while her son Arthur opened his umbrella to display the twelve yellow stars of the EU flag – a symbol cherished by Macron’s supporters. “Macron upholds the values of the Republic, and ‘banker’ is not an insult,” she said, referring to frequent derogatory comments on the political novice’s past as an investment banker. "French flag belongs to us all, not just Le Pen," says Marie, 48. So does her son's EU umbrella. #mayday pic.twitter.com/x5vLq9UV7B — bendodman (@bendodman) May 1, 2017 Herself a bank employee, Adeline-Peix would have liked to attend both marches. But, in a dig at unions and politicians that have refrained from explicitly endorsing Macron, she said she felt “unable to march side by side with people who cultivate ambiguity and are behaving irresponsibly.” Choice between ‘plague and cholera’ To some extent, the rift within the labour movement is a matter of nuance: the CFDT has called for a massive Macron vote in order to defeat Le Pen, whereas the CGT has urged voters to “block the National Front” – without mentioning the M-word. But the subtlety conceals a more substantive difference. According to the CGT, the “neo-liberal” economic policies associated with Macron – some of which the CFDT has approved – are to blame for bolstering the far right in the first place. Neither Le Pen, nor Macron: Olivier, 43, refuses to choose between "two evils", will take fight "to the streets, not the ballot box" #mayday pic.twitter.com/byjL1pSVEN — bendodman (@bendodman) May 1, 2017 Over at République, where tens of thousands took part in the main May Day rally, CGT member Olivier Garret said he could not fathom voting “for a man whose policies we fought against over the past five years”, during which time Macron served first as President François Hollande’s advisor and then his economy minister. The 48-year-old Paris city hall employee, who voted for Jacques Chirac in 2002 to keep Le Pen senior out, said he would no longer take part in a “parody” of democracy. “I honestly can’t decide between two evils,” he added, likening the presidential run-off to “a choice between the plague and cholera”. His vote on Sunday will be a blank one. No landslide for the ‘banker’ Criticism of Macron often borders on personal animosity, reflecting frustration at his successful attempt to cast himself as a critic of the very “system” that produced him. The antagonism is part of the reason why Le Pen, who portrays herself as the unlikely champion of France’s downtrodden, was relishing the prospect of a showdown with the globalisation-loving former banker in bespoke suits. Emmanuel Chapron, 35, said giving his vote to Macron on Sunday would mean “betraying the poor people, the victims of globalisation that we have campaigned so hard to win back from the far right”. Like many others at the rally, he voted in the first round for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the hard-left leader who has refused to openly endorse Macron in the run-off. Emmanuel, 35, voted Chirac in 2002 to keep one Le Pen out. But he refuses to hand "arrogant" Macron a landslide win this time #mayday pic.twitter.com/YRJVdh3fhL — bendodman (@bendodman) May 1, 2017 Chapron claimed there was “no chance” Le Pen would win on Sunday, and thus “no good reason to give her opponent a landslide win that will only make him more arrogant and convinced he can do anything he pleases” – including passing labour legislation by decree, as Macron has pledged to do, to the dismay of many left-wing voters. Instead, “we will take the fight to parliament and, if needs be, the streets”, he said, referring to parliamentary elections that will follow the presidential contest. Still a threat With less than a week to go before the May 7 vote, opinion polls continue to give Macron a comfortable 20-point lead over Le Pen. But analysts and politicians are urging caution, mindful of the insurgent mood that has swept across Western democracies, and of the fragility of Macron’s electoral base. Not everyone at République was willing to take chances. When their preferred candidates lost in the first round, Marie and her friends Juliette and Marion were among those tempted by abstention. But then the “anti-Le Pen reflex” kicked in. “Marine Le Pen is no less dangerous than her father,” said Marie, a 33-year-old teacher, dismissing the far-right candidate’s attempts to “detoxify” her camp in the eyes of French voters. “In fact she is even more dangerous, because the menace is concealed by a smoothened image.”How Effective is Economic Theory? Summer 2017 In 1980, following a decade of high inflation and unemployment — a combination that economists had previously thought to be impossible over extended periods — The Public Interest ran a special issue titled "The Crisis in Economic Theory." Today, there is little talk of a crisis in economic theory. But in the past decade, we have experienced a financial crisis and subsequent decline in employment that also followed a path economists had previously thought to be impossible. Economists seem more confident than they did in 1980, but are they more deserving of confidence? If anything, some of the questions confronting economics should run deeper now than then. In fact, the basic question of how economics should understand itself now demands urgent attention. Since the American Economic Association was founded in the 1880s, economists in this country have sought special status as scientifically grounded policy experts. Over the past 50 years, in particular, they have largely attained that status. Whether they deserve it is less clear. And what a scientific economics would really look like is not nearly as clear as some economists now imagine, either. And it's not just the practice: Even the ideal of economics as a science now demands serious scrutiny. If economic theory is not in crisis, maybe it deserves to be. EFFECTIVE THEORY Instead of "science," we might want to think about economics in terms of "effective theory." As explained by Harvard physicist Lisa Randall, Effective theory is a valuable concept when we ask how scientific theories advance, and what we mean when we say something is right or wrong. Newton's laws work extremely well. They are sufficient to devise the path by which we can send a satellite to the far reaches of the Solar System and to construct a bridge that won't collapse. Yet we know quantum mechanics and relativity are the deeper underlying theories. Newton's laws are approximations that work at relatively low speeds and for large macroscopic objects. What's more is that an effective theory tells us precisely its limitations — the conditions and values of parameters for which the theory breaks down. The laws of the effective theory succeed until we reach its limitations when these assumptions are no longer true or our measurements or requirements become increasingly precise. Whereas the term "science" often is used to connote absolute truth in an almost religious sense, effective theory is provisional. When we are certain that in a particular context a theory will work, then and only then is the theory effective. Effective theory consists of verifiable knowledge. To be verifiable, a finding must be arrived at by methods that are generally viewed as robust. Any researcher who tries to replicate a finding using appropriate methods should be able to confirm it. The strongest confirmation of the effectiveness of a theory comes from prediction and control. Lisa Randall's example of sending a spacecraft to the far reaches of the solar system illustrates such confirmation. This notion of effective theory sets a useful standard for considering economics. Economists are not without knowledge. We know that restrictions on trade tend to help narrow interests at the expense of broader prosperity. We know that market prices are important for coordinating specialization and division of labor in a complex economy. We know that the profit incentive promotes the introduction of improved products and processes, and that our high level of well-being results from the cumulative effect of such improvements. We know that government control over prices and production, as in communist countries, leads to inefficiency and corruption. We know that the laws of supply and demand tend to frustrate efforts to make goods more "affordable" by subsidizing them or to lower "costs" by fixing prices. But policymakers have goals that go far beyond or run counter to such basic principles. They want to steer the economy using fiscal stimulus. They want to shape complex and important markets, including those of health insurance and home mortgages. It is doubtful that the effectiveness of economic theory is equal to such tasks. Most scholarly research in economics is ultimately motivated by the unrealistic goal of providing effective theory to implement such technocratic objectives. But the resulting economic theory cannot be applied with the same confidence as Newtonian physics. Even worse is the fact that economists, unlike physicists, are not clear about the limits of the effectiveness of their theories. In short, when it comes to effective theory, economists promise more than they can deliver. Over the last 50 years, questions about the effectiveness of economic theory have revolved around five interlocking subjects in particular: mathematical modeling, homo economicus, objectivity, testing procedures, and the particular status of the sub-discipline of macroeconomics. With mathematical modeling, the question concerns the tradeoff between rigor and relevance. Mathematical models are considered more rigorous than verbal arguments, but the process of modeling serves to narrow the scope of economic thinking. Are mathematical economists ignoring important topics and missing insights that a nonmathematical economics might explore? With homo economicus, the question concerns the advantages and disadvantages of assuming that the individual behaves with economic rationality. This assumption appears to be a very powerful tool for prediction and control of economic behavior. But what are the limits to its applicability? With objectivity, the question concerns the relationship between facts and values, or between analysis and policy preferences. Physicists and astronomers are almost never accused of letting a partisan political outlook affect their views on the phenomena that they study. Can economists aspire
no ability to move content from Apple iPads or iPhones. But movement from one device to the next is not the issue. It is all about who is doing the uploading to the cloud. Amazon said its service acts as an external hard drive, while Apple and Google would automatically scan devices to transport content to the cloud. The music industry's objections include the possibility that users might store illegal or pirated material and that cloud storage offers easy access to collections of friends. Amazon's music director, Craig Pape, told music news website Billboard on Tuesday that "we don't believe we need licenses to store the customers' files. We look at it the same way as if someone bought an external hard drive and copies files on there for backup." Amazon has launched new products at a frenzied pace. In late February, Bezos gave customers instant streaming access to 5,000 video titles for free. One source suggested that the service, called Amazon Prime, met with little interest from Hollywood's studios because it was only offering a revenue share and could not compete with Netflix, which was writing big checks for Tinseltown content.The Los Angeles Lakers have long reigned as the premier brand in the National Basketball Association, with a presence and fandom that expresses across the globe. Whether during ‘Showtime’, the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal dynasty or during Bryant’s second championship run, fans across the world got to witness the top level of basketball. That fandom inspired the next generation of basketball, including the crop of players that have just entered the NBA. From Lonzo Ball to De’Aaron Fox, these players grew up watching Bryant dominate the NBA with his impeccable arsenal. That also holds true for Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, even though he didn’t grow up in the United States. The Cameroon native quickly turned into an NBA project as he got closer to being eligible for the draft, not playing basketball until he reached his teenage years. During an interview with Clay Skipper of GQ, Embiid stated that his love for the game of basketball started with Bryant and the Lakers: It’s hard to watch basketball over there because it comes on at like two or three in the morning. I started liking basketball when I was 13, but I couldn’t play because my dad thought it was too physical. I would try to watch it, but it was too late and the next day I had to go to school, so my mom never really allowed me. The first time I watched basketball was in 2010. The Lakers [in] the Finals. And that’s where I fell in love with basketball. That’s how I became a Kobe fan and a Lakers fan. Alas, Embiid would go on to be drafted third overall by the 76ers during the 2014 NBA Draft. He has quickly turned into an NBA sensation, whether fans are talking about his skills on the court or for his hilarious antics on social media. Embiid has been linked to Lonzo Ball and the Lakers during his short time in the NBA, whether taking shots at Lonzo or talking about the Big Baller Brand. Although he grew up as a Lakers fan, it seems as though he has turned on the team now that they are opposing rivals both in the rebuilding process. After posting 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.5 blocks during his first season in the NBA, the 76ers decided to fully invest in the big man. Both parties agreed to a five-year, $148 million deal, with incentives that could lead to $30 million more.Anonymous I just got attacked on a blog for stating that I think sometimes it's okay for cis-only spaces given that trans-women typically grow up being perceived as males, thus benefit from male-privilege growing up. I was called transmysoginist. I have trans friends who say that there are certain things I've dealt with as a lifelong female that they'll never understand, just as I'll never understand their plights obviously. What do you think of cis-only spaces?(sure you've been asked before, sorry if so) “Cis” (unless you mean geometric isomerism) and “transmisogyny” are both words coined by trans activists (the latter by Julia Serano, which only tells me to run as fast as I can from the term). Women aren’t “cis”, if cis is this: There is no privilege in being female, and conforming to femininity (what they call “gender expression”) is one of the ways in which women are oppressed by patriarchy. It has nothing to do with personal choices. And because there aren’t any privileges in being female, how can women have cis privilege? Right, they can’t. How can women even be cis? They can’t. As far as I’m concerned, no woman is “cis”. So, I don’t think “cis only” spaces is necessary, I think female born women only spaces is necessary. And mixed spaces, and spaces for only trans women (as WBW don’t share many of their issues, just as they don’t share many of ours). I think both are important, and I think the right for women to decide for themselves who they want to include in their women only spaces also is something feminists have been fighting for since forever and nothing that anyone else should be able to change. - PiA revised launch schedule for Nissan’s LMP1 car is in the works, which could include seeing the cutting-edge Nissan GT-R LM NISMO be revealed to a potential worldwide television audience. The car, which recently completed a shakedown at Nissan’s North American Technical Center in Stanfield, Ariz., was initially scheduled to be launched on Dec. 8 at an undisclosed location in Florida, followed by a three-day test at Sebring. However, it’s understood both the launch and Sebring test has been pushed back, with a Nissan spokesperson confirming last month that all associated information would not be communicated before the New Year. A recent article by Forbes, however, confirms Nissan will have a presence during the Super Bowl, having purchased a 60-second ad spot for the Feb. 1 event, which will air on NBC. The intriguing part about the article is its associated artwork, which shows a Nissan/NISMO-designed racing helmet along with an American football and jersey with the headline “We’re Back – 02.01.2015” Additionally, Darren Cox, NISMO’s Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, tweeted the image, but provided no further details. When reached by Sportscar365, a Nissan spokesperson said there’s no news at this stage regarding the launch of the GT-R LM NISMO. Could Nissan be preparing to unveil its new LMP1 car during America’s most-watched television program?We all know about the Decennial Census, but what do we really know? Decennial Census and the American Community Survey (modern long form data that is part of the decennial) are mandated in the U.S. Constitution for purposes of reapportionment and redistricting. But that Census data also a staple of civic tech projects. It is used as common denominator, is used for benchmarking, and is key for determining trends. So…let’s learn more about it on May 6th at 6:00pm at the Microsoft Technology Center Chicago! First, we will have Knight Lab’s Joe Germuska will discuss the CensusReporter.org (http://censusreporter.org/) project. Census Reporter was created to make it easy for journalists to write stories using US Census data. Census Reporter greatly simplifies finding and using data from the decennial census and the American Community Survey. He will also give you a sneak peek at a project called CitySDK (being rolled out in the US in Chicago first!). CitySDK helps integrate city data and federal data, starting with US Census data. But it isn’t all ponies and unicorns in Census World. This wonderful resource (census data) is threatened by upcoming budget cuts and amendments to degrade data quality and make it less accessible, or eliminate some key elements for many places We will hear from Joan Naymark from Minnesotans for the American Community Survey. She will talk about why Open Data needs census data, will and will define the risk and resolution. And…there will be pizza. Lots of pizza.The world's largest project to unravel the mysteries of the human brain has been thrown into crisis with more than 100 leading researchers threatening to boycott the effort amid accusations of mismanagement and fears that it is doomed to failure. The European commission launched the €1.2bn (£950m) Human Brain Project (HBP) last year with the ambitious goal of turning the latest knowledge in neuroscience into a supercomputer simulation of the human brain. More than 80 European and international research institutions signed up to the 10-year project. But it proved controversial from the start. Many researchers refused to join on the grounds that it was far too premature to attempt a simulation of the entire human brain in a computer. Now some claim the project is taking the wrong approach, wastes money and risks a backlash against neuroscience if it fails to deliver. In an open letter to the European commission on Monday, more than 130 leaders of scientific groups around the world, including researchers at Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and UCL, warn they will boycott the project and urge others to join them unless major changes are made to the initiative. The researchers urge EC officials who are now reviewing the plans to take a hard look at the science and management before deciding on whether to renew its funding. They believe the review, which is due to conclude at the end of the summer, will find "substantial failures" in the project's governance, flexibility and openness. Central to the latest controversy are recent changes made by Henry Markram, head of the Human Brain Project at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in Lausanne. The changes sidelined cognitive scientists who study high-level brain functions, such as thought and behaviour. Without them, the brain simulation will be built from the bottom up, drawing on more fundamental science, such as studies of individual neurons. The brain, the most complex object known, has some 86bn neurons and 100tn connections. "The main apparent goal of building the capacity to construct a larger-scale simulation of the human brain is radically premature," Peter Dayan, director of the computational neuroscience unit at UCL, told the Guardian. "We are left with a project that can't but fail from a scientific perspective. It is a waste of money, it will suck out funds from valuable neuroscience research, and would leave the public, who fund this work, justifiably upset," he said. Europe's decision to approve the HBP spurred US scientists to propose a major project of their own. The US Brain Initiative aims to map the activity of the human brain and could win $3bn (£1.75bn) in funding over 10 years. Alexandre Pouget, a signatory of the letter at Geneva University, said that while simulations were valuable, they would not be enough to explain how the brain works. "There is a danger that Europe thinks it is investing in a big neuroscience project here, but it's not. It's an IT project," he said. "They need to widen the scope and take advantage of the expertise we have in neuroscience. It's not too late. We can fix it. It's up to Europe to make the right decision." But Markram staunchly defends the project, arguing that it was always about developing technology rather than basic neuroscience. He said its goal was not to churn out more of the data that neuroscientists already produce, but to develop new tools to make sense of the vast data sets coming out of brain sciences. "The rationale of the Human Brain Project is a plan for data: what do we do with all this data? This is a very exciting ICT project that will bring completely new tools and capabilities to all of neuroscience," he said. "It is not a general neuroscience funding source for more of the same research." Richard Frackowiak, director of clinical neuroscience at the University Hospital of Lausanne, and co-leader of a strand of the Human Brain Project focusing on "future medicine", said that many of the complaints were "irrational sniping" from scientists who were ill-informed, or wanted the funds to pursue their own research agendas. He said that simulations of the brain represented a long-needed "paradigm shift" in neuroscience. Sir Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience at the University of London, who is not one of the signatories to the letter, said: "It's important that the review should be thorough and, if necessary, critical. But it would be unfortunate if this high-profile project were to be abandoned. There's enough flexibility in the plans to allow the project to be refocused and re-energised. "The most important thing is that the goals should be realistic. If they promise the politicians cures for dementia or miraculous breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, but don't really deliver them, it might have a negative impact on the whole funding of neuroscience in the future – and that would be a disaster.".Gunmen in military uniform broke into the city council and court house in Samarra in northern Iraq on Tuesday, holding the facility for four hours until police and army stormed the compound, the mayor and police officials said. Four policemen were killed in the fighting, along with three civilians who were visiting the city council and were shot when Iraqi security forces opened fire to retake the site, a senior police officer said. A further 47 people were wounded, including 30 soldiers and policemen, according to officials at the Samarra hospital. The deputy head of the city council, Ammar Ahmed, and a second member were wounded. "The Iraqi police and army managed to clear the building," Samarra Mayor Mahmoud Khalaf said. "The situation is under control." Three fighters, who had holed up in the city council building, detonated their suicide vests rather than surrender, Khalaf said. The three had stormed the area after a fourth detonated his vest at the entrance of the compound, which is sealed off with blast walls, Police Lieutenant Dhafir Ahmed said. Two policemen had been racing to help when a parked car bomb blew up their vehicle about 200 meters (yards) from the site. Gunmen had taken the city council's second floor and its roof. Casualties might have been greater but many staff were attending a meeting across town with the mayor and governor of Salahuddin province, two police officials said. Samarra has long been troubled by unrest. Sunni militant groups have regularly attacked local Sunni government officials along with the Iraqi army and police. In late December, gunmen seized the state television channel in Tikrit, the capital of Salahuddin province. The fighters employed similar tactics to those used in Samarra on Tuesday. Sunni Islamist insurgents have been regaining ground in Iraq over the past year and in recent weeks overran several towns. Last year was Iraq's bloodiest since sectarian violence began to abate in 2008, with nearly 8,000 civilians killed. More than 700 people died in violence in Iraq in February, the United Nations said last week. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says the upsurge is a spillover from the civil war in neighbouring Syria but critics say his own policies are as much to blame for reviving an insurgency that climaxed in 2006-07. SIDELINED Many in Iraq's once-dominant Sunni Muslim minority feel they have been sidelined in the Shi'ite-led political order that took shape after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. Sunni militants have shown themselves adept at breaking into state compounds in recent years. Their targets have included attacks on the Iraqi central bank in the heart of Baghdad in 2010 and the freeing of more than 500 prisoners from Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad last summer. Iraq's current security crisis started last April after army and police shot dead more than 50 demonstrators at a Sunni protest site in Hawija in northern Iraq. That event was used as an excuse by al Qaeda inspired militants to carry out a campaign of suicide bombings in Shiite parts of the country and other attacks. Since January, after Maliki's government arrested a Sunni lawmaker and cleared a protest camp in the Sunni city of Ramadi in western Anbar province, the army has been battling angry Sunni tribes and al Qaeda-linked groups for control of both Ramadi and nearby Falluja. The concentration of troops in western Iraq has opened up space for armed groups to carry out attacks in other parts of the country, including Baghdad and northern Salahuddin and Nineveh provinces. Violence is nowhere near the levels seen in 2006 and 2007, but people once more fear the country could fall apart. First Published: Mar 04, 2014 22:34 ISTThere were few things in the Koprulu sector that Jim Raynor hated more than Perdition's Crossing. But a man's feelings toward a geographical region didn't exactly factor into his duties as a Confederate marshal. So, Raynor once again made his way into that gulch of hellish desert in the middle of Mar Sara's notorious badlands—in the middle of nowhere. Wind rushed and boomed around his vulture bike as he made double time across the desolate ravine so he could get back home to his now-pregnant wife, Liddy, within the two-day window he had promised her. The air was acrid, dry, and hot. The hard-packed desert beneath him had cracked in long veins from the sun's heat and what seemed like an eternity since even the slightest kiss of moisture had blessed it. Mankind was never meant to survive in environments like this, Raynor thought, but that fact sure as hell never stopped him from trying. In the distance, he could see, like some twisted, unwelcome mirage, the vague outlines of Sheriff Glenn McAaron, a police hovertruck, and what Raynor was there to pick up, a medium-sized, Confederate-issued prison cube. Their bloated shadows bent in the afternoon's high sunlight. "Damn," Jim muttered under his breath as the shapes started to become clearer, as clear as the memory of Liddy kissing him goodbye. Perdition's Crossing was at the center of Mar Sara's infamous "wave-band anomalies," which meant that vector-balance equipment often didn't work and that comm contact was heavily scrambled and limited, if possible at all. This made dropship transport across the desert valley, even if it could be afforded, a dangerous proposition, but it was more so because the anomalies turned the 2,400 kilometer stretch into one of the most unpoliced regions on the planet—maybe even in the galaxy. It was a fact that Mar Sara's outlaws and roving packs of criminals knew all too well. Most eggheads from the Confederate Science Corps believed the wave-band anomalies were due to the electron impulses emitted from the rare crystal formations that seemed to sprout up like sharp, jagged crops from the mineral-rich depths below. No matter what the cause, the result was that Jim had to ride into the most dangerous pass in the sector to meet up with his least favorite sheriff in order to transport prisoners from one side of the planet to the other. "You here to pick up this cube or join 'em in it, Marshal?" McAaron smiled a grisly, toothless grin as Raynor brought the vulture to a stop. It was the kind of ironic smile that implied flatly that humor wasn't its intent. "Not unless you say something that rubs me wrong enough to cause me to do some lawbreaking." Raynor spit at the dusty ground. McAaron had let himself go soft over the years; the plump gut around his waist was protruding over his belt in a way it hadn't the last time the two men had crossed paths. It seemed to grow with each encounter. The sheriff was preparing for the easy life of retirement that loomed on a very near horizon. "I wouldn't put that past you, son. You got a longer rap sheet than most of the criminals I bring out here. If you didn't have the friends you do, maybe it would be you heading out to El Indio this afternoon." "Now, Sheriff, where's your faith in redemption?" Jim flashed his own prize-winning smile and stepped off of his bike. McAaron had worn a badge a long time, and he had heard about Jim's past. Men like the sheriff were stubborn and fixed in their ways. His attitude toward a former criminal wasn't personal; it was just a matter of practice. "Ahh, men don't change, Marshal. You stay a lawman long enough, you'll know it's so. Why I keep my eye on you." "And I do so 'preciate that, Sheriff." After a moment, Raynor continued. "What of our boys here?" He kneeled down and looked through small, electrified bars. Confederate prison cubes had become a staple on frontier colonies and backwater planets where police dropships and other conveniences of more sophisticated worlds were too expensive to come by. The cubes had magnetic axles, hover technology that would keep them stable at speeds of up to 480 kilometers an hour, a controlled-temperature environment, support for all biological needs, and clean, purified oxygen replenished every 30 minutes. It seemed to Jim as if the criminals had it more comfortable than he did. "Oh, you know, usual cheery lot, primed and ready for a long stay in Mar Sara's finest hotel." Suddenly the sheriff's voice went up several decibels. "You hear that, boys? El Indio Prison's where you all headin'!" The laugh that followed exploded into a hacking, wet cough. Again, there was no humor behind it; it was cold and cruel. Jim didn't laugh. El Indio Prison was hardly a thing to make light of—an underfunded, hard-as-nails penitentiary that held only the roughest of criminals. It was a known fact that the survival rate for prisoners going into El Indio was a mere 64 percent. It was the embodiment of Confederate justice at its frontier finest. "Look at 'em," the sheriff said, spitting onto the sand. "What a waste of tax credits, huh? We could always hope for the best and pray you don't make it out of the crossin'." "Can we get this damned show on the road?" It was one of the criminals inside, a big, burly monster of a man with a jet-black mustache, bald head, arms as thick as telecom poles. His body was covered in hellish tattoos from across the sector. He glared through Jim as if not a thing in the world could shake his confidence, certainly no lone marshal, some errand boy carting him off to an inevitable fate. "Watch out for that one. His mama never taught him no manners. That there is Marduke Saul, meanest mother you'll ever know. Here for assault, murder, terrorism, kidnapping, and being one rude sonofabitch." McAaron spat again, and this time the swath of fluid hit the cube near Marduke's face. Marduke snarled back, "You lucky I'm in here, Sheriff." "Ain't that the truth."Attorney General Loretta Lynch disagreed with FBI Director James Comey’s decision to send a letter notifying Congress of new developments in the probe of Hillary Clinton’s private email server, CBS News’ Paula Reid reports. Did James Comey make the right move publicly reopening the Clinton case? Sources close to the Clinton investigation told Reid that Lynch encouraged the FBI chief to follow a long-standing practice not to comment on ongoing investigations. While the two did not speak directly, the attorney general’s position was made clear to Comey. Comey’s decision to flag the new emails was thus made independent of his boss, the attorney general. In 2012, the attorney general’s office, then led by Eric Holder, sent a department-wide memo that included guidance on making announcements so close to an election. The memo cautions that employees of the DOJ “must be particularly sensitive to safeguarding the Department’s reputation for fairness, neutrality, and nonpartisanship.” “Simply put, politics must play no role in the decisions of federal investigators or prosecutors regarding any investigations or criminal charges,” it reads. “Law enforcement officers and prosecutors may never select the timing of investigative steps or criminal charges for the purpose of affecting any election, or for the purpose of giving an advantage or disadvantage to any candidate or political party.” Impact of FBI's reopened investigation against Clinton Comey defended his decision to disclose the latest developments in the investigation in an email he sent to FBI staffers Friday, shortly after sending his letter to eight Republican House and Senate committee chairs. “Of course, we don’t ordinarily tell Congress about ongoing investigations, but here I feel an obligation to do so given that I testified repeatedly in recent months that our investigation was completed,” he said, referring to the times he has appeared before congressional committees since July. “I also think it would be misleading to the American people were we not to supplement the record.” The FBI chief said he did not “want to create a misleading impression,” but he acknowledged the “risk” in notifying Congress. “In trying to strike that balance, in a brief letter and in the middle of an election season, there is significant risk of being misunderstood,” Comey wrote, “but I wanted you to hear directly from me about it.” CBS News confirmed that the new emails were found on the electronic devices of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin and her husband, former Congressman Anthony Weiner, from an FBI investigation into Weiner’s latest sexting scandal. Abedin and Weiner announced their separation earlier this year. Following the letter, Comey received plaudits from Republicans over taking further “investigative steps” in the Clinton email case Friday, just as Democrats -- including the Clinton campaign -- called for the immediate release of more information. Lynch, for her part, is no stranger to Republican criticism over the email investigation. Just as the FBI was wrapping up the case this summer, Lynch had an impromptu meeting with former President Bill Clinton on the tarmac of an Arizona airport. At the time, Lynch had said the appearance of impropriety was enough to make her regret the chance meeting. “The most important thing for me as the attorney general is the integrity of this Department of Justice,” the attorney general said in July. “And the fact that the meeting that I had is now casting a shadow over how people are gonna view that work is something I take deeply, and seriously, and painfully.”The Supreme Court announced this morning that it will grant the Department of Justice’s petition for a writ of certiorari in its dispute with Microsoft over access to emails stored on the company’s Irish servers. The crux of the dispute is the territorial reach (and territorial applicability) of the Stored Communications Act (SCA), a subset of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) that governs law enforcement access to communications data. What follows is a summary of the procedural history, the issues, and a few things to keep an eye on. Background The dispute arose when the Justice Department brought a warrant to Microsoft – issued based upon probable cause under the SCA (18 U.S.C. § 2703) – asking for the details and contents of an email account believed to be associated with a suspected drug trafficker. Specifically, the warrant sought: (a) The contents of all e‐mails stored in the account, including copies of e‐mails sent from the account; (b) All records or other information regarding the identification of the account, including, among other things, the name, physical address, telephone numbers, session times and durations, log‐in IP addresses, and sources of payment associated with the account; (c) All records or other information stored by an individual using the account, including address books, contact and buddy lists, pictures, and files; and (d) All records pertaining to communications between MSN [redacted] and any person regarding the account, including contacts with support services and records of actions taken. Microsoft produced the transactional records it held on its data centers in the United States, but declined to produce the customer’s emails that it said were stored on a data center in Ireland. Microsoft declined to comply with the warrant on the grounds that (1) the SCA does not apply extraterritorially, and that (2) because the contents of the email account are stored in Ireland, the warrant would have unlawful extraterritorial reach. A federal judge upheld the warrant (denying Microsoft’s motion to quash) and held Microsoft in contempt for not complying. Microsoft appealed to the Second Circuit. Last summer, the Second Circuit vacated the lower court’s contempt order and reversed the denial of Microsoft’s motion to quash. The court agreed with both of Microsoft’s premises, concluding: Because the SCA is silent as to its territorial reach, it must be read consistent with the presumption against extraterritoriality and therefore does not apply abroad; and The relevant territorial question for the purposes of determining the warrant’s reach is “where is the data stored?” rather than other possible inquiries, such as “where is the company located when they are served with the warrant?” or “can the company access the data from the U.S.?” Because the data in this case is stored in Ireland, a U.S. warrant delivered in Washington operates in Ireland for the purposes of the SCA, and therefore is an impermissibly extraterritorial application of that statute. These are the main issues on appeal. Issues Before the Court In its cert petition, the Justice Department does not question whether the presumption against extraterritoriality might apply to limit the territorial reach of the SCA (see issue (1) above) but instead weights the bulk of its argument on the second question about the location of the relevant activity. DOJ argues in its petition that: The provision [of the SCA] is applied domestically when a court issues a warrant to a provider in the United States requiring disclosure in this country of material over which the provider has control, regardless of whether the provider store s that material abroad. For support, DOJ cites a number of banking cases where courts allowed subpoenas to compel banks to produce foreign-held banking records. If the disclosure happens in the U.S., that is the relevant location – wherever the provider chooses to store it. This conclusion appears to be supported by the court’s most recent case on extraterritoriality, RJR Nabisco v. European Community, which concluded that an order “involves a permissible domestic application” of the provision in question where it relates to domestic conduct and even if it has secondary effects on foreign conduct. DOJ also concludes that as a matter of policy, the court ought not allow a provider to thwart valid law enforcement efforts based on its decision – which can be changed in an instant – to store data in another jurisdiction. Microsoft’s response argues for denial of cert based on two grounds: The fact that the Second Circuit’s territoriality analysis of the SCA is sound; and “Congress is actively considering amendments to the SCA that would expressly provide for limited extraterritorial reach.” Things to Watch: 1. Microsoft’s Legislative Gambit Microsoft’s second argument – that legislation is pending – adds a bit of an odd element to this case. Microsoft is arguing that the SCA does not apply extraterritorially, but as the firm’s brief makes clear, Microsoft is not opposed to extraterritorial applications of the SCA. Indeed, it has been pushing very hard for legislative changes along those lines. (See the firm’s website dedicated to legislative reform here.) So Microsoft does not agree with the amici who argue that it would be terrible for U.S. law enforcement to be able to access data stored abroad. Rather, Microsoft’s argument about the SCA’s reach is something like “the SCA should apply extraterritorially, but it does not currently, and the court should not be the one to extend it because that is Congress’s job.” It will be interesting to see how explicitly the firm makes this argument before the court. 2. An Industry Divided? A number of civil society groups and companies filed amicus briefs before the Second Circuit in this dispute, but there were two notable absences: Facebook and Google. My guess at the time was that Facebook and Google did not want to argue in open court that the SCA should not apply extraterritorially because it would conflict with what they tell non-U.S. law enforcement around the world. Both firms resist foreign law enforcement requests on the grounds that they cannot comply because the SCA covers all of the digital contents flowing through their global networks (even data flowing through servers located in places like Ireland). It will be interesting to see if and how these tech giants weigh in at the Supreme Court. 3. Is the Case About User Privacy? The press describes this as a “privacy” case, and that is how Microsoft characterized its win in the Second Circuit, but it really isn’t one – at least not in the standard sense of a court determining what kinds of data the police can collect about you and how. As Judge Lynch described in his begrudging concurrence in the Second Circuit, To uphold the warrant here would not undermine basic values of privacy as defined in the Fourth Amendment and in the libertarian traditions of this country. (emphasis added) That is because a court had already found probable cause to issue the warrant. To the extent that the case is about privacy rules, then it is about which country’s search and seizure rules apply to Microsoft’s data center in Ireland: the U.S.’s or Ireland’s. Confusion about the privacy implications of the case are made worse by the confusing stance that privacy groups are taking. In another odd twist, some of the civil society groups lined up behind Microsoft to argue that the SCA should not extend to data stored on Microsoft’s data center in Ireland also argue before Congress that the U.S.’s Fourth Amendment should govern foreign law enforcement access to data held abroad by U.S. firms. (Compare, for example, the Center for Democracy and Technology’s amicus brief in the Second Circuit with their testimony before Congress on the legislative solution Microsoft is pushing.) 4. What Will the Court Make of Sovereignty Claims? Another thing to keep an eye on as briefs make their way to the court: sovereignty concerns. I expect foreign sovereigns will weigh in with amicus briefs, just as Ireland did before the Second Circuit. But while the case is riddled with foreign affairs concerns, it is not clear which way international comity arguments cut. I expect Microsoft to argue, for example, that the court ought to defer to Ireland’s compelling interest in making sure that data stored on its shores is accessed only in accordance with Irish law. But what exactly is the sovereignty concern? Unless Ireland has a complaint with the adequacy of the U.S. due process standard – and so far it does not – the argument must be something about abstract principles of international comity. Yet international comity is not at all inconsistent with extraterritorial applications of the law. Indeed, while half of the court’s comity doctrines call for judicial self-restraint, another half call for enabling and extending a country’s laws extraterritorially. As we say a lot around here, stay tuned.Street Xo restaurant, Old Burlington Street review 5 Street Xo restaurant, Old Burlington Street review India Halstead Street Xo London is inspired by street food, and, like David Muñoz's Madrid venues, it channels a unique aesthetic of 'punk-rock meets fine-dining'. The thrice-Michelin-starred Spanish restaurateur already has two restaurants in his native Madrid. Serving internationally-inspired food without boundaries, this is his first international venture. And Street Xo London certainly lives up to its own hype. Muñoz, described as the enfant terrible of Spanish gastronomy, has spent time in London before, having worked at the likes of Nobu and Hakkasan before launching his incredible Spanish projects. Like the original Street XO in Madrid, the menu at Street XO London takes inspiration from European, Asian and South American cuisines. However, most dishes have either a Mediterranean or East Asian backbone. Muñoz's inimitable approach is to create dishes that are as familiar as they are unexpected. It's confusing, but it works. Leave the quietness of Mayfair's Old Burlington Street to find yourself surrounded by a buzzing and glamorous crowd, concrete walls and neon installations. It is worth experiencing the 'liquid cuisine' at the bar first. Just like the dishes at Street XO, Muñoz and his team take a bold gastronomic approach to the cocktail list, ensuring that all drinks are playful and provide the right balance of sweet, salt, sour and bitter flavours to complement dishes. We were particularly intrigued by the Tom Kha Kai infusion, and would really recommend you try the Japo, Jerez – a smoked pea soda. There is a regularly changing menu at the Street Xo, but there is also a unique, experimental trolley wheeled through. Guests are invited to share food and and interact directly with chefs. Absolute must-try signature dishes are the steamed club sandwich with ricotta cheese and fried quail egg, and the Pekinese dumplings with crunchy pig’s ear and strawberry hoisin. Bookings are available for the tables at Street XO, but spaces at the counter are on a first come, first served basis. Don't delay to catch the punk-rock culinary icon in the flesh.Chapter 12 San landed lightly on the branch. The woods outside of Vale were home to massive conifers and oaks, making travelling by leaping from branch to bough an entirely viable method of travel. That was Shadow's preferred way to cover ground, it allowed you to bypass land based Grimm, fliers usually don't descend into the canopy much, and it let you survey the terrain better. When they had ventured into the Shadow Lands, they stayed in the trees as much as possible. If that hadn't been an option they would have lasted half as long, if that. Argos, who had been leading the pack, signaled a halt. A quick few hand signals beckoned the rest to join him on his perch. Shadow had been advancing in a diamond formation. Argos' sharp eyes made him an obvious choice for point man and him being the slowest and first to tire meant another leader might set a pace he couldn't match. Will's sharp senses and San's intuition were best suited in the flank positions, while Dom's throwing knives could be used to provide snap support to any of the front runners who came under attack. "I got something." Argos pointed to the northeast. San squinted in that direction, seeing nothing. "Our target?" Argos just shrugged. "Maybe. Whatever it is, it has a metric ton of Aura." "Worth looking into." San waved him forward. With a specific target, the diamond formation shrunk inward into a tighter group. They advanced in silence until Argos again called them to a stop. "Down there." His hushed voice issued over their radios. San craned his head to look, this time seeing their prey. A lone young man was sitting on a rock in a clearing. He outwardly looked to be an ordinary person, aside from his scruffy appearance. He was dressed in tattered clothes with long black hair that fell around his shoulders and generally looked as though he hadn't bathed in weeks, or longer. But San's
, massage oils, body lotions, and cooking oil) can weaken latex and should not be used; however, oil-based lubricants can generally be used with synthetic condoms. Ensure adequate lubrication during vaginal and anal sex, which might require the use of exogenous water-based lubricants. To prevent the condom from slipping off, hold the condom firmly against the base of the penis during withdrawal, and withdraw while the penis is still erect. Additional information about male condoms is available at http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/index.html. Female Condoms Several condoms for females are globally available, including the FC2 Female Condom, Reddy condom, Cupid female condom, and Woman's condom (36). Use of female condoms can provide protection from acquisition and transmission of STDs, although data are limited (36). Although female condoms are more costly compared with male condoms, they offer the advantage of being a female-controlled STD/HIV prevention method, and the newer versions may be acceptable to both men and women. Although the female condom also has been used during receptive anal intercourse, efficacy associated with this practice remains unknown (37). Additional information about the female condom is available at http://www.ashasexualhealth.org/sexual-health/all-about-condoms/female-condoms. Cervical Diaphragms In observational studies, diaphragm use has been demonstrated to protect against cervical gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis (38). However, a trial examining the effect of a diaphragm plus lubricant on HIV acquisition among women in Africa showed no additional protective effect when compared with the use of male condoms alone. Likewise, no difference by study arm in the rate of acquisition of chlamydia, gonorrhea, or herpes occurred (39,40). Diaphragms should not be relied on as the sole source of protection against HIV or other STDs. Topical Microbicides and Spermicides Nonspecific topical microbicides are ineffective for preventing HIV (41–45). Spermicides containing N-9 might disrupt genital or rectal epithelium and have been associated with an increased risk for HIV infection. Condoms with N-9 are no more effective than condoms without N-9; therefore, N-9 alone or in a condom is not recommended for STD or HIV prevention (41). N-9 use has also been associated with an increased risk for bacterial urinary tract infections in women (46,47). No proven topical antiretroviral agents exist for the prevention of HIV, though trials are underway to evaluate several candidates for vaginal and rectal microbicides using tenofovir and other antiretroviral drugs. Nonbarrier Contraception, Surgical Sterilization, and Hysterectomy Contraceptive methods that are not mechanical barriers offer no protection against HIV or other STDs. Sexually active women who use hormonal contraception (i.e., oral contraceptives, patch, ring, implants, injectables, or intrauterine hormonal methods), have nonhormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs), have been surgically sterilized, or have had hysterectomies should be counseled to use condoms to reduce the risk for STDs, including HIV infection. Women who take oral contraceptives and are prescribed certain antimicrobials should be counseled about potential interactions (19). Whether hormonal contraception raises a woman's risk for acquiring HIV or another STD is unclear. A systematic review of epidemiologic evidence found that most studies showed no association between use of oral contraceptives and HIV acquisition among women. Studies examining the association between progestin-only injectables and HIV acquisition have had mixed results; some studies show a higher risk of acquisition among women using depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), while other studies do not (48). The World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC reviewed the evidence on hormonal contraception and HIV acquisition and concluded that data are insufficient to recommend that women modify their hormonal contraceptive practices, but that women using progestin-only injectables should be strongly advised to also use condoms as an HIV prevention strategy (49,50). Male Circumcision Male circumcision reduces the risk for HIV and some STDs in heterosexual men. Three randomized, controlled trials performed in regions of sub-Saharan Africa where generalized HIV epidemics involving predominantly heterosexual transmission were occurring demonstrated that male circumcision reduced the risk for HIV acquisition among men by 50%–60% (51–53). In these trials, circumcision was also protective against other STDs, including high-risk genital HPV infection and genital herpes (54–56). Follow up studies have demonstrated sustained benefit of circumcision for HIV prevention (57) and that the effect is not mediated solely through a reduction in herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection or genital ulcer disease (58). WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) have recommended that male circumcision efforts be scaled up as an effective intervention for the prevention of heterosexually acquired HIV infection (59). These organizations also recommend that countries with hyperendemic and generalized HIV epidemics and low prevalence of male circumcision expand access to safe male circumcision services within the context of ensuring universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support. In the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that newborn male circumcision be available to families that desire it, as the benefits of the procedure, including prevention of penile cancers, urinary tract infections, genital ulcer disease, and HIV outweigh the risks (60). ACOG has also endorsed the AAP's policy statement (60). In light of these benefits, the American Urological Association states that male circumcision should be considered an option for risk reduction, among other strategies (61). No definitive data exist to determine whether male circumcision reduces HIV acquisition in MSM, although one randomized trial is ongoing in China (62). A review found a modest protective effect among men who were the insertive partner for anal intercourse, but the evidence was rated as poor. Further higher quality studies are needed to confirm any potential benefit of male circumcision for this population (62). Emergency Contraception Unprotected intercourse exposes women to risks for STDs and unplanned pregnancy. Providers managing such women should offer counseling about the option of emergency contraception (EC) if pregnancy is not desired. The options for EC in the United States include the copper IUD and emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) (63). ECPs are available in the following formulations: ulipristal acetate in a single dose (30 mg), levonorgestrel in a single dose (1.5 mg) or as a split dose (0.75 mg each taken 12 hours apart), or combined estrogen and progestin (Yuzpe regimen). Some ECPs can be obtained over the counter; ECPs can also be provided through advance prescription or supply from providers (64,65). Emergency insertion of a copper IUD up to 5 days after sex can reduce pregnancy risk by more than 99% (66). ECPs are most efficacious when initiated as soon as possible after unprotected sex but have some efficacy up to 5 days later. ECPs are ineffective (but not harmful) if the woman is already pregnant (67). A 2012 Cochrane review summarized the efficacy, safety, and convenience of various methods of emergency contraception (67). More information about EC is available in the 20th edition of Contraceptive Technology (19) or http://www.arhp.org/topics/emergency-contraception. Postexposure Prophylaxis for HIV and STD Guidelines for the use of postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) aimed at preventing HIV infection and other STDs as a result of sexual exposure are discussed in another section of this report (see Sexual Assault and STDs). Genital hygiene methods (e.g., vaginal washing and douching) after sexual exposure are ineffective in protecting against HIV and STDs and might increase the risk for bacterial vaginosis (BV), some STDs, and HIV infection (68). Antiretroviral Treatment of Persons with HIV Infection to Prevent HIV Infection in Partners The randomized controlled trial HPTN 052 demonstrated that in HIV serodiscordant, heterosexual couples, HIV antiretroviral therapy in the infected partner decreases the risk for transmission to the uninfected partner by 96% (69). Therefore, antiretroviral therapy not only is beneficial to the health of persons with HIV infection, but also reduces the risk for continued transmission. For these reasons, treatment should be offered to all persons with HIV infection. Detailed guidance for prescribing antiretroviral regimens can be found in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' HIV treatment guidelines at http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines (70). HSV Treatment of Persons with HIV and HSV Infections to Prevent HIV Infection in Uninfected Partners Providing HSV treatment to persons co-infected with HIV and HSV has not been demonstrated to be beneficial in reducing HIV acquisition in uninfected partners. A large randomized, controlled trial evaluated 3,408 serodiscordant heterosexual couples enrolled at 14 Africa sites in which the partner with HIV infection was also seropositive for HSV-2. The co-infected partner was randomized to receive either placebo or acyclovir 400-mg twice per day, and the primary outcome was HIV transmission to the uninfected partner. Use of acyclovir had no effect on HIV transmission (71). These findings are consistent with those from a previous trial that found no benefit of acyclovir in preventing HIV-1 acquisition in persons who were seropositive for HSV-2 (72). Preexposure Prophylaxis for HIV Certain large, randomized, placebo-controlled trials examining daily oral antiretroviral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with a fixed-dose combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and emtricitabine (FTC) have demonstrated safety (73) and a substantial reduction in the rate of HIV acquisition for MSM (74), HIV-discordant heterosexual couples (75), and heterosexual men and women recruited as individuals (76). In addition, one clinical trial involving IDUs (77) and one involving heterosexual HIV-discordant couples (75) demonstrated substantial efficacy and safety of daily oral PrEP with TDF alone when combined with repeated condom provision, sexual risk-reduction counseling, and the diagnosis and treatment of STDs. High adherence to oral PrEP with TDF alone or in a fixed-dose combination with FTC was strongly associated with protection from infection. Data suggest that when administered orally, levels of TDF are lower in vaginal tissue than rectal tissue, potentially explaining why high levels of adherence were needed to yield benefits among women in these trials (78). Despite initial concerns about PrEP fostering antiretroviral resistance among persons who become infected, standard tests employed in these studies detected emergence of resistance only in persons inadvertently started on PrEP during acute HIV infection, not in persons who were initially uninfected but later became infected while taking PrEP medication (79). The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) has issued recommendations on the basis of these trial results and the FDA approval of an indication for the use of TDF/FTC for PrEP. USPHS recommends that clinicians evaluate HIV-negative men and women who are sexually active or injecting illicit drugs and consider PrEP as a prevention option for persons whose sexual or injection behaviors and epidemiologic context place them at substantial risk for acquiring HIV infection. Comprehensive guidance for the use of daily PrEP to reduce the risk for acquiring HIV infection can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/research/prep/index.html. HIV Seroadaptation Strategies Seroadaptive strategies for HIV prevention have largely originated within communities of MSM. They are predicated on knowledge of self and partner HIV-infection status. One specific seroadaptive practice is serosorting, which includes limiting anal sex without a condom to partners with the same HIV status as their own, or choosing to selectively use condoms only with HIV serodiscordant partners. Another practice among serodiscordant couples is seropositioning, in which the person with HIV infection is the receptive partner for anal intercourse. Observational studies have consistently found that serosorting confers greater risk of HIV infection than consistent condom use, but is lower risk compared with anal intercourse without a condom and without serosorting (80–82). Serosorting practices have been associated with increased risk of STDs including chlamydia and gonorrhea (83,84). Serosorting is not recommended for the following reasons: 1) too many MSM who have HIV do not know they are infected because they have not been tested for HIV recently, 2) men's assumptions about the HIV status of their partners might be wrong, and 3) some men with HIV infection might not disclose or may misrepresent their HIV status. All of these factors increase the risk that serosorting could lead to HIV infection. Additional information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/msmhealth/serosorting.htm or http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/guidelines/msm_guidelines2011/en. Retesting After Treatment to Detect Repeat Infections Retesting several months after diagnosis of chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis can detect repeat infection and potentially can be used to enhance population-based prevention (85,86). Any person who tests positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea, along with women who test positive for trichomonas, should be rescreened 3 months after treatment. Any person who receives a syphilis diagnosis should undergo follow-up serologic syphilis testing per current recommendations (see Syphilis). Further details on retesting can be found in the specific sections on chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomonas within this report. Partner Services The term "partner services" refers to a continuum of clinical evaluation, counseling, diagnostic testing, and treatment designed to increase the number of infected persons brought to treatment and to disrupt transmission networks. This continuum includes efforts undertaken by health departments, medical providers, and patients themselves. The term "public health partner services" refers to efforts by public health departments to identify the sex- and needle-sharing partners of infected persons to assure their medical evaluation and treatment. Clinicians can provide partner services by counseling infected persons and providing them with written information and medication to give to their partners (if recommended and allowable by state law), directly evaluating and treating sex partners, and cooperating with state and local health departments. Clinicians' efforts to ensure the treatment of a patient's sex partners can reduce the risk for reinfection and potentially diminish transmission of STDs (87). Therefore, clinicians should encourage all persons with STDs to notify their sex partners and urge them to seek medical evaluation and treatment. Timespent counseling patients on the importance of notifying partners is associated with improved notification outcomes (88). When possible, clinicians should advise persons to bring their primary sex partner along with them when returning for treatment and should concurrently treat both persons. Although this approach can be effective for a main partner (89,90), it might not be feasible approach for additional sex partners. Some evidence suggests that providing patients with written information to share with sex partners can increase rates of partner treatment (87). The types and comprehensiveness of public health partner services and the specific STDs for which they are offered vary by public health agency and the geographic burden of STDs. In most areas of the United States, health departments routinely attempt to provide partner services to all persons with early syphilis (primary, secondary, and early latent syphilis) and persons with a new diagnosis of HIV infection. It is also recommended that health departments provide partner services for persons who might have cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhea. In contrast, relatively few U.S. health departments routinely provide partner services to persons with gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, trichomonas, or other STDs (91). Clinicians should familiarize themselves with public health practices in their area, but in most instances, providers should understand that responsibility for ensuring the treatment of partners of persons with STDs other than syphilis and HIV rests with the diagnosing provider and the patient. Many health departments now use the internet to notify the sex partners of persons with STDs (92), especially MSM and in cases where no other identifying information is available (http://www.ncsddc.org/Internet_Guidelines). Clinical providers are unlikely to participate directly in internet partner notification. Internet sites allowing patients to send anonymous e-mail or text messages advising partners of their exposure to an STD are operational in some areas; anonymous notification via the internet is considered better than no notification at all and might be an option in some instances. However, because the extent to which these sites affect partner notification and treatment is uncertain, patients should be encouraged either to notify their partners in person or by telephone, personal e-mail, or text message; alternatively, patients can authorize a medical provider or public health professional to do so. Expedited Partner Therapy Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT), also termed patient-delivered partner therapy (PDPT), is the clinical practice of treating the sex partners of persons who receive chlamydia or gonorrhea diagnoses by providing medications or prescriptions to the patient. Patients then provide partners with these therapies without the health-care provider having examined the partner (see http://www.cdc.gov/std/ept). Unless prohibited by law or other regulations, medical providers should routinely offer EPT to heterosexual patients with chlamydia or gonorrhea infection when the provider cannot confidently ensure that all of a patient's sex partners from the prior 60 days will be treated. If the patient has not had sex in the 60 days before diagnosis, providers should attempt to treat a patient's most recent sex partner. EPT is legal in most states. However, providers should visit http://www.cdc.gov/std/ept to obtain updated information for their state. Providing patients with appropriately packaged medication is the preferred approach to PDPT because data on the efficacy of PDPT using prescriptions is limited and many persons do not fill the prescriptions given to them by a sex partner. Medication or prescriptions provided for PDPT should be accompanied by treatment instructions, appropriate warnings about taking medications (if the partner is pregnant or has an allergy to the medication), general health counseling, and a statement advising that partners seek medical evaluation for any symptoms of STD, particularly PID. The evidence supporting PDPT is based on three U.S. clinical trials involving heterosexual men and women with chlamydia or gonorrhea (93–95). All three trials reported that more partners were treated when patients were offered PDPT: two reported statistically significant declines in the rate of reinfection and one observed a lower risk of persistent or recurrent infection that was statistically nonsignificant. A fourth trial in the United Kingdom did not demonstrate a difference in the risk of reinfection or in the numbers of partners treated between persons offered PDPT and those advised to notify their sex partners (96). U.S. trials and a meta-analysis of PDPT revealed that the magnitude of reduction in reinfection of index case-patients compared with patient referral differed according to the STD and the sex of the index case-patient (87,93–95). However, across trials, reductions in chlamydia prevalence at follow-up were approximately 20%; reductions in gonorrhea at follow-up were approximately 50%. Existing data suggest that PDPT also might have a role in partner management for trichomoniasis; however, no single partner management intervention has been shown to be more effective than any other in reducing trichomoniasis reinfection rates (97,98). No data support use of PDPT in the routine management of patients with syphilis. Data on the use of PDPT for gonorrhea or chlamydial infection among MSM are limited (99,100). Published studies suggest that >5% of MSM without a previous HIV diagnosis have a new diagnosis of HIV infection when evaluated as partners of patients with gonorrhea or chlamydial infection (101,102). As a result, PDPT should not be used routinely in MSM. All persons who receive bacterial STD diagnoses and their sex partners, particularly MSM, should be tested for HIV infection. Reporting and Confidentiality The accurate and timely reporting of STDs is integral to public health efforts to assess morbidity trends, allocate limited resources, and assist local health authorities in partner notification and treatment. STD/HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases should be reported in accordance with state and local statutory requirements. Syphilis (including congenital syphilis), gonorrhea, chlamydia, chancroid, HIV infection, and AIDS are reportable diseases in every state. Because the requirements for reporting other STDs differ by state, clinicians should be familiar with the reporting requirements applicable within their jurisdictions. Reporting can be provider- or laboratory-based or both. Clinicians who are unsure of state and local reporting requirements should seek advice from state or local health department STD programs. STDs and HIV reports are kept strictly confidential. In most jurisdictions, such reports are protected by statute or regulation. Before conducting a follow-up of a positive STD-test result, public health professionals should consult the patient's health-care provider if possible to verify the diagnosis and determine the treatments being received. Special Populations Pregnant Women Intrauterine or perinatally transmitted STDs can have severely debilitating effects on pregnant women, their partners, and their fetuses. All pregnant women and their sex partners should be asked about STDs, counseled about the possibility of perinatal infections, and provided access to screening and treatment, if needed. Recommendations to screen pregnant women for STDs are based on disease severity and sequelae, prevalence in the population, costs, medico-legal considerations (e.g., state laws), and other factors. The screening recommendations in this report are generally broader (i.e., more pregnant women will be screened for more STDs than would by following other screening recommendations) and are consistent with other CDC guidelines. Recommended Screening Tests All pregnant women in the United States should be screened for HIV infection at the first prenatal visit, even if they have been previously tested ( 103, 104 ). Screening should be conducted after the woman is notified of the need to be screened for HIV as part of the routine panel of prenatal tests, unless she declines (i.e., opt-out screening). For women who decline HIV testing, providers should address their objections, and when appropriate, continue to encourage testing. Women who decline testing because they have had a previous negative HIV test should be informed of the importance of retesting during each pregnancy. Testing pregnant women and treating those who are infected are vital not only to maintain the health of the woman, but to reduce perinatal transmission of HIV through available antiretroviral and obstetrical interventions. Retesting in the third trimester (preferably before 36 weeks' gestation) is recommended for women at high risk for acquiring HIV infection (e.g., women who use illicit drugs, have STDs during pregnancy, have multiple sex partners during pregnancy, live in areas with high HIV prevalence, or have partners with HIV infection). Rapid HIV screening should be performed on any woman in labor who has not been screened for HIV during pregnancy unless she declines. If a rapid HIV test result is positive in these women, antiretroviral prophylaxis should be administered without waiting for the results of the confirmatory test ( 105 ). , ). Screening should be conducted after the woman is notified of the need to be screened for HIV as part of the routine panel of prenatal tests, unless she declines (i.e., opt-out screening). For women who decline HIV testing, providers should address their objections, and when appropriate, continue to encourage testing. Women who decline testing because they have had a previous negative HIV test should be informed of the importance of retesting during each pregnancy. Testing pregnant women and treating those who are infected are vital not only to maintain the health of the woman, but to reduce perinatal transmission of HIV through available antiretroviral and obstetrical interventions. Retesting in the third trimester (preferably before 36 weeks' gestation) is recommended for women at high risk for acquiring HIV infection (e.g., women who use illicit drugs, have STDs during pregnancy, have multiple sex partners during pregnancy, live in areas with high HIV prevalence, or have partners with HIV infection). Rapid HIV screening should be performed on any woman in labor who has not been screened for HIV during pregnancy unless she declines. If a rapid HIV test result is positive in these women, antiretroviral prophylaxis should be administered without waiting for the results of the confirmatory test ( ). A serologic test for syphilis should be performed for all pregnant women at the first prenatal visit ( 106 ). When access to prenatal care is not optimal, rapid plasma reagin (RPR) card test screening (and treatment, if that test is reactive) should be performed at the time that a pregnancy is confirmed. Women who are at high risk for syphilis or live in areas of high syphilis morbidity should be screened again early in the third trimester (at approximately 28 weeks' gestation) and at delivery. Some states require all women to be screened at delivery. Neonates should not be discharged from the hospital unless the syphilis serologic status of the mother has been determined at least one time during pregnancy and preferably again at delivery if at risk. Any woman who delivers a stillborn infant should be tested for syphilis. ). When access to prenatal care is not optimal, rapid plasma reagin (RPR) card test screening (and treatment, if that test is reactive) should be performed at the time that a pregnancy is confirmed. Women who are at high risk for syphilis or live in areas of high syphilis morbidity should be screened again early in the third trimester (at approximately 28 weeks' gestation) and at delivery. Some states require all women to be screened at delivery. Neonates should not be discharged from the hospital unless the syphilis serologic status of the mother has been determined at least one time during pregnancy and preferably again at delivery if at risk. Any woman who delivers a stillborn infant should be tested for syphilis. All pregnant women should be routinely tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) at the first prenatal visit even if they have been previously vaccinated or tested ( 107 ). Women who were not screened prenatally, those who engage in behaviors that put them at high risk for infection (e.g., having had more than one sex partner in the previous 6 months, evaluation or treatment for an STD, recent or current injection-drug use, and an HBsAg-positive sex partner) and those with clinical hepatitis should be retested at the time of admission to the hospital for delivery. Pregnant women at risk for HBV infection also should be vaccinated. To avoid misinterpreting a transient positive HBsAg result during the 21 days after vaccination, HBsAg testing should be performed before vaccine administration. All laboratories that conduct HBsAg tests should test initially reactive specimens with a licensed neutralizing confirmatory test. When pregnant women are tested for HBsAg at the time of admission for delivery, shortened testing protocols can be used, and initially reactive results should prompt expedited administration of immunoprophylaxis to neonates ( 107 ). Pregnant women who are HBsAg positive should be reported to the local or state health department to ensure that they are entered into a case-management system and that timely and appropriate prophylaxis is provided to their infants. Information concerning the pregnant woman's HBsAg status should be provided to the hospital in which delivery is planned and to the health-care provider who will care for the newborn. In addition, household and sex contacts of women who are HBsAg positive should be vaccinated. Women who are HBsAg positive should be provided with, or referred for, appropriate counseling and medical management. ). Women who were not screened prenatally, those who engage in behaviors that put them at high risk for infection (e.g., having had more than one sex partner in the previous 6 months, evaluation or treatment for an STD, recent or current injection-drug use, and an HBsAg-positive sex partner) and those with clinical hepatitis should be retested at the time of admission to the hospital for delivery. Pregnant women at risk for HBV infection also should be vaccinated. To avoid misinterpreting a transient positive HBsAg result during the 21 days after vaccination, HBsAg testing should be performed before vaccine administration. All laboratories that conduct HBsAg tests should test initially reactive specimens with a licensed neutralizing confirmatory test. When pregnant women are tested for HBsAg at the time of admission for delivery, shortened testing protocols can be used, and initially reactive results should prompt expedited administration of immunoprophylaxis to neonates ( ). Pregnant women who are HBsAg positive should be reported to the local or state health department to ensure that they are entered into a case-management system and that timely and appropriate prophylaxis is provided to their infants. Information concerning the pregnant woman's HBsAg status should be provided to the hospital in which delivery is planned and to the health-care provider who will care for the newborn. In addition, household and sex contacts of women who are HBsAg positive should be vaccinated. Women who are HBsAg positive should be provided with, or referred for, appropriate counseling and medical management. All pregnant women aged <25 years and older women at increased risk for infection (e.g., those who have a new sex partner, more than one sex partner, a sex partner with concurrent partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted infection) should be routinely screened for Chlamydia trachomatis at the first prenatal visit ( 108 ). Women aged <25 years and those at increased risk for chlamydia also should be retested during the third trimester to prevent maternal postnatal complications and chlamydial infection in the neonate. Pregnant women found to have chlamydial infection should have a test-of-cure to document chlamydial eradication (preferably by nucleic acid amplification testing [NAAT]) 3–4 weeks after treatment and then retested within 3 months. Screening during the first trimester might prevent the adverse effects of chlamydia during pregnancy, but evidence for such screening is lacking. at the first prenatal visit ( ). Women aged <25 years and those at increased risk for chlamydia also should be retested during the third trimester to prevent maternal postnatal complications and chlamydial infection in the neonate. Pregnant women found to have chlamydial infection should have a test-of-cure to document chlamydial eradication (preferably by nucleic acid amplification testing [NAAT]) 3–4 weeks after treatment and then retested within 3 months. Screening during the first trimester might prevent the adverse effects of chlamydia during pregnancy, but evidence for such screening is lacking. All pregnant women aged <25 years and older women at increased risk for gonorrhea (e.g., those with a new sex partner, more than one sex partner, a sex partner with concurrent partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted infection) should be screened for N. gonorrhoeae at the first prenatal visit ( 108 ). Additional risk factors for gonorrhea include inconsistent condom use among persons not in mutually monogamous relationships, previous or coexisting sexually transmitted infection, and exchanging sex for money or drugs. Clinicians should consider the communities they serve and might choose to consult local public health authorities for guidance on identifying groups that are at increased risk. Gonococcal infection, in particular, is concentrated in specific geographic locations and communities. Women found to have gonococcal infection should be treated immediately and retested within 3 months. Pregnant women who remain at high risk for gonococcal infection also should be retested during the third trimester to prevent maternal postnatal complications and gonococcal infection in the neonate. at the first prenatal visit ( ). Additional risk factors for gonorrhea include inconsistent condom use among persons not in mutually monogamous relationships, previous or coexisting sexually transmitted infection, and exchanging sex for money or drugs. Clinicians should consider the communities they serve and might choose to consult local public health authorities for guidance on identifying groups that are at increased risk. Gonococcal infection, in particular, is concentrated in specific geographic locations and communities. Women found to have gonococcal infection should be treated immediately and retested within 3 months. Pregnant women who remain at high risk for gonococcal infection also should be retested during the third trimester to prevent maternal postnatal complications and gonococcal infection in the neonate. All pregnant women at risk for HCV infection should be screened for hepatitis C antibodies at the first prenatal visit. The most important risk factor for HCV infection is past or current injection drug use ( 109 ). Additional risk factors include having had a blood transfusion before July 1992, receipt of an unregulated tattoo, having been on long-term hemodialysis, intranasal drug use, and other percutaneous exposures. No established treatment regimen exists for pregnant women infected with HCV. However, all women with HCV infection should receive appropriate counseling and supportive care as needed (see Hepatitis C, Prevention). No vaccine is available to prevent HCV transmission. ). Additional risk factors include having had a blood transfusion before July 1992, receipt of an unregulated tattoo, having been on long-term hemodialysis, intranasal drug use, and other percutaneous exposures. No established treatment regimen exists for pregnant women infected with HCV. However, all women with HCV infection should receive appropriate counseling and supportive care as needed (see Hepatitis C, Prevention). No vaccine is available to prevent HCV transmission. Pregnant women should undergo a Papanicolau (Pap) test at the same frequency as nonpregnant women, although recommendations for management of abnormal Pap tests in pregnancy differ (110). Other Tests Evidence does not support routine screening for BV in asymptomatic pregnant women at high risk for preterm delivery ( 111 ). Symptomatic women should be evaluated and treated (see Bacterial Vaginosis). ). Symptomatic women should be evaluated and treated (see Bacterial Vaginosis). Evidence does not support routine screening for Trichomonas vaginalis in asymptomatic pregnant women. Women who report symptoms should be evaluated and treated appropriately (see Trichomonas). in asymptomatic pregnant women. Women who report symptoms should be evaluated and treated appropriately (see Trichomonas). Evidence does not support routine HSV-2 serologic screening among asymptomatic pregnant women. However, type-specific serologic tests might be useful for identifying pregnant women at risk for HSV infection and guiding counseling regarding the risk for acquiring genital herpes during pregnancy. In the absence of lesions during the third trimester, routine serial cultures for HSV are not indicated for women in the third trimester who have a history of recurrent genital herpes. For a more detailed discussion of STD screening and treatment among pregnant women, refer to the following references: Screening for HIV in Pregnant Women: Systematic Review to Update the 2005 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation (103); Screening for HIV: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement (104); ACOG/AAP Guidelines for Perinatal Care (112); Rapid HIV Antibody Testing During Labor and Delivery for Women of Unknown HIV Status: A Practical Guide and Model Protocol (113); Viral Hepatitis in Pregnancy (114); Hepatitis B Virus: A Comprehensive Strategy for Eliminating Transmission in the United States — Recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP) (4); Screening for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement (108); Canadian guidelines on sexually transmitted infections (115); USPSTF recommendations for STI screening (116); and Screening for Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnancy to Prevent Preterm Delivery: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement (111). Adolescents In the United States, prevalence rates of many sexually acquired infections are highest among adolescents and young adults (117,118). For example, the reported rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea are highest among females during their adolescent and young adult years, and many persons acquire HPV infection at this time. Persons who initiate sex early in adolescence are at higher risk for STDs, along with adolescents residing in detention facilities, those who use injection drugs, adolescents attending STD clinics, and young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Factors contributing to this increased risk during adolescence include having multiple sexual partners concurrently, having sequential sexual partnerships of limited duration, failing to use barrier protection consistently and correctly, having increased biologic susceptibility to infection, and facing multiple obstacles to accessing health care (118). All 50 states and the District of Columbia explicitly allow minors to consent for their own health services for STDs. No state requires parental consent for STD care, although some states restrict a minor's ability to provide consent on the basis of age or type of service (i.e., prevention, diagnosis, or treatment only). No state requires that providers notify parents that an adolescent minor has received STD services, except in limited or unusual circumstances. However, many states authorize parental notification of a minor's receipt of STD services, even where the minor can legally provide his or her own consent to the service (http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_OMCL.pdf; http://www.cahl.org/state-minor-consent-laws-a-summary-third-edition). Protecting confidentiality for such care, particularly for adolescents enrolled in private health insurance plans, presents multiple problems. After a claim has been reported, many states mandate that health plans provide a written statement to the beneficiary indicating the service performed, the charges covered, what the insurer allows, and the amount for which the patient is responsible (i.e., explanation of benefit [EOB]) (119). In addition, federal laws obligate notices to beneficiaries when claims are denied, including alerting beneficiaries who need to pay for care until the allowable deductible is reached. For STD detection- and treatment-related care, an EOB or medical bill that is received by a parent might disclose services provided and list STD laboratory tests performed or treatment given. Despite the high rates of infections documented in the adolescent population, providers frequently fail to inquire about sexual behaviors, assess STD risks, provide risk-reduction counseling, and ultimately, screen for asymptomatic infections during clinical encounters. Discussions concerning sexual behavior should be appropriate for the patient's developmental level and should be aimed at identifying risk behaviors (e.g., multiple partners; unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex; and drug-use behaviors). Careful, nonjudgmental, and thorough counseling is particularly vital for adolescents who might not feel comfortable acknowledging their engagement in behaviors that place them at high risk for STDs. Screening Recommendations Routine laboratory screening for common STDs is indicated for sexually active adolescents. The following screening recommendations summarize published federal agency and medical professional organizations' clinical guidelines for sexually active adolescents. Routine screening for C. trachomatis on an annual basis is recommended for all sexually active females aged <25 years ( 108
principle, not chance. No one dares to offend or insult a power of known superiority in action. Book III: Dispositions for Action THE NUMBER WHICH SHOULD COMPOSE AN ARMY The first book treats of the choice and exercises of new levies; the second explains the establishment of the legion and the method of discipline; and the third contains the dispositions for action. By this methodical progression, the following instructions on general actions and means of victory will be better understood and of greater use. By an army is meant a number of troops, legions and auxiliaries, cavalry and infantry, assembled to make war. This number is limited by judges of the profession. The defeats of Xerxes, Darius, Mithridates and other monarchs who brought innumerable multitudes into the field, plainly show that the destruction of such prodigious armies is owing more to their own numbers than to the bravery of their enemies. An army too numerous is subject to many dangers and inconveniences. Its bulk makes it slow and unwieldy in its motions; and as it is obliged to march in columns of great length, it is exposed to the risk of being continually harassed and insulted by inconsiderable parties of the enemy. The incumbrance of the baggage is often an occasion of its being surprised in its passage through difficult places or over rivers. The difficulty of providing forage for such numbers of horses and other beasts of burden is very great. Besides, scarcity of provisions, which is to be carefully guarded against in all expeditions, soon ruins such large armies where the consumption is so prodigious, that notwithstanding the greatest care in filling the magazines they must begin to fail in a short time. And sometimes they unavoidably will be distressed for want of water. But, if unfortunately this immense army should be defeated, the numbers lost must necessarily be very great, and the remainder, who save themselves by flight, too much dispirited to be brought again to action. The ancients, taught by experience, preferred discipline to numbers. In wars of lesser importance they thought one legion with auxiliaries, that is, ten thousand foot and two thousand horse, sufficient. And they often gave the command to a praeter as to a general of the second rank. When the preparations of the enemy were formidable, they sent a general of consular dignity with twenty thousand foot and four thousand horse. In our times this command was given to a count of the first order. But when there happened any dangerous insurrection supported by infinite multitudes of fierce and barbarous nations, on such emergencies they took the field with two armies under two consuls, who were charged, both singly and jointly, to take care to preserve the Republic from danger. In short, by this management, the Romans, almost continually engaged in war with different nations in different parts of the world, found themselves able to oppose them in every quarter. The excellence of their discipline made their small armies sufficient to encounter all their enemies with success. But it was an invariable rule in their armies that the number of allies or auxiliaries should never exceed that of the Roman citizens. MEANS OF PRESERVING IT IN HEALTH The next article is of the greatest importance: the means of preserving the health of the troops. This depends on the choice of situation and water, on the season of the year, medicine, and exercise. As to the situation, the army should never continue in the neighborhood of unwholesome marshes any length of time, or on dry plains or eminences without some sort of shade or shelter. In the summer, the troops should never encamp without tents. And their marches, in that season of the year when the heat is excessive, should begin by break of day so that they may arrive at the place of destination in good time. Otherwise they will contract diseases from the heat of the weather and the fatigue of the march. In severe winter they should never march in the night in frost and snow, or be exposed to want of wood or clothes. A soldier, starved with cold, can neither be healthy nor fit for service. The water must be wholesome and not marshy. Bad water is a kind of poison and the cause of epidemic distempers. It is the duty of the officers of the legion, of the tribunes, and even of the commander-in-chief himself, to take care that the sick soldiers are supplied with proper diet and diligently attended by the physicians. For little can be expected from men who have both the enemy and diseases to struggle with. However, the best judges of the service have always been of the opinion that daily practice of the military exercises is much more efficacious towards the health of an army than all the art of medicine. For this reason they exercised their infantry without intermission. If it rained or snowed, they performed under cover; and il1 fine weather, in the field. They also were assiduous in exercising their cavalry, not only in plains, but also on uneven ground, broken and cut with ditches. The horses as well as the men were thus trained, both on the above mentioned account and to prepare them for action. Hence we may perceive the importance and necessity of a strict observance of the military exercises in an army, since health in the camp and victory in the field depend on them. If a numerous army continues long in one place in the summer or in the autumn, the waters become corrupt and the air infected. Malignant and fatal distempers proceed from this and can be avoided only by frequent changes of encampments. CARE TO PROVIDE FORAGE AND PROVISIONS Famine makes greater havoc in an army than the enemy, and is more terrible than the sword. Time and opportunity may help to retrieve other misfortunes, but where forage and provisions have not been carefully provided, the evil is without remedy. The main and principal point in war is to secure plenty of provisions and to destroy tIle enemy by famine. An exact calculation must therefore be made before the commencement of the war as to the number of troops and the expenses incident thereto, so that the provinces may in plenty of time furnish the forage, corn, and all other kinds of provisions demanded of them to be transported. They must be in more than sufficient quantity, and gathered into the strongest and most convenient cities before the opening of the campaign. If the provinces cannot raise their quotas in kind, they must commute for them in money to be employed in procuring all things requisite for the service. For the possessions of the subjects cannot be kept secure otherwise than by the defense of arms. These precautions often become doubly necessary as a siege is sometimes protracted beyond expectation, the besiegers resolving to suffer themselves all the inconveniences of want sooner than raise the siege, if they have any hopes of reducing the place by famine. Edicts should be issued out requiring the country people to convey their cattle, grain, wine and all kinds of provisions that may be of service to the enemy, into garrisoned fortresses or into the safest cities. And if they do not comply with the order, proper officers are to appointed to compel them to do it. The inhabitants of the province must likewise be obliged to retire with their effects into some fortified place before the irruption of the enemy. The fortifications and all the machines of different kinds must also be examined and repaired in time. For if you are once surprised by the enemy before you are in a proper posture of defense, you are thrown into irrecoverable confusion, and you can no longer draw any assistance from the neighboring places, all communication with them being cut off. But a faithful management of the magazines and a frugal distribution of the provisions, with proper precautions taken at first, will insure sufficient plenty. When provisions once begin to fail, parsimony is ill-timed and comes too late. On difficult expeditions the ancients distributed the provisions at a fixed allowance to each man without distinction of rank; and when the emergency was past, the government accounted for the full proportions. The troops should never want wood and forage in winter or water in summer. They should have corn, wine, vinegar, and even salt, in plenty at all times. Cities and fortresses are garrisoned by such mcn as are least fit for thc service of the field. They arc provided with all sorts of arnms, arrows, fustibali, slings, stones, onagri and balistae for their defense. Great caution is requisite that the unsuspecting simplicity of the inhabitants be not imposed on by the treachery or perjury of the enemy, for pretended conferences and deceitful appearance of truces have often been more fatal than force. By observing the foregoing precautions, the besieged may have it in their power to ruin the enemy by famine, if he keeps his troops together, and if he divides.them, by frequent sallies and surprises. METHODS TO PREVENT MUTINY IN AN ARMY An army drawn together from different parts sometimes is disposed to mutiny. And the troops, though not inclined to fight, pretend to be angry at not being led against the enemy. Such seditious dispositions principally show themselves in those who have lived in their quarters in idleness and effeminacy. These men, unaccustomed to the necessary fatigue of the field, are disgusted at its severity. Their ignorance of discipline makes them afraid of action and inspires them with insolence. There are several remedies for this evil. While the troops are yet separated and each corps continues in its respective quarters, let the tribunes, their lieutenants and the officers in genera4 make it their business to keep up so strict a discipline as to leave them no room to harbor any thoughts but of submission and obedience. Let them be constantly employed either in field days or in the inspection of their arms. They should not be allowed to be absent on furlough. They should be frequently called by roll and trained to be exact in the observance of every signal. Let them be exercised in the use of the bow, in throwing missile weapons and stones, both with the hand and sling, and with the wooden sword at the post; let all this be continually repeated and let them be often kept under arms till they are tired. Let them be exercised in running and leaping to facilitate the passing of ditches. And if their quarters are near the sea or a river, let them all, without exception, be obliged in the summer to have the frequent practice of swimming. Let them be accustomed to march through thickets, inclosures and broken grounds, to fell trees and cut out timber, to break ground and to defend a post against their comrades who are to endeavor to dispossess them; and in the encounter each party should use their shields to dislodge and bear down their antagonists. All the different kinds of troops thus trained and exercised in their quarters will find themselves inspired with emulation for glory and eagerness for action when they come to take the field. In short, a soldier who has proper confidence in his own skill and strength, entertains no thought of mutiny. A general should be attentive to discover the turbulent and seditious soldiers in the army, legions or auxiliaries, cavalry or infantry. He should endeavor to procure his intelligence not from informers, but from the tribunes, their lieutenants and other officers of undoubted veracity. It would then be prudent in him to separate them from the rest under pretence of some service agreeable to them, or detach them to garrison cities or castles, but with such address that though he wants to get rid of them, they may think themselves employed by preference and favor. A multitude never broke out into open sedition at once and with unanimous consent. They are prepared and excited by some few mutineers, who hope to secure impunity for their crimes by the number of their associates. But if the height of the mutiny requires violent remedies, it will be most advisable, after the manner of the ancients, to punish the ring-leaders only in order that, though few suffer, all may be terrified by the example. But it is much more to the credit of a general to form his troops to submission and obedience by habit and discipline than to be obliged to force them to their duty by the terror of punishment. MARCHES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE ENEMY It is asserted by those who have made the profession their study that an army is exposed to more danger on marches than in battles. In an engagement the men are properly armed, they see their enemies before them and come prepared to fight. But on a march the soldier is less on his guard, has not his arms always readyANALYSIS/OPINION: This year is the 25th anniversary of the election of the first Parliament and government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Thanks to the safe haven that the United States and its European allies created in 1991 to protect the displaced Kurdish population from Baghdad’s brutal attacks, the Kurds turned a crisis into an opportunity to build a forward-looking nation with democratic aspirations. The journey was a tough one, with many successes and failures, but U.S.-KRI relations grew stronger and developed into a mutually rewarding partnership. The United States continued to protect the Iraqi Kurds from Saddam Hussein’s regime in 1990s and ensured that they would have their fair share in the post-Saddam Iraq. The U.S. once again came to the rescue of the KRI in the face of the Islamic State (ISIS) onslaught in 2014 and continued its support to date. The Kurds have reciprocated with unreserved loyalty and solid support for U.S. policies in Iraq. Peshmerga forces became indispensable partners in the U.S.-led global coalition and instrumental in the ultimate military defeat of ISIS in Iraq. Some consider this KRI-U.S. partnership a tactical and temporary one, not only because ISIS is being defeated, but also because the United States will ultimately stop relying on the Kurds due to their inability, like the rest of Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries, to promote the rule of law and good governance, and to control corruption, which runs unacceptably deep. However, the U.S. and the KRI can prove otherwise. For a start, the United States continues to need strategic partners in the ever-changing Middle East, where its vital interests will remain at stake. In a region that is in turmoil and where terrorism is on the rise, the U.S. and Europe face much-reduced space, presence and leverage for driving and shaping events. Regional state and sub-state actors (like the KRI) have grown in influence across borders. A multitude of nonstate actors, legitimized or not, have become increasingly influential in driving events. The KRI, lying in the heart of the Middle East, is just what the United States needs, where it is most needed. The Kurds have proven themselves skillful and dynamic survivors in a conflict zone that is overwhelmed by powerful rivals. They have strong, collaborative, love-hate relations with the Shia political elite of Iraq. They share a long border with the previously ISIS-occupied Sunni Arab territories, where the challenge of stabilization is greatest. They accommodated the majority of the displaced Sunni Arabs and other ethnic and religious minorities during the ISIS war. Internationally, despite the complexity and sensitive nature of the Middle East’s politics, the political parties of the KRI have actively engaged and maintained relatively good neighborly relationships with both Iran and Turkey. Being a Muslim-majority country and having been part of Iraq, the KRI leaders have had unhindered access to most of the Arab countries. On the issue of KRI’s internal governance challenges, the United States can help a great deal via constructive engagement. The KRI, as a small, emerging nation, remains vulnerable in the world’s toughest neighborhood. This gives the U.S. plenty of leverage that it has never used effectively. In fact, the U.S. has the same kind of leverage with all of its allies in the Middle East but was never willing to use it in fear of negative reactions. On the contrary, the previous U.S. administration chose to almost totally disengage with the region, particularly Iraq, and virtually abandoned its obligation to spread the values of liberty and the rule of law in the Middle East. The consequences were disastrous, forcing the U.S. to return and face a war against the most radical of terrorists. It might be rare for politicians to request or accept conditional help, but the KRI leaders do when such requests come from trusted friends. They are, and have been, responsive to terms and conditions that are linked to good governance, designed to help their country become a better, stronger and more prosperous place. KRG leaders viewed these conditions as incentives and opportunities to reform. Many used them to convince their fellow leaders to endorse change. In short, tough love works with the Kurds and the United States should help the KRI become the partner it deserves, and the partner KRI deserves to be. • Dlawer Ala’Aldeen is the founding president of the Middle East Research Institute and is a former human rights activist, professor of medicine and KRG minister of higher education and scientific research between 2009 and 2012. Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Congressman Lamborn released the following statement following his introduction of two bills, H.R. 726 and H.R. 727, to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and National Public Radio (NPR): “Republicans and the new Administration need to demonstrate that we take our fiscal responsibility seriously. American taxpayers do not want their hard-earned dollars funding superfluous government programs just because that is the way things have always been done. That’s why I have reintroduced two pieces of legislation to permanently defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio. CPB received $445 million during Fiscal Year 2016, and this money could be put to better use rebuilding our military and enhancing our national security.” - Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) General Points With the national debt nearing a staggering $20 trillion, the government cannot continue to subsidize private organizations that are more than capable of being fully privately-funded. This is not about content, as CBP certainly airs some quality programs; the point is that it is perfectly capable of standing on its own two feet and not on the financial shoulders of the American taxpayers. I have led similar efforts in past Congresses. During the 112th H.R. my bill H.R. 1076 defunding NPR was passed by the House. H.R. 726 1. Prohibits public radio stations from using federal funds to purchase programming from and/or pay dues to NPR Current federal law requires that approximately 26% of federal grants to public radio stations be used for the production or acquisition of programming, including programming for national distribution. Many stations use these “restricted” grants to purchase programming from NPR. Current Corporation for Public Broadcasting Guidelines also allow public radio stations to use their federal grant funding for the payment of dues to NPR. Programming fees and dues are the largest single source of NPR revenue, at $81 million in FY2015. 2. Prohibits direct federal funding of National Public Radio NPR received approximately $5 million in direct funding in FY16 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Department of Education, Department of Commerce, and the National Endowment for the arts. H..R 727 1. Defunds CPB American taxpayers subsidized the CPB, the parent organization to NPR, to the tune of $445 million in FY2016 alone. This is the same amount CPB has received for the past two fiscal years, and the amount they are scheduled to receive during the next two fiscal years.America’s Waning Commitment to Transportation Funding Highlights from around the Streetsblog Network today: Transportation Funding on a Downward Slope Since 1980: Since the Reagan years, U.S. investment in infrastructure has been on a downward trajectory, and we’re paying the price, says Matt Yglesias: “Have you noticed how America’s transportation infrastructure seems pretty shoddy? Like everything’s broken all the time and new projects don’t get completed. Why’s that? A big part of the answer is that since the Reagan Revolution we’ve been disinvesting in this area.” Yglesias continues: “Over time, we get better at making almost everything. But we don’t add hours to the day. Letting people move from place to place in a rapid and convenient manner is very important.” The Center for American Progress is urging the Washington to increase federal investment in transportation by 20 percent. That would bring transportation investment more in line with 1980s levels, measured by percentage of GDP. But the early word from Capitol Hill is that the Senate wants to hold transportation spending constant, adjusting for inflation, while the House would be content to let it fall even farther. That’s going to make it harder to build a modern and efficient transportation system. Connecticut Makes Strides Toward Complete Streets: Six months ago ConnDOT made a commitment to help bring biking and walking on more equal footing with driving. The agency promised to spend one percent of their funding to support non-motorized transportation. At the half-year mark, Ryan Lynch at Mobilizing the Region reports back on the state’s progress. “One of ConnDOT’s new policies was a ‘Quick-Fix’ program that used operational funding to make safety improvements aimed at slowing traffic and providing more space for pedestrians and cyclists,” writes Lynch. “The program aims to make quick changes while funding is limited with the intention of implementing more capital intensive improvements in the long term.” As a result of that program, Main Street in New Haven got a road diet that added shoulder space for pedestrians and cyclists while reducing the space for cars and calming traffic. Not a bad start. But further progress will be needed to help protect Connecticut pedestrians, who are the victims of 1 in 8 traffic fatalities in the state, said Lynch. DC Mayor Gray’s Ultimatum to Wal-Mart — It’s Five Stores or Nothing: Washington has been buzzing about the entrance of suburban mega-retailer Wal-Mart into the city. In a rather bizarre development, Mayor Vincent Gray has threatened to banish the retailer if it decides to downsize its urban ambitions. Gray is playing a game of chicken with developers, saying that if they do not build all five stores they’re planning, Wal-Mart won’t be welcome in the city. Two to three of the stores are jeopardized because of problems at the sites. The mayor’s tough talk didn’t sit well with Richard Layman at Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space:”Mayor Vincent Gray threatens to deny Walmart stores building permits — not because two, maybe three of the projects, have significant problems in terms of how the sites will be developed, the lack of transportation capacity to serve the stores, and whether or not Walmart is committed to developing urban-appropriate operations and customer service practices — but because four Walmart stores aren’t enough for Washington, DC, he wants Walmart to open a fifth store, in the Skyland Shopping Center in Ward 7.” Layman noted however that the mayor might not have the legal standing to deny building permits to Wal-Mart.BEIRUT A official from the Kurdish YPG militia said on Saturday the Turkish army had fired on YPG members near Qamishli city in northeast Syria, close to the Turkish border. Redur Xelil, an official from the People's Protection Units (YPG) said: "There was firing by Turkish troops at members of the People's Protection Units near the city of Qamishli which caused serious injury in one person. There was then an exchange of fire between the two sides. "The situation is now tense," Xelil said. The YPG has been an important partner for the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria, but has also been fighting Syrian insurgent groups in northwestern Syria near Aleppo in recent weeks. Turkey views the YPG as a terrorist group, an extension of Kurdish militants who have fought a three-decade insurgency in its own southeast. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Tom Perry; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.Like everyone else, Robert Bea was appalled when almost 200,000 Californians living below Oroville Dam were ordered to flee for their lives on February 12. The evacuation was necessitated by severe erosion of the dam’s primary and emergency spillways caused by massive releases of water following torrential winter rains. But unlike most citizens, Bea knew the incident wasn’t engendered strictly by the vagaries of nature or an act of God. Human error was at play. A UC Berkeley Engineering professor emeritus, one of the nation’s foremost forensic engineers, and the founder of Berkeley’s Center for Catastrophic Risk Management (CCRM), Bea had long been worried about the design and management of the dam. He expressed those concerns to a state Department of Water Resources (DWR) engineer while visiting the Oroville site in April. The engineer opined that fixes DWR was making to the spillways were sufficient to stabilize the structure. Bea vigorously disagreed, countering DWR was downplaying the risks. Bea and CCRM colleague Tony Johnson then launched an exhaustive study of the Oroville incident. The document resulting from that inquiry—Root Causes Analyses of the Oroville Dam Gated Spillway Failures and Other Developments—has just been released, and it makes for a riveting read. The paper not only dissects Oroville’s dire design and management problems in detail, but it also obliquely indicts America’s engineering culture as insensitive to risk, championing a certain cowboy élan and “get ‘er done” attitude over public safety. We recently spoke to Bea about his findings. The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. CALIFORNIA: You investigated some of the nation’s most spectacular disasters, including Hurricane Katrina, Deepwater Horizon, and the Challenger space shuttle. How would a major breach at Oroville compare to those incidents? And is such a failure even possible? Bea: Yes, it is possible. And it would be worse than any of them. A breach at Oroville would send a wall of water down the Feather River, through the Sacramento Valley and ultimately into the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. It would destroy towns along the Feather and Sacramento Rivers, flood major portions of Sacramento, and blow out levees throughout the Delta, permanently flooding much of the region. The huge government pumps near Tracy that send water to Southern California cities and farms would be incapacitated. There would be tremendous loss of life and property, and it would be years before a permanent water delivery system to the south state could be reestablished. Furthermore, it wouldn’t necessarily take a tremendous amount of rain and uncontrolled releases as we saw in February to trigger such a failure. It could happen on a bright, sunny summer’s day. The situation is that serious. You had expressed concern about Oroville’s status prior to the spillway issues and evacuation. Is there anything you discovered in your most recent research that surprised you? We were able to obtain some important documents and photographs we hadn’t seen before, and we learned a few things that, frankly, shocked me. One thing I had always wondered about was the construction of the primary spillway. The original design specified construction on rock and concrete, but the documents confirmed it was built on graded fill. I’d always suspected something like that, but had never found any corroboration. Graded fill simply doesn’t provide the strength and stability that rock and concrete provide, as we saw in February, when huge portions of the spillway were destroyed and tremendous erosion occurred. The report also concludes that DWR has been aware of Oroville’s problems for many years, correct? The main portion of the spillway that blew out is a section known as Station 3300. We found documents and photographs dating all the way back to a 1998 inspection report that confirmed there were major problems with this section. Essentially, they were screams for help that went largely ignored. DWR tried patching cracks, even filling up voids, but on that structure, finding the hollow areas is like trying to find a stud behind a wall by tapping it with a hammer. There’s a lot of room for error, and the repairs were far from adequate. Also, some of the patches actually trapped water so it couldn’t drain out, and that further compromised structural integrity. All this has been going on since at least 1998, so it’s no surprise that things went wrong at Station 3300. What else did you find that concerns you? There are very serious problems with the headgates [the structures that control water releases from the dam]. There is a lot of corrosion, and there are large cracks in two gate control tendons. Some of the gates don’t even open and close all the way. They’re like refrigerator doors that just stay ajar. Also, we were alarmed by green grass growing on the abutments. That’s because the grass shouldn’t be green in that part of California during the summer and fall. It should be brown, so when you see lush green grass, it indicates there’s seepage through the dam face. What’s particularly worrisome is evidence we found indicating this seepage has been going on for about 50 years. DWR says that it’s just some ‘natural springs,’ and that’s it’s no cause for worry. But a ‘natural spring’ in that area would have to flow uphill, which runs counter to the laws of physics. And understand this: Any seepage through an earth-fill dam is extremely worrisome. You’ve often talked about a certain laissez faire attitude among engineers and bureaucrats regarding the risks of large infrastructure projects. How does that apply to Oroville? First, rigorous state and federal guidelines exist for the risk-based management of dams. Some of them were issued by President Carter following the Teton Dam failure in Idaho in 1976 [which killed eleven people and caused massive property damage]. But they’re simply being ignored. Dams should be viewed like nuclear power plants or jet airliners. With both nuclear plants and passenger jets, there is tremendous emphasis on managing and minimizing risks, and that’s appropriate. But dams are treated like inert piles of dirt or concrete that have no potential for catastrophic failure, and that’s simply not the case. Oroville isn’t just a big dirt plug with a bunch of cows and corn downstream. If it failed, it would be the worst disaster in the history of the United States. The people at DWR are not bad human beings, but it’s apparent to me that they’re not up to the risk management challenges they’re facing. Governor Jerry Brown (B.A., Cal Classics) has just appointed Grant Davis (B.S., Cal Political Science) as the new director for DWR. He was formerly the director of the Bay Institute and the Sonoma County Water Agency. In both positions, he was a strong advocate for environmental protections and sustainable water use. What do you think of him? He’s certainly an improvement over recent past directors, but he’s no [Admiral] Hiram Rickover [widely regarded as the father of the U.S. nuclear submarine fleet and a visionary engineer who promoted safety and risk aversion in both marine and terrestrial nuclear power plants]. Davis has good environmental credentials, but I don’t think he knows much about managing risk, and I’m not sure he has the guts to say what needs to be said to the people above him. I just don’t think he has the capabilities we need at this point. So how should we address Oroville? Can it be repaired to the point that the risk it represents is acceptable? There are certainly things we should—must—do. We did it with Folsom Dam [on the American River], which was also showing danger signs, including on its spillway. It cost a billion dollars, but we did it, and it is now stable for the foreseeable future. So we need to make the same serious commitment to Oroville, and that doesn’t mean a quick patch job like we’re now seeing, followed by an announcement that everything is okay. We need to convene independent experts and follow their recommendations. Right now, the response is ad hoc, and that’s both inadequate and extremely dangerous. From the larger perspective, the problem with Oroville, with our entire water delivery infrastructure, really, where there are multiple danger points, isn’t concrete, steel, dirt, or water. It’s people. Many of the people who are in decision-making positions don’t have the expertise they need to make those decisions. Water is our most essential natural resource, we need it, but if you turn your back on it, it can kill you. We have to have people in power who understand that, who are willing to take the actions necessary to protect the public. So what’s next for you? Are you going to continue your work on Oroville? I don’t think so. Both Tony and I are getting up in years, and candidly, I’m getting tired, a bit worn out. I’m running out of teachable moments. I’m usually an optimistic guy, but I’ll be honest, what we’ve found with Oroville has been deeply discouraging. Since word of our work has gotten out, we’ve had engineers and water managers contacting us from all around the country, and the basic message is ‘Holy Crap! We’re having the same problems with our dams.’ Oroville is just the most obvious signal of a national, systemic problem.Following on from my previous Microsoft Azure Architect 70-534 exam experience and tips post, the following article describes the study materials I used towards the exam. Having been warned that the exam was a bit tricky, I made sure to do more studying for this than most exams, probably spending fast approaching 100 hours to prepare. Based on my actual experience I believe I could have reduced this a bit, for example by dropping the Pluralsight course altogether (even though I really like them, it is too out of date to be useful, other than for historical knowledge). Microsoft Azure 70-534 Study Materials Whilst studying for the exam, I used the following study materials: Training Courses Pluralsight – 70-534 by Orin Thomas Pretty out of date now, but an ok intro if you have a bit of extra time to really reinforce things. I love Pluralsight, but this course was just too far out of date to be really useful. Linux Academy – 70-534 Prep Course Excellent course, and pretty well presented by Doug Vanderweide. This does cover most of the topics at a broad level, with some deep dives. It is not enough to pass the exam on its own, however. The BEST thing about this system (IMHO) is the Flash Cards. I did all of the decks provided by Linux Academy, and some bits of the other ones. Doug, and the “Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions Exam 70-534 Prep” deck from “Dominic”. The great thing with these is that you can just pick them up and do them for 5-10 minutes when you have some spare. They are also really good for helping you remember the ridiculous and pointless minutia which you need to know (such as the precise specs of individual names instances, e.g. A8 vs A10). The quiz at the end of each section was also pretty useful. I believe they have also just introduced some hands on labs, which will also help to solidify things, as well as help you remember the specific order in which certain implementation steps need to occur. Udemy 70-534 prep course from Scott Duffy I only found this one with a couple of weeks to go until my exam, so only had time to watch the videos described as updated in 2016/2017. This was useful however as it covered several areas not included in the Pluralsight / Linux Academy courses. The best thing about Scott’s course (which was glaringly missing from Linux Academy and Pluralsight) was that it asked you to do labs with your Azure test account, then showed you how to do them afterward. Scott has also released some practice tests, which I bought (on offer for £10) but then didn’t have time to go through! Preparation 70-534 Exam Blueprint This is always the go-to document for almost any current industry certification, and should be used as your primary guide for resources and areas to study. In the case of the AWS Exam Blueprint, they actually direct you to specific white papers, docs or FAQs to review as well as the content areas to study. Labs Normally I would lab like crazy to learn a new technology, as I genuinely believe you learn something best when you get your hands on it. I only managed to get a few labs done in Azure, purely down to lack of time. To be honest I really felt it when it came to exam time, and there were a couple of questions where I really wished I had created at least one or two ARM templates and configured a few bits via PowerShell, just to help memorise syntax. You can get a free $25 of credit per month by signing up for the Microsoft Cloud Essentials scheme (https://www.microsoft.com/cloudessentials), which is more than enough to spin up a few services. Concentrate on learning the ORDER in which you do things, as this is a learning outcome for MS. Reading other people’s exam tips (just google it!) Practice Exams I had purchased an exam voucher which gave me the exam, a free retake and a free MeasureUp practice test, for less than the full price of the normal exam! The MeasureUp practice test was very good prep as it had LOADs of questions (179 IIRC), and covered a broadly similar set of topics. There were one or two questions in there which seemed to be out of date, but when I got to my actual exam, I had a couple of legacy questions, so this made sense to me after the fact! What I did was do an untimed exam with the setting that tells you the answer after you hit next every time. That way as soon as I got a question wrong, I then went and read up more on the specific topic. This was absolutely invaluable in my prep as I think I got just under 70% in the MeasureUp, but passed comfortably in the actual exam (largely due to MeasureUp prompting me to “fill in the blanks” to my knowledge). This is an excellent resource, and highly recommended! Exam Voucher As above, make sure you check out the Second chance and Measure Up for free offer here: http://www.mindhub.com/microsoft-cloud-exam-bundles-p/mcp-azure-skills-1_p.htm?1=1&CartID=0 One thing to note is that it is time limited. I ordered my exam voucher on 16th Feb and the last available day for me to book my exam (after I moved it back a couple of times) was 16th May. FAQs and Docs (over 75 articles – see below) I skim read these looking for key points. I copied these into a giant OneNote file for future reference and rationalisation! If you want to be sure to absolutely nail the exam, read the FAQs. If the exam has indeed changed and become slightly easier (as I suspect it may have), then
happy to have any job."If you have something metalic (ferromagnetic that is) to attach your GoPro to, there is nothing better that I know of than using rare earth magnets. An excellent source for these super-powerful magnets for a GoPro mount is a computer hard drive. Undo the screws on the outside with a Torx screwdriver (here’s a review of the set I use), then pry it open. Edit 1/14/2017: Published a new version that doesn’t require taking apart a hard drive, and has a few other advantages, including a protective coating so as not to mar the surface it’s on (Ben, thx for the suggestion about the coating). Once inside, you’ll see a lot of interesting parts, but buried somewhere in a corner is an extremely powerful magnet. You’ll have to pry this out as well. It sort of reminds me of getting the good meat out of a scallop, or maybe even a pearl out of an oyster. There’s a lot of waste, but the payoff is something quite uncommon, an unbelievably strong magnet. As for how to use it with a GoPro quick-release adhesive mount, it’s quite simple. Place the magnet in the center of the adhesive mount and roughly trace it with a box-cutter or X-acto knife. Peel the middle of the backing off and press the magnet on firmly. I used a curved mount meant for a helmet, but the straight kind should work as well. I show this type of mount used above on a milling machine, but the possibilities for use are endless. Automobiles are an obvious target, and I was even able to stick it on a backpack that I modified to have two metallic patches for magnet use. Even though these magnets are incredibly strong, a safety cable (some options from Amazon) is still a good idea. For a different take on a GoPro magnet mount, check out this egg timer device with a built-in magnet. The magnet’s not as powerful as what you can get from a hard drive, but it seems to do the job, and it adds a neat rotation feature.CINCINNATI, Ohio — Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was found not guilty on Tuesday of an assault charge accusing him of punching a woman in the head at a nightclub. A visiting judge in Hamilton County Municipal Court heard the case after Jones, who has had a spate of legal troubles, waived a jury trial. Jones could have been sentenced to up to six months in jail if convicted. Jones was accused of hitting Shannon Wesley outside a downtown Cincinnati nightclub and was arrested in June. He had pleaded not guilty and been released on his own recognizance. The judge heard more than two hours of testimony from Wesley on Tuesday. Wesley said Jones punched her in the head with a closed fist, knocking her to the ground. But she also said the punch came after she poured beer on Jones’ arm in an attempt to get him to leave her and her friends alone. Wesley said Jones was aggressive and called her and the other women names preceded by adjectives including "sloppy" and "fat." "We were scared," she said. The judge said in delivering his ruling that surveillance video of the bar’s patio showed the beer bottle pointing toward Jones’ face, near his eye. "The initial aggressor in this case was Shannon Wesley with the beer bottle," Judge Robert Taylor said. Witnesses testified there was cursing from both sides, and the judge noted a lack of civility from those involved, including Jones. Jones’ attorney repeatedly argued that Wesley physically assaulted Jones. "This man was only defending himself when he was threatened," attorney Ralph Kohnen said. But prosecutor Bernadette Longano argued that there was "zero evidence" that Wesley harmed or attempted to harm Jones. Jones and his attorney declined to comment after Tuesday’s ruling. The prosecutor also declined to comment. Jones, the Bengals’ third cornerback and a punt returner, still could face discipline from the National Football League under its conduct policy. A message left with the NFL on Tuesday wasn’t immediately returned. Last month, Jones paid a fine for disorderly conduct after police accused him of making offensive comments in a traffic stop. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of disorderly conduct after he was arrested in 2011 in another case. He was accused in that case of shouting profanities and trying to pull away as police arrested him at a bar.B.C. resident Josephine James received quite the bundle of surprise this week after she went into the hospital with excruciating back pain, and ended up giving birth. "Um, shock. Yeah. Just trying to get used to having a baby," she said. Nanaimo, B.C., resident Josephine James is the proud, happy and surprised new mother of a baby girl. (CBC) Baby girl Nevaeh—the name is 'Heaven' spelled backward—arrived seven hours after her mother showed up at the ER at Nanaimo General Hospital. She was born healthy and full term Tuesday morning, weighing eight pounds and 14 ounces, and her loving family says she is both wanted and welcomed. "She's an angel," James said, with fiancé Jonathan Phillips by her side. ​The 20-year-old woman, who works as a clerk at Rona, did not know she was pregnant until hospital staff told her she was in labour. "No idea whatsoever. I had no cravings, no movement, no morning sickness," James said. Neither James nor her fiancé Jonathan Phillips knew she was pregnant. She was told she was going into labour by hospital staff when she went in complaining of back pain Monday night. (CBC) She even dismissed the idea a few weeks ago when her mother piped up after suspecting something was different with her daughter. "She was just standing a certain way at home and I was like, 'Jesus you look pregnant.' I did," said new grandma Diana Anglin said. "And she said 'no way, there's no chance.'" James didn't think missing her periods was any indication that anything was going on—​she had gone through similar stretches in the past due to stress. And while her weight seemed to fluctuate over the past several months, all her usual clothes still fit—​right up to walking into the emergency department Monday night. "She wore the same pants. She didn't feel anything. She didn't look pregnant. She had no morning sickness, no.. nothin'," Anglin said. "So, since Monday night it's—I wouldn't really say a gong show—it's been a roller coaster." New grandma Diana Anglin said she didn't believe her daughter when she called her from the hospital Monday night: "She is always clowning. She's always trying to trick me, so I didn't believe her." (CBC) Anglin said she thought her daughter was teasing when she called from the hospital on Monday night to say she was in labour. "She is always clowning. She's always trying to trick me, so I didn't believe her. This is the last thing I expected," she said. Anglin said she still didn't believe it was happening until the baby was born. "And I was like, 'Oh, my God!' and I pointed at her and I started laughing." Anglin said. "But I'm ecstatic."The Vale Beijing, one of the world’s largest commodity vessels, cracked its hull and is taking on water at a port in Brazil, the O Globo newspaper said, citing people it didn’t identify. Workers have begun pumping water off the 400,000 deadweight ton ship at Ponta da Madeira, northeastern Brazil, the Portuguese-language publication said on its website. The Secretaria Nacional de Portos confirmed there was an issue with the ship, without elaborating, the report said. Vale SA (VALE3) said there was a problem with a rented ship and referred questions to operator STX Pan Ocean Co., O Globo said. A spokesman for STX Pan Ocean said he wasn’t immediately able to comment, when called by Bloomberg News, as the Seoul- based company was seeking more details from Brazil. Calls to Vale in Rio de Janeiro and the Secretaria Nacional de Portos in Brasilia were unanswered outside regular office hours. The ship, almost as big as the Bank of America Tower in New York, was delivered to STX Pan Ocean (STX) on Sept. 27 by affiliate STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. The vessel is part of a fleet of 35 that Vale, the world’s biggest iron-ore miner, is building up to gain control of shipments. STX Pan Ocean will operate a total of eight of the mega- ships under a $5.8 billion, 25-year deal.If you had places to be this week, hopefully you were not a fan of Colorado baseball. In all seven games this week, the Rockies averaged a 3:40 length of game. The twist? Not one single extra inning game. With 102 runs over seven games, nobody got home from a Rockies game in shorter than 3:17 this week. On the other side of things, nobody watching an Indians game spent more than 3:01 at the ballpark, as the Cleveland fans were able to nurse their championship hangovers with fast-moving baseball this week. With an average game of 2:40 this week, Indians fans gained seven hours of free time over their Rockies’ counterparts, the biggest difference between fastest and slowest weekly average for the entire season. On the ejections front, a somewhat normal week with six ejections, five of which by the home team. On that front, of the 85 ejections so far this season, 50 have happened to the home team, and only 35 to the away team. The White Sox have had an ejection for the second straight week, two behind their longest streak of the year of four consecutive weeks. In attendance, the Indians and the Athletics battled for the lowest attendance of the week, while the Marlins and Orioles also managed sub-20,000 crowds this week. On the other end, 12 teams drew greater than 40,000, including the aforementioned Orioles. On the weather front, another pleasant week, though hot in LA again with 96 degrees for the Dodgers-Nationals game on Monday, tying Atlanta for the week. Nothing notable in the wind department, and once again San Francisco wins the coldest temperature of the week. And of course, as always: the miscellany and below that the raw data to look at yourself. Note there are three tables, the top being all games, the second home games, and the last being away games. Enjoy! Attendance: Lowest attendance last week: Athletics (vs Brewers), Wednesday, June 22nd. 13,586 Highest-(Lowest attendance) last week: Dodgers (vs Nationals), Tuesday, June 21st. 42,307 Highest attendance last week: Rangers (vs Red Sox), Saturday, June 25th. 47,559 Lowest-(Highest attendance) last week: Athletics (vs Brewers), Tuesday, June 21st. 14,810 Game time: Longest game last week: Rockies (vs Diamondbacks), Friday, June 24th. 4:30 (10-9 Diamondbacks) Shortest game last week: Tie – Pirates (vs Giants), Monday, June 20th. 2:24 (1-0 Pirates) & Yankees (vs Twins), Sunday, June 26th. 2:24 (7-1 Twins) Longest average game for the week: Rockies, 3:39 average over 7 games. Quickest average game for the week: Indians, 2:40 average over 6 games. Weather: Warmest game last week: TIE – Braves (vs Mets), 96 degrees, Saturday, June 25th & Dodgers (vs Nationals), 96 degrees, Monday, June 20th. Coldest game last week: Giants (vs Phillies), 63 degrees, Saturday, June 25th. Warmest average for the week: Rangers, 91.5 degrees over 6 games. Coldest average for the week: Athletics, 73.2 degrees over 6 games. Windiest game last week: Mets vs Royals, 21 mph, Wednesday, June 22nd. Windiest week: Royals, 14.8 MPH over 5 games. Ejections: Total ejections last week: 7 (85 total this season) Ejections by league: AL 3, NL 4. (Season: AL 49, NL 36) Raw data: All games Team Count of Games Min Attendance Max Attendance Avg Attendance Min Time of Game Max Time of Game Avg Time of Game Min Temp Max Temp Avg Temp Min Wind Max Wind Avg Wind Ejections Angels 7 22553 41356 33190 2:54 3:33 3:13 71 85 76.5 6 10 8.8 Astros 6 22553 38880 31455 2:33 3:40 3:04 82 93 87.3 6 17 12 Athletics 6 13586 41356 30587 2:53 3:33 3:17 66 85 71.5 6 14 11.2 Blue Jays 5 25776 46967 34025 2:27 3:22 2:55 71 86 78.9 7 17 11.2 1 Braves 6 19961 40879 25309 2:27 3:19 2:55 88 96 91.3 5 14 10 1 Brewers 5 13586 32668 24273 2:53 3:32 3:10 66 85 74.6 8 16 12.6 Cardinals 6 35746 41616 39329 2:52 3:25 3:01 69 90 74.4 4 11 6.4 Cubs 7 24385 41616 32899 2:43 3:24 3:02 70 90 77.7 4 11 7.3 Diamondbacks 7 22118 46967 35496 2:40 4:30 3:22 71 91 81.6 1 17 7.1 Dodgers 6 28226 44712 37473 2:40 3:35 2:58 75 96 83 2 10 6.5 Giants 7 27729 42238 35002 2:24 3:49 3:09 63 84 73.3 8 19 11.9 Indians 6 13811 39028 27345 2:26 3:01 2:40 75 89 82.8 3 15 8.8 Mariners 7 27670 40431 33888 2:39 4:29 3:12 69 86 74.3 3 18 6.9 1 Marlins 7 18187 29457 23892 2:27 3:24 3:03 Mets 6 20484 40879 30760 2:39 3:19 2:58 81 96 87.4 5 21 14.5 Nationals 6 30085 44712 37294 2:44 3:35 3:05 75 96 82.8 6 16 9.2 Orioles 7 18229 44956 31123 2:43 3:44 3:06 71 92 85.4 3 9 6.4 Padres 6 20443 40871 31749 2:38 3:44 3:04 71 89 82.2 3 9 6 Phillies 7 22118 42238 32646 2:40 3:24 3:03 63 91 81.3 5 19 8.9 Pirates 7 27729 33747 30487 2:24 3:49 3:04 71 85 80.4 2 12 8.4 1 Rangers 6 32291 47559 38458 2:29 3:48 3:05 88 93 91.5 7 13 10.2 Rays 7 13811 44956 26499 2:26 3:15 2:49 72 89 80.4 4 14 7.1 Red Sox 7 36291 47559 39818 2:54 4:25 3:33 75 93 84.1 10 17 12.7 Reds 6 20443 40871 34588 2:29 3:26 2:51 81 93 88.7 4 13 8 2 Rockies 7 18187 40104 32943 3:17 4:30 3:39 79 89 83.5 1 15 7.9 Royals 5 35185 40122 37367 2:33 3:40 3:02 81 93 85.4 6 21 15.5 Tigers 7 27670 39028 34071 2:39 4:29 3:07 71 86 81.3 3 18 8.6 Twins 6 25032 44808 34052 2:24 3:24 2:54 69 83 77.7 5 14 8.7 White Sox 7 25776 37790 32765 2:27 4:25 3:21 75 86 80.6 7 17 11.2 1 Yankees 5 34760 44808 39684 2:24 3:31 3:00 77 85 81.8 5 15 8 Home games Team Count of Games Min Attendance Max Attendance Avg Attendance Min Time of Game Max Time of Game Avg Time of Game Min Temp Max Temp Avg Temp Min Wind Max Wind Avg Wind Ejections Angels 4 36412 41356 38782 3:03 3:33 3:19 71 85 76.5 6 10 8.8 Astros 3 22553 29649 25735 2:54 3:13 3:05 Athletics 2 13586 14810 14198 2:53 3:32 3:12 66 67 66.5 13 14 13.5 Blue Jays 2 41838 46967 44403 2:42 2:54 2:48 71 77 74 11 17 14 Braves 4 20484 40879 27313 2:39 3:19 2:56 88 96 91.3 5 14 10 1 Brewers 3 30085 32668 30989 3:05 3:14 3:08 79 85 82.7 8 16 11.7 Cubs 3 41058 41616 41280 2:55 3:02 2:59 70 90 77.7 4 11 7.3 Dodgers 3 42307 44712 43598 2:44 3:35 3:03 75 96 83 6 8 6.7 Giants 3 41479 42238 41882 2:47 3:21 3:08 63 75 68 8 19 13.7 Indians 3 13811 21216 16885 2:26 2:36 2:30 75 89 81.3 4 14 9.3 Mariners 3 35746 40431 37377 2:52 3:25 3:03 69 70 69.5 4 6 5 1 Marlins 7 18187 29457 23892 2:27 3:24 3:03 Mets 2 35185 40122 37654 2:56 3:06 3:01 81 86 83.5 17 21 19 Orioles 6 18229 44956 30416 2:43 3:44 3:06 71 83 78.8 3 9 5.7 Phillies 1 22118 22118 22118 2:40 2:40 2:40 91 91 91 5 5 5 Pirates 7 27729 33747 30487 2:24 3:49 3:04 71 85 80.4 2 12 8.4 1 Rangers 6 32291 47559 38458 2:29 3:48 3:05 88 93 91.5 7 13 10.2 Red Sox 4 36291 37790 37010 2:54 4:25 3:37 75 81 77.5 10 17 14 Reds 4 20443 40871 35708 2:38 3:26 3:00 81 89 84.8 4 8 6 2 Rockies 4 32435 36558 34387 3:35 4:30 3:50 79 89 83 1 7 4.3 Royals 3 36195 38880 37175 2:33 3:40 3:03 82 93 87.3 6 17 12 Tigers 7 27670 39028 34071 2:39 4:29 3:07 71 86 81.3 3 18 8.6 Twins 3 25032 30012 26919 2:48 3:24 3:06 69 79 75 10 14 11.7 White Sox 3 25776 28345 27106 2:27 3:22 3:01 80 86 83.7 7 10 8.3 1 Yankees 5 34760 44808 39684 2:24 3:31 3:00 77 85 81.8 5 15 8 Away games Team Count of Games Min Attendance Max Attendance Avg Attendance Min Time of Game Max Time of Game Avg Time of Game Min Temp Max Temp Avg Temp Min Wind Max Wind Avg Wind Ejections Angels 3 22553 29649 25735 2:54 3:13 3:05 Astros 3 36195 38880 37175 2:33 3:40 3:03 82 93 87.3 6 17 12 Athletics 4 36412 41356 38782 3:03 3:33 3:19 71 85 76.5 6 10 8.8 Blue Jays 3 25776 28345 27106 2:27 3:22 3:01 80 86 83.7 7 10 8.3 1 Braves 2 19961 22642 21302 2:27 3:16 2:51 Brewers 2 13586 14810 14198 2:53 3:32 3:12 66 67 66.5 13 14 13.5 Cardinals 6 35746 41616 39329 2:52 3:25 3:01 69 90 74.4 4 11 6.4 Cubs 4 24385 29457 26613 2:43 3:24 3:05 Diamondbacks 7 22118 46967 35496 2:40 4:30 3:22 71 91 81.6 1 17 7.1 Dodgers 3 28226 33590 31348 2:40 3:17 2:54 80 85 83 2 10 6.3 Giants 4 27729 33747 29842 2:24 3:49 3:11 71 84 78.5 8 12 10 Indians 3 36502 39028 37805 2:43 3:01 2:50 82 86 84.3 3 15 8.3 Mariners 4 27670 35767 31271 2:39 4:29 3:19 71 86 79 3 18 8.8 Mets 4 20484 40879 27313 2:39 3:19 2:56 88 96 91.3 5 14 10 Nationals 6 30085 44712 37294 2:44 3:35 3:05 75 96 82.8 6 16 9.2 Orioles 1 35366 35366 35366 3:04 3:04 3:04 92 92 92 7 7 7 Padres 6 20443 40871 31749 2:38 3:44 3:04 71 89 82.2 3 9 6 Phillies 6 25032 42238 34401 2:47 3:24 3:07 63 79 71.5 8 19 12.7 Rays 7 13811 44956 26499 2:26 3:15 2:49 72 89 80.4 4 14 7.1 Red Sox 3 36312 47559 43561 3:04 3:48 3:27 88 93 90.7 10 12 11.3 Reds 2 32291 32407 32349 2:29 2:38 2:33 92 93 92.5 7 13 10 Rockies 3 18187 40104 31017 3:17 3:31 3:24 83 85 84 8 15 11.5 Royals 2 35185 40122 37654 2:56 3:06 3:01 81 86 83.5 17 21 19 Twins 3 38673 44808 41185 2:24 2:59 2:42 77 83 80.3 5 7 5.7 White Sox 4 36291 37790 37010 2:54 4:25 3:37 75 81 77.5 10 17 14IHDI Educational Statement Hip Health in baby carriers, car seats, swings, walkers, and other equipment Click here to view products deemed “hip-healthy” by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute. What is hip health? Summary Statement: The Medical Advisory Board of the IHDI does not endorse nor advise against any particular baby carrier or other equipment. The purpose of this educational statement is to provide information about healthy hip development to guide manufacturers in the development of safe designs of infant equipment, and to help parents make informed choices about the devices they use for their babies. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to choose a baby carrier that allows healthy hip positioning, in addition to other safety considerations. When babies are carried, the hips should be allowed to spread apart with the thighs supported and the hips bent. Education Statement: The IHDI recommends healthy hip positioning for all babies to encourage normal hip development. Within the womb, a baby spends a long time tucked in the fetal position, in which both hips and knees are bent or flexed. Baby in normal (fetal) womb position. After birth, it takes several months for the joints to stretch out naturally. Babies that have been in the breech (bottom first) position may need even more time to stretch out naturally. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. During the first few months of life the ball is more likely to be loose within the socket because babies are naturally flexible and because the edges of the socket are made of soft cartilage like the cartilage in the ear. If the hips are forced into a stretched-out position too early, the ball is at risk of permanently deforming the edges of the cup shaped socket (hip dysplasia) or gradually slipping out of the socket altogether (hip dislocation). Hip dysplasia or dislocation in babies is not painful so this may go undetected until walking age and may also result in painful arthritis during adulthood. The risk of hip dysplasia or dislocation is greatest in the first few months of life. By six months of age, most babies have nearly doubled in size, the hips are more developed and the ligaments are stronger, so are less susceptible to developing hip dysplasia. The most unhealthy position for the hips during infancy is when the legs are held in extension with the hips and knees straight and the legs brought together, which is the opposite of the fetal position. The risk to the hips is greater when this unhealthy position is maintained for a long time. Healthy hip positioning avoids positions that may cause or contribute to development of hip dysplasia or dislocation. The healthiest position for the hips is for the hips to fall or spread (naturally) apart to the side, with the thighs supported and the hips and knees bent. This position has been called the jockey position, straddle position, frog position, spread-squat position or human position. Free movement of the hips without forcing them together promotes natural hip development. SEE: Hip Healthy Swaddling Some types of baby carriers and other equipment may interfere with healthy hip positioning. Such devices include but are not limited to baby carriers, slings, wraps, pouches, car seats, exercisers, rockers, jumpers, swings, bouncers and walkers, and molded seating items. These devices could inadvertently place hips in an unhealthy position, especially when used for extended periods of time. Any device that restrains a baby’s legs in an unhealthy position should be considered a potential risk for abnormal hip development. It is also important to assess the size of the baby and match the device and carrier to the size of the child so that the hips can be in a healthy position during transport. Parents are advised to research the general safety and risks of any device they wish to use. When in doubt, we recommend involving your primary health-care provider in any further decision-making that may be medically relevant. These series of drawings demonstrate typical devices that allow healthier hip positioning in comparison to those which do not. Baby Harnesses Not Recommended (narrow based carrier): Thigh NOT supported to the knee joint. The resulting forces on the hip joint may contribute to hip dysplasia. Better: Thigh is supported to the knee joint. The forces on the hip joint are minimal because the legs are spread, supported, and the hip is in a more stable position. Recommended: Thighs spread around the mother’s torso and the hips bent so the knees are slightly higher than the buttocks with the thighs supported. Baby Slings Not Recommended (cradle position): Baby carriers that force the baby’s legs to stay together may contribute to hip dysplasia. Better: Baby carriers should support the thigh and allow the legs to spread to keep the hip in a stable position. Car Seat Positioning Not Recommended: Tight car seats prevent legs from spreading apart. Better: Wider car seats provide room for legs to be apart, putting the hips in a better position. Back to Prevention of Hip Dysplaisa> Creatures > Sun fish Sun fish Liveaboard Search Departure: between dates Destination All Australia Great Barrier Reef/Coral Sea Southern Australia Rowley Shoals Cairns Barrier Reef Bahamas Belize Caymans Costa Rica Cocos Island Cano Island Guanacaste & Bat Islands Cuba Dominican Rep Ecuador Galapagos Islands Egypt Southern Red Sea Red Sea North & Wrecks Fiji Hawaii Indonesia Komodo Raja Ampat Banda Sea Alor & Flores Anambas Islands Wakatobi Archipelago Sangalaki - Maratua Triton Bay Sulawesi Cenderawasih Bay Transit Trips Alor The Forgotten Islands Togian Islands Acasta Reef & Wrecks Halmahera Malaysia Tioman Sipadan Layang Layang Maldives Central Atolls Outer Atolls Mexico Socorro Islands Sea of Cortez Guadalupe Island Myanmar Palau Philippines Visayas Tubbataha Reef Malapascua Coron Island Transit Trips Saba & St Kitts Sudan Thailand Phuket & Phi Phi Islands Hin Daeng & Hin Muang Similan Islands Gulf of Thailand Tonga Turks & Caicos Destination All Australia Great Barrier Reef/Coral Sea Southern Australia Rowley Shoals Cairns Barrier Reef Bahamas Belize Caymans Costa Rica Cocos Island Cano Island Guanacaste & Bat Islands Cuba Dominican Rep Ecuador Galapagos Islands Egypt Southern Red Sea Red Sea North & Wrecks Fiji Hawaii Indonesia Komodo Raja Ampat Banda Sea Alor & Flores Anambas Islands Wakatobi Archipelago Sangalaki - Maratua Triton Bay Sulawesi Cenderawasih Bay Transit Trips Alor The Forgotten Islands Togian Islands Acasta Reef & Wrecks Halmahera Malaysia Tioman Sipadan Layang Layang Maldives Central Atolls Outer Atolls Mexico Socorro Islands Sea of Cortez Guadalupe Island Myanmar Palau Philippines Visayas Tubbataha Reef Malapascua Coron Island Transit Trips Saba & St Kitts Sudan Thailand Phuket & Phi Phi Islands Hin Daeng & Hin Muang Similan Islands Gulf of Thailand Tonga Turks & Caicos search Our Partners Press Coverage Customer Testimonials... Very efficient at organising our holidays and recommending accommodation for us! So much easier than having to sort it out yourself. Also for the past 2 holidays (Nusa Lembongan and Sipadan), they have been great at recommending great dive operators. We trust Dive The World to suggest the best operators and places for us!... Sonia Kua Australia More customer reviews> Diving with Sunfish The Mighty Mola Mola Click on an image to enlarge X There are not too many dive sites in the world that can boast the presence of the magnificent Mola Mola, but those that do are rightfully proud of the fact. Diving with sunfish will provide you with an unforgettable memory - the odd looking flat disc lolling near the surface staring at you with its large dopey eyes. Dives with these creatures are great, but all the more special if you know a thing or two about the stars of this show... The oceanic sunfish, is surely one of the most unusual looking creatures in the sea. The German name for this fish is "Schwimmender Kopf" meaning swimming head, which gives you some idea of what Mola Mola look like. If you were diving near the surface at Nusa Penida in Bali, or at Punta Vincente Roca in the Galapagos Islands, you might see this large almost flat, awkward looking creature appearing just like a large head equipped with long sweeping fins atop and below. With a body less than twice as long as it is deep, sun fish tend to loll near the surface seemingly sunning themselves. Diving with one makes for a life time experience to remember. Mola Mola are usually found in oceanic waters, but occasionally come inshore. This happens between July and September every year in Bali, making these months the best time to see these fish. Because they are often seen at the surface, sunfish are sometimes mistaken for sharks because of the large dorsal fin which protrudes into the air and sometimes flaps comically. Where can I see them? Want to dive with this creature?: Fact Sheet Family name: Centrarchidae Molidae Order name: Tetraodontiformes Common name: Oceanic Sunfish Scientific name: Mola Mola Distinguishing Features The oceanic sunfish is an unusual looking fish. It doesn't have a caudal (tail) fin. Instead it has a clavus, which is formed by extensions of the dorsal and anal fin rays. This takes the place of a true tail fin which does not form. The clavus is rounded and its coarse skin is covered with enormous amounts of mucus. Normally of a silver opalescent colour, they can exhibit amazingly changeable patterns of spots. One whopper measured at 3.1m in length was found to weigh 2,235 kg, making the Mola Mola the heaviest bony fish in the world. A few years ago a sunfish got stuck on the bulbous bow of an Australian cement carrier, slowing the ship from 14 to 11 knots. The huge fish was removed and weighed in at approximately 1,400 kg and its skin was so rough that it had worn the ship's paint work back to the bare metal. Mola Mola, as you might guess from their appearance, come from the same order as puffers and porcupine fish. The name of the order, Tetraodontiformes, refers to the 4 fused teeth that comprise the sunfish's characteristic beak. Behaviour Mola Mola are often seen near the surface, swimming either upright, dorsal fin flailing from side to side as it seems to waddle underwater, or flipped over swimming on its side, like a solar panel soaking up the rays of the sun. Despite the Sunfish's big size, and even though it can muster a surprising cruise speed, it isn't very agile in the water. It's quite a docile fish and poses no threat to divers. Although Mola Mola are usually shy creatures, they have been known to get used to divers at certain dive sites. Sun fish related injuries are very rare, but records of large Mola Mola leaping from the water onto boats do exist. They are more of a threat to boaters than they are to divers, because a collision with a sunfish can sustain substantial hull damage and their chunky, heavy bodies can get trapped in the propellers of large ships. Feeding Hab
would use it to go over a demo/STV/whatever, then quit TF2, not unload manually. I've noticed the uber thing too, haven't looked into it. Plugin unload is my bad though, I know it's not done correctly (see: at all) because it was assumed people would use it to go over a demo/STV/whatever, then quit TF2, not unload manually. 28 #28 huhy 2 Frags – + #blue2013 #blue2013 29 #29 bluee 2 Frags – + Couple of people are getting the "Unable to load" problem will fix soon xoxo Couple of people are getting the "Unable to load" problem will fix soon xoxoIt’s been just over 18 months since a two-minute clip of test footage for a Deadpool film leaked onto the internet. After a bastardized version of the character appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, fans spent the next five years clamoring for 20th Century Fox to correct their mistake, and their frenzied response to the leaked footage was enough for the studio to finally pull the trigger on Deadpool, which concludes its long, hard road to the big screen next weekend. A former member of the Special Forces who now works as a hired gun, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is forced to confront his own mortality when he finds himself diagnosed with terminal cancer. While his fiancée Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) tries to remain optimistic, Wade opts to undergo an experimental treatment that purports to not only eradicate the disease, but imbue him with extraordinary abilities. Unfortunately, the manifestation of those abilities – which include enhanced speed and agility, along with rapid tissue regeneration – also leave Wade horribly disfigured, replacing his rugged good looks with something that resembles, in his own words, “a testicle with teeth.” With the leader of the program (Ed Skrein) convinced that he’s dead, Wade concocts a new persona – christening himself as Deadpool – and begins meticulously plotting his revenge. Like his comic-book counterpart, Deadpool is fully aware that he’s playing to an audience. Whether he’s reaching out to adjust the camera angle or slyly referencing other films in the X-Men universe, the character’s fondness for breaking the fourth wall is on full display here. His penchant for vulgarity and violence – another trademark from the source material – creates many of the film’s laughs, but also puts him at odds with Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic), who hopes to convince Deadpool to set aside his quest for revenge and join the X-Men. It’s worth mentioning that after appearing in three other X-Men films, this is the first time an onscreen portrayal of Colossus has even remotely resembled the comic book version that fans have loved for so long. Everything is on point here, from the thick Russian accent to the genial personality, and his interactions with Deadpool create some of the most memorable scenes in the entire film. Brianna Hildebrand also deserves honorable mention for her role as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, a sullen mutant who’d rather be Tweeting than putting up with Deadpool’s bullshit. From the opening credits sequence, which attributes the film to “some douchebag” and promises “a CG character” and “a gratuitous cameo,” it’s clear that Deadpool is not only a very different type of comic book film, but is also exactly what fans of the foul-mouthed mercenary have been waiting for. The script from Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland) fires off jokes in such rapid succession that it’s virtually impossible to catch everything in a single viewing, as fits of laughter from the audience will most certainly drown out a few quips and one-liners. That being said, Deadpool isn’t without its flaws – namely, a lengthy sequence around the midpoint of the film that languishes in superhero origin territory for a bit too long, hindering the momentum created during the first act. The film’s primary villain is also under-developed – as with most comic book films – and his inability to feel pain almost seems like a cover-up for Skrein’s dispassionate performance. But in the grand scheme of things, these gripes are very minor, and watching Reynolds embody the character he was born to play is well worth the price of admission. Hardcore comic book fans will find very little to complain about here, as Deadpool skewers superhero movie tropes as easily – and as often – as our antihero skewers adversaries with his twin katana blades. In a market that finds itself increasingly saturated with formulaic franchise offerings, Deadpool is a welcome breath of fresh air, and serves as the perfect antidote to superhero saturation.Javier Aquino and Giovani dos Santos are "out for a rematch," said El Tri coach Miguel Herrera via Twitter after meeting with the two in Villarreal Wednesday. "We were with Gio and Aquino, the two very positive and eager for a rematch of last year," the tweet said. Estuvimos con Gio y Aquino, los 2 muy positivos y con ganas de revancha del año pasado. pic.twitter.com/mchpXy3l92 — Miguel Herrera (@MiguelHerreraDT) February 5, 2014 Herrera, who is touring Europe to scout the Mexican players in action abroad, met with Aquino and Dos Santos along with several federation officials, including Hector Gonzalez, Ricardo Pelaez and Santiago Banos. Dos Santos told Radio Marca his goal is to see Mexico through to the World Cup final. "Both players showed their commitment and plan to continue working toward being consideration for the national team," the Mexican federation said via press release. Herrera has already met with Real Sociedad's Carlos Vela as well as former Mexico coach and current Espanyol manager Javier "Vasco" Aguirre and his assistant Alfredo Tena.Get the biggest Chelsea 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 Ashley Cole is weighing up a move to the United States – with New York Red Bulls leading the race for his signature, writes Dave Kidd in the Sunday People. The Chelsea and England left-back is facing an uncertain future for club and country – as revealed by Sunday People Sport last week. Red Bulls have a vacancy for one of their three designated ‘marquee’ players and know that Cole has always been keen to end his career in Major League Soccer. They want to link Cole up with his former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry in the January window before the new MLS season starts in early March. LA Galaxy are also keen to sign Cole, who has won 106 England caps but is now facing the prospect of being frozen out of Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad. Cole, who turns 33 this month, is out of ­contract at the Stamford Bridge club in the summer and is unlikely to be offered a new deal. He has been axed by Blues boss Jose Mourinho since a poor performance at Newcastle a month ago and the relationship between player and manager is said to be ‘strained’. England boss Hodgson was also concerned by Cole’s lack of sharpness when he played against Germany last month and could make the shock decision to leave him out of his World Cup squad altogether. Hodgson now regards Leighton Baines as his first-choice left-back and it is not certain that Cole would be keen to travel to Brazil as a reserve. Cole earns a basic salary of around £60,000 a week at Chelsea – with large appearance bonuses included in his current one-year deal, which as things stand he is not benefitting from. Chelsea are seeking a new left-back in January and may be willing to release Cole if they land a replacement. But Cole will be free to hold talks with any foreign club next month as he enters the final six months of his Chelsea contract. Cesar Azpilicueta, a specialist right-back, has been playing on the left in place of Cole, while Mourinho also has left-back Ryan Bertrand in his squad.Video GREEN, Ohio — Mitt Romney, in his latest attempt to help stop Donald J. Trump, joined Gov. John Kasich of Ohio on the campaign trail on Monday as Mr. Kasich tries to pull out a victory in his home state. At an air museum between Akron and Canton, where Mr. Kasich’s campaign bus pulled in next to a World War II-era bomber, Mr. Romney highlighted Mr. Kasich’s experience in Congress and as Ohio’s governor. “Unlike the other people running, he has a real track record,” Mr. Romney said in introducing Mr. Kasich at the town hall style event. “He has the kind of record that you want in Washington, and that’s why I’m convinced that you’re going to do the right thing tomorrow.” In remarks lasting under four minutes, Mr. Romney did not mention Mr. Trump, nor did he give an explicit, broad endorsement of Mr. Kasich. But he came close; saying that “America is looking to Ohio to do a job interview,” he told voters that Mr. Kasich was “the guy that Ohio needs to vote for.” “America’s counting on you,” Mr. Romney said. Afterward, Mr. Kasich observed, “How things would have been different if the election results had been different four years ago, huh?” Mr. Kasich said it was “so nice of Mitt to come out and support me here in this effort to win this state.” He went on to highlight and praise Mr. Romney’s work on the 2002 Winter Olympics, which he said had been “falling apart.” He said that the Olympics could have been a global embarrassment, one that would have been almost “as bad as people slugging it out at a campaign rally,” a reference to the violence at Mr. Trump’s rallies. Mr. Kasich, who has accused Mr. Trump of creating a “toxic environment,” asked the audience to “think of the images that have been broadcast across this world of the way we’re picking a president here.” “You think they’re not using that for propaganda, to send a message to people that America’s broken?” Mr. Kasich asked. Mr. Romney’s appearances with Mr. Kasich seemed to carry the risk of putting off some voters. Mr. Romney’s intervention in the Republican race this month, and his instructions to voters to stop Mr. Trump, drew contempt from some rank-and-file Republicans. There was evidence of that reaction as Mr. Kasich campaigned on Monday. At an earlier event in Youngstown that did not include an appearance by Mr. Romney, Adam Rutushin, a retired pharmacist who is running for county office, brought up Mr. Romney, and not in a positive way. Mr. Rutushin supports Mr. Kasich, but expressed disappointment in Mr. Romney, saying before the event that he did not like his asserting himself in the race. “The important thing is that the people choose,” he said. “It shouldn’t be engineered.” Before the event here, another Kasich supporter, Carole Miller, a retired schoolteacher, said Mr. Romney could help Mr. Kasich’s chances in Tuesday’s primary. But she was not eager for Mr. Romney to play a lasting role in the presidential race. “I think it’ll be helpful for Kasich,” she said. “Then he should butt out.” Even Mr. Kasich himself has showed some hesitance. Last week, he distanced himself from a get-out-the-vote call that Mr. Romney recorded for the Kasich campaign, which focused on undermining Mr. Trump. But he welcomed Mr. Romney’s help on Monday. “He’s going to come in and be positive,” Mr. Kasich told reporters in Youngstown. “He’s going to talk about me. I don’t expect he’s going to come in here and be trashing anybody. We don’t want that.” Mr. Kasich noted that his second event with Mr. Romney, scheduled for Monday evening, was near his home in the Columbus area. “Who knows?” Mr. Kasich said. “If we have enough time, maybe I’ll even take him to my house and show him, you know, show him where I live.”Case against ‘la Manada’ has caused outrage as supporters of alleged victim say it appeared as if she was on trial A verdict is due in the trial of five men accused of gang-rape during the running of the bulls festival in Pamplona last year, in a case where it appeared to many of the alleged victim’s supporters in Spain that she was on trial. The alleged rape occurred in the early hours of 7 July 2016 during the popular San Fermín festival. The woman, an 18-year-old from Madrid, met the five men – one of whom was in the Spanish army – as she was making her way to the car she was sleeping in while staying in the city. The men, who styled themselves as “la Manada” (the Pack), offered to accompany the woman to the car but instead hauled her into a doorway where it is alleged all five proceeded to rape her while filming the attack on their phones. They then stole her phone and left, it is alleged. Shortly afterwards, passersby found the woman lying on a bench, crying. She gave descriptions of the men to police, who arrested five suspects the following day. One of their phones allegedly contained evidence of another attack, this time on an apparently unconscious woman, as well as WhatsApp group messages about obtaining date-rape drugs. The case has caused outrage in Spain. “The rape victim has been put in the position of demonstrating that she was not responsible for being raped by five men – five,” said Argelia Queralt, a law professor at the University of Barcelona and a specialist in gender issues. “It’s particularly worrying that in a court case they continue to apply standards that are inappropriate in rape cases, that continue to put the woman in the spotlight, further adding to the harm she has suffered.” The men’s defence lawyers claimed the woman consented to and even initiated the encounter, having let one of the five kiss her. A key piece of evidence was 96 seconds of video taken from the suspects’ phones which showed the woman immobile and with her eyes shut throughout. The defence claimed that her silence indicated consent. The prosecution, however, insisted that she had been immobilised by force and by terror. Summing up for the prosecution, Elena Sarasate said: “The defendants want us to believe that on that night they met an 18-year-old girl, living a normal life, who after 20 minutes of conversation with people she didn’t know agreed to group sex involving every type of penetration, sometimes simultaneously, without using a condom.” If the sex was consensual, why did they steal her phone, Sarasate asked. “The obvious thing would be to exchange phone numbers, not steal her phone.” There was public anger when the judge accepted as evidence a report compiled by a private detective hired by some of the defendants. The detective had followed the woman over the course of several days and produced photographs of her smiling with friends. This was presented as evidence that she had not suffered any lasting trauma, prompting hundreds of women to demonstrate outside the court in Pamplona with placards that read: “We believe you, sister”. The defence also produced as evidence an Instagram photograph shared by the woman of a friend wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Hagas lo que hagas, quítate las bragas” (whatever you do, take your knickers off), a slogan popularised by a female participant in a reality TV show. “I don’t think these men thought her consent was of any importance and their actions reveal their sense of impunity,” commented the feminist novelist Laura Freixas. “The day after the attack, they went running with the bulls, as if nothing had happened.” In his summing up, one of the defence lawyers said his clients were the victims of a media witch-hunt. “They may be imbeciles but they are good sons to their families, some of them have jobs … their reputation has been destroyed.”Researchers believe they have found the first strong indication that the gut is a natural home to viruses that are as helpful as "friendly bacteria" in maintaining health and keeping infection at bay. A team of microbiologists reveals strong evidence that the gut has a virome of "friendly viruses" that plays a similar role to the microbiome of "friendly bacteria" in maintaining health. A team of microbiologists reveals strong evidence that the gut has a virome of "friendly viruses" that plays a similar role to the microbiome of "friendly bacteria" in maintaining health. The human body carries thousands of species of bacteria - collectively known as the "microbiome" - that we now know are essential to health. The highest diversity and concentration of these is found in the gastrointestinal tract or the gut. Now, in the journal Nature, microbiologists at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, describe how they discovered evidence in mice of what they call the "virome" - and how it plays a role in gut health similar to that of the microbiome. Over the course of two years, the team undertook several experiments in mice. They found infection with the common murine norovirus (MNV) helped the mice heal inflammation-damaged gut tissue and restore their gut's immune system after its microbiome had been destroyed by antibiotics. Furthermore, the researchers also discovered that MNV strengthened the ability of the mice's immune system to defend against tissue damage. Previous studies have suggested there is a 'virome' Previous studies have found genetic traces in the gut to suggest there might be such a thing as a virome. But none has gone so far as to show that a virome might be a natural thing, and whether it might harm, help or have no particular effect on the host. Senior study investigator and assistant professor Ken Cadwell says their study provides "compelling" evidence about how viruses and bacteria naturally work together in the mouse gut. Scientists have long been puzzled by how people get infected all the time with viruses and bacteria without falling ill. "Now we have scientific evidence that not every viral infection is bad, but may actually be beneficial to health, just as we know that many bacterial infections are good for maintaining health," Prof. Cadwell explains. The finding "lays the groundwork for further research on precisely how the virome supports the immune system, which likely applies to humans, as well," he adds. For their study, the team used mice genetically engineered to be susceptible to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - a collective term for diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease that involve inflammation of the gut. While the exact cause of IBD is unknown, scientists are coming to the view that it results from altered interactions between the gut's microbiome and its immune system - causing the immune system to attack healthy tissue. In previous work, the team had also found inducing chronic infection with MNV in the mice led to the same inflammatory damage as chronic exposure to bacteria - suggesting both types of infection have a similar effect on the immune system. In the new study, they raised IBD mice in sterile conditions and lacking a normal microbiome - which meant their intestines and immune systems did not develop properly - and fed them MNV. The IBD mice's underdeveloped immune systems lacked white blood cells known as T-cells and B-cells, and their underdeveloped guts had shrunken and thinner villi with less tissue than normal between them. Villi are long, thin, fleshy fingers that project from the gut wall and give it the large surface area it needs to absorb a maximum amount of nutrients from digested food. Virus helped restore immune system and gut wall After feeding MNV to the IBD mice, the researchers kept them in the sterile conditions and did not expose them any other germs. After two weeks, the mice showed much improved - nearly restored to normal - immune systems and almost complete restoration of the gut wall. Further tests showed that it was MNV driving the restoration. The researchers found evidence of increased immune system signaling by antiviral type 1 interferon proteins. The team repeated a similar experiment with normal mice: they fed them MNV after wiping out their microbiome with antibiotics. They found the mice's blood T-cell count doubled, and samples of gut wall and blood showed presence of B-cell antibodies. The team now plans to repeat these tests with other types of gut viruses and to find out whether their ability to harm or benefit the gut varies from person to person. Prof. Cadwell urges people not to infect themselves with viruses on the basis of these results - they could do themselves serious harm. The National Institutes of Health and several other granting bodies funded the study. Recently in another article, Medical News Today reported how metabolic syndrome may be prevented by healthy gut bacteria. Researchers writing in the journal Gastroenterology explained how an altered microbiome promotes the inflammation that leads to metabolic syndrome.Matrimandir, a prayer chamber in Auroville, India. Wikipedia Commons Imagine a city free of crime, poverty, money, government, and hardship. That's the utopian vision for Auroville, a township in India that's dubbed "the City of Dawn." Founded in 1960, it was originally envisioned as a peaceful, anarchic community free of strife. It's not quite there yet. Pictured below, the city plan looks like a massive spiral of homes, public buildings, farms, and forests. "The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity," reads the city's site. The city plan for Auroville, India from 1965. Visit Auroville Auroville centers around the Matrimandir, a two-story spherical chamber made from gold plates. Inside, there's enough room for about 100 people to pray and meditate. Originally intended for 50,000 people, only about 2,500 permanent residents live there today, and around 5,000 tourists visit every year. Instead of a government, there are self-formed committees that run the town. In lieu of money, there's the "Aurocard" (though as many travelers note, a majority of businesses still accept cash). Alcohol (which supposedly isn't sold inside Auroville) and cars (which are banned from entering its roads) are both strongly discouraged. None of these rules are actually enforced, since technically there isn't an official goverment or even a police force. According to Auroville's vision, the town functions based on a system of trust between residents. Except for the non-existent government, today's Auroville isn't anywhere close to the envisioned plan, but according to the city's site, it's actively working toward it. In 1965, Mirra Alfassa, a spiritual leader known as the "Mother" of Auroville, drew the first plan for the town, which was mostly uninhabited at the time. She divided Auroville into four zones: industrial (organic farms), cultural (shops and businesses), residential, and international (areas for visitors), which French architect Roger Anger turned into the spiral masterplan that same year. Planning for Auroville's "International" zone. Visit Auroville Outside organizations have started projects to further Auroville's original vision. Acclaimed architect Anupama Kundoo, for example, has designed Lego-style houses for residents. The architects from the Auroville Design Consultancy have also designed over 20 public spaces for the town, including kindergartens, libraries, resorts, and homes. Though only some are built, the projects all focus on human connection and environmental sustainability. As writer Maddy Crowell note s in Slate, Auroville is dealing with some serious issues in spite of its optimism. For the last few years, it has struggled with reports of robberies, sexual assault, and murder. And although alcohol is discouraged, on her visit, a taxi driver told her that "no one follows this rule." Many shops and food markets still prefer cash over the Aurocard too, and it's uncertain who controls the local committee's finances, Crowell says. In practice, Auroville's utopian city plan may not be working out as planned, but it certainly is an idealistic vision.31 Mike Duggan & Rick Snyder Mayor of Detroit, governor of Michigan DETROIT’S RESCUE SQUAD. Left: Snyder; right: Duggan/AP File Last summer, Detroit filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history in the face of $18 billion in debt the Motor City could no longer pay off. For more than a decade, the crime-and blight-ridden metropolis has been drained of its residents and industries. It has one of the highest murder rates in the country, and its population has dropped from a peak of nearly 2 million to fewer than 700,000. But this year, two men are working beyond party lines—Mike Duggan, the Democrat who became the city’s mayor in January, and Rick Snyder, the Republican governor of Michigan—to raise the city from the ashes. Despite their different politics, the duo at least share a theory of the case that they can turn the city around—and they’re demonstrating a very un-Washington type of cooperation to get there. For Snyder, 56, a former accountant and venture capitalist whose campaign slogan is “one tough nerd,” that means giving up wishful thinking and focusing on the bottom line. Snyder controversially backed the Chapter 9 filing for bankruptcy protection, which he said was a necessary “last resort” to stop Detroit’s downward spiral. He brought in an emergency manager and an advisory board to oversee the city’s finances, taking a cue from New York’s recovery after its 1970s fiscal crisis. But the governor, who insists Michigan’s health depends on Detroit’s, also agreed to funnel state money toward the city (despite losing the vote there in his 2010 election)—to the tune of $195 million, which, along with some $466 million in private money, is meant to offset pension rollbacks and keep the city’s finances afloat. Meanwhile, Duggan, 56, a former health care CEO, is applying entrepreneurial ideas on the local level to attract people and businesses back to Detroit. He’s starting with its deteriorating North End. Instead of just demolishing homes as the city has in the past, he has offered financial incentives for purchasing, fixing up and inhabiting abandoned houses. To help Duggan achieve his goal of rebuilding the city’s population base, Snyder has also taken the unusual step of encouraging legal immigrants to move in through a program providing 50,000 “urban pioneer” visas for highly skilled and professional foreigners. (One conservative radio host called it “the craziest thing I’ve ever heard of.”) Detroit has so far shown signs of incremental improvement: In the first six months of 2014, it decreased emergency response times by more than 30 percent, added 6,000 streetlights and established a home auction system, allowing people to bid for abandoned houses now owned by the city. There’s a long way to go, but Duggan and Snyder “have huge alignment,” the governor says, when it comes to getting the city’s numbers—finances and population—back on track as they set politics aside to do so. “We’re scorecard kind of guys,” as Snyder put it.The Joint Personnel Support Unit is an umbrella unit for 24 Integrated Personnel Support Centres across Canada and was created to offer programs to support and enable mentally and physically injured troops to resume their military careers or more commonly, to make a gradual transition into the civilian world with sellable skills. It has been facing numerous problems over the years, with a shortage of staff and a revolving door for commanding officers. Barry Westholm, a retired sergeant major who resigned from his position in the JPSU to protest the poor state of affairs in the unit, recently pointed this out in an email: “Not so long ago the JPSU public phone list included the names and positions of the people who filled the various positions at the different levels (Commanding Officer at HQ down to Platoon Commander and Service Manager at the IPSCs) which makes sense. I visit this list from time-to-time because it was usually woefully out-of-date and I thought it a litmus test of the health of the unit. It looks like they (the JPSU) were also having a hard time with it as they removed all the names, positions and the JPSU Regional Headquarters element all together. I suppose this is one way to deal with the continuous rotation of personnel and constantly having to update your phone registry, but it is (like many JPSU related items) the exact wrong way to accomplish an objective. There is a huge difference in having a stable staff vice having the “appearance” of stability by removing their names and contact info, but this has always been the way with that unit.” So why have contact names on the JPSU website been removed? Is it because of the high turnover rate in staffing? Defence Watch asked the question and here is the answer from Canadian Forces spokesman Lt(N) Kelly Boyden: “Contact names have been removed from the Casualty Support website at the following link: http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/caf-community-support-services-casualty-support/contact-info.page The main reason for this change was to make access to regional Integrated Personnel Support Centres (IPSCs) easier and more user-friendly. Personnel wishing to contact a regional IPSC are now provided a singular, local number to call, which is manned continuously during regular working hours. In the past, members or their families requiring assistance were required to choose from among a set of personal, staff contact numbers. Not only was this confusing for junior personnel or family members who may not have known which contact to choose, there was no guarantee the individual staff member would be at his/her desk and not engaged in other duties. Now, personnel and their families have one number to call, which is manned continuously by a rotation of knowledgeable staff ready to provide dedicated, professional support and share their expertise.”THE NDA government has told the Supreme Court that the country does not have to be called ‘Bharat’ instead of ‘India’. Advertising Responding to a PIL seeking a declaration that the Republic be called ‘Bharat’ for official and unofficial purposes by Union and state governments, the Centre claimed “there is no change in circumstances to consider any change in Article 1 of the Constitution of India.” Article 1(1) says, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” This is the only provision in Constitution on how this country be called for official and unofficial purposes. Submitting its affidavit recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said issues regarding the country’s name were deliberated upon extensively by the Constituent Assembly during drafting of the Constitution and clauses in Article 1 were adopted unanimously. It further argued that the name ‘Bharat’ did not figure in the original draft of the Constitution and it was during debates that the Constituent Assembly considered names such as Bharat, Bharatbhumi, Bharatvarsh, India that is Bharat, Bharat that is India and Bharat as is known in English language India. It said there was no change in circumstances since the Constituent Assembly debated the issue to warrant a review. A representation by the PIL petitioner’s advocate Ajay G Majithia, the MHA said, had been examined and the plea now deserves to be dismissed. Petitioner Niranjan Bhatwal, a social activist, had filed a PIL last year but the top court asked him to wait till his representation is decided upon by the government. After the government refused, he filed a fresh PIL and a bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu sought reply from Centre and state governments in April. Advertising Majithia had said Article 1.1 must be interpreted keeping in view Constituent Assembly’s intention, “which wanted to name the country Bharat”. The plea said ‘India’ was coined during colonial era and the country, historically and in scriptures, is called Bharat. “India was used in Article 1 for reference, in order to repeal Government of India Act, 1935, and Indian Independence Act, 1947,” the petition said.Nothing beats talking to another person face-to-face, but a group of researchers are considering whether a life-size projection of a person who appears to be sitting across from you in an actual chair might be a close second. Some of the equipment used to make Room2Room work: a Kinect depth-sensing camera and a digital projector. Room2Room, a project from Microsoft Research, does just this: it uses Kinect depth cameras and digital projectors to capture the image of a person in 3-D in one room and project a life-sized version of that person in real time onto a piece of furniture in another room, where someone else is actually hanging out, and vice versa. Each person can then see a digital image of the other with the correct perspective, look at the other person from different viewpoints, and interact accordingly, the researchers say. A paper on the work will be presented at the Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing conference in San Francisco at the end of February. Augmented reality—the idea of combining digital images with real life—has been around for years, but it’s only recently that the technology has started to catch on. Microsoft is among the companies trying to popularize AR by testing out its HoloLens headset, which it envisions as a tool for work and play, and secretive Florida-based startup Magic Leap is also working on a head-worn device that has similar aims (see “Breakthrough Technologies 2015: Magic Leap”). Room2Room, an augmented-reality telepresence project from Microsoft Research, projects a life-sized digital version of a person onto a piece of furniture. To make Room2Room work, the researchers took advantage of an existing Microsoft Research augmented-reality project called RoomAlive, which uses Kinect depth-sensing cameras and digital projectors to create a room-sized augmented-reality gaming arena. Instead of setting up just one room with this hardware, though, they set up two similar ones so they could scan a person sitting in each room and project him into the other one. A video I was shown illustrates how it looks, with one man sitting on a chair, while another man is projected into a chair across from him (Room2Room places the projected image of a person into an open space, like a chair if the person is captured in a seated position). In order to get a sense for how well people could communicate this way, seven pairs of study participants built three-dimensional shapes with blocks via augmented reality. One person sat in front of a table in one room with the actual blocks, while their partner sat in another, giving instructions for what kind of shape to construct. Each person was projected into the other’s room so they could work together. Researchers found that while putting this kind of puzzle together took only about four minutes when people were face to face, it took about seven minutes using the augmented-reality system and nine via Skype video chat. There are still plenty of other issues to solve before something like Room2Room is likely to show up in boardrooms or living rooms. While the depth-sensing and projection hardware needed to make it work is widely available, it’s bulky and can be a pain to set up. Also, it doesn’t produce very high-resolution images, says Tomislav Pejsa, who worked on Room2Room while an intern at Microsoft Research and was the lead author of the paper. The low resolution meant it could be hard to tell where a projected person’s gaze was aimed. Tobias Höllerer, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who studies augmented reality, says the resolution could easily be improved, and expects we will be using systems similar to Room2Room in the coming years. The growing popularity of virtual reality, spurred by the upcoming release of some consumer-geared headsets from companies like Oculus, could help push this kind of augmented-reality technology along, too, he thinks. “If you think about it, it took like 50, 60 years to get from the first demos of video telephony to where we are with Skype and everything else,” he says. “These are the beginnings of more immersive conferencing.”Marsha Blackburn Rushes To The Defense Of Awful, Protectionist State Broadband Laws from the stop-pretending-you're-helping dept "I’m pleased to be working with Senator Tillis on this important issue. As former state legislators, we strongly believe in States’ rights and will fight the FCC’s liberal agenda. Chairman Wheeler’s regulatory appetite appears to know no bounds and is seeping dangerously into the lives of Americans. It is time for Congress to assert itself and protect States once again from unelected Washington bureaucrats." While net neutrality justifiably received a ton of press attention last week, we were quick to point out that the FCC'smajor decision -- to start attacking protectionist state broadband laws -- may just be a bigger deal. These twenty or so laws, as we've explored in detail, are written and lobbied for by incumbent ISPs and prohibit towns and cities fromwhat they should be able to do regarding local telecom infrastructure. If you realize that neutrality violations are just a symptom of a lack of competition, the FCC's decision to start dismantling the onerous parts of these laws strikes much deeper at the root of the problem.Make no mistake: these laws are the worst sort of protectionism. And despite ISP attempts to make this a partisan issue, most municipal broadband deployments are being approved by Republican voters in Conservative areas. Similarly, Democrats and Republicans alike realize that letting AT&T or Comcast write a law that tells you what you can or can't do (and in some cases even eliminates eminent domain rights ) only benefits AT&T and Comcast. Municipal broadband is an organic, community reaction to the telecom market failure they're "enjoying" on a daily basis.That's why it's been amusing to see Marsha Blackburn rushing to the defense of the ISPs and these bills, breathlessly trying to argue that she's. Almost immediately after the FCC's vote to limit the reach of such laws in Tennessee and North Carolina, Blackburn and Senator Thom Tillis introduced the " States' Rights Municipal Broadband Act of 2015 (pdf)," which would amend the Telecommunications Act to strip back FCC authority over states when it comes to timely broadband deployment.Both Blackburn's and Tillis' states have passed laws that have prevented municipal broadband deployments from expanding and encroaching on the territories of companies like AT&T, CenturyLink, Time Warner Cable and Comcast. EPB Broadband (in Tennessee) and Greenlight (in North Carolina) petitioned the FCC for help in removing state-level barriers to deployment after a decade of FCC apathy to the issue. According to a statement on Blackburn's website, she's not blindly protecting her state's broadband duopoly, she's protecting locals from the FCC's vile assault on their freedom:Just so we're clear: letting AT&T and Comcast write awful state law that strips away "states' rights" to the sole benefit of their monopoly revenues is perfectly fine. But the FCC using its legal authority to restore those same rights -- is a frontal assault on states' rights? Blackburn and Tillis are actually trying to dress up duopoly protectionism as some form of noble ethos in a particularly blistering wave of nonsensical hubris.Blackburn's effort is unlikely to go anywhere, in part because
ely very exhilarating and fun to play. It should be something that even new players will enjoy when they come to Kingdom Hearts III.” …ON KINGDOM HEARTS III’S DISNEYLAND-INSPIRED ROLLER-COASTERS: “I like those different attractions! I’ve ridden many different kinds of rides. In terms of where and in what opportunities these attractions will show up, if you fulfill a certain criteria it’ll trigger what we call the ‘Attraction Flow’. You’re given the choice to execute certain moves and depending on the place and situation, it’ll dictate what is available to players. So, it’s not something that you have a list of things to choose from; it’s more dependent on a place or situation.” …ON WHAT IT MEANS TO FINALLY BE MAKING A TRUE KINGDOM HEARTS SEQUEL: “It’s actually a sort of personal rule that I have that proper numbered titles are always going to be on a console, and spin-offs are going to be on a handheld. Developing for a console requires a lot of development time as well as the resources, and I wanted to have my development team gain experience of being quick on their feet and developing in a very fast-paced situation, but still have that experience and skill to bring high-quality in the optimum time possible. They’ve done multiple rounds of that now. It’s sort of like… it’s not a test, but more like we’ve got finished products and [people] able to finish products. [The spin-off titles] were a way of getting experience under their belt. So, through all those different spin-offs we’ve been able to put out, we are now at that time where we’re ramping up for a console release, something that is a lot more challenging in terms of the time and the resources that are needed. The quality is different because it’s on a platform that is capable of such high-quality processing compared to a handheld. So now that [my team] has the experience, the bar is raised very high. As a team and myself, we feel that we are prepared and that we’re ready to take on this challenge.” …ON BEING THE DADDY OF KINGDOM HEARTS: “It’s my brainchild, my creation. It’s almost like my child, so it’s as if I’m raising my own child when I work on the Kingdom Hearts franchise. I don’t just see it as a product, but more as something very special to me.” …ON CHOOSING THE BEST DISNEY WORLDS FOR THE GAME: “It’s actually sort of a collaborative event. Team members put together ideas on what worlds they want to include, but more importantly what kinds of gameplay they want to include. So they will develop documents that lay out what kind of fun element that they want to include into each of the worlds and propose a whole bunch of ideas to me. Then I review the different ideas and see which would be most fun to include, which would be interesting, and then build the story from there. And then I’ll flesh it out to make sure it fits into the world of Kingdom Hearts. Now, in terms of which world I prefer – of course, I’ve been saying this for a while now, but it’s The Pride Lands, which is the Lion King world. That’s been my long-time favorite. This is one of the only worlds where Sora actually turns into a four-legged lion. And of course, throughout the series he’s turned into a Mermaid or was able to fly, but he was still just generally ‘Sora-shaped’ – so it’s very drastic and dramatic to see him on all fours and being in The Pride Lands. I’m not able to say what worlds I like that are not included in Kingdom Hearts though, sorry!” [Laughs] …ON HOW CLOSE TO COMPLETION THE GAME IS CURRENTLY: For the most part we've established the ground foundations, like the basic systems and mechanics of what's going to go in the game. Development of that is pretty much close to complete. But of course, since this is an HD title, it's now building the resources, and development of the'mass' elements of it, like mass production of the areas and the actual things that are going into the game.Other elements, including the mini-games and other various smaller items; their progress is very varied...some of them are polished and very close to final state, but at the same time some elements are still in the planning phase and I haven't laid out the groundwork yet. But the basic structure of what's going to go in the game is set, it's now a matter of mass production of the different elements."A new non-profit project encouraging bitcoiners to “adopt a node” has launched. Bitcoin nodes store a copy of the block chain, a public history of all transactions that have ever occurred, and also serve to verify and relay these transactions across the network. A healthy number of ‘full’ bitcoin nodes (those running the bitcoin core client on a machine instance with the complete block chain) are required to maintain and secure bitcoin’s distributed network. However, the total number of full nodes has declined in recent months and encouraging an uptake in node provisioning has proven difficult. Enter Fullnode, a project aiming to make it simpler for bitcoiners willing to tackle this growing problem. For the greater good In conversation with CoinDesk, Fullnode’s developer Or Weinberger explained how he rushed to put his automatic server provisioning experience to use when he learned of bitcoin’s diminishing full node supply: “I thought it would be cool if people who wanted to help the bitcoin network, but didn’t know how, could simply send some BTC to an address and have a full node deployed for them.” The number of active nodes continues to sit around the 8,000 mark, despite renewed concern about the stagnant supply. This is partially due to the fact that downloading the bitcoin daemon to provision a node is notoriously cumbersome and unlike mining, there’s no reward for doing so. Adopt a node Fullnode offers a user-friendly way to contribute precious resources to the block chain, without draining the benefactor’s bandwidth or disk space. Each $10 donation fuels one node for a month. From the donor’s end, the setup process is near-effortless: just minutes after they send their bitcoin to Fullnode (via Coinbase) the automatic server deployment agent will launch their node. Additionally, from this weekend onwards users will also be able to name their server. For example, users could claim the name ‘Satoshi’ for satoshi.fullnode.co. Donors can choose to continuously refund, or ‘top-up’ their node it they wish. The project wants to integrate a variety of provider pools to permit a more geographically distributed network. Linode and DigitalOcean have locations in North America, Singapore, the Netherlands, Japan and the United Kingdom. Weinberger has plans to integrate Google Compute Engine, which would add a few more locations to the list. Users can verify that the nodes exist, and check out the rest of the global distribution, via a quick IP search on Bitnodes. Nodes provide redundancy Nodes broadcast transaction messages across the network before miners validate the transaction. It is difficult to say exactly how many are necessary, but having a diverse pool of nodes to choose from could increase network security as the redundancy reduces the likelihood of double spending. Developers Jeff Garzik and Mike Hearn have both expressed concerns about the recent drop in node numbers. Garzik even announced a partnership with Deep Space Industries, Inc. to send bitcoin nodes into space. The satellites, named ‘Bitsats’, could act as backup in the case of terrestrial failure. The open-sourced Fullnode project offers an easy way for anyone to provision the network. Today, there’s no incentive to devote time and resources to the issue, unlike bitcoin mining, but perhaps the altruism of adopt-a-node could topple barriers to participation.Share: ISLAMABAD - The Senate Special Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) yesterday showed serious reservations over the secretive behavior of the government regarding CPEC Western route and alleged the authorities were still hiding details of the project. There was no progress on any of the 78 CPEC projects in Balochistan, the Balochistan Minster for Labour and Manpower said, while briefing the Senate Special Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He affirmed the provincial government was ready for cooperation, but the federal government was delaying the project. The committee which met with its convener, Senator Taj Haider, in the chair, urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to summon a meeting to remove the apprehensions on the corridor once and for all. The committee members expressed utter dissatisfaction over the answers given by the government representatives to the queries they raised. The senators asked questions about different sections of the agreed routes, specification of these sections compared with specific sections being built on the Eastern route and completion of agreed routes along with the railway routes. The committee members expressed reservations over the CPEC projects and contended the government was hiding some project details. It was pointed out by the senators that expensive independent power producers (IPPs) whose cost was the highest in the entire world were being installed. A senator from Balochistan claimed that work on Gwadar airport was not started due to irregularity in the purchase of land. However, the Planning and Development secretary said the issues had been resolved and the work on the airport would start soon. Senator Siraj-ul-Haq proposed, “We need a joint committee along with four chief ministers to understand the consequences and issues of CPEC. All MOUs and JCC (Joint Coordination Committee) minutes should be submitted to the Senate and the National Assembly so that all misunderstandings and conflicts are eliminated.” He contended all the four provincial chief ministers, including representatives from Gilgit-Baltistan must be a part of the joint committee to allay reservations being expressed even today. Senator Farhatullah Babar said the JCC was formed on August 13, 2013. All parties’ conference under the prime minster accepted suggestions of the political parties, so it was duty of JCC to follow and implement the decision of the APC. He regretted the issue was still contentious and was being raised inside and outside the Parliament. Babar called for steps to allay apprehensions of the provinces and warned that persistent controversies could be counter-productive. Senator Attique Sheikh of MQM asked the Planning and Development secretary who was dealing with all these projects and sought information about loans and interest rate thereon. He also asked whether the Chinese government would pay tax to Pakistan after the completion of CPEC. In response to a question, the planning and development secretary said it was duty of the water and power and finance ministries to share this information with the committee. Both the ministries were directed to attend next meeting of the special committee. The members of the committee said it was the 5th meeting and everyone felt that lack of communication, ignorance and lack of knowledge was pulling the important project backward and the government was also giving irresponsible feedback. They proposed it was now necessary to call a meeting with the prime minster to discuss the ongoing issues to which NHA, Planning and Development and other ministries concerned must be invited. The senators said Balochistan had a serious water crisis and people were found even stealing water. In response to the senators’ views and suggestions, Taj Haider said a report would be furnished and presented to the house on the issue soon. The senators also suggested that an oil refinery should be built in Balochistan. In response to this, the Planning and Development secretary said it was a fine observation and would be taken up in the ministry. The railway secretary also briefed the committee on its projects, M1, M2 and M-3, through which Gwadar would be connected to Havelian in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the railway routes had to be upgraded and it would help in connectivity for trade between China and Pakistan. The meeting was attended by Senator Kamil Agha of PML-Q, Senator Attique Sheikh of MQM, Senator Mir Israrullah Zehri of BNP-Awami, Senator Jehanzeb Jamaldeni of BNP-Mengal, Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak of PTI, Senator Siraj-ul-Haq, Farhatullah Babar and Senator Osman Saifullah Khan of PPP.Detached captains. Frustrated players. Task forces. Perhaps, we've been taking the Ryder Cup a bit too seriously since its conclusion more than two weeks ago. Related: 9 reasons the U.S. lost the Ryder Cup But a few members of Team Europe added some needed levity to the situation with this picture taken with American spark plug Patrick Reed. Well done. Reed (nice American belt buckle, by the way!), of course, was one of the U.S. squad's lone bright spots at Gleneagles with a 3-0-1 record. He also became public enemy No. 1 in Europe with his celebratory antics that included shushing the crowd after making a birdie putt during his Sunday singles win against Henrik Stenson. But Stenson, along with Graeme McDowell, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, and Stephen Gallacher, clearly aren't holding any grudges. And it appears Reed is a good sport, after all. "He's a little controversial but he backs it up," McDowell said of Reed. "It's exciting for golf." The Grind: Tiger's awful jeans and Rickie's new girlfriend The Ryder Cup participants are in England this week for the Volvo World Match Play Championship. "Am I going to get as rowdy as I did at the Ryder Cup? Probably not," Reed said. Follow @AlexMyers3The White House mocked GOP nominee Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz for trying to prevent the Commerce Department from transferring technical oversight of the Internet to an international body. "It doesn't withstand scrutiny," President Obama's spokesman Josh Earnest said on Thursday. "It also strikes me as a curious position for a self-described small government conservative to shut down the government to ensure that the federal government can continue to control the Internet," Earnest said of Cruz. "It doesn't make any sense." Cruz is trying to stop the multi-year transition that will leave the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers in control of things such as naming Internet domains, by attaching a provision to a must-pass package that would keep the government funded past the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year. Trump on Wednesday threw his support behind Cruz's effort.Air Marshal Shiri is the first senior figure to be targeted for many years The commander of Zimbabwe's air force has been wounded in what officials are calling an assassination attempt. Perence Shiri, 53, a close ally of President Mugabe, seen as one of the most feared military leaders, was shot in the arm and is said to be stable. The opposition MDC says he was one of the masterminds of violence against its supporters during this year's election. Its spokesman said the attack was aimed at justifying a military crackdown and eventual declaration of an emergency. The incident comes as pressure grows on Zimbabwe to allow international mediation in its political crisis. The crisis is compounded by a cholera epidemic which has left hundreds dead. On Monday, at the UN Security Council's first discussions on Zimbabwe since July, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said the world was witnessing a failure of the leadership in Zimbabwe to address the crisis. After disputed presidential elections in March, President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) agreed to form a power-sharing government. But implementation of that agreement, reached in September, has been dogged by disagreements over whose supporters would get key ministries. 'Terror attacks' Correspondents say this is the first time such a senior government figure has been the target of a violent attack for many years. PERENCE SHIRI Accused of masterminding attacks on opposition in 2008 Member of Joint Operations Command - top military body Accused of leading farm invasions in 2000 Led brutal campaign against "dissidents" in 1980s, which left 20,000 dead Called himself "Black Jesus" - as he had the power of life or death Cousin of Robert Mugabe On sanctions list of US, EU Age: 53 Key role for security chiefs Q&A: Zimbabwe crisis "This is a very, very unusual incident, because Zimbabwe does not have a history of assassinations," the assistant editor of the state-run Herald newspaper, Caesar Zaye, told the BBC World Service's World Today programme. Air Marshal Shiri was ambushed on Saturday evening while driving to his farm, state media said. Police said he was accosted by unknown people who shot at his car. When he heard the gunshots, he got out thinking it was a puncture and was shot. He is now said to be recovering in hospital. Officials said the incident was one of a series of attacks aimed at destabilising the country. "The attack on Air Marshal Shiri appears to be a build-up of terror attacks targeting high-profile persons, government officials, government establishments and public transportation systems," the Chronicle newspaper quoted Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi as saying. There were several bomb blasts around Harare last year which caused little damage. The courts have acquitted several opposition activists accused of staging the attacks. Mr Zaye said the alleged assassination attempt was "an attempt to bring a security angle into the crisis". However, other sources suggest the cause was either a feud within the ruling Zanu-PF party or an attempted robbery. Crackdown fear On Monday, Zimbabwe's government said it had "compelling evidence" that neighbouring Botswana was hosting military training camps for opposition groups intent on bringing about regime change. Botswana denied the charges, and said Harare had failed to provide any tangible evidence to back up its allegations. Air Marshal Shiri, who is also Mr Mugabe's cousin and a loyal supporter since he came to power, sits on the Joint Operations Command which advises the president on military matters. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change said the JOC was behind the violent attacks on its supporters ahead of June's presidential run-off - allegations the military strongly denied. Air Marshal Shiri was commander of the Fifth Brigade, blamed for the killing of 20,000 people in Zimbabwe's south-western Matabeleland region during the 1980s. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionLet’s start with the Convention. Going into it, a lot of drama had been stirred up around the election of the National Political Committee. Two far Left slates, DSA Momentum and DSA Praxis, were the conduits of the bickering even if the actual candidates in those slates rarely participated in the infighting themselves. As a few new member said to me, “It doesn’t really seem like there’s a lot of difference between the two.” And in terms of the platform there are only slight differences, which is why initially I had supported both. But where there were differences was that DSA Mom’s candidates came from liberal metropolitan areas and were mostly white, while DSA Praxis drew more from rural and conservative areas and were half people of color. A few sloppy statements by DSA Mom supporters exacerbated a tension that many already felt: that despite all their criticism of Hillary Clinton ignoring “flyover” country, DSA members in places like New York City and San Francisco had no interest in giving their rural counterparts power in the organization. While it got pretty heated, I think it was ultimately a healthy internal conflict for DSA. Like most democratic organizations, we absorb power dynamics from the society we are within, and it is only through struggle that we can find ways to subvert those dynamics. DSA Mom and Praxis have admirably committed to working together (DSA Mom has a slight lion’s share of the NPC but not a majority), and I doubt they will be the focal point of this tension any time soon. But it is a tension that we need to continue to tease out, and that can hopefully happen through more interactions between chapters rather than a once every two years Conference. But there is another tension involving the NPC that I want to touch on briefly, which is the election of Danny Fetonte. Fetonte is a prominent DSA organizer in Austin, Texas who ran for the NPC highlighting his impressive resume of union organizing work. What he did not note on his statement was that work included working with a police union called Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, or CLEAT. Like most police unions, it is a right wing organization that spends as much time protecting its members from accountability for their brutality as it does protecting pensions. Even when they talk about their freaking pensions they can’t resist throwing in a random “STOP CALLING US RACISTS.” If you’re not convinced that they’re an awful group, here’s a handful of bills they were instrumental in passing into law: - SB 923: makes posting information about police officers a crime. - HB 326: allows sworn affidavits for search warrants to be made over the phone. - SB 158 amendment: watered down the body cam requirement for police. Also they have more polo shirts in their merch store than normal, I’m-not-a-fascist t-shirts. If you’re wondering why I’m being unusually specific on the basic question of “Why are cop unions bad?” it’s because several people, especially in Texas CWA, have come out in support of Fetonte and claim his removal from the NPC would be a “slippery slope” leading to attacks on anyone in a union that represents police like the AFL-CIO. I cover their whole statement in this Twitter thread. But again, after going through a brief panic attack about it, I realized this incident is overall a healthy development for DSA. During the Convention, we passed a resolution calling for the abolition of policing and prisons. But what does that mean? How do we get to that abolition? Is it just some ideal we aspire to, or does it mean immediate divestment from those systems? These questions need to be answered. And more importantly we need to address how unions have dealt with police and whether that is an acceptable relationship to have. When the purpose of the police is the suppression of working class dissent, especially Black dissent, it creates contradictions for unions that represent police. No matter what happens with Fetonte, these questions will not be fully answered and we must continue to press them.OTTAWA—Canadian troops preparing to deploy to Latvia are bracing for a Russian campaign of misinformation meant to undercut the credibility of their mission, part of a NATO operation to counter Moscow’s aggression in Europe, Canada’s top general says. Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, says the many preparations for the coming deployment include a “sophisticated” communications strategy to push back against expected Russian moves to turn public sentiment against the Canadians and the deployment. Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, said Russia has conducted “strategic communications” aimed at previous NATO exercises and expects a similar response this time to make it appear that “Latvia doesn’t want us there.” ( FRED CHARTRAND / THE CANADIAN PRESS file photo ) “I think Russia will certainly see this as something to interfere with so we will take all the precautions we can,” Vance told reporters Friday. By September, up to 1,500 military personnel, including some 450 Canadians, will be in Latvia as part of a NATO operation to reassure Eastern European countries unsettled by Russian moves in Crimea. Vance said that Russia has conducted “strategic communications” aimed at previous NATO exercises and expects a similar response this time to make it appear that “Latvia doesn’t want us there.” Article Continued Below “There will be a desire to skew way out of proportion and potentially provide falsehoods about what is actually happening in Latvia with Canadian troops,” he said. “We have to take on a sophisticated, strategic communications role so that truth prevails,” he told reporters following an address to a defence conference. This week, media reports revealed that an email was circulated to officials in Lithuania and media outlets suggesting German soldiers based in the country had raped a teenage girl. After a police investigation, it was determined the report was false. A local prosecutor told Reuters that the email was sent from a country outside the European Union. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels that incident underscores the need to be vigilant. “I think what we have seen in Lithuania just reminds us of the importance of resilience against these kinds of stories; the importance of a free independent critical press,” he said. Vance said the Liberal government is currently considering another pivotal deployment for the military — a decision on peace support operation. While planning has been in the works for months — cabinet ministers even pledged a decision before the end of last year — Vance suggested the changing global environment has forced extra study of the options laid out by the military. Article Continued Below “Committing troops to operation... deserves deep contemplation and reflection and a certainty that it’s the right thing to do at the time, given what’s going on in the world today,” Vance said. There’s been speculation that the Liberal government is holding off a decision until it better understands the priorities of U.S. President Donald Trump and his new administration. Yet Vance denied that his recent trip to Washington along with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan’s recent trip to meet his U.S. defence officials was in part to get the green light for the peace deployment. “We weren’t going to Washington for permission to do anything. We were going to Washington to reset, reestablish, start a relationship with the new administration,” Vance said. The Star has reported that Mali is the likely choice but Vance cautioned that is only an “assumption,” saying that military is laying plans to deploy to “challenged conflict spaces.” “We are absolutely prepared on a range of options to conduct peace support operations in a number of places,” he said. Speaking at the Conference of Defence Associations, Vance delivered a state-of-the-union style address on the state of the armed forces that touched on other areas, including: Gender: Vance, who set a target last year to boost the number of women in the ranks, said the armed forces is making progress and said it can now boast a record number of women in the general and flag ranks. But a woman cadet in the audience confronted Vance with a practical concern, asking when the military will adapt gear, such as body armour and rucksacks, that are designed for men. “The fit... is not quite functional or practical,” she said, to applause. Vance had a simple response: “You’re right.” Mental health: Vance said the defence department has “arguably one of the best mental health systems in the country” but efforts must continue to break down stigmas “to make sure that people get the care they need. Fifty per cent of those who commit suicide were not in formal mental health care and they need to be.” Recruiting: Vance said the armed forces will become more “proactive” in how it recruits new personnel. “If we want to become more diverse and inclusive of more and more women, we’re going to have to change. There was a time when we could sit back and say ‘come and join us.’ That doesn’t work anymore.” Personnel issues: Vance said the armed forces will create a new unit to oversee the transition of personnel out of uniform at the end of their careers. This will include healthy personnel who are retiring along with ill and injured members. Vance said that while the armed forces does a good job grooming new recruits, it too often falls down at the end of their careers. “Too many people were on their own... to figure out what they had to do,” he said.History of Hattuşa’s excavation on display ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News The exhibtion shows the details of the excavations. There are panels showing a chronological timeline of the excavation chiefs such as Osman Hamdi Bey. Istanbul’s Yapı Kredi Cultural Center has opened a new exhibition on Hattuşa, inviting viewers to dig through the history of the past 100 years of archaeological excavations at the ancient Hittite capital in northern Turkey.The unpublished photographs that form the backbone of the show were gathered with the aim of painting a historical, ethnographical and sociological panorama of the whole excavations process from 1906 to 2012.The roots of the show dates back a year ago to when archaeologists and excavation heads working at the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) started to scan an archive of the Hattuşa excavation. The artistic and scientific consultants of the show are DAI archaeologist Jürgen Seeher, the former excavation head at the site in Boğazköy in Çorum, Ayşe Baykal Seeher, as well as the present excavation head, Andreas Schachner. The exhibition opens with an excavation site simulation installed at the entrance. On the right-hand side, the walls in the corridor bear panels showing a chronological timeline of the excavations in the region and introduce the chief archaeologists in charge, like Osman Hamdi Bey, the famous Ottoman Orientalist painter known for his “Turtle Trainer,” as well as the founder of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.The corridor makes a curve to the left-hand side of the opening installation, taking a detour through the history of the excavation not only via photographed panels but also via a display of plans, sketches, maps and rulers or similar measurement devices from the past that played a significant role in unearthing the remnants of one of the most powerful ancient Anatolian states.The name of the Hittites, who established a great empire in Central Anatolia in the second millennium B.C., was almost completely erased from the memory of humanity because their name did not appear in sacred books unlike many civilizations of the ancient Near East. The civilization was partly rediscovered by French researcher Charles Texier, who came to Boğazköy in 1834, publishing the results of the first explorations there in 1839. The plans and drawings in that publication elicited great interest in the archaeological world.Many explorers and scientists came to Boğazköy for investigations in the 19th century. During these investigations, the first plans of the city were drawn, the first photographs of Boğazköy and Yazılıkaya were taken and several small-scale areas were excavated. Cuneiform tablet fragments, which were sporadically found and brought to Müze-i Hümayun (Royal Museum), as well as the discovery of rock reliefs in Yazılıkaya that were unlike anything known until then, established the existence of an important culture at Boğazköy.The first traces of settlement in the area of Hattuşa, which has been continuously settled since itsfounding, are in the form of small, short-lived village settlements that are found in the areas around Yarıkkaya, Büyükkaya and Çamlıbel Tarlası. Although the rocky, steep hills of the area seem unsuitable for settlement, the location – which is sheltered by deep valleys on either side and with many natural water sources –played an important role in the long urban development of Hattuşa.In its northern reaches, the city included a settlement of Assyrian merchants from northern Mesopotamia in the 19th and 18th centuries B.C. It developed like many other Bronze Age cities and shows oft-found characteristics in its architecture and urban layout. The name “Hattush,” which means “silver” in Sumerian, is encountered on cuneiform documents for the first time in this period. The nameof the city is thought to be probably associated with silver trade.SpaceX intends to build a methane/liquid oxygen (Lox) engine, said founder Elon Musk, in a shift away from the highly refined kerosene rocket propellant (RP-1) that has powered the company’s previous engines. Speaking at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London, SpaceX chief executive and lead rocket engineer Musk said Lox and methane would be SpaceX’s propellants of choice on a mission to Mars, which has long been his stated goal. SpaceX’s initial work will be to build a Lox/methane rocket for a future upper stage, codenamed Raptor. The design of this engine would be a departure from the “open cycle” gas generator system that the current Merlin 1 engine series uses. Instead, the new rocket engine would use a much more efficient “staged combustion” cycle that many Russian rocket engines use. Musk says that methane fuel has performance, cost and storage advantages over alternatives and could even be extracted from the Martian atmosphere for use in landing and ascent stages. Although methane is known to be a better fuel for reusable engine operations in not having significant coking (carbon deposit) problems that kerosene has, Musk noted that this was not a main driver for the choice. “The energy cost of methane is the lowest and it has a slight Isp (specific impulse) advantage over kerosene,” said Musk, adding that “it does not have the pain-in-the-ass factor that hydrogen has”. Hydrogen, another commonly used fuel, has storage and handling difficulties and the problem of hydrogen embrittlement. Musk confirmed that he would not be seeking collaboration with the Russians, despite their lead in this technology, before adding however that “we might hire a few”. Musk also ruled out working with China, noting that they did not seem to want collaboration anyway.Altcoin News Litecoin Association Appoints New Development Team and Director Andrew Vegetabile, director of the Litecoin Association, announced on the LitecoinTalk forums that a fifth director would be joining the team. While reorganizing the Litecoin Association, which Vegetabile alluded would be completed soon, he explained that the Litecoin Association was looking for one new director through a list of candidates. Of those candidates, Phil Auman of LitecoinLearner.com was made a new director. “It took a few weeks to filters out all the possible candidates but we wanted to ensure who we picked was the right person for the position. We needed someone dedicated and someone who will help both the organization and Litecoin grow.” Vegetabile outlined that the mission statement of the Litecoin Association is to educate interested parties on the benefits of Litecoin. The association wants to push a major focus on general education and awareness, and Vegetabile said no one else would be better suited than Auman to join the team. Litecoin Association Focuses on New Development Team Litecoin has been struggling along with all other currencies in the market recently, and education is proving to be a difficult hurdle to hop. Most recently, the ATM collection MrBitco.in dropped Litecoin due to low interest. They collective just wasn’t receiving enough Litecoin transactions to continue supporting the currency, showcasing a need to the community to spur adoption. In order to do just that, Vegetabile said the Litecoin Association said that he’s run into particular projects in the past – and present – that are crucial to building Litecoin’s ecosystem. “We need more third party development to build up the infrastructure surrounding Litecoin. And we think this is essential to the success of Litecoin. Warren and company do an excellent job of ensuring the core is stable, but it is up to all of us to continue to build on the rock solid foundation.” With that in mind, the Litecoin Association also announced a new development team to help develop third party applications. Led by developer Anton Yemelyanov, the new team will be working on Litecoin’s core website and other projects deemed critical. Not only does the new development team need to innovate, but members of the community need to partake as well. A common gripe among speculators has been the Litecoin is stagnant – that the community isn’t supporting the coin itself. Some feel as though the Litecoin community is sitting on their hands waiting for someone else to innovate for them. Whether that’s true or not isn’t clear, but it’s certainly a stigma that the Litecoin Association may be working to reverse. Do you think this is a good step for Litecoin? Let us know in the comments below! Pictures from Wikipedia and WikimediaA virtual currency project slated to take place in Dominica next month has been cancelled. The project, Let The Bit Drop, was expected to take place on the island on March 14, 2015. It was expected to introduce the digital currency, Bitcoin, and distribute it to Dominicans on a large scale, organizers had said. But all that is history now. “It is with deep regret that we announce the cancellation of the Let The Bit Drop project,” Freya Stevens, Marketing Specialist at Coinapult, one of the leading organizers of the event, told DNO via email. She explained that the event was scrapped because “of the recent reversal of country-specific logistical decisions.” She stated the passion for the project still exists and “we hope that we will be able to re-instate this pioneering project in the future.” “We have taken every effort to ensure all participants, attendees, and organizers have been notified accordingly, and we have also initiated the refund process for all our amazing supporters who made donations for the event,” Stevens stated. She noted that the event was conceived to allow the implementation of Bitcoin and allow “participation and engagement from all levels of the community – from individual consumers to small businesses and government entities.” “The event was designed to demonstrate the ability of Bitcoin to bring financial tools and services to the under-banked, as well as provide an economic boost to a single country,” Steven stated. CEO of Coinapult, Ira Miller, told website, CoinDesk that negotiations for the event broke down when its hosts in Dominica did not provide promised support. “This is particularly sad, as a number of alternative Caribbean venues were available, had we known Dominica would not follow through,” he said. Project manager Sarah Blincoe suggested that the Dominica government never met certain project deliverables, such as issuing a press release for the event. Further, she indicated an election cycle on the island nation complicated matters, according to CoinDesk. Bitcoin is a digital currency, which according to CNN Money, was created in 2009 by an unknown person using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. “Transactions are made with no middle men – meaning, no banks! There are no transaction fees and no need to give your real name. More merchants are beginning to accept them: You can buy web hosting services, pizza or even manicures,” CNN Money said. Since it was announced, the event had sparked controversy in Dominica. Many were concerned over the unregulated nature of Bitcoin. Others wondered why the government was silent over the entire matter although organizers of the event had named Dr. Kenneth Darroux, as the main local contact. After the announcement of the event was made public, DNO made numerous attempts to interview Darroux and on one occasion he only said he would comment “at an appropriate time.”As part of the Southeastern Conference‘s television lineup release for Oct. 4, the upcoming Florida Gators (2-1, 1-1 SEC) at Tennessee Volunteers (2-1, 0-0 SEC) game has been set for 12 p.m. and is schedule to air on the SEC Network. Florida and Tennessee have contested their game on CBS in 17 of the previous 18 seasons (eight of those contests kicking off at 3:30 p.m.) with the lone game not shown on the network in that span, the 2012 contest, broadcast on ESPN at 6 p.m. The Gators are looking to extend
. Thursday, 2 p.m.-dark, Friday, 12 p.m.-dark, Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-dark, October 21-24, Full Moon Madness, open until Midnight. $10. Snake tunnel, amazing maze, pumpkin patch, hayrides with Clydesdales, picture cut outs, animal hay farm, petting zoo, cornstalks and hay bales. All ages. 303-805-1038 Wishing Star Farm 6760 Ropers Point, Colorado Springs. Now-October 31. Check web site for days and times. Come celebrate Fall with pumpkins, exciting activities and hands-on farm fun for the whole family! 719-495-5888, [email protected], wishingstarfarm.com Happy Apple Farm 1190 1st St., Penrose. Through October 31, Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Pumpkins and apples. Tractor rides down to the patch along with fresh pressed apple cider. 719-372-6300, [email protected], happyapplefarm.com Ryden Ranch Maize Maze 6234 CR 226, New Castle. Late summer and fall. Friday, 1 p.m.-dusk, Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-dusk. with the purchase of corn kernels at $1 each. Adults: $8, children (6-12) $6, under 6 free. The maze is a mile of paths from the entrance to exit, but one wrong turn can become a two-mile adventure. From I-70: take New Castle exit (105). Drive through the 4-way stop, onto Castle Valley Boulevard, then right at Road 245 (second stop sign). Stay on 245 for five miles, veering left onto Road 226. Continue on Road 226 for two miles to the corn maze on the left. 970-984-2190 Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield 8500 Deer Creek Canyon Rd. Littleton. Corn Maze adults $10, $6 child 4-12. Weekends, Now-October 31. Friday, 4 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday, 12 p.m.-9 p.m., Sunday, 12 p.m.-9 p.m. Pumpkin Festival: Adult $6, $4 child 4-12 (child in costume free), October 9 and 10 9 a.m.-5 p.m. From C-470 exit Wadsworth, go south to the stoplight at Deer Creek Canyon Road and turn right. Entrance to the park is 1/4 mile on the left. 303-973-3705, botanicgardens.org The Great Pumpkin Patch Corner of Alameda and Garrison October 13-October 31. Daily, 10 a.m.-dusk. Pumpkins to benefit “Habitat for Humanity”. A Northern Colorado Corn Maze 2318 S. Cty. Rd. 5, Fort Collins. Through October 31. Thursday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-midnight (weather permitting) October 25, 31), 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and until midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday Halloween night. Kids in costume Halloween day or night will get treats. 15 acre corn maze with scavenger hunts, large pumpkin patch, pumpkin catapult, straw mini maze, games, petting zoo. At dusk, the corn maze transforms a haunted maze. Located on the east side of Fort Collins off the Prospect exit (#268) and I-25. Directions: I-25 North to Fort Collins, exit Prospect Rd. (Exit # 268), east 1/2 mile to County Road 5 (first stop sign). Go South approximately 1/2 mile and look for signs on east side of the road. 970-308-5843, [email protected], northerncoloradocornmaze.com or nococornmaze.com. Bartels Land and Livestock Inc. & Corn Maze/Pumpkin Patch 3424 E. Douglas Rd., Fort Collins. Now-October 31. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (weather permitting). Call for corn maze prices and group rates. 10th Annual Pumpkin Patch. Pumpkin patch is free. Hay rides, petting zoo, mini maze for the youngsters, acres and acres of pumpkins of all sizes, gourds, Indian corn, straw bales, and pumpkin cannons. I-25 Exit 271 (Budweiser exit) one mile west to Giddings, two miles north to Douglas Road, right one 1/2 mile east to the farm. 970-493-3853, [email protected], thebartelsfarm.com Johnstown Straw Maze 3418 SE 25 Frontage Rd. Johnstown. Now-October 30, Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Friday, 5 p.m.-12 p.m., Saturday, 3 p.m.-12 p.m. The Straw Maze is a maze similar to a corn maze, but it build out of straw bales. 970-612-8089, [email protected], strawmaze.com/johnstown Osborn Farm Pumpkin Patch 1230 S. Boise Ave., Loveland. Today- through the season (weather permitting), 10 a.m-6 p.m. Pumpkin patch with plenty of wheel barrels to take out to retrieve them. Free admission, however there is a charge for the pumpkins. Season opener is on October 3 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and October 4th 11 a.m.-4 p.m. with hayrides, food, music, antiques, and a petting zoo. 970-669-4407, [email protected], osbornfarm.com Something From the Farm 7755 Greenstone Trail, Fort Collins. Now-October 31. Haunted Fear@theFarm Maze opens today-October 31. Today- October 31: Thursday, 3 p.m. – 10 p.m., Friday, 3 p.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. – 9 p.m. Three mazes on 16 acres with 4 miles of trails to explore. Five-acre pumpkin patch, tractor drawn hayride, hay bale playground, pumpkin catapult, corn cannon, un-haunted mazes, farm activities and more. For directions or more info please visit us on Facebook or our web site. 970-221-FARM, [email protected], somethingfromthefarm.com Lower Valley Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze 23 and L Road, Grand Junction. October 1 – October 31 See web site for updated information regarding time. Lower Valley Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze on five and a half acres, five acres of pumpkins, a pumpkin cannon and more. 970-270-7060, [email protected], lowervalleycornmaze.com Covered Bridge Ranch 17249 6250 Rd., Montrose. Sunday, noon-5:30 p.m., Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Pumpkin patch, hayrides, farm tour, u-pick. Go west on Hwy. 90 from Montrose to Dave Wood Rd., turn south to large stone and log. Entrance gate on right side of road. 970-240-0106, [email protected] DeVries Buffalo Ranch 8688 60.25 Rd., Olathe.Year-round Daily, 7 a.m.-dusk. Corn maze and pumpkin patch.7 miles north of Montrose on U.S. Hwy. 50. (970) 323-6559 Popes Pumpkin Patch Wiggins. Today-October 31 Daily, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. U-pick pumpkin patch, horse and buggy rides on weekends. Educational school tours welcomed. Call for an appointment. Hwy. 52 and I-76. 970-483-7839, [email protected] Mazzotti’s Pumpkin Patch 24120 WCR 8, HudsonHours: October 1 – 31, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Weekdays are reserved for school field trips and are by appointment only. U-pick pumpkin patch, corn maze, and more. 303-536-4089 or 303-710-2410, mazzottifarms.com Miller Farms & Corn Maze 9040 Hwy. 66, Platteville. Now-Mid-November. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Harvest your own produce, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, corn maze, hay maze, hayrides, and family oriented activities. October 10 -31: haunted corn maze. Reservations please! School and group rates available. I-25 to Exit 243, east 5 miles on Hwy. 66. 970-785-6133, millerfarms.netNews Minnesota United, Club León Agree to Transfer Fee for Miguel Ibarra by Jeff Rueter on 21 December 2016 Minnesota United secured the rights to bring Miguel Ibarra back from Liga MX via a trade earlier this week. Now, they’ve taken another step to bringing Ibarra back to the North by agreeing a transfer fee. On Monday, Minnesota United traded goalkeeper Jeff Attinella to Portland. While the club’s press release identified the return as a 2018 natural second-round pick, the club also acquired Miguel Ibarra’s rights. It turns out, the turnaround on using those rights was a swift one. Sources have confirmed that United and Ibarra’s current club, Liga MX side Club León, have agreed on a transfer fee. The number wasn’t defined, but it’s believed to be lower than what León initially paid for Ibarra. This comes on the same day where head coach Javier Torrente confirmed to the press that Ibarra wouldn’t figure for many minutes. adding fuel to the Ibarra fire for @MNUFC are Leon coach's comments that he is not going to get much playing time ahead pic.twitter.com/L4zP5QazfP — Wes (@MnNiceFC) December 20, 2016 Portland initially drafted Ibarra in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft and wasn’t signed. He was recommended to Manny Lagos, who signed Ibarra on March 13, 2012. It was in Minnesota where Ibarra developed his game, earning two NASL Best XI nods. Most notably, he was called up to the USMNT in October 2014 and won the NASL Golden Ball the following month. Minnesota sold Ibarra to Club León for nearly one million dollars (in total compensation) on June 10, 2015. Since then, he’s featured in only eight games for León, scoring once. Ibarra hasn’t been called up to the USMNT since moving to León. Portland secured Ibarra’s rights before the 2016 season as they attempted to bring him in on loan. However, León pulled out of the agreement at the last minute, with his rights remaining with Portland. A Sorely Needed Reunion With the impending signing of Ramirez, it would give Ibarra a very familiar companion in the attack. Meanwhile, United has already re-signed his former partner on the left side of the pitch (Justin Davis, LB). Given the chemistry Ibarra showed with both Ramirez and Davis, he may be able to easily pick up where he left off: terrorizing defenses. This wouldn’t be Adrian Heath’s first pursuit of the winger. In October 2014, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Orlando picked up the NASL/USL priority to take Ibarra. The plan was to run him on the opposite wing of Kevin Molino for a dynamic pairing. Instead, United held onto Ibarra for the spring before selling him in the summer. Heath is very familiar with Ibarra’s game and wouldn’t hold reservations after his lack of minutes in León. Along with individual reunions, this move comes at a great time for player and club alike. Ibarra is clearly out of favor with León and needs a change of pace to reinvigorate his career. Meanwhile, United has signed just eight players to their roster. It’s fair to say that their signings to date have garnered very little national attention. Ibarra was the player who put the Loons on the national soccer map — the first American second-division player called to the USMNT since 2005. Having him in the fold for the club’s first MLS season would add a level of credibility to their roster. With another year on Ibarra’s contract, initial reactions to the Attinella trade were that Minnesota gave up a potential starting goalkeeper for the rights to negotiate with a player in 2018. However, the club may see the fruits of this trade bloom as quickly as Ibarra’s blistering pace. The final step would be finalizing a contract. It’s safe to assume that this wouldn’t occur before the new year rolls in and the team looks to be holding out for a joint Ramirez/Ibarra announcement. Still, United is getting closer to bringing in the once and future face of the franchise. Tags: Club Leon, Miguel Ibarra, Minnesota United FC, MLS, Offseason, transferA Philadelphia police officer could be in serious trouble after video surfaced online that shows him pressuring a driver to buy tickets to a fundraiser - or else.Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told Action News that Internal Affairs is investigating the incident involving the officer, 32-year-old Matthew Zagursky.He's a nine year veteran of the force assigned to the 24th District.In the video, Zagursky is heard asking the driver if he has money to buy tickets to the Police and Fire Hero Thrill Show fundraiser. Money from the show is used to pay college tuition for children of Philadelphia police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.In the video, Zagursky is heard to say, "You and your friend got any money to buy these thrill show tickets? Support your police department. Ten bucks each, man."The incident was part of what police call a "live stop," part of crackdown on unregistered and uninsured vehicles.Zagursky continues, "Either you buy these, or I take your car because it's unregistered. Ten bucks each man."The driver then hands Zagursky money and takes the tickets.Zagursky was also heard on video making a homophobic remark while discussing pink windshield wipers on the car.The driver of the car posted the video on his Facebook page and it has gone viral, which is an awful embarrassment for the police force.Commissioner Charles Ramsey said Zagursky appears to have a good record, but says the officer's behavior is inexcusable."Anyone with any kind of clear thought at all would know that that's just not good, it's not what you do," Ramsey said.But worse, Ramsey says it diminishes a charity that supports the families of fallen officers and firefighters."He's tarnished that entire event, and the entire cause that it represents, by his actions," said Ramsey.The commissioner has taken the officer off the streets but is waiting for Internal Affairs to complete its investigation before deciding to fire him.Internal Affairs has already contacted the driver who recorded the video.The district attorney will then have to decide if criminal charges should be filed against the officer.Jr. 2011 2013 2014 UPDATE 2: Wall Street Journal has further investigated these links. New thread here:UPDATE: A couple of posters have falsely accused this of being fake news. They are mistaken, as the entirety of the information here is simply proven factual information. However, they may be correct in their assertion that my title is misleading, which is unintentional and only a result of limited characters in NeoGAF titles, and perhaps an assumption of my intention to publish lots of little bits of information relating to the subject. Perhaps a better title would thus be: "MotherJones publishes new interview with Sergei Millian, who now dubiously denies having a substantive business relationship with Trump, with detailed timeline for context (to give readers a chance to draw their own conclusions about an important national affair)".On Thursday, MotherJones reported fresh research into links between Trump and Russia—particularly his mysterious dealings with the evasive Sergei Millian, who in 2011 serviced in some capacity an FBI-investigated Russian Foreign Ministry intelligence-gathering program.Sergei Millian is an underreported but key link between Trump (and Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen) and Putin's credibly suspected machinations to seek compromising intelligence from Americans.Expectedly, Millian has in the past half-year attempted to purge his ties to Trump from the Internet but now, this past week, has finallyI couldn't see this posted yet on GAF. I also did some research and translated some facts and dates from this and a couple of other articles into an exhaustive, cohesive timeline, especially for those who don't have a good grasp of the whole picture. (This took me 7 hours to compile.) I believe that this information is of critical importance in understanding the current known links to potential Russian intelligence-gathering.If you're already well-informed on this topic, please skip to the 2017 section (second post) for the "new news".is a player in a larger web of controversial business ties between Trump, the, and Russia. He is president of thein the USA () and the owner of a translation service. Millian's online bio notes he graduated from the Minsk State Linguistic University with the equivalent of a master's degree in 2000. His bio says he is a real estate broker who works in residential and commercial properties in the United States and abroad.[2]He used to go by the name Siarhei Kukuts (tr: Sergei Kukut)—that's how he's listed on tax returns for the RACC—and it is unclear why he changed his name. Social media accounts on Facebook and Russian social network Vkontakte link him to family by the name "Kukut" in Belarus, and his page on the website for the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce (RACC) gives the name "Sergei Millian" as an alias. “I am US citizen and do not have and never had Russian citizenship. When immigrants arrive to USA, it is a common practice to change their name,” he told The Daily Beast in an email. He is in his late 30s and won't say when he came to the United States or how he obtained US citizenship.[1][2]Internet posts from Millian’s early years in the U.S. use his former name, and hint as his early role as a Russian-speaking fixer who brokered deals for Russian businesses. “I can recommend a savvy canadian lawyer (speaks Russian), who only for $2500 consulate fees can arrange your immigration to Canada,” Millian boasted in one.[1]Since first meeting Trump, Millian has built a reputation on a series of exaggerations, to become a cross between a translator, a property merchant, and a pro-Trump spin doctor for the Russian press. In recent years he has evolved into a regular pundit on behalf of Trump, in Russian media, and even to The Daily Beast as recently as July, 2016.[1]———Trump has been seeking opportunities to develop buildings in Russia since the 1980s, during the Soviet era—none of which have been fruitful. However, they have led to a number of business connections.[1]Trump has been. He wrote in the “Art of the Deal” in 1987 that he visited Moscow for the first time that year, with then-wife Ivana, to scope out sites for luxury hotels he hoped to build in a joint venture with the then-Soviet government's hotel and tourism agency. He visited again with U.S. tobacco executives in 1996; that deal got far enough that an architect drew conceptual drawings but did not come to fruition.[3][4]Part of the allure was what Trump and his associates saw as a huge opportunity — the chance to market American-style luxury apartments to the wealthy elite in a place that still mostly offered utilitarian Soviet-style construction.[4]Trump signed a one-year deal in 2005 with a New York real estate company called theto try, again, to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. In a 2007 deposition, Bayrock executive(a Russian immigrant with an interestingback story) testified that he hadfor the project, as well as a site, a shuttered pencil factory named for U.S. communists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.Sater testified that after trips to Russia, he would “pop my head into Mr. Trump’s office and tell him, you know, ‘Moving forward on the Moscow deal.’ And he would say, ‘All right.’ ”That effort fizzled too.[3]Trump claimed (in a later court proceeding) that.[4]Partners of one of Trump’s projects then under construction in Panama visited Moscow to sell condos at the building in 2006.[3]The aforementioned, a nonprofit that Millian started in[2], has survived on shoestring budgets, advocates closer commercial ties between Russia and the United States, and assists US firms looking to do business in Russia. Its website notes that it "facilitates cooperation for U.S. members with the Russian Government, Russian Regional Administrations, U.S. Consulates in Russia, Chambers of Commerce in Russia, and corporate leaders from CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries."[2]Trump promised, in a 2007 court deposition, that he had not given up on Moscow. “Russia is one of theplaces in the world for investment....,” he said.[3]Millian's friends had organised a Trump trip to thein 2007, where he wasAccording to one Moscow-based American businessman who negotiated with him, Trump’s admiration for Putin was"He was looking to make friends and business partners” among Russia’s politically connected elite. “,” explains the real estate developer, who requested anonymity because of his ongoing Russian investments.[7]to horse races at Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino, in Miami, Florida (pictured above).That encounter led to a meeting with Trump attorney(since) and, allegedly, an exclusive contract for dealing Trump properties in Russia and nearby nations. "Later," Millian said, "we met at his office in New York, where he introduced me to his right-hand man—Michael Cohen. He is Trump's main lawyer, all contracts go through him. Subsequently,andsigned a contract with me[/B] to promote one of their real estate projects in Russia and the CIS. You can say I was their exclusive broker."[1][2] Millian said he had helped Trump "study the Moscow market" for potential real estate investments.[2]In October, Trump told Larry King on CNN, "Look at Putin -- what he's doing with Russia -- I mean, you know, what's going on over there. I mean this guy has done -- whether you like him or don't like him --in rebuilding the image of Russia and alsoperiod,"[5]“Then, in the 2007-2008 years,,” Millian bragged to RIA. “But I wouldn’t want to disclose concrete sums or names.”[1][2]Trump made significant money from one Russian oligarch in 2008, when he sold a mansion in Palm Beach for $95 million to Russian billionaire. Trump had bought the home at a bankruptcy auction less than four years earlier for $41.4 million.[3]said, at a 2008 real estate conference in New York,He added, "We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia."[1][2]The Russian market had “natural strength, especially in the high-end sector." Moscow held special appeal because wealthy people throughout the region wanted to own real estate in the capital city, he said.[4]In his 2008 speech,. But, he said, Russia presented enormous challenges.“As much as, Russia is just a different world,” the younger Trump said. “It is a question of.”[4]Concurrently, Sergei Millian’s online biography prominently bragged that he had worked “as a broker for projects with Donald Trump.”[1]In the April 2009 issue of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce newsletter, Millian, as president, reported that he was working with Russian investors looking to buy property in the United States, and he said, "We have signed formal agreements with the, theandto jointly service the Russian clients' commercial, residential and industrial real estate needs."[1][2]In 2009,"to foster necessary political changes to produce a healthier economic environment" and.[2]RACC'sreported the group was based in an apartment in[2]—though the group's letterhead that year listed a[2]—and that year it brought in only $23,300 in contributions and grants and $14,748 in program revenue. The tax return noted that the chamber "successfully hosted four universities from Russia in New York City" and hosted a trade mission from Belarus.[2]In December,and "no-nonsense way" in his book "Time to Get Tough."for Russia. He wants to edge out its neighbors so that Russia can," Trump said. "I respect Putin and Russians but cannot believe our leader (Obama) allows them to get away with so much...."[5]Trump made millions when he agreed to bring the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow in 2013, a deal financed in part by the development company of a Russian billionaire, awho is sometimes called the “Trump of Russia” because of his tendency to put his own name on his buildings.("Will he become my new best friend?" Trump asked of Putin in a tweet wondering whether Putin would attend—he didn't but offered him a traditional gift.[6]At the time, Trump mingled with the Russian business elite at a swanky after-party. “Almost all of the oligarchs were in the room,” Trump bragged to Real Estate Weekly on returning home.[4]Agalarov told The Washington Post that.[3]Agalarov's son, Russian pop musician Emin Agalarov, said, “He kept saying, ‘Every time there is friction between United States and Russia, it’s bad for both countries. For the people to benefit, this should be fixed. We should be friends,’ ” Emin Agalarov recalled.[4]The Agalarovs are wealthy developers who have received several contracts for (although not yet made money from) state-funded construction projects, a sign of their closeness to the Putin government. Shortly, Putin awarded the elder Agalarov the “,” a prestigious designation[4] (an award coincidentally also received by Exxon CEO, that same year).[6]Millian apparently was proud of his association with Trump. In 2014, heof him with, the billionaire real estate developer in Miami who owns. (Pictured above, photographed in 2007)In 2015,.[2]Putin said in December that Trump was a “colorful and talented” person, a compliment that Trump said at the time was an “honour.”[4](April)On Millian's LinkedIn page, he notes he is also the, a group that has only a slight presence on the internet and that seems to have an. According to a LinkedIn post published by Millian in April 2016, he met that month in Beijing with a Chinese official and the Russian ambassador to the Republic of San Marino to discuss industrial and commercial cooperation between China and Russia.[2]Millianto promote their properties in Russia. In a lengthy interview with RIA News, a Russian language outlet, in April, Millian boasted aboutat the Moscow Millionaire’s Fair in 2007. Millian said he’dWhen RIA News asked him this year about fears that America might go up in flames in the case of a Trump presidency, Millian remained a true believer.But the April interview was unusual in that it focused on Millian’s supposed personal relationship with Trump. Typically, he’s billed as a political scientist or economics expert when he spins for Trump., and parrotted the Republican nominee’s talk about keeping jobs in the U.S.[1]In the interview,. Trump, he noted, would improve US relations with Russia and. He said: "" Millian added, "In general Trump has a very positive attitude to Russians, because. Incidentally, he has done many projects with people from the Russian-language diaspora. For example,." (Sapir, who died in 2014, was an American billionaire real estate developer.)[2]The, attended Trump’s April foreign policy speech in which Trump called for ending “this horrible cycle of hostility” between the two nations (breaking from a tradition in which diplomats steer clear of domestic politics).A spokesman for the Russian Embassy said that the Ambassador's attendance at the Trump speech should not be considered an indication that Russia is partial to Trump.[4]Emin Agalarov said, "[Trump] keeps underlining that. This could be an amazing breakthrough.(June)In another article in June,“Trump mostly interacts with business or military people,” he said. “That’s why his vice-president will be a representative of one of these two camps: either someone who came from the corporate world, or the military.”[1](July)“Donald Trump is ‘presidential’, powerful, charismatic, and highly intelligent leader with. I’m am glad to see Donald,” Millian said last month during the Republican National Convention, after The Daily Beast reached out to the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce.“I, personally, wholeheartedly support his presidential aspirations..”“I think he will be able to improve some processes in the government, because it’s currently very bureaucratic,” he said. “For instance, this concerns medicine. In the USA people smile at you well, but the level of accessibility and wait time here is behind many countries.”In July,“He works well in his post and gets by without scandals,” Millian said then. “Opponents will find it hard to find fault in his reputation and work.”[1](August)With escalating media interest in Trump’s ties with Russia,Millian told The Daily Beast last week he had.[1]After inquiries from The Daily Beast,.[1]It also appears thatworking with the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce in the USA were at some point.[1][2]He has recently played down his relationship with Trump. There had been “quite negative press related to Russia so I don’t want to be involved,” he told The Daily Beast when first reached by phone. “,” he continued, saying that he“There are several brokers who work on such real estate projects I do remember there was a written agreement that authorized me to market one of the projects bearing his name signed somewhere around 2008.”He praised Trump’s knowledge of other cultures by noting he offered him a glass of champagne upon closing a business deal—a nod to the notion that Russians like to drink.[1]It was a Trump-like move: brag about ties to a project when it could be advantageous; but then brand it as tangential any link to the project if it starts to show sign of controversy.[1](October)In October, theand the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce. It reported:[2]———YURY ZAYTSEV & ROSSOTRUDNICHESTVOAs part of its inquiry into Millian, the Financial Times pointed to, a Russian government organization that. Millian has collaborated with Rossotrudnichestvo.Through cultural exchanges, Rossotrudnichestvo, which operates under the, was bringing. The program was run by, a Russian diplomat who headed the, DC.In 2011, Millian (and the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce) worked with Zaytsev and the Russian group to mount athatand the Vladimir region, according toafter the initiative. In that letter,, and he added, "My entire staff, fellow participants, and I, here at the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce in the USA, very much look forward towith the preparations for next year's trip." (Millian now says, "We are not affiliated with [Rossotrudnichestvo] in any way.")In 2013, Mother Jones reported thatAmericans who participated in the exchange trips and weretold Mother Jones that the agents' questions indicated(An asset could be a person who directly works with an intelligence service to gather information, or merely a contact who provides, not realizing it is being collected by an intelligence officer.)After Mother Jones published a story on the FBI investigation,: "All such'scaring information' very much resembles Cold War era. A blunt tentative is made to distort and toin DC, which are aimed at developing mutual trust and cooperation between our peoples and countries."A year later, in November 2014,spoke at a Moscow press conference and said, in reference to the upcoming US presidential elections, "It seems to me that" He added,Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine? The radical left, including the Black Panthers, also contributed to the rise of gun vigilante culture in the United States, a phenomenon that later shifted to the right. (AP.) Ad Policy A lot of what I hope to be doing with this blog I fear might verge on pedantry. Too much of what we observe today on the right we act as if started the day before yesterday. Always, we need to set the clock back further—as a political necessity. We have to establish deeper provenances. Or else we just reinvent, and reinvent and reinvent the wheel. Or, in this case, reinvent the assault rifle. Some of the best coverage and reflection on December 14—the day of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary—has come from the outstanding folks at Josh Marshall’s Talking Points Memo. And part of the mix over at TPM is its reprinting of e-mails from ordinary readers, offering marvelous worm’s-eye views and analyses of the issues of the day. Sometimes, however, the worm’s-eye view only views what the worm’s eye views. On December 15, as the nature of the fearsome arsenal took inside that first grade classroom—the Bushmaster XM-15, the 10mm Glock SF and 9mm SIG Sauer handgun—was becoming apparent, but before, I think, it had been established that the mother he stole the guns from before murdering her may have been a “full-on” prepper, arming for Armageddon, TPM printed this interesting e-mail from a reader identified as SS: I was raised with guns. More to the point, my childhood was steeped in gun lore…. I bring this up to establish my bona-fides. The gun culture that we have today in the U.S. is not the gun culture, so to speak, that I remember from my youth. It’s too simple to say that it’s “sick”; it’s more accurately an absurd fetishization. I suppose that the American Gunfighter, in all of his avatars, is inescapably fetishistic, but (to my point) somewhere along the way—maybe in, uh, 1994?—we crossed over into Something Else…. I can’t remember seeing a semi-automatic weapon of any kind at a shooting range until the mid-1980s. Even through the early 1990s, I don’t remember the idea of “personal defense” being a decisive factor in gun ownership. The reverse is true today: I have college-educated friends—all of whom, interestingly, came to guns in their adult lives—for whom gun ownership is unquestionably (and irreducibly) an issue of personal defense. For whom the semi-automatic rifle or pistol—with its matte-black finish, laser site, flashlight mount, and other “tactical” accoutrements—effectively circumscribe what’s meant by the word “gun.” At least one of these friends has what some folks—e.g., my fiancee, along with most of my non-gun-owning friends—might regard as an obsessive fixation on guns; a kind of paraphilia that (in its appetite for all things tactical) seems not a little bit creepy. The “tactical” turn is what I want to flag here. It has what I take to be a very specific use-case, but it’s used—liberally—by gun owners outside of the military, outside of law enforcement, outside (if you’ll indulge me) of any conceivable reality-based community: these folks talk in terms of “tactical” weapons, “tactical” scenarios, “tactical applications,” and so on. It’s the lingua franca of gun shops, gun ranges, gun forums and gun-oriented YouTube videos. (My god, you should see what’s out there on YouTube!) Which begs my question: in precisely which “tactical” scenarios do all of these lunatics imagine that they’re going to use their matte-black, suppressor-fitted, flashlight-ready tactical weapons? They tend to speak of the “tactical” as if it were a fait accompli; as a kind of apodeictic fact: as something that everyone—their customers, interlocutors, fellow forum members, or YouTube viewers—experiences on a regular basis, in everyday life. They tend to
State Laws, which began drafting a model of no-fault divorce statute for states to consider in 1967.[7] Australia established no-fault divorce in 1975, with the only ground for divorce being irretrievable breakdown of marriage, evidenced by a twelve-month separation. Canada effectively permitted no-fault divorce in 1986 by reducing the separation period to one year. Controversy [ edit ] Arguments for no-fault divorce [ edit ] Several studies have looked at the effect of no-fault divorce on divorce rates in the United States. The studies typically find an increase in the short-term rate, but little long-term causal relationship. The most frequent explanation given is that the older laws were ineffective and not followed anyway, though there are some differing viewpoints.[8][9] Economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, based on findings in their research, argue that domestic violence and female suicide decline in states that legalize no-fault divorce.[10] Specifically, they report that "states that adopted no-fault divorce experienced a decrease of 8 to 16 percent in wives' suicide rates and a 30 percent decline in domestic violence."[11] They also argue that their research proves that there is no permanent effect of no-fault divorce laws on divorce rates.[10] Stephanie Coontz, a professor of history at Evergreen State College, states that "in the years since no-fault divorce became well-nigh universal, the national divorce rate has fallen, from about 23 divorces per 1,000 married couples in 1979 to under 17 per 1,000 in 2005."[11] She adds that "once you permit the courts to determine when a person's desire to leave is legitimate, you open the way to arbitrary decisions about what is or should be tolerable in a relationship, made by people who have no stake in the actual lives being lived."[11] A 2010 New York Times editorial said that New York was "the only state where a court must find fault before granting a divorce unless the spouses have lived apart for a full year under a formal separation agreement — a proven formula for inviting false testimony, endless litigation and generally making divorce far more painful than it needs to be."[12] Later that year, New York became the final state to allow no-fault divorce. Lawyer L.M. Fenton states that "Feminist holdouts against New York's new [no-fault divorce] bill don't understand how family law affects women today", adding: "It also mystifies me that spouses could still, even in 2010, be forced to stay married to someone who refused to let go."[13] She adds: Fault-based grounds usually include mental cruelty, but true mental cruelty has a psychological component that can make it very difficult for the abused spouse to articulate that abuse. More to the point, the abused spouse may be terrified to describe the relationship on paper and testify about it in a court. And of course, a controlling partner will always choose the path of most resistance to whatever it is that the other spouse wants.[13] The state adopted no-fault divorce later that year. Arguments against no-fault divorce [ edit ] The National Organization for Women opposed the introduction of no-fault divorce in New York State because it would allow a party who actually is at fault to obtain a divorce in which "alimony, maintenance [and] property division" would be determined without the judge considering "the facts, behavior and circumstances that led to the break-up of the marriage".[14] A paper published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, written by Douglas Allen, on the economics of same-sex marriage, argues that the introduction of no-fault divorce led to a six-fold increase in just two years, after a century of rather stable divorce rates. Also, the law increased the rate at which women entered the workforce, increased the number of hours worked in a week, increased the feminization of poverty, and increased the age at which people married.[15] Stephen Baskerville, a political scientist at Howard University, argues that no-fault divorce rewards wrongdoers, reduces the need of marital binding agreement contracts at the public's expense, and helps women take custody of their children at the husbands' expense in many cases where the man has done nothing wrong. He also adds that a ban on divorce will not work, because people will separate themselves and be in a permanent state of adultery, or they will create a hostile home environment for the children.[16][17] Laws by country [ edit ] Australia [ edit ] Australia's laws on divorce and other legal family matters were overhauled in 1975 with the enactment of the Family Law Act 1975, which established no-fault divorce in Australia. Since 1975, the only ground for divorce is irretrievable breakdown of marriage, evidenced by a twelve-month separation. However, a residual "fault" element remains in relation to child custody and property settlement issues. Canada [ edit ] Prior to 1968, the only grounds for divorce were adultery or cruelty. However, in 1968, the Divorce Act was amended to permit divorce for other reasons, including physical and mental cruelty and separation for at least 3 years. The Divorce Act was amended in 1986 to reduce the separation period to one year, with no requirement to prove "fault" by either spouse. The fault grounds for divorce are also available. China [ edit ] China has allowed no-fault divorce since the adoption of the New Marriage Law in 1950. No-fault divorce has become much more common since the 1980s. The current marriage law provides that divorce shall always be granted if sought by both husband and wife. Divorce is also granted if one party can present evidence of incompatibility, such as separation for at least 2 years. Divorce may be granted either by court or by a marriage registration office. The latter can only do so when both parties have reached an agreement on child custody and property settlement. Germany [ edit ] Until 1976, divorce was only possible if one spouse had acted wrongly - a rule referred to as the Schuldprinzip (“principle of guilt”). In 1976, the law was changed to make no-fault divorces the standard. The law says that ”A marriage may be dissolved by divorce if it has broken down. The marriage has broken down if the conjugal community of the spouses no longer exists and it cannot be expected that the spouses restore it.”[18]. Some provisions of the old, guilt-based system remain. In particular, the separation period required before a formal divorce can be shortened if “the continuation of the marriage would be an unreasonable hardship for the petitioner for reasons that lie in the person of the other spouse”. While formally no guilt is required on the part of the spouse, in practice this rule is usually applied if the spouse acts irresponsibly, for example if they are violent or threaten their partner[19]. Malta [ edit ] A Maltese law permitting no-fault divorce went into effect in October 2011, following a national referendum on the subject. This was the first Maltese law permitting any kind of divorce.[20] Mexico [ edit ] In Mexico City, this type of divorce is legally known as divorcio incausado o sin expresión de causa and colloquially as divorcio exprés. The law was passed for the first time in Mexico City in 2008 and held constitutional by the Supreme Court, which in 2015 established that any state law requiring to prove the case for a divorce was unconstitutional.[citation needed] Russia [ edit ] No-fault divorce was introduced by the Bolsheviks following the Russian Revolution of 1917.[5] Before the Revolution, religious institutions tended to define family life. It was the ecclesiastical law of the various denominations that controlled the family, marriage, and divorce. For example, the official registration of birth, death, marriage, and divorce was the responsibility of the parish church. Under these non-secular laws, divorce was highly restricted (but always somewhat available, as no major religion in Russia completely disallowed divorce). The 1918 Decree on Divorce eliminated the religious marriage and the underlying ecclesiastical law, replacing them with civil marriage sanctioned by the state. Divorce was obtained by filing a mutual consent document with the Russian Registry Office, or by the unilateral request of one party to the court. The divorce law under the Bolsheviks did not penalize the husband with alimony, child support, or debtor's prison for non-payment, as every individual was to be provided for by the state anyway. The two partners were entirely free of legal obligations to each other after divorce. Spain [ edit ] In Spain, this type of divorce is legally known as divorcio incausado or divorcio unilateral and colloquially as divorcio exprés. Sweden [ edit ] Swedish law does not include a showing-of-fault requirement for divorce. The couple can file for divorce together or one party can file alone. If one party does not wish to get divorced or if they have children under 16 living at home, there is a required contemplation period of 6 to 12 months. During this period, they stay married and the request must be confirmed after the waiting period for the divorce to go through.[21] United States [ edit ] Today, every state plus the District of Columbia permits no-fault divorce, though requirements for obtaining a no-fault divorce vary.[22] California was the first U.S. state to pass a no-fault divorce law. Its law was signed by Governor Ronald Reagan, a divorced and remarried former movie actor, and came into effect in 1970.[23] New York was the last state to pass a no-fault divorce law; that law was passed in 2010.[24][25] Before no-fault divorce was available, spouses seeking divorce would often allege false grounds for divorce.[26] Removing the incentive to perjure was one motivation for the no-fault movement.[27] In the States of Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Nebraska, Montana, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Kentucky, Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, Hawaii, Florida, Colorado and California, a person seeking a divorce is not permitted to allege a fault-based ground (e.g. adultery, abandonment or cruelty).[28] Requirements for divorce prior to the enactment of no-fault divorce [ edit ] Prior to the advent of no-fault divorce, a divorce was processed through the adversarial system as a civil action, meaning that a divorce could be obtained only through a showing of fault of one (and only one) of the parties in a marriage. This required that one spouse plead that the other had committed adultery, abandonment, felony, or other similarly culpable acts. However, the other spouse could plead a variety of defenses, like recrimination (essentially an accusation of "so did you"). A judge could find that the respondent had not committed the alleged act or the judge could accept the defense of recrimination and find both spouses at fault for the dysfunctional nature of their marriage.[29] Either of these two findings was sufficient to defeat an action for divorce, which meant that the parties remained married.[30] In some states, requirements were even more stringent. For instance, under its original (1819) constitution, Alabama required not only the consent of a court of chancery for a divorce (and only "in cases provided for by law"), but equally that of two-thirds of both houses of the state legislature.[31] This requirement was dropped in 1861, when the state adopted a new constitution at the outset of the American Civil War. The required vote in this case was even stricter than that required to overturn the governor's veto in Alabama, which required only a simple majority of both houses of the General Assembly.[32] Methods for bypassing the showing-of-fault requirements for divorce [ edit ] These requirements could be problematic if both spouses were at fault or if neither spouse had committed a legally culpable act but both spouses desired a divorce by mutual consent. Lawyers began to advise their clients on how to create legal fictions to bypass the statutory requirements. One method popular in New York was referred to as "collusive adultery", in which both sides deliberately agreed that the wife would come home at a certain time and discover her husband committing adultery with a "mistress" obtained for the occasion.[33] The wife would then falsely swear to a carefully tailored version of these facts in court (thereby committing perjury). The husband would admit a similar version of those facts. The judge would convict the husband of adultery, and the couple could be divorced. In many other states, especially California, the most popular allegation for divorce was cruelty (which was then unavailable in New York). For example, in 1950, wives pleaded "cruelty" as the basis for 70 percent of San Francisco divorce cases.[33] Wives would regularly testify to the same facts: their husbands swore at them, hit them, and generally treated them terribly.[33] This procedure was described by Supreme Court of California Associate Justice Stanley Mosk: Every day, in every superior court in the state, the same melancholy charade was played: the "innocent" spouse, generally the wife, would take the stand and, to the accompanying cacophony of sobbing and nose-blowing, testify under the deft guidance of an attorney to the spousal conduct that she deemed "cruel."[34] An even simpler practice for people living in states where divorce was difficult to obtain was to go "forum shopping." This meant one of the parties would move to another state where no-fault divorce was available, stay there long enough to become a resident, then file for divorce there. Nevada was extremely popular for this purpose as its residency period was only six weeks.[35] For some couples, if there really was no problem in settling the issues of their marriage, a weekend trip to Mexico was also an option. Or in some cases, a party deciding they wanted to marry someone else could combine a filing for divorce and a new marriage in one trip to Mexico. As no-fault became near-universal, the need to use Nevada or Mexico to evade restrictive divorce laws became less and less necessary. Advocates for eliminating the showing-of-fault requirements for divorce [ edit ] Many American lawyers and judges objected to the legal fictions used to satisfy the requirements for divorce, which were effectively rendering oaths meaningless and threatening to wreck the integrity of the American justice system by making perjury into a commonplace occurrence. As early as the 1930s, a treatise on American family law complained: In divorce litigation it is well known that the parties often seek to evade the statutory limitations and thus there is great danger of perjury, collusion, and fraud.... In many cases no defense is interposed, and often when the case is contested the contest is not waged with vigor or good faith.[36] In addition, advocates for no-fault divorce argued that the law should be changed to provide a straightforward procedure for ending a marriage, rather than forcing a couple who simply couldn't get along to choose between living together in "marital hell" or lying under oath in open court. The most prominent advocate of this position was feminist law professor Herma Hill Kay (who later became dean of UC Berkeley School of Law).[37] At its convention in 1947, the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) voted to draft and promote a bill that would embody the ideal of no-fault divorce and describes its efforts to promote the passage of no-fault divorce laws as "the greatest project NAWL has ever undertaken."[38] Other states were slower to adopt no-fault divorce. For example, Pennsylvania did not introduce no-fault divorce until around 1980.[39] California's Family Law Act of 1969 [ edit ] California adopted no-fault divorce with the Family Law Act of 1969, which became effective January 1, 1970.[40] The Act abolished California's action for divorce and replaced it with a proceeding for dissolution of marriage on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. The grounds of irreconcilable differences are accepted as true, and can be based on the assertions of one of the parties to the marriage.[41][42] The Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act [ edit ] At about the same time that California adopted no-fault divorce, the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) appointed a committee to draft a uniform marriage and divorce law for consideration by state legislatures, and the American Bar Association's Family Law Section was asked to appoint a committee to work with the committee from the NCCUSL.[43] The initial draft of the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Law written by the NCCUSL committee would direct judges to grant the petitioner's request to end the marriage if the judge found that the marriage was "irretrievably broken", a term which this draft did not define.[43] Since the term "irretrievably broken" was not defined, the committee from the American Bar Association (ABA) Family Law Section disapproved of this draft of the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act.[43] In response, the NCCUSL committee added a 180-day separation requirement in order for judges to find that the marriage had been irretrievably broken.[43] However, the NCCUSL committee also added language to allow judges to grant a petitioner a divorce if "there is serious marital discord adversely affecting one or both parties toward the marriage."[43] A further problem with "irretrievably broken" is that it seems to assume that broken pieces are somehow acceptable if they can be retrieved, even though they are not put back together.[44] The committee from the ABA Family Law Section objected to the ability of a petitioner to avoid the 180-day separation requirement by asserting "serious marital discord".[43] In his letter recommending that the American Bar Association House of Delegates not approve the amended draft proposed by the NCCUSL, Arnold J. Gibbs, the chairman of the ABA Family Law Section, stated that the NCCUSL's proposed draft created a rubber stamp type of divorce procedure. He wrote: "The creation of a mere 'rubber stamp type' of divorce procedure would not be in the best interests of the family, its individual members, and society in general."[45] Copies of the recommendation to disapprove the NCCUSL's amended draft were provided to the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL), Young Lawyers Section and the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL).[45] The committee from the NCCUSL refused to further amend its draft of the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act.[43][45] At the 1974 midwinter meeting of the American Bar Association in Houston, Council members of the Family Law Section indicated dissatisfaction with the public image the section was getting from its opposition to the NCCUSL's draft of the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act. In a policy statement, the ABA Family Law Section chose "to recognize separation only as conclusive evidence of marital breakdown and not as its unbending test", implying that "other kinds of evidence would be admissible to establish breakdown as well."[43] The adoption of no-fault divorce laws by the other states [ edit ] By 1977, nine states had adopted no-fault divorce laws,[38] and by late 1983, every state but South Dakota and New York had adopted some form of no-fault divorce (although some forms were not as easy to obtain as that in California).[46] South Dakota adopted no-fault divorce in 1985.[47] Until August 2010, New York still lacked a unilateral no-fault divorce statute; under New York divorce law, only if both parties executed and acknowledged a separation agreement and lived separately for one year could a judge convert it into a divorce. New York governor David Paterson signed a no-fault divorce bill on August 15, 2010. As of October 2010, no-fault divorce is allowed in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. See also [ edit ]Click to share on Weibo (Opens in new window) Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Sunday marks China’s first-ever “Space Day.” It’s also the 46th anniversary of the successful launch of the country’s first satellite, ‘Dong Fang Hong’ or ‘The East is Red.’ Chinese Astronauts celebrated the day in the training center. China’s space tracking ship Yuanwang-6 was open to the public. 46 years ago, China launched its first man-made satellite and the government named the day the space day for China. 46 years later, China has revealed its ambitious Mars exploring plan and prepare to build its own space station. And, in the lead-up to Space Day, CCTV’s Ning Hong, went to take a look at one of China’s major space projects: its new generation of launch vehicles. A walk through China's space launch vehicles In the lead-up to Space Day, CCTV's Ning Hong, went to take a look at one of China's major space projects: its new generation of launch vehicles. China will launch its Mars mission probe around 2020, aiming to reach the planet when the Communist Party of China marks its centenary in 2021, the country’s National Space Administration announced on Friday. The exploration of Mars has significance for understanding the evolution of the universe, the structure of matter, and the origin of life, according to Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the first Mars exploration mission. But he also stressed the difficulties to achieve the goal. “A total of 43 Mars missions have been launched throughout the world so far. The most recent one happened on March 14. It is a joint mission collaborated by the European Space Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency. It’s just been launched and it is still on its way to the Mars. There were only 22 successful launches. So the rate of success and failure was about 50-50,” said Zhang. China had set plans in 2007 and 2010 to launch Mars missions in 2011 and 2015, respectively, but both goals were never achieved for various reasons. For now, China is planning to launch its Mars probe in the launch window of 2020, said Zhang, adding that the favorable alignment of Earth and Mars occurs for only a few weeks every 26 months and 2020 will be a window for the launch. The spacecraft,which will be put into space by the new-generation Long March-5 heavy-lift rocket, is being developed by the China Academy of Space Technology. It is expected to orbit the Mars, land and deploy a rover all in one mission, the first of its kind in aerospace history if achieved. “Such a big plan to achieve orbiting, landing and rover deploying in one mission will make a legend. Only by completing this Mars probe mission can China say it has embarked on the exploration of deep space in the true sense,” said Zhang. In the second step of China’s Mars probe mission, the spacecraft will carry back samples of Mars surface, an action that never has been achieved by any country. Zhang said this will help people gain fresh and deeper insight into Mars. Story by CCTV NewsWhat video gaming reveals about psychology When I was growing up video games were seen as something for kids, boys, and generally, the nerdy (and at the time, that was a distinctive insult). Today, the global video gaming industry makes over $66 billiion a year (2012). To put that in some perspective, the global movie business makes about $88 billion. The average gamer is 30 and 45% of gamers are women (source). Gaming is mainstream and gamers are… everyone, just about. So the psychology of gaming is the psychology of everyone. The mystery of the MMORPG In late 1999 I was among the first to play the first “true” graphically modern massively-multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) game. Namely, Everquest. It was an exciting idea for gamers at the time: journey heroically in a fantasy universe with thousands of other humans including your “real life” friends. True enough, it was great fun to adventure along in a game with people, as opposed to the more solitary off-line gaming experience. But developers also had to radically change the design to accommodate thousands of people in a single persistent game world. In an offline fantasy romp the player could be the heroic protagonist. The prophesied champion around whom the entire story revolves, and who ultimately saves the world blah blah. You cannot have thousands of world-saving protagonists. That immediately meant two things. One, that plot no longer existed in any meaningful sense and two, developers needed to give players something to do that would keep them playing and thus, paying the monthly subscription fee. Old EQ players will tell you the graphics were stunning at the time. They were actually pretty underwhelming, even in 1999. In the first portion of the game, Everquest mimicked, albeit quite poorly, the heroic quest of the champion type of gameplay. You completed quests that were ostensibly important to some narrative, even though so was everyone else and none of this changed anything in the game world. If the offline RPGs were like a book in which you were the protagonist and your actions effect the plot and outcomes, questing in Everquest is more like riding Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland: fun but staged and fake; commodified for the next million people in line to enjoy as well. But then your character reaches “max level” and is strong as it can intrinsically be and even the hollow, pretend narrative-relevant tasks go away. So what do the devs want you, the player, to do at this point? The answer genuinely shocked me. Raid EQ players could obtain the very best gear (weapons, armor, and other bric-a-brac) by visiting a special hard-mode dungeon which was so exacting, it took 40 people cooperating just to attempt it. These were called Raid dungeons, or just raids. The first such raids available took such a team 8-12 hours to complete— if they knew what they were doing. But coordinating and and mobilizing 40 people, even in a video game, took time as well. So you would be waiting 2-4 hours just for the thing to start. So, the minimum time investment was 10-16 hours (!). And success was not assured. A key player could lose internet connection resulting in a failed run. Assuming you succeeded, what was your reward? At most, a half dozen pieces of weapons or armor. Almost everyone there would get nothing at all. The rest would get what might be the best sword or whatever in the game. But then, what was the sword good for? Nothing… except… raiding. To be assured a prize (just one item) you would definitely have to attend no fewer than 6 successful raids. And there were other insane chase-the-loot scenarios besides raids. One particular high-end robe was granted by killing a particular enemy. But the chance of it having the item was around 1%. After dispatched by a player, it would not re-appear for half an hour, and because it was the only way the item could be acquired, there were players at that enemies spot 24/7. To get just one of them required, on average, 50 hours of waiting, assuming you weren’t waiting in line behind others. Sound totally crazy? It did to me too. I never did any of that. MMORPGs have evolved since then. They’re easier and simpler, for the most part. But raiding? Still there, still an intentional time sink. In fact, MMORPGs are so tedious and repetitive, so mind-numbingly soul-crushingly dull, that people actually pay other people to play the game for them. Why do people do this? Or for that matter, play Angry Birds, Guy Jumping on Stuff, or War Shooter with Guns Part 17: Slightly Grittier Sand Edition? Why is gaming fun? One answer is better articulated by the most excellent guys behind the YouTube gamer channel called The Game Theorists (gg, Matpat), so skip to the video below if you’d rather just watch their discussion. Anyway, according to game-maker and psychologist Scott Rigby gaming caters to three psychological needs that everyone has, albeit in an artificial way. It pushes our buttons the way that pornography does, even if it isn’t real. But what buttons? The needs to feel personal competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Competence being the sense of developed expertise and mastery of a task, autonomy being the feeling of control and self-determination, and relatedness being social connectedness and relevance. Every successful game caters to one or more of these elements and perhaps people who are the most emotionally dependent on games have needs their lives to not fill that gaming does: Competence Platformers like Mario or Sonic; Dance games, Meatboy, Flappybird. Autonomy Player-creative games like Farmville, Minecraft, and the Sim series; Open-world games like Skyrim or Fallout 3 in which the player can choose their fate, where to go and what kind of person to be. Relatedness MMORPGs, multiplayer games in general; Perhaps games with a strong narrative or character/social emotion driven like old school offline RPGs or dating simulators. Evolutionary psychology of video games? Other than an unpublished thesis paper by game-creator (and degree in EP-holder) Michael Astolfi, there is no such thing that I know of. But that said, the ideas above map pretty readily onto well-worn evpsych theory. Astolfi’s paper notes that video games are super-normal stimuli, enhanced or exaggerated versions of things that had Darwinian fitness relevance to our ancestors. Rigby’s “relatedness” closely approximates the need for social status and to cooperate with others to achieve goals. “Competence” in video games is not a general thing, but rather specific to the most human of skills like manual dexterity, strategic and tactical thinking vs humans or animals, and motor coordination. Astolfi wrote that the first-person shooter genre, among the most perennially popular, includes supernormal stimuli relevant to mastery of projectile weapons and hunting. Evercrack Players sometimes joked that the horrible experience I described in the opening paragraphs ought to be called “Evercrack”, in reference to its addictive qualities. Perhaps MMORPGs are addictive because they can feed all three of the needs above. There are many skills and tasks that take real effort and time to master (Competence). There is usually quite a lot of customization of a player’s character, choices about where to go and what “professions” to have (Astolfi points out that all MMORPGs also specifically include hunting, and gathering of resources)(autonomy). And ultimately, long after there is no real narrative or apparent purpose, players keep chasing the Sword of Uberleetness which will give them the chance to do.5% more damage. Not because they will get any great use out of it, but because it lets them brag to their friends. It gives them status. They also had to work together with their friends to get it, so it feels like a real bonding experience besides (relatedness). If they’re honest, just about every MMORPG player will tell you the gameplay is dull at best, but that they are there because of their friends and their enemies. I can’t quite decide if I am fine with that, or if it’s Stockholm syndrome. Links and further reading or watching The Game Theorists YouTube channel. If you’re a gamer, I highly recommend it. The evolutionary psychology of video games: The digital game as supernormal stimulus by Michael Astolfi Glued to Games: How Video Games Draw Us In and Hold Us Spellbound by Scott Rigby and Richard Ryan Everquest retrospective review by YouTube’s Vareous. Fun for nostalgia or if you never experienced EQ and are curious what it was like: Make Love, Not Warcraft | Southpark’s MMORPG episode http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s10e08-make-love-not-warcraftShare. The evidence mounts. The evidence mounts. Exit Theatre Mode An unconfirmed rumour suggests Call of Duty: Ghosts will natively run at a lower resolution on Xbox One than PS4. Multiple sources from around the web report that while Call of Duty: Ghosts has been confirmed to run at a native 1080p on PlayStation 4, there's growing evidence that the Xbox One version will natively run at 720p, but will be upscaled. Exit Theatre Mode NeoGAF members have shared their confusion over the fact that when we recently got a chance to preview the game, it was shown off on PlayStation 4 rather than Xbox One. Considering the franchise's long history with Microsoft, including exclusive content, they posit that the only reason the PS4 would be used is because the game looks better on that console rather than on Xbox One. “ I've seen COD: Ghosts running on Xbox One. It looks f'n amazing. Wait for real footage, then judge for yourself. While this may just sound like a conspiracy theory, a host of supporting evidence has now been put forward to support the claim. For starters, when Microsoft's Albert Penello was asked on Twitter about the rumour, he responded, "I've seen COD: Ghosts running on Xbox One. It looks f'n amazing. Wait for real footage, then judge for yourself." While the words are comforting, they don't address the claims that the game is native 720p. Similarly, the company's Phil Spencer responded by saying, "As first party I don't get builds of 3rd party games. I know what our 1st party games are doing." Compared with Sony's Adam Boyes proudly announcing at the PlayStation Brazil conference that the game runs at a native 1080p on PlayStation 4, the evasive answers have understandably raised eyebrows. Obviously there are people out there who know what resolution the game runs at on Xbox One, but several journalists including Forbes' Erik Kain and Furious Fanboys' Jeremy Conrad have come forward to claim an NDA forbids talking about it. The embargo date for all reviews is reportedly on November 5 - except for the Xbox One version, which comes a week later on November 12. Pete Dodd, one of the first people to suggest that the Xbox One version would have a lower resolution and founder of a campaign against next-gen DRM, wrote on his blog that Activision has remained mute so far because work is being done to get the game up to the native 1080p mark on Microsoft's console as soon as possible; whether this is done by a patch on day one or later down the line remains to be seen. Exit Theatre Mode Rumours have also surfaced that Titanfall will run at a native 720p, though there seems to be less evidence for that. While the upscaling feature on the Xbox One means there should be very little discernible difference even if the game natively runs at a lower resolution, the implication being made is that developers are finding Sony's machine easier to develop and optimise for. We've reached out to Activision to see if we can get this clarified once and for all, and are awaiting a response. Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Junior Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.People in the Digby area without a family doctor have a new health clinic for primary care. With help from the province, South West Health officially opened the clinic today, Jan. 10. "We know that there are many people in the Digby area without a doctor, who were forced to rely on their local emergency department for primary care services," said MLA Jim Morton on behalf of Health and Wellness Minister David Wilson. "The goal of the new health clinic is part of our Better Care Sooner strategy to give regular access to a doctor for a significant population in the Digby area." The clinic, at Digby General Hospital, will have a doctor and family practice registered nurse available by appointment every Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Additional clinic days are expected to be added as more physicians and primary-care providers become involved. "Through this clinic, we can provide opportunities for physicians, who may not want a full-time practice, to come serve our patients in an established health-centre setting," said Dr. Alenia Kysela, vice-president, medicine for South West Health. "Once they are here providing regular services, we hope some will be encouraged to stay. This will be the first step toward a collaborative care model of providing service in the new health centre, which is being developed in Digby." People in the Digby area without a family physician or primary care provider can make an appointment by calling 902-245-2502, extension 3282.Arkansas-Ole Miss To Play Doubleheader Friday FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Due to the likelihood of heavy rain beginning Friday evening and into Saturday, the series finale between Arkansas and Ole Miss will be moved to Friday and be part of a double-header starting at Noon at Baum Stadium. Both games will be nine innings long and the second game will start approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. This change does not affect tonight’s series opener, which is set for 6 p.m. Fans should use Friday’s ticket to gain admission to both games of the doubleheader. All game tickets to Saturday’s contest are null and void, but single game Saturday tickets may be exchanged for any future 2017 regular season games by contacting the Razorback Ticket Center at 1-800-982-HOGS (4647), subject to availability. Season tickets, including those for suites, for Saturday, are not valid and may not be exchanged. First pitch for tonight’s game one is still slated for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network. However, with the schedule change to Friday, both games two and three will be broadcast on SEC Network+ only via the Watch ESPN app and WatchESPN.com. All games can still be heard on the radio via the Razorback Sports Network with Phil Elson and Rick Schaeffer calling all the action. Promotions Fans will also still be able to receive their free Drew Smyly shirseys on Friday prior to the first game of the double-header. The gates will open at 10 a.m. and the shirseys are limited to one per ticketed guest on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last. The Razorback Baseball pint glass that was scheduled to be given away on Saturday will now be given away on Saturday, May 13 before the Hogs take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. For more information on Razorback Baseball, follow @RazorbackBSB on Twitter.Age Of Empires Online's launch was far from perfect--in fact, a lot of people skipped right over the game for very good reasons (see our launch review for a quick recap). But the beauty of online games and free-to-play models is that developers can listen to feedback from disgruntled players and change their games over time to make them better
In a statement Jean-Charles Bocquet, ECPA Director General, said it reflected “a bias of the anti-neonicotinoid campaign toward highly theoretical laboratory tests rather than fully considering published field studies and other independent research that proves the safety of these pesticides”. The Commission welcomed the report and said it would start a review of new scientific information by the end of May.Page Content On October 15, 2015, 5 Avenue S.W. became a two-way street between 5 Street S.W. and the west-end of downtown at all times except from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays, not including statutory holidays. To accommodate this operation, the following changes will be implemented: Parking is now restricted on the north side of 5 Avenue, between 5 Street S.W. and 10 Street S.W., from 5 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. At all other times, motorists parking on the north side of 5 Avenue S.W., between 5 Street S.W. and 10 Street S.W., are required to park facing westbound with the flow of traffic. Motorists are requested to adhere to all posted signs. Benefits of two-way traffic The benefits of this two-way traffic operation on 5 Avenue include: Optimized use of existing transportation infrastructure. Improved traffic circulation. This two-way operation is being done as a trial to assess effectiveness and to identify and address any issues. Temporary traffic control devices are in place on 5 Avenue to define the two-way operation. Two-way operation - All times except 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. weekdays One-way eastbound - 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. weekdays Give your opinion or comment on the new downtown 5 avenue lane reversal online:Image copyright AFP Image caption The chief executive of News International is expected to say she wasn't involved in hacking This story was originally published at 0810 BST on 5 July 2011. Rebekah Brooks is not planning to resign as chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's UK operations, I have learned - even though the voicemails of Milly Dowler's mobile phone were allegedly intercepted at the instigation of the News of the World when she was editor of the Sunday tabloid in 2002. Later today she is expected to tell staff at News International, the UK arm of Mr Murdoch's News Corporation, that she is deeply shocked by the allegations, which News International has been working through the night to substantiate. However she insists that she was not involved in that instance of alleged phone hacking, or others, and knew nothing about it. Ms Brooks has spoken to Rupert Murdoch, and is under no pressure from him to stand down. "He is backing her 100%", said a News International executive - who insisted that it was only under her tenure as News International's chief executive that the company had resolved to uncover what had gone wrong in the past and to deliver all relevant documents and information to the police. She remains in charge of the process of assisting the police in their enquiries, known as Operation Weeting, to determine whether criminal charges should be brought against those journalists implicated in hacking mobile phones and other invasions of individuals' right to privacy. "She is committed to find out the truth of what happened here and leading the company through this difficult time" said one of her colleagues. "Her job is to see this through". Executives from News International are meeting the police at 9.30 this morning, for what they say is the 50th or so meeting with officers since they began their enquiries. Update, 09:24: The prime minister has this morning made these comments about the allegations that the News of the World hacked into Milly Dowler's voicemails in 2002: "On the question of the really appalling allegations about the telephone of Milly Dowler, if they are true, this is a truly dreadful act and a truly dreadful situation. What I have read in the papers is quite, quite shocking, that someone could do this actually knowing that the police were trying to find this person and trying to find out what had happened, and we all now know the tragedy that took place." Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Coulson stepped down as editor of the Sunday tabloid in 2007 There is of course an uncomfortable feedback loop from the latest disclosures of alleged hacking to the prime minister - in that the deputy editor of the News of the World in 2002 was Andy Coulson, who became editor of the News of the World in 2003, and who also served as Mr Cameron's communications director until he resigned in January. Mr Coulson will now be pressed to disclose whether he was aware of the alleged interception and deletion of voicemail messages left on Milly Dowler's phone. Some will say that he and Rebekah Brooks are damned if they did know and damned if they didn't - in that as the most senior editors of the News of the World, they should have made enquiries about how sensitive information was obtained. What Steve Hewlett pointed out this morning on the Today programme is that there is an important difference between Mr Coulson and Ms Brooks, which is that he resigned from News International all those years ago after the original revelations about how a private detective, Glen Mulcaire, used illicit techniques to obtain private information about prominent individuals. Ms Brooks is impregnable in her position, while she has the full backing of Mr Murdoch - who has asked her to steer News International through this crisis. What is important in this context is that News Corporation, owner of News International, is no ordinary public company - in that (to state the blindingly obvious) Mr Murdoch wields considerably more power within the organisation than is typical of a public-company boss. And, as colleagues of them both have told me over many months, Mr Murdoch and Ms Brooks have a remarkable and close working relationship. "In some ways I would say she is as close to him as his children" said one. Update, 12:25: Rebekah Brooks has confirmed she is not stepping down as chief executive of News International. In a statement to News International staff she said: "I am sickened that these events are alleged to have happened. Not just because I was Editor of the News of the World at the time, but if the accusations are true, the devastating effect on Milly Dowlers family is unforgivable." Image copyright PA Image caption Milly Dowler's family will pursue a claim for damages against the News of the World She added: "It is almost too horrific to believe that a professional journalist or even a freelance inquiry agent working on behalf of a member of the News of the World staff could behave in this way. "If the allegations are proved to be true then I can promise the strongest possible action will be taken as this company will not tolerate such disgraceful behaviour. "I hope that you all realise it is inconceivable that I knew or worse, sanctioned these appalling allegations." She disclosed that she has written to the family of Milly Dowler, pledging to vigorously investigate the allegations that the News of the World hacked into the murdered teenager's mobile phone - and to communicate the results of the investigation to them before anyone else. Its executives tell me they are not contesting the basic facts, as set out in yesterday's online story in the Guardian. "We are working on the assumption that it is basically true", said one. "We have learned a good deal more about this from our own enquiries overnight." Ms Brooks added: "It is important you all know that as Chief Executive, I am determined to lead the company to ensure we do the right thing and resolve these serious issues. We will face up to the mistakes and wrongdoing of the past and we will do our utmost to see that justice is done and those culpable will be punished." Update, 13:56: News International executives tell me they fear there may have been worse examples of alleged hacking by the News of the World than that of Milly Dowler's mobile phone. The mind reels. Update, 17:00: As I understand it, the Metropolitan Police are also probing an allegation that the News of the World instigated the hacking of the mobile phone of Leslie Chapman, father of Jessica Chapman, one of the schoolgirls murdered at Soham in 2002.Image copyright Catapault Image caption Milton Keynes is set to begin tests of the Lutz self-driving pods next year The four English locations picked to test driverless cars have been named. Greenwich, in south-east London, and Bristol will each host a project of their own, while Coventry and Milton Keynes will share a third. The decision was announced by the quango Innovate UK, after George Osborne's Autumn Statement. The chancellor also announced an additional £9m in funding for the work, adding to the £10m that had been announced in July. The businesses involved will add further funds. Bristol will host the Venturer consortium, which aims to investigate whether driverless cars can reduce congestion and make roads safer. Its members include the insurance group Axa, and much of its focus will be on the public's reaction to the tech as well as the legal and insurance implications of its introduction. Greenwich is set to run the Gateway scheme. This will be led by the Transport Research Laboratory consultancy and also involves General Motors, and the AA and RAC motoring associations. It plans to carry out tests of automated passenger shuttle vehicles as well as autonomous valet parking for adapted cars. In addition, a self-drive car simulator will make use of a photorealistic 3D model of the area to study how people react to sharing the driving of a vehicle with its computer. Image copyright Gateway Image caption Gateway will test self-drive passenger shuttle vehicles in Greenwich "The combination of TRL's independent expertise; robust, reliable testing protocols and driving simulation facilities alongside the diverse and high calibre qualities of our consortium means we can safely demonstrate automated vehicles to build acceptance and trust in this revolutionary technology," said the firm's chief executive Rob Wallis. Milton Keynes and Coventry will host the UK Autodrive programme. This involves Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and the engineering consultancy Arup among others, and will test both self-drive cars on the road as well as self-driving pods designed for pedestrianised areas. Part of this group's work will be to develop the technologies that will need to be built into roads and the surrounding infrastructure to aid vehicle navigation. "Our plan with the practical demonstration phases is to start testing with single vehicles on closed roads, and to build up to a point where all road users, as well as legislators, the police and insurance companies, are confident about how driverless pods and fully and partially autonomous cars can operate safely on UK roads," said Tim Armitage from Arup. The tests will last from between 18 to 36 months and begin on 1 January.The Navy Yard gunman who killed 12 people Monday at a military facility in Washington typically earned rave reviews from his superiors during his time in the service, though there were glimpses into the madness that drove him to mass murder, according to records obtained exclusively by Fox News. Aaron Alexis was described at different times during his 2007-2011 stint as a full-time Navy reservist as an "eager trainee" with "unlimited potential," who displayed a "get it done" attitude. The evaluations are in sharp contrast to fresher reports that detail a lengthy arrest record, mental illness and a pattern of harassing neighbors and strangers. They further complicate the emerging portrait of Alexis, who was working in IT for a Navy subcontractor when he died in the rampage at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters in Washington after first gunning down 12 civilian workers as they mustered for work in the cafeteria early in the morning. [pullquote] "Alexis has been onboard a short time and has established himself as a 'get-it-done' addition to the work center," wrote one evaluating supervisor in the spring of 2008. "Possesses unlimited potential and can become a valuable asset to the command with the proper guidance and self-discipline." That report called Alexis, who was 34 when he died, a "talented technician" who meticulously carried out his duties as an aviation electrician's mate, working on aircraft electrical systems. It also praised him for work he did off the Georgia military base where he was stationed, calling him "community minded," and noting that he "dedicated over 10 hours of off-duty time to the Atlanta Food Bank distributing food to needy individuals in the metro Atlanta area." A box on the review that read "must promote" was checked. The review seemed at odds with a 2004 police report in Seattle, where Alexis shot out the tires of a construction worker's car in what he told police was an "anger-fueled blackout." He was arrested, but not prosecuted after promising to have no contact with the victim. Another incident involving a gun led to his arrest in 2010, in Fort Worth, where he was stationed with the Navy. In that incident, he admitted shooting a gun through his ceiling and into the apartment of an upstairs neighbor. He told police he was "cleaning his gun," but the neighbor, who told police she'd had run-ins before with Alexis, was "terrified" according to police. Alexis was arrested, but prosecutors declined to pursue the case. Alexis would be arrested in a DeKalb County, Georgia club for disorderly conduct months later, in August of 2008, an event that would later see him demoted one step in rank after missing a day of work while in jail. Still, his next review praised him as a "proven technician" who was a "motivated" and "essential team member." That evaluation also recommended Alexis for promotion. But in the spring of 2009, Alexis got his first negative review, based at least in part, on the Georgia arrest. "[Alexis] has had a severe lapse in judgment on a number of occasions, and has been counseled several times for inappropriate conduct," stated the review, which went on to say he was "awarded Non Judicial Punishment in July of 2009." Later that year, though, Alexis appealed the punishment and in December, the Navy granted his appeal, reinstated his rank and gave him back pay. The violation was essentially expunged from his record, one Navy official said. Subsequent reviews seemed to indicate he had put the incident behind him and was back to winning positive evaluations. In February, 2010, his evaluation called him a "team player" and a "highly-motivated technician, an asset to the Avionic Division and Aircraft Maintenance Efforts." "[Alexis] continues to displays (sic) great strides and a determination to excel," it read. "A future key asset to the Command's continued mission success. On track for AE2!" Alexis was discharged in January 2011. A post-separation evaluation - the last review the U.S. Navy would give on the man who turned out to be a ticking time bomb - served as a reference to prospective employers in the private sector. "A competent mechanic who possesses the potential to achieve great things," it read. "Alexis will be a valuable asset to any civilian organization."BEIJING: China on Thursday said its "huge dispute" with India over Arunachal Pradesh is an "undeniable fact" even as it echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's views that the two countries should create favourable conditions for a mutually-acceptable settlement of the vexed boundary issue. "There is a huge dispute in the eastern border of China-India border. This is undeniable fact," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hu Chunying told media here when asked about the Indian government extending controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Arunachal Pradesh."China always holds consistent and clear position on the China-India boundary question. The two sides should make joint efforts to maintain peace tranquility of the border area and create favourable conditions for the negotiation of the boundary question," she said.Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,126 km border with China and 520-km border with Myanmar. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet.China calling the border issue a "huge dispute" and "undeniable fact" is seen as an attempt by Beijing to flag its stand on Arunachal Pradesh ahead of Modi's expected visit to China next month.Her comments came as the top defence officials of the two countries are meeting here ahead of the Annual Defence Dialogue (ADD) scheduled for Friday.Hua sounded positive while reacting to Modi's remarks on the border issue made in an interview to an Indian newspaper and endorsed his views that maintaining peace at the border is important in order to create conditions to arrive at a mutually-acceptable solution."We have taken note of remarks made by Prime Minister Modi. China has always taken a positive attitude on the China-India boundary question," she said."Last September while visiting India, President Xi Jinping said publicly that China is confident to resolve the boundary question together with the Indian side though friendly negotiations and maintaining peace and tranquility of the border area," she said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Sabarmati river front during the latter's visit to India in 2014."It is a common responsibility of common aspiration of the India and China to resolve the boundary question. We have made enormous efforts to this end," she said, highlighting 18 rounds of Special Representatives talks to "exchange views"."Progress has been made in this regard. We are willing to work with India to press ahead with the negotiations process to reach a comprehensive and reasonable solution that is acceptable to both the parties," she said.Showing its sensitivity on Arunachal Pradesh, China had recently strongly protested to India over Prime Minister Modi's visit to the border state.China says the border dispute is confined only to 2,000 kms mostly in Arunachal Pradesh whereas India asserts that the dispute covered the western side of the border spanning to about 4,000 kms, especially the Aksai Chin area annexed by China in 1962 war.Image zoom Getty The selfie obsession is leading more people to seek plastic surgery, according to a study conducted by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. “One in three facial plastic surgeons surveyed saw an increase in requests for procedures due to patients being more self aware of looks in social media,” stated the 2014 study. “AAFPRS members surveyed noted a 10 percent increase in rhinoplasty in 2013 over 2012, as well as a 7 percent increase in hair transplants and a 6 percent increase in eyelid surgery.” A follow-up study of 2014 data stated that the “surge in self-awareness and an increase in requests for aesthetic procedures (especially in the under 30 set) sired by ‘selfies’ [ ] shows no sign of declining.” “I have noticed more people becoming obsessed with the way they look in their selfies,” Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Marc Mani tells PEOPLE. “When we see ourselves in pictures, we notice more things that we may want to change, as opposed to looking in the mirror. The selfie obsession has fed into this and made more people come in asking if plastic surgery can help them.” Mani says that among his patients, the nose and neck are the two body parts patients have been most concerned about due to the way they look in their self-taken photos. “The nose looks bigger in close-ups, and all selfies are close-ups, so they think it should be smaller,” he says. “Since selfies are often shot from below, the neck looks either fatter or saggier from that angle.” However, Mani does not believe that the selfie craze is leading people to get excessive cosmetic procedures, but rather that it is just bringing already underlying insecurities to the surface. “The desire to take a perfect selfie may push someone to have plastic surgery, but I think people who are obsessed with selfies are often insecure and lacking in confidence,” he says. “Plastic surgery is intended to boost self-esteem by enhancing confidence, so if it’s done right, maybe the selfie-taker will have the confidence to put down their camera phone and share their beauty in person!”A driver who ran a red light and killed a cyclist who was riding on a pedestrian crossing has escaped jail after being found guilty of causing death by careless driving. Rouguiatou Fofana was sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for two years at Coventry Crown Court on Friday for causing the death of Craig Mulligan. According to the Coventry Telegraph’s Daniel Smith and Sam Dimmer, Fofana, 34, was originally charged with causing death by dangerous driving after hitting 34-year-old Mr Mulligan on November 1, 2012. The court heard that she was travelling at 32-38mph in a 30mph zone and made no attempt to slow down when the lights on the crossing turned red. Mr Mulligan was hospitalised with severe injuries and died five days later. Fofana maintained that the lights were green when she drove into Mr Mulligan and has never fomally apolgised. Ian Crooks, of West Midlands CPS, said: “A prudent and careful driver would have had time to see the victim crossing the road and they would have stopped or swerved in order to avoid colliding with him. “From police investigation as well as witness statements, it became apparent that Fofana was travelling above the speed limit and when the cyclist came into her vision. “This situation arose due to the fact that Fofana did not have her full attention on the road at those few seconds before the collision.” Ben Williams, defending, said: “It’s a fact of the rules of the road that a cyclist should not be using a pedestrian crossing.” But Judge Phillip Gregory was having none of it. “So what?” he said. “It might have been a child using the crossing and been wiped out by your client. “I have never seen an expression of regret from her.” Mr Williams said: “She may not have expressed remorse during the trial but to people known to her and a third party she has expressed remorse. “She has suffered sleepless nights and cannot get the moment of the collision out of her mind. “Both the offender and her husband have prayed for the victim and his family. “She would like to say sorry and seek their forgiveness. She knows an apology would not make up for what happened.” Handing Fofana a suspended prison sentence, Judge Gregory said the court was not there to “take revenge” on her. He said: “The court can not do anything to make up for the evil of that night by sentencing you. “What I am required to do is impart justice for the victim, his family, to you and to society at large. “On balance I can properly deal with you in the way recommended by the probation service. “I’m satisfied you feel remorse. By your nature you are a caring and responsible person.” The court also ordered Fofana to carry out 100 hours unpaid work and meted out a three-year driving ban, plus £2,000 costs.Culture experiments Culture experiments were undertaken in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford. Duplicate monoclonal batch cultures of four strains of coccolithophore belonging to the family Noëlaerhabdaceae were grown in sterile filtered (0.2 μm) artificial seawater prepared according to ESAW68 adapted for a range of DIC concentrations ((DIC)=1.380 mM, 2.147 mM, 3.067 mM and 6.135 mM) at constant pH total scale (8.2) by varying sodium bicarbonate addition and titration with HCl and with nitrate (442 μM), phosphate (5.00 μM), vitamins, trace metals and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid according to K/2 (ref. 69). Cultures were maintained at 15 °C with an incident photon flux of 250 μE and a 12/12 light/dark cycle. Cells were acclimated for >20 generations in dilute batch culture for each experimental condition before inoculation. Cells were inoculated in 2.4l polycarbonate flasks, with no headspace and sealed off to the air with teflon lined caps. Removal of medium during the experiment was unavoidable due to the need to count and measure cells, and resulted in a maximum headspace of 20 cm3 at harvest. To minimize the drift in culture conditions throughout the course of the experiment, cells were harvested at ∼1–2% (and never >4%) of maximum cell density, which was determined for each experimental condition and strain combination via prelimenary experimentation. Strains were AC478 (RCC1211 G. oceanica from Portuguese coast in Atlantic Ocean), AC472 (RCC1216 E. huxleyi, from Tasman Sea in Pacific Ocean), AC448 (RCC1256 E. huxleyi, Icelandic coast in Atlantic Ocean) and AC279 (RCC1314 G. oceanica, French coast in Atlantic Ocean) from the Roscoff culture collection (RCC). Particulate material was harvested by dry filtration onto pre-weighed membranes with 0.2 μm pore-size, and rinsed of salt with a minimal amount of neutralized deionised water. Coccolithophore size and concentration were obtained using a Beckman Z2 Coulter Counter. Coccosphere and cell size were measured three times each respectively pre- and post-decalcification both morning and evening on the harvest day and the preceding day. Cells were decalcified by reducing the pH of the suspension with HCl addition to 5.0 with for around 20 min. The Coulter counter was calibrated to use ESAW+K/2 medium as an electrolyte, and for use with the acidified electrolyte, to accommodate for the difference in ionic strength. Cell division is synchronized under the light/dark cycle and cell size was assumed to increase linearly throughout the day70. By measuring cell and coccosphere size morning and evening, the bias introduced due to the time of day of measurement can be removed by interpolation to the same time of day. This also removes the daily variation of cell size70. Culture health was monitored by cell counts and microscope inspection on alternate days. Molar PIC and POC were measured with a Rock Eval analyser in the Earth Sciences department at Oxford University. Isotope measurements Carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of calcite were measured at the University of Oxford using a VG Isogas Prism II mass spectrometer with an on-line VG Isocarb common acid bath preparation system. Samples were first rinsed with neutralized deionised water to remove any salt. Samples were then dosed with acetone and dried at 60 °C for at least 30 min. In the instrument they were reacted with purified phosphoric acid at 90 °C. Calibration to PDB standard was via the international standard NBS-19 using the Oxford in-house (NOCZ) Carrara marble standard. Reproducibility of replicated standards was better than 0.1‰ (1σ) for δ13C and δ18O expressed relative to the V-PDB standard. Carbon isotopic composition of organic material was measured on an automated carbon and nitrogen elemental analyzer (Carlo Erba EA1108) at the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art at the University of Oxford. Samples were decalcified with HCl, and rinsed with MilliQ water at least three times before being weighed into tin capsules. The internal alanine standard reproducibility is ∼0.16‰ expressed relative to the V-PDB standard. Assumptions of the model The assumptions on which this model is based, are: Cells are in steady-state growth. The concentration of every carbon pool (that is, each carbon species in each intracellular compartment) is constant, which implies that all fluxes associated with that pool sum to zero. The cell and compartments are assumed to be isomorphic across all strains and conditions. CO 2 and ions move across membranes via passive diffusion and facilitated diffusion respectively. Both chemical species are assumed to move across membranes with a flux proportional to surface area of the membrane and the concentration of the carbon species on the proximal side of the membrane. There is no concentration-independent active uptake of bicarbonate or carbon dioxide. Membranes are impermeable to carbonate ions. There is no other source of carbon to the cell. Loss of carbon from the cell is via carbon fixation, calcification, passive diffusion of CO 2, and co-transport of. The membrane permeability to CO 2 is constant. The effective membrane permeability to, which incorporates the concentrations of coported ions, is a linear function of background carbon utilization ( U 0 ; defined in equation (2)), representing the ability of cells to upregulate transport proteins. The special cases whereby permeability is non-adaptive, or is zero are explicitly allowed. The constants describing the permeability of membranes to CO 2 and to are identical across all species, and for all membranes except the cell membrane where the strong gradient of Na + from the extra-cellular to intra-cellular environment is assumed to dominate transport via Na + coport, thus introducing an asymmetric permeability. As this is an electroneutral process, the membrane potential does does affect this flux, which is assumed to be a product of mass-action. pH in each compartment is constant, and is prescribed a priori, according to the values measured by Anning et al. 33. Organic matter is not remobilised from the organic pool to the cytosol via mitochondrial respiration. Movement of carbon across membranes does not impart a kinetic isotopic fractionation. All cells are assumed to exhibit active external CA (see Supplementary Note 1). The chloroplast is assumed to consist of a single compartment with no pyrenoid. The large isotopic fractionation of carbon that occurs during fixation catalysed by the enzyme RuBisCO, is here factored into the model as an effective pyrenoid/RuBisCO black box fractionation ( fe ). Membrane permeabilities A putative bicarbonate transport protein has been observed to be upregulated of at low [CO 2 ]42. Here these results are interpreted as consistent with an approximately linear increase in transcript abundance with the degree of carbon utilization (Supplementary Fig. 2). This physiological result is assumed to reflect an increase in synthesis of transport proteins, and thus the density of transport proteins in the membrane, manifest as an increase in the effective permeability of membranes to. The flux of through membranes facilitated by SCL4-like exchange proteins is proportional the the product of on the proximal side of the membrane and Na+ on the proximal side of the membrane for coport, and that of Cl− on the distal side of the membrane for antiport. For simplicity, we assume transport to be driven by Na+ coport, and the gradients of the coported ion to be negligible across all membranes, except the cellular membrane where it is substantial. This assumption is factored into the model via an additional universal constant, which describes the extra-cellular to intra-cellular concentration gradient of the coported ion. This assumption is more coherent with the current biological literature than equivalent assumptions of previous models, including concentration-independent implicitly ATP-driven active uptake of, assumed by Keller et al.24 to scale with growth rate, or by Bolton and Stoll2 to be independent of all other parameters. In this model, the permeability of membranes to CO 2 (P Ccell ) is assumed to be constant. The permeability of membranes to (P Bcell ) is assumed to increase linearly with utilization of background (that is, before upregulation of anion exchange proteins) carbon supply (U 0 ), which is defined as: where C in0 is the net carbon supply when membrane permeabilities to CO 2 and to are at their background values, and F FIX +F CAL is the rate of fixation of carbon into organic and inorganic matter. The membrane permeability to bicarbonate is therefore: where T 0 is the base-level membrane permeability to and T U is the gradient of the increase in membrane permeability to with increasing utilization; F FIX and F CAL are the rates of carbon fixation and calcification respectively, C e and e are the concentrations of CO 2 and in the ambient medium respectively, and SA cell is the surface area of the cell. The large Na+ gradient at the cell membrane is included as an additional constant, G. This line of reasoning is a set of assumptions factored into the model via four universal constants describing the membrane permeability to CO 2 and to (P Ccell, T 0, T U and G). These four constants will be constrained by the data, explicitly leaving open the option of non-upregulated transport (through T U =0), complete impermeability of membranes to (through T 0 =T U =0), and through up- and down-gradient movement of dependent on the inferred Na+ ion gradient. Compartment shapes and sizes Each intracellular compartment is assumed to be an oblate spheroid. The equatorial axis of the spheroid, a, is assumed to have a constant ratio with the cell radius. This is referred to as the scaling factor (s f c × r=a c ). The polar axis, c, is assumed to have a constant ratio with the equatorial axis. This ratio is referred to as the aspect ratio factor (a f c × a c =c c ). Isometry is assumed across species, and in this way, two constants are used to describe the relative size and shape of each compartment, and therefore their volumes and surface areas. The surface area of an oblate spheroid is given by: The volume of a spheroid is given by: Intracellular carbonic anhydrase The CAs are a family of zinc-containing metalloenzymes responsible for catalysing the hydration and dehydration of CO 2 and respectively. Their behaviour is well described by Michaelis–Menten kinetics45. Given the general form of an enzymatically catalysed reaction: where E, S, ES and P denote enzyme, substrate, enzyme–substrate complex and product concentrations, respectively. k f, k r and k cat are rate constants respectively for the binding and unbinding of substrate to the enzyme, and for the maximum catalytic throughput of the reaction. According to the Michaelis–Menten equations, the velocity of a reaction such as equation (7) is given by: where K m is the Michaelis constant, or half-saturation constant, and describes the substrate concentration when v=. When [S]<<K m, equation (8) becomes: and is the specific activity of the enzyme in units of M−1 s−1. This is analogous to a rate constant (k p ), or activity, when multiplied by the concentration of the enzyme. The rate constant for CA-catalysed hydration of CO 2 is then: As enzymes catalyse reactions but do not alter the position of equilibrium, the rate constant for the reverse reaction, CA-catalysed dehydration of, is given by the hydration rate constant divided by the equilibrium constant: A value of 2.7 × 107 M−1 s−1 was determined by Uchikawa et al.45 for the of the hydration reaction catalysed by bovine erythrocyte CA. Model derivation Fluxes of CO 2 through membranes are the product of membrane surface area (SA), CO 2 concentration on the source side of the membrane, and membrane permeability to the specific carbon species. From Fig. 1 expressions for transmembrane CO 2 fluxes are: and likewise for fluxes: where all fluxes are defined in Fig. 1. G is the constant that describes the effective asymmetry of the cell membrane to due to the transmembrane Na+ gradient. In each compartment, carbon dioxide and bicarbonate ions are interconverted by the reversible hydration and hydroxylation reactions, and by hydration in the presence of CA: where arrow annotations denote rate constants (see section for CA rate constants). Combining the rate constants of equation (14) at constant pH and [CA] in a generic compartment, a, gives: where k CBa denotes the reaction rate constant for the conversion of CO 2 to, and k BCa denotes the rate constant for the reverse reaction. H a, OH a and CA a refer to the concentrations of H+ ions, OH− ions and CA in compartment, a. As compartment-specific pH and [CA] are defined apriori, k CBa and k BCa can be treated as pH and [CA] dependent compound rate constants. The rates of the reactions described by equation (14) in each compartment are therefore: Carbon fluxes throughout the cell can be fully described with equations (12), (13) and (17), and with two additional output fluxes; the rate of calcification (F CAL ) and the rate of photosynthetic carbon fixation (F FIX ; Fig. 1). Assuming steady state, the rate of change of the amount of each carbon species in each compartment is zero, giving: At steady state these differential equations become linear functions of the concentration of the different inorganic carbon species. Substituting in equations (12), (13) and (17): This set of interdependent equations can be written as a linear system of the form: where A is the coefficient matrix of the linear system, N is the nonhomogeneous term and Φ is the unknown vector containing the carbon species concentrations in each compartment. Equation (20) can be solved for Φ, where A and N, defined by the dynamic carbon species concentration equations, are as follows: [13C] is very low compared to [12C], carbon fluxes are assumed to represent 12C. 13C dynamics are therefore determined by prefixing each C flux with corresponding R, where: By definition, so the assumption of balanced growth allows both offset R standard and scale factor R standard to be eliminated while preserving the same system of equations. Effectively, we can thus prefix each flux directly with the associated δ13C value. For fractionation fluxes, this leads to a prefix with the sum of the δ13C of the source pool and the process-specific fractionation factor ( ). In the following, δ Θa refers to the δ13C of carbon species, Θ, in compartment, a. The following fractionation factors (in ‰)44, are assumed constant: where the subscripts are consistent with those from equation (14). Analogous to the compound rate constants of equations (15) and (16), the interconversion of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate has a pH and [CA] dependent, compartment-specific, compound isotopic fractionation factor. When the linear system described for carbon fluxes is solved, all carbon species concentrations in all compartments are known. Dynamic equations for the isotopic composition of each compartment, assuming balanced growth, and expressed in terms of carbon dioxide, and bicarbonate fluxes and fractionation factors are thus: At steady state the differential equations become linear functions of δ13C of the different carbon species in the different compartments. Substituting in equations (12), (13) and (17): This set of interdependent equations can also be written as a linear system of the form: where A is the coefficient matrix
ing array of discount packages in a dozen or more of the most popular urban tourist destinations in the U.S.: Seattle, San Francisco, Southern California, New York City, Boston, and Miami, to name a few. On a recent trip to San Francisco, my CityPASS saved me at least $50 on some very worthwhile attractions, including the California Academy of Sciences – one of the best science museums I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Abroad, you might have better luck with city-specific passes. When my wife and I visited Lisbon, Portugal, we purchased a Lisboa Card, a multi-attraction pass that doubled as an unlimited-use transit pass. We saw at least a dozen of the included sights at no out-of-pocket cost, recouping our investment twice over. Pro Tip: Multi-attraction discount cards are designed to encourage as much sightseeing as possible. The more sights you can cram into a day or week (depending on the duration you’ve chosen), the less you’ll pay per attraction. If you’re only interested in a couple of participating sights, it might be better to just pay full price at each. 45. Take Advantage of Free & “Pay What You Can” Museum Days Only suckers pay full price for high culture, say seasoned travel experts. Before you buy passes online or head to the ticket window, check museums’ websites for information about time-limited discounts. In my experience, most museums have at least one free day or evening per month – often during extended hours on the first Thursday or Friday. These days are especially valuable at science museums and aquariums, which tend to be pricier than all but the cream of the art museum crop. Look out for “pay what you can” days, too, when you can literally name your own price. 46. Check Community Calendars for Free or Cheap Events Museums don’t have a monopoly on free or cheap activities. Check community calendars in your destination for interesting opportunities that won’t cost much (or anything) out of pocket. You can usually find up-to-date calendars online at municipal or local/regional tourism websites. The sky’s the limit: Whatever’s cheap and catches your fancy is fair game. It’s worth noting that many elite museums are completely free. In Washington, D.C., the dozen-plus Smithsonian Institution museums are free for all – you can easily spend a week inside the grand edifices off the National Mall without paying a dime. 47. Take Advantage of Group or Class Discounts Most Americans belong to at least one professional, cultural, or fraternal organization with outsize purchasing and negotiating power: AAA, AARP, Rotary International, countless professional guilds, and on and on. Others belong to special demographic or cultural classes: students, seniors, active duty military, or veterans. Whether they know it or not, members of these groups and classes may be entitled to discounts, freebies, or special perks at museums, venues, restaurants, parks, cultural attractions, service providers, and more. Even if your association doesn’t really promote its travel perks, it never hurts to do some research and see what you might be entitled to. Final Word Traveling is a deeply personal experience. Two people can visit the same place, at the same time, see the same things, and partake in the same activities – and come away with two radically different conclusions about what they experienced. I would know: I travel with my wife all the time. Ultimately, your choice to accept or ignore some or all of these money-saving travel tips will come down to your personal preferences and travel style. I won’t be offended if you conclude that some or even most of these ideas don’t really apply to your situation – though I’d love to hear more about your favorite tricks to save money on the road. What’s your favorite way to save money on vacation?WHITE TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – Two people are facing child endangerment charges after their home was found to be in deplorable conditions. According to police, Indiana County CYS responded to a home in the 200-block of Brady Drive in White Township last week to check on the welfare of three kids. When they arrived, they found the three children, ages 7, 3 and 1, to be suffering from a severe case of scabies. Conditions in the home were said to be “profoundly horrid.” “This was one of the most deplorable homes they’ve ever encountered, especially with children living in there,” said Indiana County District Attorney Pat Dougherty. “There were animal feces, cockroaches. Three of the children involved were diagnosed at our hospital with scabies.” While being checked out, medics determined the 1-year-old had also been slapped in the face. As a result, police have charged Scott Miller, 38, and Melissa Miller, 45, with endangering the welfare of children. Scott Miller faces an addition charge of simple assault for allegedly slapping the youngest child. KDKA’s Ross Guidotti spoke with with Melissa Miller. Guidotti: “Are you folks negligent parents?” Miller: “No, I swear to God. There are a couple of piles of poop in my house, I won’t lie.” Guidotti: “What were the sores on these children?” Miller: “I was told it was a rash, a heat rash, and only one child had it.” Guidotti: “CYS has been here how many times?” Miller: “Probably about six times since we moved here.” While he won’t speculate on when or if the couple will get the children back, Dougherty did say, “It’s gonna take, I would imagine, some serious work on behalf of the parents to earn the trust of officials and authorities.” Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On TwitterIn an interview last week with Fox News pundit Todd Starnes, GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee reiterated his call for civil disobedience if the Supreme Court rules in favor of marriage equality in the next few days. Huckabee, who recently issued a letter pledging to fight gay marriage, told Starnes that conservatives should wage “civil disobedience” against a government that “acted outside of nature and nature’s God, outside of the bounds of the law, outside of the bounds of the Constitution,” warning that otherwise they will be forced to commit “biblical disobedience.” “What if no one had acted in disobedience to the Dred Scott decision of 1857?” Huckabee continued. “What if the entire country had capitulated to judicial tyranny and we just said that because the Supreme Court said in 1857 said that a black person wasn’t fully human? Suppose we had accepted that, suppose Abraham Lincoln, our president, had accepted that, would that have been the right course of action?” Calling a potential gay marriage ruling patently unconstitutional, Huckabee said that “if we’re not going to follow our Constitution, maybe we should loan it to some developing country so that they could try it out if we’re not going to use it anymore.” In the same interview, Huckabee blamed the Charleston church shooting on a lack of guns.Singapore deployed a Chinook helicopter and 34 armed forces personnel in Sumatra, Indonesia Saturday to contain the forest fires that shrouded the two countries bordering with Malaysia in haze, according to reports. Malaysian crews reached Indonesia Friday to launch water bombing in southern Sumatra. "Indonesian authorities provided clearance [to Singapore] last night. This morning a Chinook and two C-130s took off ferrying men and equipment to fight the fires in Palembang [in Sumatra]," Ng Eng Hen, Singapore’s defense minister said Saturday on Facebook. About 25,000 Indonesian personnel and aircraft were deployed to fight the blaze, however, the firefighters have been weighed down by the extent of the blazes, Agence France-Presse reported. The Indonesian government initially insisted that it would not accept help from other countries to battle the forest fires. However, the South Asian country Thursday sought help from Singapore, Russia, Malaysia and Japan to put out the fires, an annual phenomenon in the country. Australia also vowed to send a Lockheed L100 Hercules Air Tanker to fight the blaze. The choking haze killed a 28-day-old baby in Palembang, the result of its suffering an acute respiratory infection, the Jakarta Post reported Friday. Local health officials said that the lung infection was cause by inhaling the haze. Similar respiratory infections have landed 19 babies in hospitals across Sumatra, the report added.Bruce Yeung/Getty Images Veteran guard Stephon Marbury announced Tuesday that he is working toward a potential NBA comeback. The 40-year-old made his intentions public with the following tweet: Marbury has played professionally in China since 2010 and hasn't appeared in an NBA game since the 2008-09 season with the Boston Celtics. Marbury was once among the NBA's best point guards, as he was named an All-Star in both 2000-01 and 2002-03. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft bounced around between the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets and Phoenix Suns early in his career before a 2004 trade to the New York Knicks. Marbury's play dropped off considerably during his final three seasons with the Knicks, and he was little more than a bench contributor during his last NBA season in Boston, averaging 3.8 points per game. His career was resurrected in the Chinese Basketball Association, however, with Marbury winning three CBA championships, a CBA Finals MVP award, a CBA Foreign MVP award and getting named an All-Star on six occasions. Marbury's best CBA season came in 2012-13 when he averaged 29.5 points per game during the regular season. After parting ways with the Beijing Ducks, Marbury signed with the Beijing Fly Dragons in July and announced 2017-18 would be his final CBA season. Although Marbury is far removed from his NBA playing days, his career numbers remain impressive with averages of 19.3 points and 7.6 assists per game. Father Time may be working against Marbury, though, as Sacramento Kings guard Vince Carter is the only player older than him still active in the NBA.WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton will announce her second run for the presidency on Sunday, starting her campaign as the Democrats’ best hope of fending off a crowded field of lesser-known Republican rivals and retaining the White House. The overwhelming favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton will nonetheless face multiple challenges as she returns to the campaign trail seven years after losing the nomination in 2008 to Barack Obama. She has been a high-profile figure in American politics for more than two decades since her husband, Bill Clinton, won the presidency in 1992, and her fame still eclipses the other likely Democratic contenders and Republican opponents. But with the fame comes a set of challenges Clinton will need to overcome in the coming months. She will try to get past a controversy over her use of personal email while secretary of state, and find a way to connect with ordinary Americans after her years as the top U.S. diplomat. Her advisers, including her husband, have urged her to take nothing for granted, arguing voters would be repelled by anything that resembles a pre-ordained coronation. A Democrat close to the Clinton camp told Reuters on Friday that Clinton, who is also a former U.S. senator, would announce her long-anticipated plans through video and social media. After the announcement, she will travel to the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, said the source, who asked to remain unidentified. A representative for Clinton declined to comment. Clinton, 67, has sounded out potential campaign themes during public appearances, casting herself as both a love-filled new grandmother with a vested concern in the future and a wise former diplomat who understands how countries thrive and fail. In contrast to her 2008 campaign, Clinton has shown signs she will not play down how being a woman distinguishes her from the 44 men who have served as U.S. president. She has filled speeches with paeans to the moral and economic importance of gender equality and women’s rights, arguing that economic growth, the health of the middle class and the stability of foreign peace treaties all hinge on reducing gender discrimination. “Just think about all the hard-working families that depend on two incomes to make ends meet,” Clinton said in a paid speech at a conference for women technology executives in California’s Silicon Valley, citing her own experience of raising a young daughter while working as a partner at an Arkansas law firm in the 1980s. “When one is short-changed, the entire family suffers.” What this might mean in terms of policy proposals is vague, although Clinton said in the same speech she was “embarrassed” that the United States remained one of the few countries where there is no national right to paid family leave. There are a dozen or so likely Republican contenders vying for the presidency, many still relatively unknown. Clinton has a different task: reassuring voters who already like her and wooing those who do not. Only 2 percent of Americans say they have never heard of her, according to a Gallup poll last month, a level of name recognition exceeding that of Vice President Joe Biden, a name unknown to a 10th of Americans. Her nearest likely rivals for the Democratic nomination, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Jim Webb, the former U.S. senator from Virginia, struggle to get a fraction of Clinton’s media coverage, favorable poll numbers and donations. Clinton’s use of social media to announce her White House run amounts to the adoption of tactics deployed by Obama in 2008 to raise large sums through small donations and appeal to young voters. Also on Friday, Clinton released an update to her memoir, “Hard Choices,” in which she described her final days as secretary of state and her feelings about her first grandchild. CONTROVERSY AND CRITICISM Clinton has been a target for Republican criticism since Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign. He promised voters then that they would get “two for one” by putting them both in the White House, but quickly dropped that claim when it proved unpopular. Hillary Clinton’s biggest initiative while her husband was president, national healthcare reform, fell apart without coming to a vote in Congress. She became a figure of public fascination, and admiration in some quarters, for standing by her husband when allegations of his sexual infidelities first surfaced during his 1992 presidential campaign, and again in 1998 when his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky surfaced. Both the Clintons have been investigated repeatedly by Republican lawmakers and the then United States Office of the Independent Counsel. As Hillary Clinton prepared to start her campaign, she faced criticism from Republicans for using only a personal email account while secretary of state, and for the Clinton Foundation’s reliance on donations and payments from foreign governments for its philanthropy work abroad, even as she served as the country’s top diplomat. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers remarks during the 2015 Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting award in Washington March 23, 2015. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts Clinton has said she should have used a government email account as secretary of state while insisting that she had violated no rules. During the campaign, Clinton will be expected to say whether she will more closely align with the centrist economic policies of her husband’s administration or the populist policies championed by the progressive wing of her party. Some Democrats have urged Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a leader of the party’s liberal wing and a critic of Wall Street and big banks, to challenge her, but Warren has declined.'Sea bug' creatures behind bloody attack on Melbourne teen's legs identified as amphipods Updated The creatures behind an alarming incident in Brighton over the weekend have been identified as amphipods, and they usually don't go around attacking people like piranhas, a Museums Victoria marine biologist says. What are amphipods? Amphipods are tiny invertebrates, often described as prawn-like There are thousands of species Mostly found in marine environments, some found in damp land areas An important food source for many creatures They feed on decaying organisms Melbourne teenager, Sam Kanizay, went for a half-hour-long dip at Dendy Street Beach in Brighton on Sunday and came out with his legs and feet covered in blood. When he arrived home, still bleeding profusely from hundreds of little pinhole bites all over his legs, his father Jarrod Kanizay described the scene as "horror movie-ish". WARNING: This story contains a graphic image showing pooling of blood. Mr Kanizay returned to the beach with Sam's siblings the next day to see if they could collect some of the culprits. "I went out to the same distance and same area that Sam was in, and we loaded the net up with some bloodied meat, some bones, and after 15 minutes I came out of the water," he told ABC Radio Melbourne. "We caught thousands of little mite-type characters, we took them home in the Esky, and we were playing scientists for an hour thereafter, putting them in different dishes and feeding them different things. "What we found is they were very attracted to red meat, they went straight for it." Marine biologist Genefor Walker-Smith has also since studied the samples Mr Kanizay collected and identified them as lysianassid amphipods, a scavenging sea creature. "They are naturally occurring in the environment," she said. "These animals are scavengers, they live on meat or animal matter, they've got a really keen sense of smell I suppose you'd say. "They have chemo-receptors, so they can detect chemicals in the water and the chemicals given off by decaying meat or fish, so they're attracted to that smell. "They occur in swarms, so they'll swarm on a dead fish and eat it in next to no time." But she said swimmers at Melbourne's beaches were unlikely to suffer the same fate as Sam. "It was just unlucky. It's possible he disturbed a feeding group but they are generally not out there waiting to attack like piranhas," she said. "It's possible that he just happened to be standing quite close to a dead fish, or maybe he knocked it or touched it with his foot. "The crustaceans would have swarmed off that piece of dead fish and unto his leg, he may have already had a cut perhaps and they were able to smell that wound or any chemicals that the wound was giving off." She said he was probably also an easy target for the creatures because he was standing still in the water. "His legs were numb, he couldn't feel the biting... I think as long as you're moving around, they're unlikely to attack you," he said. Lysianassid amphipods not venomous Mr Kanizay said his son was still in a bit of pain after the attack, but was doing well. "Sam's a really positive kid and remains in the great spirits and when he got home, he said 'look Dad, look what happened' and he was sort of anaesthetised by the cold water at that stage," he said. "But throughout the process, he's been really positive and happy … he's in good health and we expect a full recovery." Dr Walker-Smith said the creatures were not venomous. "It's really just that they've punctured the skin and he's bled," she said. "It's possible that because there was so much bleeding it's indicating that they've possibly got some sort of anti-coagulant chemical that they're releasing, so a bit like when a leech bites you and it bleeds a lot, it just stops the blood clotting." Topics: human-interest, animal-attacks, animals, animal-science, brighton-3186, vic, melbourne-3000 First postedRoland Emmerich and Dean Devlin are hoping to revive their 1996 film ‘Independence Day’ and gain a larger fan following so that they’ll be able to continue their story with two sequels. One thing being done to help them is the planned re-release of the original film starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum in 3D for next year’s Fourth of July weekend. But if that goes well, then we may be seeing ‘ID4’ expand into a trilogy. And if that happens, the co-writers are ready for it. According to Blastr, co-writer and director Emmerich believes that he and co-writer/producer Devlin have a “quite unique” way to continue the franchise with two films tentatively titled ‘ID Forever Part One’ and ‘ID Forever Part Two’. Devlin wishes to carry over integral aspects of the first film into the sequels. In fact, he’s so concerned about making the script as good as it can be, he once returned a paycheck for a sequel script because it wasn’t good enough. Here’s what he had to say about the potential second and third films: “The thing that really hit me about the movie is how much love there is in it: between the characters; that the filmmakers had making it; that the cast had for each other. As we’re approaching a sequel we’re focusing on that aspect of it. Because I think that was really the key as to why it worked for everyone. It was lovable.” The report also stated that the studio and the members of the cast are in negotiations for these planned sequels. Most likely, the talks are in regards to money considering Will Smith has much more star power these days than he did back in 1996. So we’re not entirely sure if these sequels are actually happening yet, but if they get greenlit, the creative team behind them is ready. Are you? What do you think about ID Forever Part One’ and ‘ID Forever Part Two’? Does ‘Independence Day’ really need a sequel, let alone two “lovable” ones? Share your thoughts in the comments below!/ The software giant has entered in a partnership with a California company specializing in regulatory compliance for an industry that isn't entirely legal and can't use banks to do business. December 14, 2016 3 min read Opinions expressed by Green Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Microsoft has quietly entered into the cannabis business, partnering with a California software company to offer governments a system that tracks marijuana sales and compliance issues. The partnership combines Los Angeles-based Kind Financial’s software for tracking production and sales of cannabis with Microsoft’s Azure Government Cloud. The goal is to contract with local and state governments where marijuana is legal, providing officials with a simplified way to keep track of tax payments and cannabis production. Teaming up with Kind made sense for Microsoft, according to Kimberly Nelson, executive director of state and local government solutions for Microsoft. In a statement, she said Kind will utilize the Azure Government cloud, which she called “the only cloud platform designed to meet government standards for the closely regulated cannabis compliance programs.” Related: Steve Wozniak Offers 4 Pieces of Advice for First-Time Entrepreneurs Government challenges regulating legal marijuana. Government agencies at the state and local level face a complex task with marijuana regulation and tax collection. Not only is the legal marijuana business relatively new, but cannabis remains an illegal drug under the federal Controlled Substance Act. This means few financial institutions will make loans or handle business transactions for marijuana-related companies. Because of this, many cannabis retailers work in cash-only transactions. Some install ATM machines on their property to make it convenient for customers. In this environment, Kind Financial offers its software system to track production and sales, both for private retailers and government agencies. Related: Richard Branson: How to Spot an Opportunity Kind’s Agrisoft Called Agrisoft Seed to Sale, the Kind Financial software allows companies and government agencies to track costs from the production stages of marijuana to the sale of the product in dispensaries. The software also ensures operations comply with government regulations. The software creates “100 percent accountability and transparency for all levels of your organization and through to the government,” according to the Kind Financial site. For government officials, the software allows them to track all licensed marijuana growers and sellers, ensuring a company doesn’t produce marijuana that disappears into the black market to avoid taxation. Kind Financial began in 2013 as a company geared toward providing financial, technological and marketing services to the growing marijuana industry. The company was founded by David Dinenberg, the former COO of Grasso Holdings, a real estate development company. Related: 5 Reasons Businesses Shouldn't Keep Ignoring Content Marketing Partnership with Microsoft Microsoft entered into a partnership with Kind on the government side of the business. The tech giant plans to include the software in the suite of services it offers governments through the Microsoft Azure Government Cloud. The cloud’s offerings include infrastructure, platform and software services. Microsoft partners with a number of software development companies to offer a full suite of services to both private and public entities. For Kind, the partnership is a step toward reaching a wider range of potential clients. Microsoft’s team will help the company make bids for government contracts. The demand, said Dingenberg, will always be present. “No one can predict the future of cannabis legalization, however, it is clear that legalized cannabis will always be subject to strict oversight and regulations similar to alcohol and tobacco;” Dinenberg said in a prepared statement.There are vintage inspired weddings and then there’s Emilia and Ryan’s vintage Victorian wedding. The couple took the vintage theme to heart, finding their dream venue in Marshall House, a Victorian mansion on the historic Fort Vancouver grounds, but it was Emilia who really took the theme to the next level, choosing to wear a custom Victorian reproduction wedding dress. Wanting to make sure that the dress was authentic, Emilia even donned a waist cinching corset, a petticoat and a bustle to achieve the look. Now, if that’s not commitment, we don’t know what is! Special thanks to Kari Renee for sharing all the pretty photos with us! Emilia, 32 & Ryan, 32 Vancouver, WA Wedding Date: August 11, 2013 Number of Guests: 55 Wedding Cost: $8,000 Wedding Ceremony Location: Marshall House, Fort Vancouver National Park Wedding Reception Location: Marshall House, Fort Vancouver National Park Why did you have an intimate wedding? I have always been intrigued with the Victorian era and I really wanted to incorporate it into my wedding. We found the perfect venue, a beautiful Victorian mansion in a historic national park with a huge wrap around porch, and it could just fit 50 people inside and out perfectly. We wanted the wedding to be part of the house, not just in it, so I had a reproduction dress made by a seamstress who specializes in Victorian clothing. The goal was for it to be authentic and natural, not ‘costumey’, so authenticity was the key and she did a wonderful job. I find the Victorian silhouette to be very beautiful, and that silhouette is completely lost in modern fashion, so bringing it back was a lot of fun. The dress required a corset, bustle and petticoat to correctly achieve that look. Overall, I had a blast designing this wedding and if it wasn’t an intimate wedding I don’t think I could have accomplished the look and feel I was aiming for.Christianity and Hinduism are the dominant religions in Guyana. According to the 2012 census, approximately 63 percent of the population is Christian. The major groupings compose: Pentecostal, 22.8% of the national population, increasing from 17% in 2002 Anglican, 5.2%, decreasing from 7%, and Seventh-day Adventist, 5.4%, increasing from 5% in 2002 Roman Catholicism, 7.1%, decreasing from 8,1% other Christian groups, 20.8%, increasing from 17.9%. According to the 2012 census, approximately 25 percent are Hindu, 7 percent are Muslim (mostly Sunni with Shia and Ahmadiyya minorities), and 1 percent practice other beliefs, including the Rastafari movement, Buddhism, and the Baha'i Faith. More than 3 percent of the population do not profess any religion.[2] Between 1991 and 2012, Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism and Mainline Protestant churches all saw significant decline as the national population grew by 3%. This is in contrast to Pentecostalism, which more than doubled, and less-established Christian groups, which nearly quadrupled in the same period. The country is ethnically diverse, reflecting East Indian, African, Chinese, and European ancestry, as well as a significant indigenous population. Members of all ethnic groups are well represented in all religious groups, with two exceptions: most Hindus are Indo-Guyanese, and nearly all Rastafarians are Afro-Guyanese. Foreign missionaries from many religious groups are present.[2] Christianity's status as Guyana's dominant system of values is a consequence of colonial history. To the European planters, colonial administrators, and missionaries, the profession of Christian beliefs and observance of Christian practices were prerequisites to social acceptance. Even though the planters discouraged the teaching of their religion to the slaves, Christianity eventually became as much the religion of the Africans as of the Europeans. Indeed, after abolition, Christian institutions played an even more important role in the lives of the former slaves than in the lives of the masters. By the time the East Indians and other indentured groups arrived in Guyana, a new syncretic Afro-Guyanese culture in which Christianity played an important part had already been established. Only since the mid-20th century, with the growth of the Indo-Guyanese population and the efforts of their ethnic and religious organizations, have Muslim and Hindu values and institutions been recognized as having equal status with those of Guyana's Christians.[3] Religions [ edit ] Christianity [ edit ] Among the Christian denominations active in Guyana in the 1990s, the Anglican Church claimed the largest membership: about 125,000 adherents as of 1986. Anglicanism was the state religion of British Guiana until independence. The Roman Catholic Church had a membership of about 94,000 in 1985. The majority of Roman Catholics lived in Georgetown, and the Portuguese were the most active members, although all the ethnic groups were represented. The Presbyterian Church was the third largest denomination, with nearly 39,000 members in 1980. Several other Christian churches had significant memberships in 1980, including the Methodists, Pentecostals, and Seventh-day Adventists, each of which had about 20,000 members. There were smaller numbers of Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Congregationalists, Nazarenes, Moravians, Ethiopian Orthodox, and other mainstream Christians. Other sects in Guyana included the Rastafari movement which looks to Ethiopia for religious inspiration, and the Hallelujah Church, which combines Christian beliefs with Amerindian traditions. There were also at least 60,000 people describing themselves as Christian who had no formal church affiliation.[3] Many rural villages and areas without churches have small gatherings with a group leader, sometimes unofficially called a "pastor" without affiliation to a specific or official Christian church, though most tend to be Baptist or Evangelical in nature. These groups would have "services", bible teachings and discussions at a neighbor's house or a provided empty location. Through organization, a village or a couple of villages might also provide Sunday School for children with a village member donating the space, many times the "bottom house", the empty space under a Guyanese house used for multiple purposes. Hinduism [ edit ] Central Vaidik Mandir in Georgetown The number of Guyanese practising Hinduism has been decreasing for many decades now, with 213,282 (28.4%) reported in 2002 against 253,065 (35.0%) in 1991.[4] The majority of the East Indian immigrants were Hindu, and their dominant Status differences were attached and rituals varied. The hindus worshipped the classic pantheon of Vishnu and Shiva. Hinduism remains the predominant religion of the Indo-Guyanese, although it has been considerably modified.[3] Hinduism stresses the festivities accompanying religious rites. Festivals may last several days and are usually held in times of crisis or prosperity. Because the sponsor of a festival provides a tent and feeds a large number of guests, orthodox Hindu rituals require considerable outlays of money. A Hindu family has difficulty fulfilling ritual obligations unless it has accumulated a surplus of cash.[3] Since the late 1940s, reform movements have caught the attention of many Guyanese Hindus. The most important, the Arya Samaj movement (Aryan Society), was founded in India in 1875; the first Arya Samaj missionary arrived in Guyana in 1910. The movement preaches monotheism and opposition to the use of images in worship as well as many traditional Hindu rituals.[3] Islam [ edit ] Guyana's Muslims can be organized into orthodox and reform movements. The Sunnatul Jamaat is the orthodox Sunni Islamic movement. The largest Islamic organization in the country is the Guyana United Sadr Islamic Anjuman[citation needed]. The Ahmadiyya sect of Islam, was founded in India in the late nineteenth century; its first missionary to Guyana arrived in 1908. The movement has had considerable success, even including some Afro-Guyanese among its converts. In contrast to the situation found on the Indian subcontinent, Muslims and Hindus experience little friction in Guyana. These two religious communities have a tacit agreement not to proselytize each other's members. In smaller villages, Hindus and Muslims come together to participate in each other's ceremonies.[3] The Muslims are split into Shias, Sufis, Sunnis and Ahmadiyyas. Until the 1970s, Hindu and Muslim holidays were not officially recognized. A number of non-Christian religious days are now public holidays. Hindu holidays include Holi, the spring festival, and Divali, the festival of lights. Muslim holidays include Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, the sacred month of fasting; Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice; and Mawlid, the birthday of Muhammad. The dates for these holidays vary. An East Indian heritage day is celebrated and on May 5, an Amerindian festival is held on Republic Day, in February.[3] Bahá'í Faith [ edit ] The Bahá'í Faith is a relatively recent addition to the list of world religions represented in Guyana with the first local body (Local Spiritual Assembly) being established in Georgetown in 1955. National recognition came in 1976 when the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Guyana was incorporated by Act of Parliament. This body represents all Bahá'ís in Guyana. The 2002 Census enumerated 500 Bahá'ís.[5] The Bahá'í community, while relatively small, is well known for its emphasis on unity, non-involvement in politics and its work in issues such as literacy and youth issues.[6][7] In terms of religious practices and teachings the Guyana Bahá'í community closely follows those of Bahá'í communities in other countries. Judaism [ edit ] Jews first came to Guyana in the 1660s, when Jewish settlers arrived in what was then the Dutch colony of Essequibo.[8] Janet Jagan, an American-born Jewish woman, served as prime minister from March 17, 1997, to December 19, 1997, and as president of Guyana from December 19, 1997, to August 11, 1999.[9] Obeah [ edit ] A number of folk beliefs continue to be practiced in Guyana. Obeah, a folk religion of African origin, incorporates beliefs and practices of all the immigrant groups. Obeah practitioners may be Afro-Guyanese or Indo-Guyanese, and members of all the ethnic groups consult them for help with problems concerning health, work, domestic life, and romance. Some villagers wear charms or use other folk practices to protect themselves from harm.[3] Indigenous religions [ edit ] Traditional Amerindian religious beliefs vary, but shamans play a significant role in all of them. The shaman is believed to communicate with the world of spirits in order to detect sorcery and combat evil. The shaman is also a healer and an adviser, the representative of the village to the spiritual world and sometimes its political leader as well. Missionary activity to the Amerindians has been intense. As a result, the traditional beliefs and practices of all the Amerindian groups have been modified; some have even disappeared.[3] House of Israel [ edit ] The House of Israel was established by an American fugitive, David Hill, also known as Rabbi Edward Washington, who arrived in Guyana in 1972. In the 1970s, the group claimed a membership of 8,000. The House of Israel had a daily radio program in which it preached that Africans were the original Hebrews. Opponents of the government claimed that the House of Israel constituted a private army for Guyana's ruling party, the People's National Congress (PNC). During an anti-government demonstration, a House of Israel member murdered a Roman Catholic priest because he was on the staff of a religious opposition newspaper, the Catholic Standard. The House of Israel also engaged in strikebreaking activities and disruptions of public meetings. Critics of the government alleged that House of Israel members acted with impunity during the government of Linden Forbes Burnham. However, under Hugh Desmond Hoyte, Burnham's successor, Rabbi Washington and key associates were arrested on a long-standing manslaughter charge and imprisoned.[3] Cults [ edit ] Entrance to Jonestown, a settlement founded by the Peoples Temple cult in 1974 Guyana acquired international notoriety in November 1978 following a mass murder-suicide at Jonestown, the commune of the People's Temple of Christ, led by the Reverend Jim Jones, of Oakland, California. Allegations of atrocities by commune leaders and charges that the commune was holding people against their will led United States Congressman Leo Ryan to go to Jonestown to investigate. Fearing the exposure from Ryan's report, Jones had the congressman murdered. He then coerced and cajoled over 900 members of the commune to commit murder and suicide.[3] [10] Regional religious demographics [ edit ] As with most countries, religious composition varies somewhat from region to region. The regions mentioned vary greatly from each other in population. The most populated region, region 4, has the highest number of followers of almost any given major religion. Christianity remains the dominant religion of all races, influencing the cultural and legal sections of the country. Anglican affiliation is most prominent in region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) at 17.5% and region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) at 14.9%. It makes up the smallest percentage of the population in region 1 (Barima-Waini) at only 2.5% of its overall population. On average,
Chinese, a local drug-control official explained. There, sellers meet the buyers. One side has cash in the trunk of their car, while the other has drugs in the trunk of theirs, and they simply swap keys. The seller then exchanges the cash for chips in the casino, laundering the money. Lax local regulation makes the casinos largely risk-free for the traffickers. With ambitions to turn Manila into one of Asia's gambling hubs, the government has exempted casinos from anti-money laundering laws that would oblige them to report suspicious transactions. “Sometimes we have to tread carefully because it has implications in the tourism industry,” said PDEA spokesman Carreon, when asked why the government doesn’t prevent casinos from being used to launder drug money. China has at times moved against the production of meth at large labs in its southern provinces. Thousands of suspects were detained in 2014, for instance, during an anti-drug campaign called “Thunder Operations” in Guangdong province. Despite these efforts, China remains the biggest source of precursors for meth production across Asia. Globally, the bulk of the seizures of raw ephedrine in 2014 was reported by China, with 31.6 tons, according to the International Narcotics Control Board in Vienna. This was followed by the Philippines with 510 kg, which the UNODC believes came mainly from China. The amount seized in the Philippines is “a proverbial drop in the ocean,” said the UNODC’s Douglas. As they step up their efforts against meth production, local drug enforcement officials say they expect traffickers to move some operations to “floating labs,” where meth is cooked on boats moored off the coast. In July, four Hong Kong residents were arrested on a fishing boat anchored in Subic Bay, once the site of a U.S. naval base. The men have denied charges of producing and selling meth, and are in jail awaiting trial. This whack-a-mole pursuit of the Chinese meth gangs won’t work, said Fadullon, the senior Philippine justice official. “They’ll just keep on cropping up in different areas which are least expected by the authorities.” If the Duterte government wants to get meth off the streets, he said, “eventually they will have to go to the source and come up with high-level discussions on how to put a stop to this - talking with the Chinese government.” Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato, Karen Lema and Tom Allard in Manila, Jesus Malabanan in San Fernando, and Benjamin Kang Lim and Ben Blanchard in Beijing. ————— Duterte’s War: Bad Chemistry By John Chalmers Photo editing: Thomas White Graphics: Jessica Wang Design: Catherine Tai Edited by Peter HirschbergBOSTON – September 17, 2014 – Why are Asian Americans at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than Caucasian Americans, and prone to develop the disease at lower body weights? One part of this puzzle may lie in the transition from traditional high-fiber, low-fat Asian diets to current westernized diets, which may pose extra risks for those of Asian heritage, says George King, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Joslin Diabetes Center and the senior author of the study. George King, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Joslin and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. A Joslin randomized clinical trial now has demonstrated that both Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans at risk of type 2 diabetes who adopted a rigorously controlled traditional Asian diet lowered their insulin resistance. (A leading risk factor for developing the disease, insulin resistance is a condition in which the body struggles to use the hormone insulin, which helps to metabolize sugar.) Moreover, when both groups of participants then switched to consuming typical western fare, the Asian Americans experienced greater increases in insulin resistance than did the Caucasian Americans, says Dr. King, senior author on a paper on the study published in the journal PLOS One. The 16-week pilot trial was completed by 24 East Asian Americans and 16 Caucasian Americans, who had an average age of 34 and were either of normal weight or overweight but not obese. All the volunteers had a family history of type 2 diabetes or another indication of diabetes risk such as gestational diabetes. For the first eight weeks, all the participants ate a traditional high-fiber East Asian diet with 70% of calories from carbohydrates, 15% from protein and 15% from fat, and providing 15 g fiber/1,000 kcal. The food was prepared fresh by local chefs and delivered every two days. “Three meals and one snack were included each day, and we made sure that they were nutritious as well as very tasty,” says Ka Hei Karen Lau, a Joslin dietitian and certified diabetes educator. For the second eight weeks, 33 of the volunteers (20 Asian Americans and 13 Caucasian Americans) transitioned to a typical low-fiber western diet with 50% of calories from carbohydrates, 16% from protein and 34% from fat, and providing 6 g fiber/1,000 kcal. Seven volunteers (4 Asian Americans and 3 Caucasian Americans) stayed on the traditional Asian diet to act as controls for the study. Meeting with the trial participants every two weeks, the Joslin team adjusted individual diets as needed to keep their weights relatively steady, so that changes in their metabolism were not driven primarily by changes in weight. Maintaining those steady body weights for trial participants was a challenge, King remarks. “It was almost impossible to prevent people from losing weight on the Asian diet, and that was not because the food wasn’t good!” he says. “And almost everybody gained weight on the western diet, and we had to work very hard so they didn’t gain too much.” The researchers suggested that the combination of high fiber and low fat in the traditional diet may help to explain the decrease in insulin resistance, especially for the Asian American participants. Additionally, those on the traditional Asian diet lowered their LDL cholesterol, a potential benefit for cardiovascular health. “These results were very exciting for Asian Americans,” Lau says. “We are at high risk for diabetes, but we can use diet to help prevent it.” Joslin’s Asian Clinic now promotes a traditional Asian diet and shares suitable recipes with patients. The researchers hope to follow up the pilot trial with a larger trial that compares results of a traditional Asian diet with a westernized Asian diet and does not try to control participant weight. Asian Americans have twice the risk of developing type 2 diabetes than Caucasian Americans. More than half of the adults in the world with the disease live in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, the researchers pointed out, and about 10% of adults in China now suffer from diabetes. A book written by Dr. King, Diabetes Reset, will be publishing in early 2015. In the book, it talks more about the traditional Asian diet, and eight steps to prevent and control diabetes. William Hsu, MD, director of Joslin’s Asian Clinic, was lead author on the paper. Other contributors included Dalia Moghazy and Hillary Keenan of Joslin, and Motonobu Matsumoto of Sunstar, Inc. Lead funder was the Joslin Asian American Diabetes Initiative, with Sunstar providing additional support. * * *Prime Minister Julia Gillard was the target of an LNP fundraiser menu. Prime Minister Julia Gillard was the target of an LNP fundraiser menu. Inga Williams THE owner of the restaurant at the centre of a scandal over a sexist menu has reportedly apologised to Mal Brough, saying he created a mock menu as a light-hearted joke. The LNP on Wednesday night released an apology from Joe Richards, of the Richards and Richards restaurant, saying the menus were never distributed at the $1000 a head fundraiser featuring Joe Hockey. "Dear Mal, I have been following the rubbish that has been on the news today,'' the letter from Joe Richards reads. "I would like to confirm what actually happened: there were never any menus distributed on the tables or in the restaurant. "I created a mock menu myself as a light-hearted joke, however as I said I never produced them for public distribution. "Unfortunately a staff member saw the mock menu, and unbeknownst to myself, posted it on their Facebook. "It now appears that a third party for political reasons has distributed it, yet I can reassure you that no such menu was distributed on the night. "As you know no one at the dinner was privy to such a menu, and it is so unfortunate that an in-house joke between myself and my son has caused you great problems and embarrassment.'' According to the ABC, the LNP has confirmed Mr Richards is a party donor, but says he was not asked to make the admission. The amazing twist comes after Mal Brough had earlier apologised for the menu, while Opposition leader Tony Abbott condemned it. Mr Brough told the ABC earlier that the menu was drawn up by a non-party member who thought it would be "humorous" and "didn't mean any harm by it," but is now "deeply apologetic". The former Howard government minister insisted he could not recall seeing the menu at the event for 20 people, held on March 28. "I didn't condone the menu nor did I authorise it...it should never have been written," he said. APN has repeatedly tried to contact Mr Brough for comment, including on Wednesday night's developments. A former worker at the venue where the function was held said he released the menu on Twitter last night after he was upset by comments Joe Hockey made about abortion. The worker, who said he was not a member of a political party, said he first saw the menu when it was posted by a co-worker on Facebook. "I was just absolutely shocked,'' he said of his reaction. He said he knew it was legitimate given the style of writing. The man told the ABC he had earlier tried to flag it with the ALP, including his local MP Kevin Rudd, but there was no response. "I just copied it. I tried to tweet it after the function, to send it to Julia Gillard, the Labor party [Sky news presenter] Peter Van Onselen and Kevin Rudd, my local member, but I didn't get a reply from any of them. I don't know if they were too busy to notice them at the time,'' he said. Earlier, the LNP released a statement condemning 'in the strongest possible terms a menu card that was used as a small local event in March'. "This card was not produced or authorised by the LNP or the candidate,'' the statement said. "The content of the card was absolutely unacceptable and has no place at any LNP event.'' The reaction on Twitter to the latest twist has been mixed with some condemning the PM for calling for Mr Brough's head while others not believing that the menu had not been distributed. Gillard called for Brough to be dumped Earlier today, Prime Minister Julia Gillard called for Mal Brough to be disendorsed by the LNP over the menu which described her as having small breasts and big thighs. The Prime Minister linked a menu at a fundraiser for Mr Brough to Mr Abbott previously standing in front of a sign depicting her as witch and comments by Alan Jones at a Young Liberal dinner about her late father, News Ltd reported "This is Tony Abbott's Liberals, this is what they're like, the real risk for Australia is if Tony Abbott was ever Prime Minister it wouldn't be a question of what is on a fundraising menu, we would see this lack of respect for women littered through his government decisions," she said. She called on the Liberal Party to strip Mr Brough of his pre-selection in Peter Slipper's seat of Fisher. Angry voters have flooded Mr Brough's LNP Facebook page and Twitter calling for the former Howard minister to be dumped by the LNP over'menu gate'. While Mr Brough said he never authorised a menu which described Julia Gillard's small breast, big thighs and'red box', some say he should take full responsibility for it. Former PM Kevin Rudd says he has no doubt that Mr Brough would have known about the menu. Hockey says there are bigger issues to fry UPDATE: Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey fronted the media late on Wednesday, urging Ms Gillard to focus on "issues that matter". Mr Hockey described the content of the menu as "inappropriate and wrong" and called on both sides of politics to treat each other with respect. But he said job losses at Target and asylum seekers dying at sea were more important issues. "I mean it's awful behaviour. Whatever was printed at that event... was wrong. I don't recall having seen it, but seriously, is this really the biggest event in Australian today?" a clearly exasperated Mr Hockey said. Mr Hockey said Ms Gillard had "effectively called us (Coalition MPs) misogynist pigs" at the Women for Gillard launch. He also claimed the Prime Minister had recently referred to him as "fat man" in the Parliament. "I don't think the Prime Minister is qualified to make these types of comments and I would urge her to focus on running the nation to deal with the issues that matter to Australians," he said. "Let's just get our priorities right." The reaction on Facebook today "Tony Abbott said this about Slipper..."Tony Abbott took the unusual step of calling for a vote to immediately sack the Speaker, following revelations he used offensive language to describe female genitalia. " When will he say it to you?,'' Diona Kennedy wrote. "Small breasts and a big red box'. You think this is a fitting way to describe a woman?,'' Stella Glorie asked. "How would you feel if a woman you know or cared about was described in these terms? Shame on you. David Parker said Mr Brough's pre-selection should be taken away to send a clear message that the LNP would not tolerate this sort of thing. "That menu is disgusting and you wont be getting my vote.....if you had left it at Gillard quaill without the rest of it one could laugh at it but you took it the extra mile and added the breasts n thighs thing....NOT GOOD ENOUGH. "We the people are totally fed up with the personal putting down of other people and you need to smarten up your act if you hope to be elected.'' Paradisi Coaster said Mr Brough was a former government minister who should know better. "You are as low as Alan Jones sucking to the bogan voters in your electorate. The bogans love it, they are the lowest things outside of prison. I don't think there are enough bogans in Fraser (Fisher) to get you elected.'' Kate Clinnick said she wanted to express her disgust at the "hideous, misogynistic fundraiser'menu'. "Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, you keep it clean and respectful. You are a politician, and politics is about rational and respectful debate,'' she wrote. "You do not stoop to cheap, sexist insults to try and one up your opponent. Australia deserves better than that from its public servants. Shame on you. Reader poll Do you think Mal Brough should be dumped by the LNP? This poll ended on 19 June 2013. Current Results Yes. He must have known about the menu 52% No. He has apologised and had nothing to do with menu 31% Yes. Even if he didn't know he must take the fall 12% No. He is the best chance for the LNP in Fisher 3% This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate. Other comments posted on Mal Brough's site Anne Casey Just when you think that sexism cannot be any more demoralising or degrading, this menu appears. You would never have done this to a male politician. Imagine if someone did this to your daughter. If people like you continue with this kind of sexism, it probably will happen to your daughter, by someone just like you. Sorry doesn't cut it. Don't do it in the first place and go and get educated about what equality means. Also, show respect to the Prime Minister of this country, regardless of who they are. Nicole Calnan Mr Brough, I find the menu from your recent 'fundraising' dinner absolutely vile and appalling. It is not funny. It is sexist and vile. No excuses. It is not OK. You should publicly apologies to the Prime Minister and to women across the country for stooping to this low and perhaps rethink your own suitability as a Member of Parliament. PS I hope (but doubt) that every female present at that function left immediately upon reading the menu.The list below was edited when it emerged that a small minority of councillors had inadvertently given approval for the inclusion of their names by clicking on an email signature button. LabourList had no involvement in the compilation of this list. More than 600 Labour councillors have signed a public statement calling on Jeremy Corbyn to resign as leader and “make way for the new leadership”. It is the biggest sign yet of pressure from the party’s grassroots on Corbyn to go, and follows several no confidence motions passed by local constituency Labour parties (CLPs), including Battersea and Tooting. Holborn & St Pancras CLP, meanwhile, last night rejected a pro-Corbyn confidence motion – suggesting that Corbyn’s supposed strong London support base is not as rock solid as some presume. The letter is signed by more than 600 Labour councillors, who claim a breadth of opinion within the party and say they are “from a number a traditions within our movement”, including some who voted for Corbyn last year.. They praise Corbyn as “an honourable man” and credit his record of public service, particularly in local government. However, they say he is “unable to command the confidence of the whole party”, and say a new leadership is needed to represent communities at a time when the “country is facing a crisis” in the wake of last week’s Brexit vote. The organisers point out that they have collected more than double the number of councillors’ signatures that were put to a similar pro-Corbyn letter yesterday. One of the organisers of the letter, Lambeth councillor Ed Davie, said: “Across the country Labour councillors speak to millions of people and, sadly, they know that Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership is deeply unpopular. At a time of national crisis it is more important than ever that we have a competent Labour leader that can communicate with and commands the support of voters and councillors as well as MPs. “In just 12 hours more than twice as many Labour councillors signed this grassroots letter calling on Jeremy Corbyn to resign than a similar effort by the well-resourced leader’s office. “From Cornwall to Newcastle, Glasgow to Suffolk 540 councillors including council and group leaders have called on the leader to resign. Clearly deep unhappiness with the leadership is felt throughout Labour’s grassroots and in local government as well as in parliament. For the good of the country, our communities and party it is time for a fresh start.” You can read the full letter and list of signatories here: As Labour councillors we support the recent call from colleagues for new leadership at the top of our party. Jeremy Corbyn is an honourable man with a record of public service stretching back more than four decades, not least in local government. We are drawn from a number of traditions within our movement, including those who voted for Jeremy last year. It has now become clear, however, that he is unable to command the confidence of the whole party nor of many traditional Labour supporters we speak with on the doorstep. Our country is facing a crisis – and the neighbourhoods we represent are on the front line. We urge Jeremy Corbyn to make way for the new leadership that our communities so desperately need. Yours sincerely,A ferry to carry pedestrians and bicyclists between Grand Island and the City of Tonawanda will launch in early August, the first such service in 80 years to offer passengers a leisurely way to cross the upper Niagara River there. "We will be like the Uber on the water," said Niagara River Cruises owner and boat captain Robin Hoch. The $15 round-trip ferry service will run only on Sundays, beginning Aug. 6 and continuing through Sept. 10, providing travelers a way, at least one day a week, to avoid the traffic jams on the Grand Island bridge. The 42-foot Queen of Peace ferry will leave Grand Island near the old ferry landing at the River Oaks Marina and dock in the City of Tonawanda across from the Long Homestead Historical Museum at the nexus of the Niagara River and Erie Canal. That's close to shopping across the Main Street bridge on Webster Street in the City of North Tonawanda and a short bike ride to the Rails to Trails path. The boat can carry up to 45 passengers. Tickets must be reserved online in advance. Reservation services will begin on July 21 and times will be posted. Before the north and south Grand Island bridges opened in 1935, ferries or private boats were the only way to get from Grand Island to the mainland. Pedestrians, horses and buggies and eventually cars traveled on open scows that were towed by tugboats, although Jacob Hensler offered a ferry powered by horses on a treadmill, Hoch said. Those ferries were expensive, according to the Grand Island Historical Society. At a time when a loaf of bread cost 10 cents, a round-trip ride on the ferry in the 1930s cost 50 cents for cars and 20 cents for pedestrians. A team of horses pulling a load of hay was $1 and heavier trucks were charged more. Schoolchildren regularly crossed the bridge to attend Tonawanda High School, because the island had only an elementary school. Freezing weather could mean that no one could cross to sell or receive goods – or get to school. Fast-forward to 2017, and residents of Grand Island pay less than the cost of a loaf of 1930s bread – nine cents – in tolls to cross the bridge, while non-residents who are not EZ Pass holders pay $1, the 1930s "team of horses loaded with hay" rate. Shirley Luther, a Grand Island bridge history buff, said her uncle took the ferry to go to high school. Her grandfather, Henry W. Long, was supervisor of Grand Island from 1918 to 1924 and was one of those who went to Washington, D.C., in 1898 to fight for construction of the bridge. Luther, 93, said by the time she began high school in 1938, the ferries had closed and she was riding the schoolbus over the new bridge to Tonawanda High School. "Back then you just stayed on the island," said Luther, a member of the Grand Island Historical Society. "One time in 1933, for two or three days, the river froze over and no boats or anything could get through from either end of the island." She remembers going over on the ferry with her family in what would now be an antique car with running boards, to visit her grandmother who lived in Tonawanda and to shop. Before the bridge was built, there were 630 residents on the island. Now there are more than 20,000. "People eventually discovered Grand Island," laughed Luther. "I just love it here. I wouldn't live anywhere else." Niagara River Cruses wants people to slow down again and discover the Niagara River, as it once was, Hoch said. "It's neat that it comes full circle," said Hoch. "The upper Niagara River is stunning, as well as the historically designated Erie Canal. Why not showcase it?" "It's a totally different ride," Hoch said of the ferry. She said bicyclists and hikers on the Rails to Trails, which stretches from Buffalo to Tonawanda, can take the ferry over to Grand Island, where there are trails. She's hoping expanded hiking and biking trails, as well as restaurants and shopping in Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, will encourage more people to ride the ferry. She said this season the ferry will operate for just six weeks to see if there is a demand. If it proves popular, Niagara River Cruises would like to expand the offerings, possibly adding a dedicated vessel. The Queen of Peace also is used for history tours and special events. Tonawanda Mayor Rick Davis said he's looking forward to the return of ferry service. "This is an experiment we are hoping to continue to offer during the nicer months," said Davis. He said there's been a lot of interest in the service from biking organizations. "Right now the only way bikers can get their bike off the island is to put it on their car or ride across the bridge. It's narrow and up high – even good bicyclists don't like to do that," said Charlie Rech, administrative assistant to the mayor. "This is another option and everyone seems very excited."A big change has just happened regarding negotiations for the highly anticipated Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing superfight. According to an unnamed source (via The LA Times' Lance Pugmire), “discussions to make the fight are underway” between Floyd Mayweather's manager Al Haymon and UFC owners WME-IMG, with Dana White no longer involved in the talks. This is both surprising and unsurprising... White had publicly said he wasn't willing to spend an extended amount of time negotiating the boxing fight between McGregor and Mayweather, saying it took away from time he needed to spend on UFC events. But many expected the UFC president to take the lead on making the fight happen, or the fight to fall apart if White ended up getting frustrated with the notoriously particular Mayweather team. Up until this point, WME-IMG has taken a largely hands off approach to the UFC's day to day business (or seem to in the public eye, at least). This will be the first huge fight elevated above Dana and handled by WME-IMG agents. Other details included in the report: the target date, listed as early fall. This isn't new information... McGregor and White had previously said they were targeting September until Golden Boy Productions booked up Canelo vs. Golovkin for September 16th. Now we've heard whispers of November, but that all depends on how long it takes for a deal to get done. McGregor is already in training for the fight. Getting a deal done involves more than just agreeing to a date and money split. There are other considerations as well, like weightclass, glove weight, and who will referee. It will be interesting to see how everything turns out without Dana White at the wheel looking out for his fighter.Before we dive into the specifics of using lambda expressions in Java, and why they are beneficial let’s start at the beginning with Lambda Calculus. Don’t be afraid by the name Lambda Calculus, it’s just a different way of thinking of functions! This will be a high-level over-view of Lambda Calculus if you want to dive deeper into the math I would recommend this post lambda calculus for dummies. Okay, I’m sure you’re used to the traditional idea of math functions These functions have names and this is how we identify them. Remember in math class you were told to use functions \(f(x)\) and \(g(x)\) to solve blah. Well in Lambda Calculus functions don’t have names they’re anonymous. Well if a function doesn’t have a name how can it be identified? Let’s look at how the above functions would be written in lambda calculus. (λx.2x + 1) (λx.3x + 2) Now we’ll look at the syntax individually. λ → (lambda. Get it, lambda calculus!) this defines our function x → this is the input variable for the function 2x + 1→ the function definition The above functions can no longer be identified by names, but instead the functions are now identified by their function definitions. With the above information you can think of lambda expressions as anonymous (nameless) functions in Java. Why should you learn lambda expressions in Java 8 You might be wondering what’s the point of learning lambda expressions if the same thing can be accomplished with traditional functions that you’ve been using for years. For a few high level reasons lambda expressions reduce the total amount of code needed for a function, help you read modern java code, and improve your the codebase readability. Let’s look at some examples. The syntax for a lambda expression in java is (argument) -> (body) Let’s look at a simple use case printing the contents of a list public static void main ( String [] args ) { List < String > avengersRoster = Arrays. asList ( "iron man", "captain america", "ant man", "spider-man", "black widow", "hulk", "thor" ); //old style for ( String avenger : avengersRoster ) { System. out. println ( avenger ); } //lambda expression avengersRoster. forEach ( a -> System. out. println ( a )); } With the old style three lines of code are needed just to print each avenger. By using a lambda expression you reduced the needed code to one line! Take a look at the actual lambda expression a -> System.out.println(a) it follows the lambda syntax: (argument) -> (body) Lambda Expression Syntax: A lambda expression can have zero, one, or many parameters () -> System.out.println(“Hello World”) a -> System.out.println(a) (a, b) -> System.out.println(a + “ “ + b) The type of the parameter can be declared or it can be inferred from the context. (int a) is the same as (a) If more than one parameter is present the parameters are separated by commas and enclosed in parenthesis (String boat, int boaty, float mcboatface) (boat, boaty, mcboatface) The body of the lambda expression can have zero, one, or many expressions. If zero or many expressions exist you must use curly braces. Think of it like an if statement or for loop if only one line of code follows curly braces aren’t needed. () -> {} this does nothing it takes no arguments and the body has no expression, but is still a valid lambda expression (int x, int y) -> { return x + y; } or (int x, int y) -> return x + y; both are valid since the body only contains one expression (List<Integer> x) -> {int min = x.get(0); for (int i = 1; i < x.size(); i++) if (x.get(i) < min) min = x.get(i); System.out.println(min); }; In the last example multiple expressions exist in the body, so curly braces are required in this instance. Let’s break down the body to find out what the lambda expression does. The first thing we see in the body is a variable getting initialized with the first element in the array. Based on the variable name and seeing the for loop you can guess this expression just finds the minimum value in an array. More Examples: A common use case for lambdas is using them as a comparator for the sort method. Let’s do some sorting without lambdas first! List < GPU > gpus = Arrays. asList ( new GPU ( "GTX-1080", 700, 2560, 1607, 1733, 8 ), new GPU ( "GTX-1070", 550, 1920, 1506, 1683, 8 ), new GPU ( "GTX-970", 330, 1664, 1050, 1178, 4 ), new GPU ( "GTX-770", 400, 1536, 1046, 1085, 2 )); gpus. sort ( new Comparator < GPU >() { @Override public int compare ( GPU o1, GPU o2 ) { return o1. getPrice () - o2. getPrice (); } }); for ( GPU gpu : gpus ) { System. out. println ( gpu. getName ()); } Output: GTX - 970 GTX - 770 GTX - 1070 GTX - 1080 First I declare a List of GPUs and initialize them with the correct specs. We want the cheapest GPU for a budget gaming build, so the sort function is called and a new Comparater is defined. Now the sort function knows that we want to filter the GPUs based on price specifically cheapest to expensive. Looking at the code it took ten lines from the call of the sort function till the results are printed. Ten lines? Come that’s not bad, especially since a lot of that code is generated by just pressing tab. Okay, lets say I want to sort the GPUs based on the other specs provided lets review that code. List < GPU > gpus = Arrays. asList ( new GPU ( "GTX-1080", 700, 2560, 1607, 1733, 8 ), new GPU ( "GTX-1070", 550, 1920, 1506, 1683, 8 ), new GPU ( "GTX-970", 330, 1664, 1050, 1178, 4 ), new GPU ( "GTX-770", 400, 1536, 1046, 1085, 2 )); gpus. sort ( new Comparator < GPU >() { @Override public int compare ( GPU o1, GPU o2 ) { return o1. getPrice () - o2. getPrice (); } }); for ( GPU gpu : gpus ) { System. out. println ( gpu. getName ()); } System. out. println ( "==" ); gpus. sort ( new Comparator < GPU >() { @Override public int compare ( GPU o1, GPU o2 ) { return o2. getcudaCores () - o1. getcudaCores (); } }); for ( GPU gpu : gpus ) { System. out. println ( gpu. getName () + " cuda Cores:" + gpu. getcudaCores ()); } System. out. println ( "==" ); gpus. sort ( new Comparator < GPU >() { @Override public int compare ( GPU o1, GPU o2 ) { return o2. getCoreClock () - o1. getCoreClock (); } }); for ( GPU gpu : gpus ) { System. out. println ( gpu. getName () + " Core Clock speed (MHz):" + gpu. getCoreClock ()); } System. out. println ( "==" ); gpus. sort ( new Comparator < GPU >() { @Override public int compare ( GPU o1, GPU o2 ) { return o2. getBoostClock () - o1. getBoostClock (); } }); for ( GPU gpu : gpus ) { System. out. println ( gpu. getName () + " Boost Clock speed (MHz):" + gpu. getBoostClock ()); } System. out. println ( "==" ); gpus. sort ( new Comparator < GPU >() { @Override public int compare ( GPU o1, GPU o2 ) { return o2. getVram () - o1. getVram (); } }); for ( GPU gpu : gpus ) { System. out. println ( gpu. getName () + " VRAM GB" + gpu. getVram ()); } System. out. println ( "==" ); Output: GTX - 970 GTX - 770 GTX - 1070 GTX - 1080 == GTX - 1080 cuda Cores: 2560 GTX - 1070 cuda Cores: 1920 GTX - 970 cuda Cores: 1664 GTX - 770 cuda Cores: 1536 == GTX - 1080 Core Clock speed ( MHz ): 1607 GTX - 1070 Core Clock speed ( MHz ): 1506 GTX - 970 Core Clock speed ( MHz ): 1050 GTX - 770 Core Clock speed ( MHz ): 1046 == GTX - 1080 Boost Clock speed ( MHz ): 1733 GTX - 1070 Boost Clock speed ( MHz ): 1683 GTX - 970 Boost Clock speed ( MHz ): 1178 GTX - 770 Boost Clock speed ( MHz ): 1085 == GTX - 1080 VRAM GB8 GTX - 1070 VRAM GB8 GTX - 970 VRAM GB4 GTX - 770 VRAM GB2 This block of code is nothing but doing a copy and paste of our initial sort. You should never copy and paste chunks of code to achieve your goal that’s just lazy, and not the good kinda lazy! The above code is difficult to read, repeats itself, and adds unnecessary length to the code base. Sorting with Lambdas: List < GPU > gpus = Arrays. asList ( new GPU ( "GTX-1080", 700, 2560, 1607, 1733, 8 ), new GPU ( "GTX-1070", 550, 1920, 1506, 1683, 8 ), new GPU ( "GTX-970", 330, 1664, 1050, 1178, 4 ), new GPU ( "GTX-770", 400, 1536, 1046, 1085, 2 )); gpus. sort (( g1, g2 ) -> g1. getPrice () - g2. getPrice ()); gpus. forEach (( g ) -> System. out. println ( g. getName () + " price $" + g. getPrice ())); With lambdas I was able to accomplish the same thing with just two lines of code! How does the code look if I sort based on the other specs… List < GPU > gpus = Arrays. asList ( new GPU ( "GTX-1080", 700, 2560, 1607, 1733, 8 ), new GPU ( "GTX-1070", 550, 1920, 1506, 1683, 8 ), new GPU ( "GTX-970", 330, 1664, 1050, 1178, 4 ), new GPU ( "GTX-770", 400, 1536, 1046, 1085, 2 )); gpus. sort (( g1, g2 ) -> g1. getPrice () - g2. getPrice ()); gpus. forEach (( g ) -> System. out. println ( g. getName () + " price $" + g. getPrice ())); gpus. sort (( g1, g2 ) -> g2. getcudaCores () - g1. getcudaCores ()); gpus. forEach (( g ) -> System. out. println ( g. getName () + " cuda Cores: " + g. getcudaCores ())); gpus. sort (( g1, g2 ) -> g2. getCoreClock () - g1. getCoreClock ()); gpus. forEach (( g ) -> System. out. println ( g. getName () + " Core Clock Speed (Mhz): " + g. getCoreClock ())); gpus. sort (( g1, g2 ) -> g2. getBoostClock () - g1. getBoostClock ()); gpus. forEach (( g ) -> System. out. println ( g. getName () + " Boost Clock Speed (Mhz):
ity Lucis Trust, Alice Bailey, World Goodwill and the False Light of the World http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NewAge/Lucis_Trust.htm Alice Bailey & Master Djwhal Khul: A Satanic Communion http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NewAge/Alice_Bailey.htm Lucis Trust(Lucifer Trust) puts out the book Externalization of the Hierarchy by Alice Bailey which spells out The Plan for the Satanists and New Agers on how the spiritual Hierarchy (actually the demonic hierarchy) is to externalize their rule of the planet. The book gives quite a few of the details of the plan, and is used as a textbook for New Agers at the Arcane Schools in NY, London, and Europe on how the New Age/One World Religion/One-World- Government will be brought in. If anyone doubts the Rockefeller's commitment to Satan, read page 107 of Externalization of the Hierarchy. On page 107 Alice Bailey, President of the Theosophical Society and part of Lucis (formerly Lucifer) Trust, tells us who will rule when the New Age (New World Order) takes over. On the Earthly level--Humanity so to speak, the Ruler is given on page 107 as Lucifer. On the Spiritual level--called "Shamballa - the Holy City" the coming ruler is given as "the Lord of the World" which we Christians know as Satan. Lucis Trust knows it is Satan too, but for public consumption they say that the "ruler of the world" is Sanat (a scrambling of Satan) Kumara. They also predict there will be a Christ Consciousness and the Christ (actually the Anti5 Christ) The book Externalization of the Hierarchy teaches repeatedly (see pages 511-512, 514) that the 3 vehicles to bring in the New Age will b… Total views: 1,078An epidemic of penile amputations in Thailand led researchers to inquire into what was going on About once per decade, the medical profession takes a careful look back at Thailand's plethora of penile amputations. The first great reckoning appeared in a 1983 issue of the American Journal of Surgery. Surgical Management of an Epidemic of Penile Amputations in Siam, by Kasian Bhanganada and four fellow physicians at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, introduces the subject: "It became fashionable in the decade after 1970 for the humiliated Thai wife to wait until her [philandering] husband fell asleep so that she could quickly sever his penis with a kitchen knife. A traditional Thai home is elevated on pilings and the windows are open to allow for ventilation. The area under the house is the home of the family pigs, chickens, and ducks. Thus, it is quite usual that an amputated penis is tossed out of an open window, where it may be captured by a duck." The report explains, for readers in other countries: "The Thai saying, 'I better get home or the ducks will have something to eat,' is therefore a common joke and immediately understood at all levels of society". The bulk of the paper reports how the doctors and their colleagues learned, over the course of attempting 18 reimplantations, how to improve the necessary surgical techniques. Unambiguous photographs supplement the text. "Interestingly", the physicians remark at the very end, "none of our patients filed a criminal complaint against their attackers." An article called Factors Associated with Penile Amputation in Thailand, published in 1998 in the journal NursingConnections, explores the reasons behind that. Gregory Bechtel and Cecilia Tiller, from the Medical College of Georgia (in Atlanta), gathered data from three couples who had been part of the epidemic. The couples, by then divorced, discussed their experience calmly. Bechtel and Tiller report that in each case, three things had happened during the week prior to dismemberment: (1) a financial crisis; (2) "ingestion of drugs or alcohol by the husband immediately prior to the event; and (3) public humiliation of the wife owing to the presence of a second 'wife' or concubine". In 2008, the Journal of Urology carried a retrospective by Drs Genoa Ferguson and Steven Brandes of the Washington University in St Louis, called The Epidemic of Penile Amputation in Thailand in the 1970s. Ferguson and Brandes conclude that: "Women publicly encouraging and inciting other scorned women to commit this act worsened the epidemic. The vast majority of worldwide reports of penile replantation, to this day, are a result of what became a trendy form of retribution in a country in which fidelity is a strongly appreciated value." • Marc Abrahams is editor of the bimonthly Annals of Improbable Research and organiser of the Ig Nobel prize99 SHARES Share Tweet On Tuesday, The New School hosted a conversation between bell hooks, Marci Blackman, Shola Lynch, and Janet Mock, titled “Are You Still a Slave? Liberating the Black Female Body.” The conversation explored representations and images of women of colour in the media. bell hooks was one of my earliest influences. Every time a woman — young or old — asks me for a solid place to start, I recommend hooks. I’m just so grateful for her. The whole conversation is very insightful and I recommend you watch it in its entirety. In the early part of the conversation, hooks talks a lot about Twelve Years a Slave, which she said, on the Melissa Harris-Perry show, was “sentimental claptrap.” I haven’t actually see the film, so I can’t speak to it directly, but hooks apparently experienced a lot of backlash over her critiques because so many people enjoyed the film. She responds, saying: “As a black woman, when I see images like myself, abused, beaten, raped, tortured… I don’t feel entertained… If I never see another naked, enslaved, raped black woman onscreen as long as I live, I’ll be happy.” Thank the lord for bell hooks. This is what I’ve said many times about rape scenes in film and television and is why I stopped watching, for example, Game of Thrones last year. I don’t need to see any more raped, abused, objectified, sexualized, brutalized women. I have seen enough. Though there certainly are defensible reasons to include depictions of gendered violence on screen, at times, and I have seen scenes of rape and other forms of male violence done in a way that is critical and do not sexualize or normalize it (I think the scene in Mad Men when Joan is raped by her fiancee is a good example of this), the vast majority of this imagery is gratuitous and sexualized. It’s worth noting that hooks has been critical of sadomasochism (which has its roots in colonialism, slavery, and gendered violence such as witch hunts) — something that has become untouchable in terms of feminist critique because people feel “judged” (sadface). She says: “Imagine Twelve Years a Slave without Patsy. Because it’s her whole sexualization and the S&M cruelty that she endures from white males and females — all of it gives a certain ‘spice’ to the film” and then asks whether “we have to have the black female, dehumanized, tortured, raped, enslaved, in order to have our entertainment?” And of course, we as a culture seem to think we do need this in order to be entertained. We need our porn, we need our naked, exploitable, fuckable female bodies, we need our rape fantasies and our S&M. We deserve whatever it is we desire. Our culture is one of selfish individualism, greed, excess, and anything goes if it makes us feel good; all of which we’ve seen bleed into feminism and stifle and silence critical thought and women’s voices. hooks says she asked Janet Mock if glamour was a source of power, and Mock responded “yes,” immediately. Mock explains that, to wear makeup and heels, to “pretty [herself] up,” to “claim [her] body” and to “prettify” it in the way she wants, constitutes power. Mock sees it as claiming space. As claiming power. “This little space is mine,” she says, referring to her body. “I will do it for myself. Not for the pleasure of or for the gaze of a man.” Does she gaze at herself, I wonder? Through whose eyes? Where did these images of glamour and female beauty come from? I do understand this in a way. I like to dress up too sometimes. I wear makeup. I’ve started painting my nails again after an almost fifteen year hiatus. I do enjoy certain parts of those rituals. But what any of that has to do with “power,” I don’t know. Certainly my nails are not what give me or will ever give me “power.” Whatever “power” “glamour” bestows upon Janet Mock is a kind of selfish “power” that may grant her access to spaces she wouldn’t otherwise have access to or at least make her feel more comfortable or accepted in this world as a transwoman, but it isn’t a kind of power that will extend to anyone but herself and I don’t believe it’s the kind of “power” we should be teaching girls and women to strive for — to tell them that crippling themselves in heels and getting a ton of cosmetic surgery will give them “power.” It’s conformity, not power. It may be “fun” conformity, but it’s still conformity in that it challenges and changes nothing about women’s status or systemic power and oppression. Which brings us to Beyonce. I will preface this by saying that I think Beyonce is an amazing entertainer. Drunk in Love is one of the best tracks of 2013 and is one of the few that will get my lazy ass off of the bar stool and grinding on the dance floor (DON’T JUDGE ME. Kidding, you can judge me…). But as we’ve discussed numerous times on this site, just because you like it doesn’t make it feminist. My enjoyment of Beyonce doesn’t interfere with my ability to understand what feminism is and what it is not. hooks, in looking critically at Beyonce’s recent Time cover image, describes her as looking like a “deer in headlights” and in her (very girlish) underwear. She says: “isn’t this interesting — that she’s being held up as one of the most important people, in our nation, in the world… What does that say about the black female body?” It’s clear many would prefer to look away from the image and from what Beyonce represents. Or theorize it into something other than what it is. (“A little girl we can lust after,” hooks says, pointedly. “A little girl who could be Woody Allen’s daughter who can be taken up into the attic and sexually abused, with people witnessing from a distance but taking no action on her behalf.”) Lynch quite literally says she doesn’t want to look at it, but would rather “shift [her] gaze” towards the “people and places that feed [her].” Third wave feminism taught us to look for agency rather than victimization, which has merely provided us with blinders and an academic language with which we can lie to ourselves about women’s realities. But how can we look away from Beyonce? Especially when we are being told, now, that she represents female empowerment? That she is a feminist icon? All the while objectified and sexualized and, really, is more representative of capitalist patriarchy than anything else? hooks describes these efforts: “Let’s take the image of this super rich, very powerful black female, and let’s use it in the service of imperialist, white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy.” Despite all Beyonce’s “power” she still, hooks points out, didn’t likely have much control over that cover. Mock protests, claiming that Beyonce chose the image. Which, I don’t know… almost makes it worse… What we’re witnessing in this conversation is significant of almost every debate and struggle happening in feminism right now. The “she has agency therefore she is empowered and what she is doing is empowering” argument versus the “choice doesn’t equal empowerment” argument. It’s the delusions of neoliberalism, individualism and the self-help movement versus radical struggles against colonialist, capitalist patriarchy. “What you’re saying,” hooks responds, “is that she’s colluding in the construction of herself as a slave. It’s not a liberatory image.” This point is countered with the “reclaiming” argument. Similar to the one we are met with every time we critique Slutwalk or burlesque or Femen or selfie self-objectification. “We’re taking back ‘slut,'” they tell us. Or boobs. Or whatever. Women are now empowered by everything they do, as The Onion would say. hooks, of course doesn’t let anyone get away with this. “I think that’s fantasy,” she says to Blackman. “I think it’s a fantasy that we can recoup the violating image and use it…” hooks says this is exactly what Audre Lorde meant by her famous phrase, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” “You are not going to destroy this imperialist, white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy by creating your own version of it,” hooks says. “Even if it serves you to make lots and lots of money.” Let’s hear that one again. “You are not going to destroy this imperialist, white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy by creating your own version of it.” hooks also points out that it’s unlikely we would be so fascinated with Beyonce if she weren’t so rich and says that we cannot separate her class power and her wealth from people’s fascination with her. “There’s a price for decolonization,” hooks says. “You’re not going to have your wealth.” “Part of what has to happen if we are going to be free is that we have to create our own standards.” Which is to say that we need new imagery and new ideas about gender and power — not just the same ones, repackaged in order to make us feel better. At the end of the day, hooks points out that most of us do not want to be oppressed but that people will sometimes remain enslaved because “it’s just simply easier.” No matter how much you enjoy (or claim to enjoy) your own oppression, that enjoyment or those temporary, personal feelings of power or pleasure will not free us either as individuals or as a culture. To hear someone say in the public realm that Beyonce is “anti-feminist,” as hooks does, going on to say that there is a part of her that functions “as a terrorist — especially in terms of the impact on young girls” is quite exciting. I mean, it’s clear, but few will say it… When “the major assault on feminism has come from visual media,” as hooks says, how can we ignore the imagery Beyonce is putting out there? How can we look away from that and call her wealth, combined with her sexual objectification, empowering? Or feminist? hooks manages to stay radical and bring forth unpopular and challenging arguments though she must experience enormous pushback. What say you, liberals? Are you listening? Who here has the balls to tell bell hooks that she’s wrong? 99 SHARES Share Tweet Meghan Murphy Founder & Editor Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer and journalist. She has been podcasting and writing about feminism since 2010 and has published work in numerous national and international publications, including New Statesman, Vice, Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, I-D, Truthdig, and more. Meghan completed a Masters degree in the department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University in 2012 and lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her dog."Eve's Diary" is a comic short story by Mark Twain. It was first published in the 1905 Christmas issue of the magazine Harper's Bazaar, and in book format in June 1906 by Harper and Brothers[1] publishing house. Summary [ edit ] It is written in the style of a diary kept by the first woman in the biblical creation story, Eve, and is claimed to be "translated from the original MS." The "plot" of this story is the first-person account of Eve from her creation up to her burial by her mate Adam, including meeting and getting to know him, and exploring the world around her, Eden. The story then jumps 40 years into the future after the Fall and expulsion from Eden. It is one of a series of books Twain wrote concerning the story of Adam and Eve, including Extracts from Adam's Diary, 'That Day In Eden,' 'Eve Speaks,' 'Adam's Soliloquy,' and the 'Autobiography of Eve.' "Eve's Diary" has a lighter tone than the others in the series, as Eve has a strong appreciation for beauty and love. The book may have been written as a posthumous love-letter to Mark Twain's wife Olivia Langdon Clemens, or Livy, who died in June 1904, just before the story was written. Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "'Eve's Diary' is finished — I've been waiting for her to speak, but she doesn't say anything more." The story ends with Adam's speaking at Eve's grave, "Wherever she was, there was Eden." Illustrations [ edit ] The book version of the story was published with 55 illustrations by Lester Ralph, on each left hand page. The illustrations depicted Eve and Adam in their natural settings. The depiction of an unclothed woman was considered pornographic when the book was first released in the United States, and created a controversy around the book. A library in Charlton, Massachusetts banned the book for the depictions of Eve in "summer costume." When contacted Twain replied: “ The action of the Charlton library was not of the slightest interest to me. ” Two weeks later, after testifying before Congress, he elaborated as reported in the Washington Herald, “ The whole episode has rather amused me. I have no feeling of vindictiveness over the stand of the librarians there — I am only amused. You see they did not object to my book; they objected to Lester Ralph's pictures. I wrote the book; I did not make the pictures. I admire the pictures, and I heartily approve them, but I did not make them. It seems curious to me — some of the incidents in this case. It appears that the pictures in Eve's Diary were first discovered by a lady librarian. When she made the dreadful find, being very careful, she jumped at no hasty conclusions — not she — she examined the horrid things in detail. It took her some time to examine them all, but she did her hateful duty! I don't blame her for this careful examination; the time she spent was, I am sure, enjoyable, for I found considerable fascination in them myself. Then she took the book to another librarian, a male this time, and he, also, took a long time to examine the unclothed ladies. He must have found something of the same sort of fascination in them that I found… ” In a handwritten inscription in the front of at least one copy of the book, he wrote: “ Clothes make the man, but they do not improve the woman.[2] ” And in a letter to a friend, Harriett E. Whitmore, he commented: “ the truth is, that when a Library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of it, the deep unconscious irony of it delights me and doesn't anger me. ” Gallery [ edit ]Image caption Riot police have been patrolling the country's main cities Publication of presidential election results in the DR Congo has been delayed by 48 hours because of technical difficulties, officials say. The result had been due before the end of President Joseph Kabila's term at 23:00 GMT and the opposition say they will not recognise his authority now. But a presidential spokeswoman said that a few hours' delay was not a constitutional power vacuum. Mr Kabila is leading the partial vote count, followed by Etienne Tshisekedi. He had 46% of the vote, with MrTshisekedi trailing with 36% with two-thirds of the ballots counted. The opposition has alleged fraud in what are only the second polls since the 1998-2003 war ended in DR Congo. Fraud allegations "As we haven't yet been able to receive the tally sheets from all 60,000 polling stations in the country, we decided to push back the publication by 48 hours," said Matthieu Mpita, the spokesman of the National Independent Electoral Commission. "It was our objective to make the deadline," he said, "but we need all the elements." Some four million people lost their lives in the conflict and armed groups continue to operate in eastern parts of the vast country, which is two-thirds the size of Western Europe. The BBC's Thomas Hubert in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, says Mr Tshisekedi's supporters insist he has won and are unlikely to accept defeat in polls marred by allegations of rigging, including pre-marked ballots. DR Congo polls in numbers More than 30 million voters More than 18,000 parliamentary candidates 500 parliamentary seats MPs paid $6,000 (£3,887) a month The Kinshasa ballot was a 56-page booklet of more than 1,500 candidates 11 presidential candidates 4,000 tonnes of ballot papers 61 helicopters and 20 planes delivered the election material How wars and poverty saved DR Congo's forests Cycling to power in DR Congo? Railways mirror Congo's decline Our correspondent says that though dozens of helicopters were deployed to collect result sheets from remote polling stations across the country, bags of unprocessed ballot papers and electoral documents were still unprocessed in Kinshasa as the deadline approached. Riot police have been patrolling the city amid fears that the expected announcement could spark violence, our correspondent says. Tear gas has already been used to disperse Mr Tshisekedi's supporters. Many shops in the capital remained closed. Witnesses also reported heavy police and military deployments as well as curfews in several cities across the country. According to Human Rights Watch, election violence has already left at least 18 dead and more than 100 wounded. The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor issued a warning to the country, whose election he said the ICC was watching "very closely". "I urge leaders, commanders, and politicians on all sides to calm your supporters. Electoral violence is no longer a ticket to power, I assure you. It is a ticket to The Hague," Luis Moreno-Ocampo said, according to the Associated Press news agency.• Skrtel says it is a contract for players who are older or have fitness issues • Defender’s rejection of deal leaves his Liverpool future in doubt Martin Skrtel has cast doubt on his Liverpool future by branding their contract offer “unacceptable” and claiming it is the kind of deal given to older players with fitness problems. The Slovakia international will enter the final 12 months of his Liverpool contract this summer having resisted the offer of an extension for several months. In an interview with Slovakian media outlet Aktualne, the 30-year-old confirmed he had been asked to sign a deal that is dependent on playing a high percentage of matches. James Milner agrees to sign for Liverpool on free from Manchester City Read more Skrtel started 48 of Liverpool’s 58 matches last season having established himself as the first-choice central defender but insists the terms on offer do not reflect his contribution to the team. “I am still waiting for the new contract,” said the former Zenit St Petersburg defender, who is preparing for Slovakia’s European Championship qualifier against Macedonia. When asked if the problem was the contract being appearance-linked, Skrtel said: “Sure. I think a contract like this is offered to players who are much older than me or to players who have had some health complications. But I feel good and not so old to sign this contract. Also I think my health is OK. The contract offered is unacceptable for me; this is the reason why I didn’t sign it. “I still have a contract running with the club. There was some speculation about interest from other clubs but that is not coming from me. Now I am with the national team and will be going on holiday after that.” With Dejan Lovren having endured a poor debut season following his £20m transfer from Southampton, Mamadou Sakho struggling with injury and Kolo Touré, who has recently signed a one-year contract extension, now 34, Brendan Rodgers can ill afford any disruption with Skrtel next season. The Liverpool defender blames the sale of Luis Suárez to Barcelona as the main cause of the team’s mediocre return last season. Reflecting on the campaign, Skrtel said: “It was unsuccessful. We had another targets. It is not the point whether we finished fifth or sixth because we will not play in the Champions League next season. Suárez leaving was the main reason. We missed him a lot. We had many changes in the team and new players had a tough situation with acclimatising. That was the reason for the bad first half of the season. The second part was better, but we finished bad.” As for Liverpool’s decision to retain Rodgers as the manager for next season, the defender said: “I think Rodgers has showed his coaching quality. The owners believe in him, so I can say I am happy.”Colombia has spent years trying to shake off its reputation as the cocaine capital of the world, but the country is producing more of the drug than ever before, according to new figures from the United Nations. Deforestation soars in Colombia after Farc rebels' demobilization Read more An estimated 866 tonnes of cocaine were produced at clandestine labs across the country in 2016, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In 2015, the estimate was 649. In terms of the area planted with coca, the raw material used for cocaine, Colombia is back at the same levels as in 2001, when a huge US-backed anti-narcotics effort known as Plan Colombia was just getting under way. Coca crops covered 146,000 hectares in 2016, up 52% from 96,000 in 2015. Higher yields from mature plants mean more cocaine can be produced per hectare planted. The results of the study “show a complex panorama”, said Bo Mathiasen, the UNODC’s representative in Colombia. José Ángel Mendoza, the head of Colombia’s counter-narcotics police, said Colombia faced “a difficult historical moment”, but stressed that the figures reflected the state of the country on 31 December 2016. Since then, the government has put in place an ambitious plan to eradicate 100,000 hectares of coca by the year’s end. Half of that amount is to be forcibly eradicated, and the other half removed through crop substitution agreements with coca farmers. The substitution program is part of a peace deal with Farc rebels, who renounced drug trafficking as part of their demobilization deal. During much of the group’s 53 years as an armed insurgency, it financed its fight through the drug trade. Former combatants have committed to work with the government to convince farmers to replace coca crops with another way to make a living. “The history of drug crops is divided in two: before and after the beginning of the post-conflict period,” said Enrique Gil Botero, the justice minister. Already 40% of the goal of forced eradication has been met, and 86,000 families – who account for as much as 76,000 hectares of coca – have signed on to crop substitution programs in exchange for subsidies of about $11,000 per farmer over the course of two years, according to the government. Colombia's armed groups sow seeds of new conflict as war with Farc ends Read more “Having the Farc on the side of substitution and not on the other side makes a difference,” said Rodrigo Pardo, who heads the government agency in charge of implementing the peace agreement. But the deal on crop substitution with the Farc, announced before the final peace deal was finalized last year, also provided a perverse incentive for farmers to grow coca, knowing they would later be awarded subsidies. Cocaine production began increasing in 2013, rising steadily every year since. In 2014 the Colombian government ended aerial fumigations in over health concerns. A significant rise in the number of hectares planted with coca, the raw material used in cocaine, had already been reported by the White House, which uses its own measurements. While calculating 180,000 hectares of coca, the US figured the country produced about 700 tonnes of the drug in 2016.Rupert Murdoch, the News Corporation chairman and chief executive, has been asked to appear before MPs on the Commons culture select committee to answer questions about the phone-hacking scandal along with his son James and News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks. The culture, media and sport select committee, which has twice published critical reports into the affair, has written to the trio of executives inviting them to appear. News International said: "We have been made aware of the request from the CMS select committee to interview senior executives and will cooperate. We await the formal invitation." The committee, chaired by Tory MP John Whittingdale, cannot compel witnesses to appear. But given the gravity of the scandal and the public appetite for an explanation from senior News Corp figures, Murdoch is likely to come under pressure to give evidence to parliament for the first time in his career. Brooks refused to appear before the select committee when it carried out its second inquiry into phone hacking at the News of the World following Guardian revelations in July 2009 that News International had paid Gordon Taylor and two other hacking victims to drop legal action. She has answered questions from MPs twice before, apparently telling the home affairs select committee during her first appearance in 2003, when she had just been appointed editor of the Sun, that News International titles had paid police for information. The company recently issued a statement saying Brooks was not aware of any specific payments to police officers by News International. The Labour Paul Farrelly MP, who sits on the committee, said: "It's been alleged that some of the people who came to see us as witnesses knew full well that hacking was rife on the news desk at the very least." The paper's former managing editor Stuart Kuttner, editor Colin Myler and head of legal Tom Crone all gave evidence in 2009 along with Les Hinton, who was chairman of News International. They claimed an internal inquiry had uncovered no evidence that hacking went beyond former royal editor Clive Goodman, who was jailed for hacking into phones in January 2007. The committee considered calling all four of them again and may still do so after it has heard from the most senior executives at the company, Farrelly said. The News Corp executives will be given until Thursday to reply in the hope they will appear next Tuesday afternoon, the final day of the current parliament. Farrelly said James Murdoch "had a lot to amplify" following his statement last week, in which he apologised for approving payoffs to Gordon Taylor and other hacking victims and for giving incorrect information to parliament, saying he had not been fully informed about the extent of News of the World phone hacking at the time. "It was a mea culpa for the organisation which has been a long time coming but it didn't say who knew what and when and who therefore lied to parliament", he added. Farrelly said the committee would employ rarely used parliamentary powers to summon Brooks if she refused to appear. It is understood Brooks could be compelled to attend if a majority of the House of Commons votes in favour of a motion requiring her to do so. That vote could not realistically take place until parliament reconvenes in the autumn, however. The committee considered using those powers previously when the News International chief executive said she would not attend the 2009 phone-hacking hearings but was advised by the Commons authorities not to do so. It is unclear whether the committee can compel Rupert and James Murdoch to appear because they are foreign nationals. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and FacebookThe Liberal Democrat Equalities Minister, Lynne Featherstone, is expected to announce that churches, synagogues and other religious settings will be able to host civil partnership ceremonies for the first time. As The Daily Telegraph reported in December, the Coalition is also considering extending homosexual rights to allow full “marriage” for same-sex couples. Currently, the term “marriage” applies only to the union of a man and a woman. Liberal Jewish groups, Quakers and other Christian organisations have been pressing the Coalition to introduce the civil partnership reforms, and gay rights campaigners welcomed the latest news. The Church of England, however, has voiced its opposition. Senior Anglican officials have said the Church is unlikely to host civil partnerships, which would include religious readings and hymns under the plan. Some critics fear the reforms could pave the way for legal challenges that would force vicars to conduct homosexual “wedding” ceremonies against their will. Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, told BBC One’s Andrew Marr show: “I live in a liberal democracy and I want equality for everybody. I cannot say the Quakers shouldn’t do it. “Nor do I want somebody to tell me the Church of England must do it or the Roman Catholic Church must do it because actually that is not what equality is about.” The Liberal Democrats have supported equalising marriage laws for gay and straight couples. The party’s deputy leader, Simon Hughes, has predicted that a new law giving homosexual couples a right to full civil marriage could be introduced before the next election. Ministers are still considering the issue but could bring forward plans for consultation later this month. Stephen Parkinson, director of Forward in Faith, a traditionalist Anglican movement, said: “It is a matter for the Christian churches to order their own affairs. Her Majesty’s Government has no place interfering.” He said he was concerned that individual churches could suffer the same fate as the Christian B&B owners who were recently sued for refusing to allow a gay couple to stay in a double room. “Some lobby group could set about trying to provoke litigation,” he said. “The question would be whether it is litigation against the Church as an institution or more likely against poor, innocent ‘Rev Bloggs.’” Quakers welcomed the plans. Michael Hutchinson, Acting Recording Clerk for Quakers in Britain, said: “This is about including all of our religious community in being able to publicly express their deep commitment. We wish to move further to allow legal marriage for same sex-couples but this is a welcome step along the way to full equality.” Peter Tatchell, from the homosexual human rights campaign group, OutRage!, said allowing civil partnerships to take place in religious settings was “long overdue”. “When the legal change comes into effect, no religious institution will be forced to perform civil partnerships. It will be up to them to decide,” he said. “The next logical step is to end the ban on gay civil marriages. I urge the government to bring forward legislation to ensure marriage equality. Gay civil partnerships are not good enough. They are not equality. In a democratic society, everyone should be equal before the law. All couples – gay and heterosexual – should be able to get married in a civil ceremony in a register office.”Jagged Alliance is back – With a new take on turn-based tactics, adventure elements and the well-known quirky mercenaries! Set 20 years after the first Jagged Alliance, this spin-off lets you experience a road trip into a jungle hell to test your mind and body to the limits! This time it’s just you and a few allies versus an entire island ruled by a drug overlord and his crazed army. Constantly on the brink of breakdown, faced with dehydration and no support from home, you lead a team of seasoned mercenaries against vastly outnumbering armed forces. Use tactical brilliance and guerilla tactics to destroy their structures and strengthen the island’s population to take back what is rightfully theirs. Do you have what it takes to rise to old glory?The World’s Most Respected ‘Made In’ Labels Countries with the best reputations among consumers. The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays. When you look at the tag of your shirt, and it says “Made in Bangladesh”, what does it mean to you? For most people, a reputation for each country exists in their brains. The same Bangladeshi shirt coming instead from Germany or Brazil could evoke different perceptions to a consumer – and in aggregate, these views have a substantial impact on the success of goods in international markets. The Most Respected Countries Today’s chart shows survey results from 43,034 people in 52 countries on their perceptions of products from various countries of origin. According to Statista, which compiled the Made-in-Country-Index (MICI), each person assessed three countries to give a total of 129,102 individual assessments. Here are the 10 jurisdictions that rated the highest on the list – we’ve also included each country’s top export for additional reference: Rank Jurisdiction Consumer Perception Index Top Export #1 Germany 100 Vehicles #2 Switzerland 98 Gold #3 European Union 92 N/A #4 United Kingdom 91 Vehicles #5 Sweden 90 Vehicles #6 Canada 85 Vehicles #7 Italy 84 Medicine #8 Japan 81 Vehicles #9 France 81 Aircraft #10 United States 81 Refined Oil European countries generally had the best track record in the minds of consumers, with Germany taking the #1 spot overall and Switzerland following close behind. Made in the USA Although the United States ranked #10 after countries like Germany, Japan, Sweden, and Canada, we can still dive a little deeper yet. In the same survey, Americans were specifically asked about the categories of goods for which they thought the U.S. was a “strong production country”. Here are the results: Interestingly, according to 62% of these 1,018 respondents, the good that is best labeled “Made in America” is clothing. While the domestic industry has certainly been dealing with challenges on the business side, it appears American-made clothing is still coveted by consumers when it can be done right.If this is a preview of the Toronto mayoral race, get ready for one heated campaign. Tempers flared during a special meeting at City Hall on Monday as Councillor Karen Stintz, who has already announced she will run for the city's top job, called out Mayor Rob Ford for refusing to declare a state of emergency during last month's ice storm. Stintz said Ford, who was stripped of most of his meaningful powers back
senior study author Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc., senior scientist and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA. Lichtenstein is also the Gershoff Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts. The variability in glycemic index values occurred despite sample sizes larger than required by standard calculations. The study cohort of 63 individuals far exceeded the 10 individuals used by typical glycemic index methodology, as did the six feeding challenges and five-hour blood glucose measuring window. The team also tested for the influence of biological characteristics: sex, body-mass index, blood pressure, physical activity, and several others. Most factors had only a minor statistical effect on glycemic index variability. Blood insulin response as measured by insulin index and HbA1c, a measure of longer term glucose control, had the largest effect, accounting for 15 and 16 percent of the variability, respectively. The authors note their findings do not suggest that a high glycemic index food may be healthy, or that a low glycemic index food unhealthy. Both glycemic index and glycemic load—a value that adjusts glycemic index to serving size—reflect only food containing carbohydrates, and no one eats food in isolation. The high variability of glycemic index and glycemic load reveal limitations in their clinical and public health applicability, and glycemic index estimates and subsequent associations with chronic disease risk needs to be reconsidered, say the authors. “Based on our results, we feel strongly that glycemic index is impractical for use in food labeling or in dietary guidelines at the individual level,” Matthan said. “If your doctor told you your LDL cholesterol value could vary by 20 percent, it would be the difference between being normal or at high risk for heart disease. I don’t think many people would find that acceptable.” ## Additional authors on this study are Lynne M. Ausman, D.Sc., professor at the Friedman School, Huicui Meng, Ph.D., postdoctoral associate in the Cardiovascular Nutrition Lab at the USDA HNRCA, and Hocine Tighiouart, M.S., statistical associate at the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute and clinical assistant professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. This study was supported by awards from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK073321) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (TR001064), both of the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. Matthan, N.R., Ausman, L.M, Meng, H., Tighiouart, H., and Lichtenstein, A.H., “Estimating the reliability of glycemic index values and potential sources of methodological and biological variability.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.137208 About the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy For three decades, the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University has studied the relationship between good nutrition and good health in aging populations. Tufts research scientists work with federal agencies to establish the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Dietary Reference Intakes, and other significant public policies. The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University is the only independent school of nutrition in the United States. The school’s eight degree programs – which focus on questions relating to nutrition and chronic diseases, molecular nutrition, agriculture and sustainability, food security, humanitarian assistance, public health nutrition, and food policy and economics – are renowned for the application of scientific research to national and international policy.Do you ever wonder which books by a contemporary author you love will live on through the ages? 50 or 100 years from now, will Zadie Smith be remembered just for White Teeth, or will her complete body of work be studied? Will anybody actually remember any of Donna Tartt’s books, or will all the hubbub about her Pulitzer-winning bestseller be forgotten? Some writers have bodies of work that people keep reading and studying long after they’ve gone, while others, if they’re lucky, are remembered for just one book. But sometimes, as you’ll see with this list, being remembered for just one book isn’t such a bad thing. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee Harper Lee wrote one of the most important, controversial, beloved, and well-known American books of the last century, and she hasn’t given us another book since. That’s basically the literary equivalent to dropping the mic. In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust If you’re going to write one book that everybody remembers you for, you may as well stretch it out for seven big volumes. And while, yes, Proust did write other things, they’ve all been pretty much eclipsed by the biggest book you will likely ever attempt to read. Dr. Zhivago, Boris Pasternak Even though he was a great poet, Pasternak will probably be remembered most for this novel that netted him the Nobel Prize in Literature. Oblomov, Ivan Goncharov One of the great Russian novels of all time, and also probably the only one by Goncharov that most people know. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath Great poet, but can you name any of her other novels? Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë If you’re going to be the Brontë sister with just one book to your name, that book might as well be one of the 19th century’s greatest. Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison It won the National Book Award and is still considered one of the most important American novels of the 20th century, but it’s the only one published in Ellison’s lifetime, and the only one most people know by him.A mushroom gracefully growing out of a bag Every week, the CSA itself brings people together. Rather than just having a pick-up point, they make it a party. At least, that's what it sounds like. There's live music, homemade pizza, and the local Boulder wine to wash it down. If a member misses the weekly pickup, their weekly share of food is donated to EFAA, a local food bank. Lest you think 63rd St. Farm is primarily a benevolent enterprise, rest assured that by connecting with others engaged in sustainable production, the farm is creating additional streams of income. Amanda explains that even with these additions, she and her husband, Brian, could not get by solely on the farm income. It would be sufficient to support Amanda. But Boulder is expensive by Colorado standards, and Brian's off-farm employment is necessary to ensure the couple's financial well-being. Click here to see an interactive map of the Boulder ditch system In some areas of Colorado, seepage from ditches has built up the groundwater reservoir over the last 150 years. Water from this groundwater reservoir flows back into waterways further downstream and supplies ditches further away. Right now farmers in Colorado use far more water than anybody else, but, as evidenced by the groundwater buildup, it is water that stays in the hydrological cycle. The reverse could also take place. As I see it, due to less snow, more drought, and climate chaos, anything that removes a large chunk of water from the hydrological cycle could be problematic down the line. Consider fracking. In 2009 the Groundwater Protection Council “The amount of water needed to drill and fracture a horizontal shale gas well generally ranges from about 2 million to 4 million gallons.” Colorado state officials told the Lest you think 63rd St. Farm is primarily a benevolent enterprise, rest assured that by connecting with others engaged in sustainable production, the farm is creating additional streams of income. Amanda explains that even with these additions, she and her husband, Brian, could not get by solely on the farm income. It would be sufficient to support Amanda. But Boulder is expensive by Colorado standards, and Brian's off-farm employment is necessary to ensure the couple's financial well-being. In a land with so little rainfall, I had thought the biggest issue facing a farmer east of the Rockies in Colorado would be water availability. My initial questions about water conservation on the farm evidently showed my total ignorance about how water is allocated in this part of Colorado. In fact, Boulder is blessed with a network of irrigation ditches. They flow for about half the year. Water from the mountains flows down through the city into these ditches and on to fields, pastures, orchards, and gardens. The water in a ditch belongs to a ditch company, which is owned by shareholders, who have rights to specific amounts of water at specific times and who pay for the ditch’s upkeep. 63rd St. Farm owns twelve shares of the North Boulder Farmers Ditch. This gives them access to most of the water they need during the growing season. If they run out, they have a supplemental well. The farm's water situation is adequate for now, but the future might bring trouble.In some areas of Colorado, seepage from ditches has built up the groundwater reservoir over the last 150 years. Water from this groundwater reservoir flows back into waterways further downstream and supplies ditches further away. Right now farmers in Colorado use far more water than anybody else, but, as evidenced by the groundwater buildup, it is water that stays in the hydrological cycle. The reverse could also take place. As I see it, due to less snow, more drought, and climate chaos, anything that removes a large chunk of water from the hydrological cycle could be problematic down the line. Consider fracking. In 2009 the Groundwater Protection Council reported thatColorado state officials told the Denver Post that about half of it is injected into the earth, not to return. What does return is contaminated and can't be cleaned at a reasonable cost. But Amanda explained that shares in ditch companies can be bought and sold. Her biggest worry about water availability is that farmers might have to compete with frackers, when ditch shares come up for sale. And there really is no competition there. With far, far deeper pockets, frackers are likely to take it all. Once the pigs are done, chickens follow up by weeding what remains and eating insects. This will potentially reduce pest pressures. Currently, all bug problems are controlled by hand, for example squashing squash bugs and pinching bean beetles. I assume that pigs will destroy the beneficial fungal networks and earthworms, just as tractors do, but with some additional awesome benefits. Pigs and chickens should mean less fertilizer inputs, less hand-weeding, less hand bug-killing, and fewer beneficial insect inputs. 63rd St. Farm relies primarily on human labor rather than machines. But Amanda sees room for improvement. They use a tractor once a year, but Amanda wants to eliminate its use entirely. The farm is replacing some tractor tilling with pig-tilling and chicken-clean-up. This reduces fossil fuel inputs to the farm. Deep cultivation with a tractor can decrease organic matter in the soil over time. By contrast, if the pigs don't hang around in one spot too long, they will add manure to the soil without compacting it. During my visit, some very cute pigs were taking care of a bed of thistle.Once the pigs are done, chickens follow up by weeding what remains and eating insects. This will potentially reduce pest pressures. Currently, all bug problems are controlled by hand, for example squashing squash bugs and pinching bean beetles. I assume that pigs will destroy the beneficial fungal networks and earthworms, just as tractors do, but with some additional awesome benefits. Pigs and chickens should mean less fertilizer inputs, less hand-weeding, less hand bug-killing, and fewer beneficial insect inputs. I love Amanda's willingness to research and try out different sustainable systems. I couldn't help but notice the bales of straw lined up along the perimeter of the cultivated field. She is testing straw-bale farming. Her plan is to grow squash. At full price, straw bales might not be a profitable experiment. However, Amanda purchased "ruined" bales, which had gotten too wet for their intended use as animal feed. Rather than $6/bale, she paid $3. The farm also includes an aquaponics setup. It is a closed loop system with the fish waste fertilizing the plants and the plants helping to clean the water for the fish. Amanda is outspoken in her criticism of government intervention in private business. For example, to be certified organic, there is a requirement to wash all produce with a diluted chlorine solution - one part chlorine to ten parts water. This does not fit with most anyone's definition of organic, and yet according to Amanda, it is indeed part of the requirements. I pressed her on that point, since I had not come across any farmers who were required to do this. Amanda readily admitted that this mandate only applies to farms with over half a million dollars in revenue. Here's hoping that the 63rd St. Farm will achieve such earnings. It comes as no surprise that Amanda has not sought organic certification. Rather, the farm has pursued the Certified Naturally Grown label.I love Amanda's willingness to research and try out different sustainable systems. I couldn't help but notice the bales of straw lined up along the perimeter of the cultivated field.She is testing straw-bale farming. Her plan is to grow squash. At full price, straw bales might not be a profitable experiment. However, Amanda purchased "ruined" bales, which had gotten too wet for their intended use as animal feed. Rather than $6/bale, she paid $3. The farm also includes an aquaponics setup. It is a closed loop system with the fish waste fertilizing the plants and the plants helping to clean the water for the fish. If you live in the Boulder area and want to pick up organic veggies every week from the 63rd St. Farm CSA, you can call them at 720-938-3059 or email them at [email protected] to sign up for the 2015 season. Not too far from downtown Boulder, Colorado, lies a permaculture-based farm. I arrived as Amanda Scott was eating lunch outdoors with a couple of employees. They were savoring portions of a gorgeous casserole brimming with veggies and a good-looking sauce. If their lunch is any indication, 63rd Street Farm is conducive to both health and happiness.After just a few minutes of conversation, I start to realize that this farm is really about growing food in order to build community. The farm itself uses organic practices to cultivate vegetables on a couple acres of land. They also raise organic, non-GMO fed chickens for meat and eggs. This feeds a 150-member CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). But not on its own. They have a mini-vineyard that we passed on our way in. A Boulder company, Settembre Cellars overseas the vineyard and sells their hand-crafted wine through the CSA. You can add Sawhill Ranch hormone-free, grass-fed beef to the weekly basket. If you want to volunteer at the farm, they have a spot for you. The 63rd St. Farm partners with the Boulder campus of the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Escoffier students gain hands-on experience and appreciation of the farming activities necessary to grow food. During my visit, a group of students was planting tomatoes, under Amanda's supervision.By connecting with the farm where their ingredients come from, these future chefs acquire the knowledge to make better sustainable ingredient choices down the road. A local chef partners with the farm to offer Seed-to-Table dinners at the farm. The farm houses an indoor mushroom laboratory and grow-space, operated by Boulder High Country Mushrooms. As Amanda pointed out, the energy part of the equation does not fall within a closed loop. The pumps run on electricity. She intends to help close the energy loop, by installing solar panels to generate electricity. During my self-guided tour of the farm, I also discovered a small food forest that Amanda had not even mentioned. 63rd St. Farm has found a myriad of exciting ways to integrate the permaculture ethics of earth care, people care and fair share into a working farm.There were many stories to come out of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California this past weekend. Jordan Clarkson jumped over Kendall Jenner. Leo was in the general vicinity, maybe quote-unquote with Rihanna. Taylor Swift was there to support her boyfriend, whoever that is. Kesha surprised everyone with a performance. Lots of other famous people played music in front of excited and sometimes oddly dressed fans. But in truth, all of that and more from the jam-packed weekend will be forgotten, swept up by the winds of Indio and transported into the past. There is one story, however, that deserves to be recorded by tomorrow's historians and spoken of centuries into the future. And it is this insane story about people at Coachella trying to mail their taxes at a fake hipster post office inside the festival: this is the best pic.twitter.com/M5U9jlY7fs — Jason Koebler (@jason_koebler) April 18, 2016 Holy crap, what the hell is wrong with you people? Filing taxes from Coachella? How did you even obtain your taxes in the middle of a music festival? Did you bring them? If you brought them, why wouldn't you just mail them before you got to the festival? If you printed them near the festival, where and how? And why didn't you just take them to a real U.S. Post Office? Brain. Can't. Comprehend. This story sounds like a lie, or rather, too perfect to be true, but according to the San Jose Mercury News, it is not. This happened. At least 10 people tried to mail their taxes -- perhaps the most important piece of mail that one can mail -- through a tiny, Lincoln Log-like hipster post office in the middle of Coachella. IN THE MIDDLE OF COACHELLA. "How do they have their taxes here?" asked the woman who was in charge of the "post office." Great question. Great question. There are moments that define generations. Think Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969, or the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, or the ratification of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Perhaps, for Americans of a certain age, this is our moment: The weekend at least 10 people tried to mail their taxes at the 2016 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. What this tells us about the present day? Well, that's for the historians to decide. Then again, this was a pretty good story, too:This is not a gunshot wound you'd brag about to 50Cent. In fact, this sort of injury isn't really something you'd want to tell anybody about—you do have a reputation to maintain after all. Modesto, CA emergency services responded to a shooting incident Wednesday night, being summoned to the home of an unnamed, 56-year-old Modesto resident. He had reportedly been lifting weights in his apartment and accidentally dropped a dumbell which landed on a.22-cal bullet that had been lying on the floor (because who doesn't have loose ammunition strewn about their home). Advertisement The weight apparently hit the rim of the casing and deformed it just so—setting off the charge and embedding a slug in said weightlifter's shoulder. He was admitted to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. "I've never heard of such a thing, but some have," Officer Chris Adams said. Police report finding the casing but no weapon at the scene. [LA Times - Image: mirana / Shutterstock]January 2016 Please note that republishing this article in full or in part is only allowed under the conditions described here. HTTP Evasions Explained - Part 10 - Lazy Browsers The previous parts of this series looked at firewalls and browsers as black boxes which just behave that way for unknown reason. For this part I took a closer look at the source code of Chromium and Firefox. This way I've found even more ways to construct HTTP which is insanely broken but still gets accepted by the browsers. And not surprisingly lots of firewalls simply pass through such a broken protocol without the ability to analyze the payload properly. Just as an example how broken HTTP could be but still gets accepted by Chrome: httP/1A.1B 200 ok Content\000-Encoding: defl\000ate first part of malware compressed with zlib followed by the rest compressed with raw deflate The previous article in this series was Part 9 - How to Fix the Inspection Bypasses Parsing the Status Line A normal status line looks like this: HTTP/major.minor status-code description e.g. HTTP/1.1 200 ok Firefox treats the HTTP version as two numbers which gets parsed with atoi. Chrome instead only takes the first digit of minor and major. Thus 'HTTP/1.010' gets treated like 'HTTP/1.0' with Chrome (chunking not possible) while Firefox sees a version 1.10 which gets treated like 'HTTP/1.1' (chunking possible) because the minor version number 10 is greater than 1. Similar Chrome sees a version of 0.1 (no chunking) in 'HTTP/01.1' while Firefox sees 1.1 (chunking). The atoi function is used by Firefox also when parsing the status code. The returned integer get then casted to an unsigned short (16 bit) which means that a status code of -65436 gets treated the same as status code 100, i.e. as preliminary response and the real response follows. Apart from that both Firefox and Chrome accept 'http' or even 'hTTp' instead of 'HTTP' and Firefox accepts 'ICY' in place of 'HTTP/1.0' which is a reference to the Shoutcast protocol. Parsing of the HTTP Headers Chrome replaces each end of a (maybe folded) header line with \000 for easier parsing later. To be on the safe side it eliminates before any existing \000 in the header, which never should occur there anyway with proper HTTP. This way the following header lines are the same for Chrome: Transfer-Encoding: chunked Transfer-Encoding: chu\000nked Transfer-\000Encoding: chunked \000Transfer-Encoding: chunked \000Transfer-\000Encoding\000:\000chun\000ked\000 As line end Chrome accepts any combination of \r and as long as it is not the end of the HTTP header part. Thus and \r are accepted but also \r or even \r\r . Interestingly the last one is considered the end of the HTTP header part by Safari. Parsing of the chunk size With chunked transfer encoding each chunk is prefixed by its size given as a hexadecimal number. Firefox uses the stroul function to parse these hex values. This way it also accepts any amount of white space in front of the size including \t,\r, ,\v or \f. It also means that the size can be prefixed with '0x' and that that even negative numbers are accepted which then get casted to unsigned long. Thus these size specifications mean the same for Firefox f 0xf \v\f\t\r 0xf \v\f\t\r +0xf \v\f\t\t -0xfffffff0 - 32 bit Firefox \v\f\t\t -0xfffffffffffffff0 - 64 bit Firefox Deflate Detection As described in Part 2 - Deflate Compression there are two kinds of compression schemes commonly accepted as 'deflate': zlib (RFC 1950) and raw deflate (RFC 1951). Both Chrome and Firefox try to decompress with zlib first and if this fails they retry with raw delate. But, they simply believe that the failure will be at the initial input buffer and don't verify this assumption. By triggering a zlib error through an invalid checksum after the first part got decompressed, one can make both browsers restart the decompression with raw deflate. This needs the right timing but can be reliably triggered like this: HTTP/1.1 200 ok Content-type: deflate first part compressed with zlib but missing the final checksum.... sleep(1) so that first packets gets processed... remaining data compressed with raw deflate Raw Data after Gzip If the content is compressed with gzip Chrome will consider any body data after the end of the compression as uncompressed data and will treat it as valid part of the response: HTTP/1.1 200 ok Content-type: gzip first part compressed with gzip remaining data not compressed Conclusion This was only a small part of the laziness done by the browsers when parsing the content. In my opinion most of these examples can no longer be considered robustness. While robustness aims to deal with malformed data which might occur in practice in these cases the browser accepts nonsensical data which are never expected in practice. From the perspective of the browsers this does not harm, because they still treat valid data in a valid way. But any firewall or IDS in between which tries to analyze the traffic will probably interpret the data differently in lots of cases. This makes a bypass possible unless such data are either blocked or by the inspection or analyzed and forwarded after sanitizing the data. If you are curious how bad your browser or you IPS behave with uncommon or invalid responses from the web server head over to the the HTTP Evader test site. To read more about the details of specific bypasses go to the main description of HTTP Evader.The upcoming drama “Radio Romance” continues to add to its star-studded cast! On December 19, it was confirmed that actors Yoon Park, Kwak Dong Yeon, Ha Joon, and Girl’s Day member Yura will be joining the KBS 2TV drama. It was previously reported that Highlight’s Yoon Doojoon and Kim So Hyun would be starring in the drama, along with former “Produce 101 Season 2” contestant Lee Euiwoong. “Radio Romance” will tell the heartwarming story of Ji Su Ho, an A-list actor who can’t do anything without a script (played by Yoon Doojoon), and Song Geu Rim, the low-ranking radio script writer who casts him as a DJ (played by Kim So Hyun). The drama will depict the exciting, action-packed daily workings of a radio station, where nothing ever goes according to plan. Actor Yoon Park will be playing the role of Lee Kang, a highly capable producing director who is as insufferable as he is talented. The character is notorious for his difficult personality and his unreasonable expectations for his staff, which drive no less than seven assistant producers to the hospital. After firing 12 different DJs, Lee Kang makes Song Geu Rim an offer she can’t refuse—he promises her that if she manages to cast Ji Su Ho, he will make her the head writer of his show. GIrl’s Day member Yura will be playing Jin Tae Ri, a fading star who used to be the most in-demand actress in Korea. Although she was once an A-list celebrity, Jin Tae Ri’s career is on the decline, with both her fans and her casting offers steadily decreasing in number. Just as she begins to worry that she may not be able to continue acting for much longer, she happens upon a family secret of Jin Su Ho’s, which she attempts to use to her advantage to restart her career. Ha Joon will be playing Ji Su Ho’s longtime manager Kim Jin Woo, who managed to rise from road manager to agency director using his skills alone. He takes care of even the most minute details for the actor, and he is not afraid to play the villain when it comes to protecting his star. Kim Jin Woo also shared a brief flirtation with Jin Tae Ri in the past. Finally, Kwak Dong Yeon will be playing the character of Jason, a psychiatrist who is also Ji Su Ho’s high school classmate. As the actor’s chief confidant and personal doctor, Jason stays close by Su Ho’s side, constantly urging him to talk about his problems. “Radio Romance” is scheduled to begin airing in January 2018, after the conclusion of “Jugglers.” Are you excited for the new drama? Leave your thoughts below! Source (1)Downing Street indicates deadline for EU nationals to register right to live in Britain will be part of Brexit negotiations No “cut-off date” for EU nationals to register their right to live in Britain is expected to be announced until negotiations on reciprocal rights of Britons living in other EU countries are concluded, government sources have indicated. Downing Street rejected taking unilateral action before a deal on residency rights is secured – meaning it is highly unlikely that the day Theresa May formally triggers Brexit – expected on or around 15 March – will be used as the key cut-off date. No 10 underlined on Monday that the cut-off date for EU nationals in Britain would instead be a key part of the negotiations over residency rights with the EU27. With up to 3 million EU nationals living in Britain, the Home Office is overhauling its residency application process, with senior officials describing it as moving from a previously “niche activity to a mainstream programme”. More than 200,000 residency applications were decided in 2016 and an online system is being phased in to gear up to a much bigger operation. Whitehall sources also poured cold water on speculations that the prime minister was poised to announce the end of free movement for EU nationals who arrive in Britain after article 50 is triggered next month, by imposing a new visa regime and restricting their access to benefits. The Guardian view on Brexit Britain: too many uncertainties Read more Differing views are believed to have been aired at a meeting of the Brexit cabinet committee last Thursday where options on the future of EU nationals in Britain and on future EU immigration policy were outlined. Briefings after the meeting sparked detailed speculation about the options being considered. The Sunday Times suggested one option was to introduce five-year visas for EU citizens coming to work in key sectors of the economy but which would ban them from claiming benefits. It also suggested that the government’s migration advisory committee would be asked to decide a new list of shortage occupations open to EU migrants, as is the case for non-EU skilled labour. The home secretary, Amber Rudd, did not rule out such an option on Sunday but made clear that it was only one of a range of options being considered by ministers. She said a consultation on the new immigration policy would be held over the summer. On Monday, a Downing Street spokesman said May was clear that control of immigration was one of the main purposes of Brexit but stressed this would begin after the article 50 negotiating period is over. Asked whether a potential cut-off date would be a matter for the government or form part of negotiations with the EU, the spokesman said: “In terms of the issue of EU citizens’ rights in the UK, the prime minister has been clear on wanting that to be an issue addressed as a priority once the negotiations with the other members states get under way.” What the EU27 want: Brexit red lines from the other side of the table Read more The media speculation prompted a firm response from Brussels, where one senior EU diplomat said: “As long a the UK is a member, it keeps its rights and obligations. The commission believes it is desirable for the date on which that changes to be the date the UK leaves.” It is understood that this position was agreed at a technical meeting last week between the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, and representatives of the other EU member states, although a commission spokesman declined to comment. Asked about May’s intentions, the European commission’s chief spokesman said the EU would lay out its position once article 50 was triggered. He said: “We saw reports based on sources but we are expecting a letter [from May].” The absence of a national population register or identity card scheme in Britain has prompted concerns in the European parliament about whether the Home Office has the capacity to establish a robust register of all EU citizens in Britain, including their date of arrival and legal rights to remain. The Home Office, however, does manage to issue 6.8m passports each year to British citizens.Wild boars have killed three Isis militants who were setting up an ambush in the Hamrin mountains in Iraq Jevtic/GETTY IMAGES A herd of wild boar mauled three Islamic State militants to death and injured five others in Iraq while the extremists were setting up an ambush, locals claimed. The men were said to have taken cover in a bed of reeds near fields in the Hamrin mountains, about 55 miles southwest of Kirkuk. They were planning an attack on tribesmen who had formed anti-Isis brigades and had fled to the mountains when the jihadists seized the nearby town of Hawija in mid-2014. Sheikh Anwar al-Assi, a chief of the local Ubaid tribe and supervisor of the anti-Isis forces, told The Times that at least eight fighters had hidden in dense reeds.“It is likely their movement disturbed a herd of wild pigs, which inhabit the area…Target is ringing in Pride month in a very big way, introducing a rainbow-themed clothing and accessories line as well as an inclusive ad campaign. Unveiled June 8, the Minnesota-based retail giant's #TakePride line is available online and in select stores. It includes T-shirts, swim trunks and flip-flops, as well as headphones, iPhone cases and other products. Pride Swim Short, Rainbow The commercial that accompanies the campaign, which can be viewed above, pairs archival footage of LGBT rights milestones with colorful, time-lapse images and present-day Pride clips. "We're not born with pride," a voiceover declares. "We take pride, pride in celebrating who we were born to be." Pride Flip Flop Sandals, Rainbow Chevron Laysha Ward, Target's Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, said in a statement: We’re making our message loud and clear: Target proudly stands with the LGBT community, both as a team member and team player through all that we do – from our volunteer efforts to our long-standing partnerships with groups like Family Equality Council and Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, to the very products we carry in our stores and online. Pride Men's Sunday Funday, Navy In 2012, the company created 10 Pride T-shirts, including two designed by Gwen Stefani, that were available online. View a selection of products from Target's #TakePride line below:UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it would wait for the results of U.S., NATO and Afghan investigations into a deadly air strike on a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in Afghanistan before deciding whether to support an independent probe. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday called for an “impartial” investigation of the incident but he stopped short of saying that should be done by the U.N. His spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday it was too soon to say if an additional probe would be necessary. MSF and the U.N. human rights chief have said the incident could be a war crime. “It’s still early days, I think we’re waiting to see what comes out of the official U.S. and NATO and possibly Afghan investigations,” he told reporters. “I think what we’re looking for is a credible and transparent investigation.” U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has promised a full investigation into whether the American military was connected to the destruction of the MSF hospital in Kunduz, but cautioned it would take time to gather information. Under international law, the bombing would only be a war crime if it was proved that the hospital was attacked intentionally, legal experts said. A United Nations investigation is unlikely at this point because the United States is viewed as capable of carrying out a credible investigation and because the incident is not viewed as part of a systematic campaign targeting civilians, diplomatic sources said. If doubts arose over the credibility of the U.S. or NATO investigations, there might be calls for a U.N. probe. MSF has called for a “full transparent independent investigation.” A spokesman for the group, which said it had given the coordinates of the hospital to U.S. and Afghan forces, did not immediately respond to a query about whether it wants a U.N. investigation. U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said on Saturday that, “if established as deliberate in a court of law, an air strike on a hospital may amount to a war crime.” GENEVA CONVENTIONS The United States and Afghanistan are parties to the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war and occupations. They are obligated to prosecute those alleged to have committed grave breaches of the conventions or hand them over to another state party for trial. Under U.S. law, any grave breaches of the Conventions — including wilful killing or wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health — are considered a war crime. John Bellinger, the State Department’s top legal advisor under former President George W. Bush, doubted that the attack, while tragic, could be categorized as a war crime. “It’s an enormous rush to judgement to suggest it is a war crime unless someone has immediate evidence that the U.S. government intentionally attacked the hospital, which seems doubtful,” he said. The American commander of international forces in Afghanistan said Afghan forces asked for U.S. air support while fighting the Taliban shortly before the air strike. MSF accused the United States of trying to “pass responsibility to the Afghanistan government.” If it was found to be a crime, whether through negligence or something more deliberate, U.S. or Afghan authorities would be expected to prosecute those responsible in either a civilian or military court and, if they were convicted, to punish them. The United Nations is not able to prosecute anyone itself and can do little more than recommend further action by governments or international courts. The world body investigated Israeli attacks on U.N. schools amid charges that Hamas fighters hid weapons on U.N. premises during last year’s war in the Gaza Strip, though that was because of the involvement of U.N. facilities. Often the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva and Zeid’s office will establish investigations into charges of gross violations of human rights, such as a comprehensive probe of North Korea that led to U.N. accusations of Nazi-like policies of starvation and persecution by the Pyongyang authorities. Four years ago, the U.N. in Geneva launched a still-ongoing investigation into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria’s civil war in the hope that some day the International Criminal Court (ICC) could prosecute suspects. The United States is not a member of the ICC, which only investigates and prosecutes the gravest types of war crimes, such as genocide. It is not clear whether MSF plans to launch its own legal action. There is precedent for civilian wrongful death lawsuits in U.S. courts, although the hurdles for victims are high. The Federal Tort Claims Act allows lawsuits for negligence by certain government employees, but courts have generally held that the law does not apply to combatants in times of war. The legal doctrine of sovereign immunity, which makes the U.S. immune from most suits, has also blocked claims brought against the government for civilian
a new report, is a big problem. Last summer, Google announced that it would add a new criteria to its search rankings: the number of takedown requests. The more takedown requests a site has, the lower it would be in the rankings. At least that was the idea. But the RIAA's research suggests that the new policy hasn't had any detectable effect on the rankings of major pirate sites. The RIAA has been tracking the rankings of pirate sites in Google search results for queries like "rihanna diamonds download" and "kesha die young mp3," and it has found that the sites with the most takedown notices have continued to consistently appear on the first page of results. Indeed, they were more likely to appear than links to legitimate music-purchase sites such as iTunes or Amazon. Because Google publishes statistics on takedown requests, the trade group was able to determine which sites are targeted most frequently. mp3skull, for example, has been the target of 153,326 takedown requests between August and December of last year. Another site called downloads.nl has received a whopping 433,342 takedown requests. Yet the RIAA's statistics suggest that if Google is taking takedowns into account in its search results, it's not having much effect: To be clear, the law doesn't require Google to demote pirate sites in its rankings. As long as Google complies with the DMCA's notice-and-takedown regime, it's in the clear legally. The decision to demote pirate sites was Google's effort to go beyond the letter of the law in order to address the concerns of major copyright holders. Still, Google did promise to demote pirate sites in its rankings last summer. And the RIAA's data suggests that the search giant hasn't done much to deliver on that promise. Update: A Google spokeswoman responds: "We have invested heavily in copyright tools for content owners and process takedown notices faster than ever. In the last month we received more than 14 million copyright removal requests for Google Search, quickly removing more than 97% from search results. In addition, Google’s growing partnerships and distribution deals with the content industry benefit both creators and users, and generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the industry each year."BROCKTON – Two men who robbed a city convenience store while armed on Tuesday afternoon could face much higher penalties than the potential reward they sought. Police say that’s because they only asked for a single dollar. Officers responded to the Red Apple Food Shop, formerly the Brockton Market and Deli, at 238 Forest Ave., about 12:30 p.m. for a report of an armed robbery. The store is currently being renovated. Police say two men armed with large hunting-style knives robbed the owner of the corner store, who was at the closed store to work on renovations, while demanding a single dollar. They then fled the area east on foot. The witness who called police followed the suspects to Florence Street, but then lost sight of them. The suspects were described by police as two young Hispanic men, possibly between the ages of 15 and 18. One of them was wearing a red sweatshirt with a white shirt on top of it and the other was wearing a white hooded sweatshirt. No arrests had been made as of late Wednesday afternoon. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 508-941-0200.A Hong Kong developer is building one of the world’s largest polo communities. It will have two international-standard polo fields, stables for 150 horses, a 167-room hotel, 10 restaurants, a three-storey wine cellar with a capacity of 10,000 bottles, a ballroom for 1,000 guests and conference rooms, spas, gymnasiums and a Roman-style indoor swimming pool. Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club Riders compete at a snow polo match And the best part….it is located in a industrial zone in the Chinese city of Tianjin (about an hour’s drive from Beijing). Polo isn’t a big sport in China, in fact it is “barely known,” according to an article in the South China Morning Post. According to my colleagues at The China Real Time Report, China imported 1,300 horses in 2010, compared with about 300 five years ago–a fraction of the 40,000 imported to the U.S. Still, the developers of the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club & Hotel are betting more than $240 million on appealing to the new Chinese rich who want to be identified with European aristocracy. No doubt the place will be covered with gold crests, faux-historic polo gear and red-velvet Napoleonic chairs. The club “brings the spirit of nobility” to Tianjin, Rowland Wong, president of the polo club, told the Post. Membership will cost about $57,000, with memberships for “patron” team owners to be much higher. That China–with its history of anticolonialism–is embracing the Sport of Kings has many ironies. Yet it isn’t all that different from the Ralph Lauren phenomena in the U.S., where the new rich, and even the new barely-affluent, drape themselves in the trappings of Old Money. This remains one of the great paradoxes of modern wealth. While the new rich are quick to distance themselves from the Leisure Class, with their attacks on inherited money and devotion to hard work and “middle class values,” they still crave the respectability and traditions of the aristocracy. Spend a day at the polo grounds at Wellington in Florida and you’ll see the contradiction on full display–fast-food magnates and car-dealership kings parading their wealth at a game they barely understand. In the end, the effort to adopt the image of Old Money is really about things that New Money can’t buy: a sense of belonging to a long tradition of wise wealth. Why do you think the rich crave the trappings of Old Money?Southwest Airlines announced Thursday that it would add new, nonstop weekend service from Pensacola International Airport to Denver this summer. The new service to Denver International Airport will run June 3 through August 14, offering flights on Saturdays and Sundays. Southwest also said Thursday that is would renew its seasonal service from Pensacola to both Kansas City International Airport and Dallas Love Field with an increase in frequency. The airline will increase the Kansas City route to daily, nonstop service, with two Saturday flights and one Sunday flight to Dallas. The announcements raise Southwest’s service at Pensacola International Airport to 34 flights per week. Passengers can begin booking flights today, officials said. “The new non-stop service to Denver and the return of non-stop service to Dallas and Kansas City is great news and a sign that Southwest Airlines, like so many other businesses, is confident and optimistic about Pensacola’s continual growth,” said Mayor Ashton Hayward. “These additional routes will increase our exposure to the West and Midwest while strengthening the connection between the 2nd and 3rd most populous states in the country. We have built a tremendous relationship with Southwest Airlines over the past three years and we look forward to making it even better in the years to come.” Southwest’s existing daily non-stop service from Pensacola to Nashville International Airport and Houston Hobby International Airport will continue unchanged. Nonstop Saturday service to Chicago Midway International Airport will return on March 11. “We see growth potential in Pensacola,” said Dave Doty, Southwest’s Senior Manager of Business Development. “The airport staff has been extremely helpful in making a case for our expansion of service. The partnership with Pensacola International Airport has been valuable as we plan to serve our customers.”It’s been more than seven months since the Occupy Wall Street movement began in New York’s Zucotti Park and gave us the class warfare rallying cry of “We are the 99%.” And while our nation’s downtown parks are mostly free of the squalid encampments, the movement is hoping to centralize its efforts online at its new site, Occupy.com. According to its creators Occupy.com “is a new media channel that will amplify the voices of Occupy.” The site is being bankrolled by film producer Larry Taubman, who reportedly provided $130,000 in seed money for the project as well as kicking in “a large confidential sum” for the domain name Occupy.com. In addition to the ironic fact that Occupy.com is made possible by benefactors of the 1%, the site faces a number of challenges. As a de-centralized movement which, during its heyday, relied on the General Assemblies (GAs) and “down twinkles” to make decisions, how can Occupy.com become the central hub for the movement? As the site’s About page explains, “There is no GA or Spokes Council overseeing us, but we are morally accountable to the movement as a whole.” Whatever that means. The site’s other core challenge is how does a movement that began offline with a very aggressive physical element move to the real world? To be sure, the Occupation leveraged social media to let the world know about its marches, encampments, and run-ins with law enforcement, but in each case they were connected to action taking place offline.Hillary Clinton tried to make herself more relatable in a Humans of New York post on Sept. 8, where the Democratic nominee explained why she comes off as “cold” and “unemotional.” In the post, Clinton explained that she’s had to learn to control her emotions because of many events that occurred when she was younger that scarred her and taught her to keep everything buried inside. She cited one specific occasion when she was taking her Harvard Law School admissions test and young men screamed at her and said that if she got in it would mean one of them wouldn’t and they’d be eligible for the draft. “If you take my spot, I’ll get drafted, and I’ll go to Vietnam, and I’ll die,” one of the men allegedly told Clinton. The problem with the former first lady’s story is that the draft exemption for law school students ended long before she ever would have taken the Harvard entry test. First of all, it’s odd that Clinton has never told this story before, considering she penned two autobiographies Living History and Hard Choices. Secondly, as is the case with multiple lies told by Hillary, the dates are entirely off. President Lyndon Johnson ended the draft deferment on Feb. 16, 1968, when Clinton was a junior at Wellesley College. She didn’t graduate until June of 1969 and probably didn’t take her LSAT until 1969, more than a year after she could have been accused of taking someone else’s spot. Another strike against Clinton’s claim was that she told the story to The New Yorker in 1996, and in that version she said that men were jerks to her, telling her to “go home and get married,” but no one told her they were going to die in Vietnam if she got accepted and they didn’t. The Humans of New York post was Clinton’s attempt to tell young women that she has been ostracized for being female and understands what it’s like, but the best she could come up with was a fabrication. Just like Clinton’s claims that she came under sniper fire in Bosnia, or that she never sent or received classified information on her private server, this was another time the Democratic nominee was caught lying to the public. Latest VideosSeven of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email chains will be withheld from public release because they have been found to contain top secret information. (Reuters) The Post reports: The State Department has concluded there is “top secret” material in Hillary Clinton’s email correspondence from the time she was secretary of state, indicating that some of her emails will never be released, even in heavily redacted form, because they are too sensitive for the public to view. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the material crosses seven email chains, amounting to 37 pages worth of material. The finding is likely to deepen the political consequences for Clinton of her decision to use a private email account, routed through a server installed in her suburban New York home, and it comes just three days before the Iowa caucuses, as Clinton remains locked in a heated battle with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the Democratic presidential nomination. It also has legal consequences, ones that cannot be spun away with the irrelevant excuse that they were not marked “top secret.” Moreover, if the material contained, as the Associated Press reports, “pages include messages recently described by a key intelligence official as concerning so-called ‘special access programs’ — a highly restricted subset of classified material that could point to confidential sources or clandestine programs like drone strikes or government eavesdropping,” her lack of awareness of the secretive nature of the material is eviscerated. Former attorney general Michael R. Mukasey wrote that “from her direction that classification rules be disregarded, to the presence on her personal email server of information at the highest level of classification, to her repeated falsehoods of a sort that juries are told every day may be treated as evidence of guilty knowledge—it is nearly impossible to draw any conclusion other than that she knew enough to support a conviction at the least for mishandling classified information.” If that is the case, Mukasey concludes, “The simple proposition that everyone is equal before the law suggests that Mrs. Clinton’s state of mind—whether mere knowledge of what she was doing as to mishandling classified information; or gross negligence in the case of the mishandling of information relating to national defense; or bad intent as to actual or attempted destruction of email messages; or corrupt intent as to State Department business—justifies a criminal charge of one sort or another.” Democrats, and to an extent the media, have been operating in a state of denial as the FBI marches forward. Neither the FBI nor the hard evidence can be spun, no matter how clever Clinton’s answers may be. As former general David Petraeus is fighting off efforts to strip him of a star, it is inconceivable that there would be no consequences for Clinton. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) released a statement: “We now know Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email account during her tenure at the State Department wasn’t just negligent, it was completely dangerous. Housing top-secret emails on an unsecure, personal server put our national security at grave risk. Did our enemies hack these emails? And were lives put at risk as a result? To put our country in danger for personal convenience is arrogant and irresponsible — and it’s illegal. She should face the same consequences that any federal employee who behaved similarly would face, including criminal prosecution.” Other Republicans will surely follow with similar questions. Skeptics will say that this Justice Department will never indict Clinton. To that there are two responses: First, I see no reason why Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch would besmirch her career and reputation by declining prosecution if the evidence warrants. This is not a presidential crony. She is no Eric Holder, who has been adept throughout his career at protecting his bosses from political disaster. Second, if the FBI does find compelling evidence and the Justice Department were to refuse to act the political hullabaloo would be enormous and the presidential election essentially handed to the Republicans. Democrats need to get a grip and a Plan B. If Clinton is beaten in Iowa, they must decide if they are prepared to accept the possibility of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as their nominee. Really. A socialist to the left of President Obama will be the best the Democratic Party can do? Remember we are not only talking about the presidential election in November but also control of the Senate. If the Democrats feel queasy about the prospect of Sanders as their nominee they better move fast — either to dragoon Vice President Biden, entice Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) or to figure out if former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley has any chance whatsoever. But if Clinton wins Iowa, the Democrats’ problem is even worse. Whom do they get to beat her if she is winning races?A former beauty queen faces some ugly legal problems after being arrested for possession of both meth and heroin. Jamie Lynn France, 23, the 2009 Miss Teen Oregon-World, was arrested Wednesday in a Salem, Oregon motel room, according to the Keizer Times. She was charged with one count each of possession of methamphetamine, possession of heroin and possession of suboxene, a prescription medicine to treat opiate addiction. It appears cops raided the room to bust a dealer. She was booked into the Marion County Correctional Facility and later released on $30,000 bail. This marks France's second arrest this year. In January, she was cited for driving under the influence in January after a head-on crash with another intoxicated driver. Officials warned the public about the dangers of drugs by noting changes in France's physical appearance seen in her mug shot compared to her reign as beauty queen. "The Keizer Police Department would like to take this opportunity to caution against the use of illegal controlled substances because of the terrible long-term affects to the user, their families and our communities. Jamie France, formerly of Redmond, Oregon, was the 2009 winner of the Miss Teen Oregon-World competition. We have included photographs taken both before as well as following the abuse of controlled substances for each of the people arrested in this case." PHOTO GALLERY Not So Beautiful Beauty Queen Investigators from the Keizer Police Department also arrested Jarrod Wells, 37, in the motel with Francis. The room was filled with a wide variety of drugs, including heroin, meth and psychedelic mushrooms, the Keizer Times reports. Wells' wife, Erin Wells, 37, was arrested at the couple's house a short time later. Two small children, ages 7 and 4, were taken into custody and later placed with a relative, according to a release by KOIN TV. Investigators said they found more than an ounce of heroin, several grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of psilocybin mushrooms at the house as well as other evidence suggesting that drugs were being sold there. According to a department release, heroin and methamphetamine were strewn throughout the home and were within easy reach of the two children. Jarrod Wells was charged with multiple felonies, including three counts of delivery of meth, three counts of delivery of meth within 1000 feet of a school, two counts of child neglect and one count each of frequenting a place where controlled substances are used, 6abc.com reports. His bail was set at $415,000.The "precautionary" recall came after tests showed products from nine Irish farms contained harmful dioxins at up to 200 times the safe limits. Dick Roche said: "This is something we're very concerned with because, of course, we pride ourselves on having one of the best, highest quality food production processes in the world, certainly in Europe. This is a shock to the system." Mr Roche told Sky News: "The reality is that very high levels of dioxins were found in a number of samples that had been taken. It has been established that comes from a contaminated food process for the animals, so we've had to literally shut that entire process down." He said that one sample had turned up in France and it was important to deal with the situation "robustly". The Irish government ordered the recall of pig meat products from September 1, with bacon, ham, sausages, white pudding and pizzas with ham toppings withdrawn. The feed tainted with a toxic substance came from one farm and the source has now been contained, according to government and industry officials. Ten farms had been using the tainted feed, affected with dioxins, environmental contaminants that can have serious health effects, including causing cancers, if exposed over a long-term period. The FSAI said the levels in the pork were "in the region of about 80-200 times above the safe limits." A spokesman for the UK's Food Standards Agency had earlier said consumers were not at "significant risk" from the pork products. The spokesman said: "People shouldn't be too concerned. It's not an immediate toxic risk. With dioxins it's a problem when you have exposure at high levels over a long period of time. We are only talking about a problem since September." He said the FSA was waiting for information from Irish authorities about the UK end destinations of Irish pork products and would then "identify if any specific action is required to protect UK consumers". It is feared the recall could cripple Ireland's 400 pig farmers in the run up to Christmas. Defra said they were monitoring the situation and keeping in close contact with the FSA. Padraig Walshe, president of the Irish Farmers' Association (Ifa), described the move as "an absolute disaster" at an important time of the year for the pig sector. He stressed less than 10 per cent of the products currently for sale on the market had been processed since September 1. Labour Party spokesman on agriculture and food, Sean Sherlock, said the government's priority had to be consumers but action had to be taken to "save the Christmas pork and ham market". He said: "The announcement amounts to a threat to the overall viability of our food industry as great as, if not greater than, the outbreaks of BSE and of foot and mouth. "The authorities must give a full and frank account of the full extent of the risk to human health." The FSA was due to meet later to assess if Northern Ireland's pork products were affected. Joe McDonald from the Ulster Farmers' Union said clear guidance was needed. "This is a very, very important time of the year for pig farmers and it is very important the public are confident about the produce they are buying," he said. "We want to make sure that this situation is dealt with very vigorously, and that there is clear guidance given to the public and that we deal with this a quickly as possible so that in the coming days we can restore normality." About 7,000 people are employed in Ireland's pig industry, including about 1,200 on farms. The Irish Association of Pig meat Processors said the industry had an annual turnover of 500 million euros (£431 million). Ireland provides around 8 per cent of the UK pig meat market. Tesco said it does not import fresh pork from Ireland. A spokeswoman said: "We do not believe it is contained in any other products but we are checking as a matter of urgency. "If any product is found to contain Irish pork, we will, of course, take immediate action to remove it from sale."It’s a tough time for the intelligence community in Washington these days. They can’t seem to steer clear of the election. President-elect Trump is so annoyed that he won’t accept the CIA’s daily briefing, and he’s mocked their assessment that Russia hacked the Democratic and Republican National Committees in an attempt to influence the election. ADVERTISEMENT It would be prudent to wait for President Obama’s report before evaluating Mr. Trump’s denial of Russia’s partisan hacking exploits. But, Reid is right about Comey and the time to act is now. The FBI’s intervention in the 2016 presidential election cannot be tolerated. His excuse—that he had to keep Congress informed about the highly partisan issue of 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’s emails in the closing days of the campaign—carries no water. The best course would be to dismiss the FBI director immediately. This would send an unmistakable signal to heads of other government agencies—especially the Intelligence Community—that elections are off limits. The FBI has a long and dishonorable record of political interference and malfeasance, often associated with its first director, J. Edgar Hoover. He placed his agents on the staffs of the most powerful committees of Congress. He turned the FBI into a political police, infiltrating and disrupting the nation’s “enemies” as he defined them—the USA Communist Party, the Socialist Workers Party, anti-Vietnam War protest organizations, the civil rights movement, the New Left, and even white hate groups like the KKK. All became targets of FBI dirty tricks, infiltration, and disruption. And what’s more, Hoover did it on his own authority—ignoring Justice Department guidelines and the recommendations of his superiors—not unlike Comey. Some say Hoover’s power was rooted in the infamous secret files on members of Congress—known as the director’s “confidential files” that he kept in his inner office. But after Hoover’s death, Congress came to its senses. In 1975, it empowered the Church Committee to investigate and rein in the illegal domestic spying activities of the Intelligence Community, specifically including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And it legislated term limits. Today the FBI director is nominated by the president and appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate for a 10-year term—10 years, that is, during good behavior and at the pleasure of the president. Following the Church Committee investigations, it was widely believed that the FBI had been brought to heel by superior power emanating from the U.S. Congress. But that was before 9/11 and the explosive growth of the intelligence agencies and assets over the past 15 year. New powers of surveillance, internal security, and counterterrorism were added across the Intelligence Community, and especially to the FBI’s portfolio and budgets, which mushroomed. Now comes Director Comey, who was a registered Republican until July, appointed by President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaChicago's next mayor will be a black woman Obama portraits brought more than 1 million visitors to National Portrait Gallery in first year With low birth rate, America needs future migrants MORE in 2013. In a spectacular arrogance of power, Comey put his office in jeopardy, as well as the FBI, wading into the political arena, intervening not once but twice, in the closing days of the presidential election of 2016. But make no mistake about the gravity of his misconduct. It was a direct assault on the electoral process, even if he says it was not; no matter his intentions, it was an attempt to subvert democracy as it has been practiced in the United States for 240 years. Against the advice of his superiors in the Justice Department and common sense, Comey sent a vaguely worded letter to Congress, insinuating that the highly charged political issue of classified materials in Hillary Clinton’s emails was still relevant. It was a high-stakes move, and candidate Trump was on it like a 900-pound gorilla. He told a raucous crowd of supporters in Manchester, New Hampshire that the FBI is “reopening the case into [Clinton’s] criminal and illegal conduct that threatened the security of the United States of America." He said it was "worse than Watergate." He beat it like a drum in the closing days of the election, and the crowds responded with an ugly chorus of “lock her up, lock her up,” an idea that seemed to resonate with the Republican candidate himself. Following Comey’s letter to Congress, Clinton’s lead in the polls began to slip. Two days before the election, Comey again raised the issue to Congress, this time exonerating Clinton, but the damage was done. Now we cannot say for certain that Hillary Clinton lost the election because of Comey’s 11th hour interventions. At the same time, it cannot be discounted because she thinks it’s the case, and no one thinks it was an irrelevant or insignificant factor. Comey’s interference, moreover, is emblematic of the rise of the surveillance security state in America. They no longer know the limits of their expanded powers. What must the FBI director have been thinking? Did he think that he was above the law or merely that he could dabble in electoral politics with impunity? One thing is certain. Comey overstepped the authority of his office and it will take more than a slap on the wrist to set things right. The message needs to be sent loud and clear to the intelligence chiefs and every other appointed government official to keep their hands off of the elections. As a democracy, we cannot tolerate electoral intervention by the FBI or any other agency of the government. How could this happen? Comey suggested in an internal letter to FBI staff, many of whom were dismayed by his shenanigans, that he could not keep the existence of possibly new and possibly relevant emails from the Congress; emails that the FBI had not yet read and whose contents were still unknown; emails that the Republican leadership and their Congressional committees inflated to inflict political damage on the Democrats. At worst, Comey sought to influence the selection of the next president of the United States. Perhaps he thought his agency would fare better under Trump than Clinton. Or it may be he hoped to ingratiate himself to Trump, a man who had criticized him in the past. But his motivations are far less important than his actions. By inserting himself into the election, he crossed a line, throwing his agency into partisan politics, betraying his oath of office and the trust of the American people. Accusations have arisen that Comey violated the Hatch Act, engaging in partisan politics as a government employee, an offense for which he could be fired. But this is not the most important factor, even if it is true. Comey’s action was, at best, a colossal error in judgment, arising out of a conceit of power. And it must be added that the FBI is a police power, a power that must be carefully contained and controlled if the democratic will of the people is to prevail. So Director Comey has to go. It has long been clear that President-elect Trump has no great love for him. And since Trump is often willing to play it fast and loose with the truth, as he did with Comey’s intervention, having an unethical and electorally manipulative FBI director might be a very bad combination. If Trump makes good on his threats—to deport millions of immigrants, bring back torture, kill the families of terrorists, build a wall with Mexico, imprison Hillary Clinton, and fill Guantanamo will more suspects in his war on terror—he will have to find a like-minded FBI director to do his dirty work. But in all events, this is not a job for the president-elect. The task falls to President Obama because it should be performed immediately, and as president, Obama is the only one in a position to do it now. He should dispatch Director Comey for his poor judgment and his attempts to tamper with the democratic process. William W. Keller worked as a security analyst for the U.S. Congress for ten years, as executive director of the Center for International Studies at MIT, and as director of the Ridgeway Center for International Security Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of six books and has written extensively about the FBI, defense technology, the intelligence community, and the arms trade. His latest book, Democracy Betrayed: The Rise of the Surveillance Security State, will be released from Counterpoint Press in January 2017. The views expressed by Contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.Houston Fox 26 reporter John Donnelly was doing a normal story on how to stay safe in a road rage incident, talking to people on the street. You’ve seen these types of TV news stories before; they’re fairly common. What was unusual here is that the man on the street Donnelly interviewed happened to be future Pro Football Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson … and Donnelly had no idea. Scroll to continue with content Ad The story comes via TVNewsStoryTellers.com, and it’s awesome. At the end of the interview, Donnelly asks the guy he’s been talking to about road rage his name, like he would with anyone else, and the subject says “Adrian Peterson.” “Wait a minute, you’re not … ” Donnelly said. “Yeah,” Peterson says after a brief, awkward pause. That’s just amazing. The flip side of the story is funny too. Peterson must have figured he was being stopped to talk about his NFL future – he’s set to be a free agent on March 9, after the Minnesota Vikings made big news this week by announcing they won’t pick up his 2017 option – or whatever else a reporter would ask of Peterson if he saw him on the street. It must have been nice for Peterson to be treated for a minute like John Smith from Katy, Texas, just talking about how to handle a road rage situation. Donnelly had fun with the video, posting on Facebook, “Here I am interviewing people on the street and not realizing I’d stopped a celebrity. Enjoy the awkwardness!” He and Peterson took a picture together after he figured out this was Adrian Peterson. (Facebook.com/JohnDonnellyFOX26) The Peterson video now ranks No. 2 in “didn’t realize it was an NFL player during a man on the street interview” history, behind “Hopeful Powerball player” Chris Long. Story continues More on Yahoo Sports: • Dan Wetzel: Aaron Hernandez’s lone courtroom supporter • Former NBA star Stoudemire apologizes for antigay ‘jokes’ • Life without Kevin Durant off to a bad start for Warriors – – – – – – – Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!Some 1.5 million people a year receive calls that are not welcome A device which claims to alleviate the problem of cold calling has been launched by two British inventors. The TrueCall device acts as a buffer between the phone and the outside world and learns to distinguish between welcome and unwelcome callers. It is estimated that the British public receive 1.5 billion silent calls and 1.5 million malicious calls each year. According to a recent Ipsos MORI survey, 70% of UK phone owners say they have been victim of a phone scam. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Both rely on getting through to speak to a person, which gave inventors and ex-telemarketers Steve Smith and John Price the idea for a blocking device. "TrueCall is designed to give people control of their landlines," said Mr Price. "You can bolt the door and close the curtains but your landline is the weak link in your privacy," he said. The system basically intercepts all calls. If it recognises them as a friend or a member of the user's family - numbers on the so-called star list created by the user - it lets them through as normal. If the caller's number is on a zap list - numbers of telemarketers or other nuisance callers - the device answers it, and all future calls from that number, with an automated message which means the phone does not ring at all. If the system doesn't recognise the caller's number, or the caller withholds their number, it asks them who they are, puts them on hold and then rings the user's phone. The user has the option of taking the call, having the system take a message, or they can reject the call and add the number to the "zap" list. Users can add callers to their "star" list by pressing the star button on their phone at any point during a call. In future, there are plans for the device to be able to download a list of blacklisted numbers from a central database, which can be dialled into via a modem inside the box. This will transmit information about each call that was made, if this is requested by the user. But there are "legal issues" that need to be resolved before this "telephonic neighbourhood watch" can be put into action, said a spokesman for the company. Malicious calls COMBATTING NUISANCE CALLS Phone companies have teams that can advise on nuisance or malicious calls They may put a trace on your line if you receive a large number You may also be offered call rejection, but it could reject legitimate calls, for example from overseas Registering with the Telephone Preference Service makes it illegal for companies to call you for marketing purposes It takes 28 days for the TPS calling ban to take effect David Hickson is a veteran campaigner on the issue of silent calls and, was, partly, the inspiration for the system. "The device is a great idea for people who are bothered by a lot of nuisance calls and want to have a virtual receptionist in their home to manage their calls," he said. But he doesn't think it alone will solve the problem. "There is a lot more that Ofcom can do. It has powers but it could use these much more effectively," he said. Ofcom is tackling the problem and recently fined Barclaycard £50,000 for silent calling thousands of people. It fined Abbey National earlier in the year and said that other investigations were ongoing or pending. But, said Mr Hickson, more needs to be done to make sure the technology behind silent calling is used more responsibly. Robo-calls Some 60% of UK households are signed up to the Telephone Preference Service, set up to reduce the number of nuisance calls received. But telemarketers are finding new ways of getting around the service with so-called robo-calls which use automated system to deliver millions of pre-recorded messages. Most silent calls are caused by such systems and it is estimated that the public receive 1.5 billion silent calls per year. "We welcome anything the industry does on its own initiative to reduce the problem of silent, abandoned or malicious calls," said a spokeswoman for Ofcom. The TrueCall device is available from the maker's website for £99.99. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionThe liquid securities alone on Apple's (AAPL) balance sheet, roughly $98 billion, would make it the 43rd most valuable company in the world. Apple's cash would rank it just behind McDonalds (MCD), an astounding and bizarre statement in the annals of modern cash management. No company in its right mind would keep $100 billion lying around. But then, as I've been arguing frequently of late, Apple is no normal company. It does just about everything differently, including how it socks away its money. Apple's aversion to paying its cash, at least, may finally be coming to an end. A slim report issued last week by the wealth management group at UBS contains a snippet that would be utterly unremarkable at any other company but is downright newsworthy for Apple. "We... understand that management has been soliciting the opinions of large shareholders on the subject [of paying a dividend]," wrote UBS's Bob Faulkner. He went on to speculate that Apple would declare a dividend at its Feb. 23 annual meeting in Cupertino, Calif. What's startling about this tidbit from Faulkner, who declined to comment further, is the notion of Apple soliciting anyone's opinion on anything, let alone the opinion of its investors. Apple has treated investors with about the same level of disdain it reserves for the press over the years. It is stingy with its time with shareholders and relatively uninterested, at least historically, with what investors think Apple should do with their money. In a way it's a comically pure and admirable perspective. Apple thinks it knows better than someone on Wall Street how to spend Apple's money. And despite the howling from investors that Apple should give back some cash, it's hard to suggest Apple has
"He was a good man and a loyal Roman. Prove to them you can take his place, and the rest will come along in time." "Flavia?" Ruby said. "Yes, ma'am?" "Thank you." Ruby said. The signifer spoke with an unflinching and refreshing honesty. A fist fell over Flavia's breast, and Consul Hirtus dipped in respect. "I am the heart of the Centuria. It is my duty." Odd words, Ruby mused, but so very… Flavia. She realized. Her gaze shifted to her men. You are not their friend anymore. Your job is to bring them home, and keep them working as a fighting unit. Falling back, she gave beckoned Yang over with a wave. She jogged forward, Blake in tow. "Salve, sis! Is something wrong?" "I just spoke with Flavia." "Really?" Yang sniffed. "She didn't strike me as the chatty type." "Well, she did give me a good idea." "What's that?" "If Cardin gives me another glare, crack him a good one in the knee." Yang beamed. The sun hung low in the sky, orange and dull in the evening sky, and purple clouds passed over the Legion as they halted their march for the day. Yang stretched her neck, setting down her sarcina with a groan of discomfort. It had been yet another boring day of marching, setting one plodding foot in front of another. Yesterday had shown her the Legio Pharus was indeed the best place for adventure, but alas, such excitement was punctuated by endless tedium. She'd tried speaking with Blake, but besides the brief conversation they'd had that morning, she'd remained silent. Ruby had been quiet as well, no doubt milling over her promotion. Yang saw nothing but good from it, but it seemed her sister didn't share that disposition. Letting out a yawn, Flavia jammed the sharp end of the standard pole into the earth; this was to be their campsite. A rider approached the Fourth Centuria, hooves spraying dirt. It was Tribune Schnee, her arm in a linen sling, white hair wrapped tight around her neck. "Centurion Rose." She said, coming to a stop before her charge. "Yes, ma'am?" "Your centuria is on ditch-digging duty tonight. See to it that it is done. Afterwards, come to my tent for your lessons. It is already up, in the center of camp." Ruby saluted, fist over her heart. Yang let out a groan, which earned her a sharp look from the tribune. Shit. Her glare sent shivers down Yang's spine. Luckily, a menacing glare seemed to be punishment enough. "With haste, Centurion. We have much to cover tonight." Patting her horse, she rode off. "You got this, sis!" "We'll see." She turned to the Centuria, the last of which were now arriving at the designated campsite. "Fouth Centuria! Attention! We have been assigned the duty of digging ditches for tonight's camp!" Assorted moans and complaints rang out through the men. The last thing anyone wanted to do after marching all day was to pick up their spades and dig trenches. Dove Bronzewing threw his pack down, huffing. "I don't care what the General says. You're not our superior, Ruby. So stop acting like it." Silence ruled the Fourth Centuria. Even Cardin was not dumb enough to challenge Ruby's authority in such an open, brash manner. It showed, as the towering decanus glowered at his friend with cold surprise. Yang's head whirled around to face her sister, whose face had gone ashen. She felt a surge of energy rush into her. This was it. Yang had feared something like this would happen, but not so soon! Not a day after her promotion! For a second, silence reigned as the Fourth Centuria waited anxiously for her response. Dove's words were rank insubordination, and the next few seconds would decide her future as a leader, and the future of the legionary sisters for the rest of their careers. "Optio Yang. Bring me Milites Dove Bronzewing." Yang showed no hesitation, lunging forward and wrapping her fist in the tunic of her former conturibinum member. She hurled him sprawling into the mud. He tried to stand, but Yang drove her foot into the back of his head, grinding his nose into the dirt at Ruby's feet. "You are charged with insubordination, soldier." "Fuck you." Dove spat. Yang hammered her foot down, silencing him once more. Ruby shook with anger and disbelief and terror. "Flavia. Bring me the flagrum." A nervous sweat broke out among the Fourth Centuria. The flagrum was reserved for disobedient and unruly slaves, not legionaries. With nine thick strands of hard leather instead of the singular one reserved for a legionnaire, it was extraordinarily, brutally painful. Dove struggled, but Yang allowed him no reprieve. He managed to twist his head around. "No, please don't, I swear I won't-" "I will have silence." Ruby growled. The kind and generous young woman Yang had known all her life had completely disappeared behind the mask of a Centurion. She swallowed, her throat working for more air. "Tie him up." One of her unpredictable streaks… Yang obeyed, hauling Dove to his feet and dragging him to the standard of the Fourth Centuria. "Yang, please, you have to stop her, we were all thinking it! Cardin was telling me the whole march-" Her fist connected with his jaw, flooring him. Dove writhed, spitting blood at the feet of his comrades, who did their best to distance themselves from him. Removing a cord of rope from her pack, Yang secured him to the standard before tearing the cloth from his back. Her stomach churned in disgust. Acheron's punishments were rare, but Yang had only seen them at a distance, and never so close. And she'd never partook in rendering a comrade so bare and helpless. Then, she remembered it was the Optio's duty to administer punishments to the offending legionaries. I must do it. I will have to flay the skin from Dove's back. Her hand shook, trembling at her side. Flavia approached, bearing the flagrum. Yang reached out for it. Giving her sister a desperate, pleading look, Ruby shook her head. "I'll do it myself." Taking the lash with trembling fingers, Ruby spun on her heel, approaching the center of their camp. "No, please!" Dove cried as Ruby neared. She jammed a piece of leather in his mouth to keep him from biting his tongue off. Turning to address her men, she took a deep breath. "This morning, I asked for…" She paused, swallowing. "I demanded obedience. And this is your response. General Ozpin and Tribune Schnee have shown faith in me. By dishonoring my command, Dove Bronzewing, you have dishonored myself, your Centuria, our tribune, our general, and the entire Legio Pharus." "No, Ruby please!" "The punishment for insubordination is ten lashes. Fourth Centuria! Atten-SHUN!" Tired and weary though they were, they snapped forward to bear witness to their comrade's suffering. Ruby hoisted the flagrum, and brought it down in sweeping, vicious arc. Red lines sprung into being on Dove's back, and he screamed in agony. Yang cringed, trying not to make eye contact with her sister. If I meet her eyes… either she'll break down weeping or I will. "One!" Leather straps whistled. "Two!" Again. "Three!" The lines multiplied, weeping blood. "Four!" Her next strike sent blood flying through the air, droplets spattering the gathered soldiers. "Five!" Dove was weeping, tears flooding down his dirt-stained cheeks. Each strike brought forth an animalistic howl of pain. "Six!" Whish. "Seven!" Crack. "Eight!" "Ruby…" Yang whispered. Her sister's face was twisted, in horror or rage, it was impossible to tell. "Nine! Ten!" The final strike made a wet squelching sound as it shredded away Dove's flesh. He sank low, blood pouring down his lacerated back. Not a square inch of skin was spared the lash, and each wound wept red rivers. "And barley for a month, for laziness." Ruby added. Her right arm was spotted with blood, cast into the air from her frantic whipping. A small crowd had gathered to watch the punishment, stunned that a legionary was suffering the flagrum. "You have a ditch to dig, Centuria!" She roared. "Get to it!" They did, hurrying for their spades, earlier weariness forgotten. "I'm going to see Weiss." Ruby said, buckling her cape on and stomping away. Dove was still conscious somehow, muffled screams of pain finding no sympathy among his comrades. Yang ran over to Ruby, pulling at her shoulder. She shrugged it off. "Make sure they do their duty." She said. "Ruby…" Yang whispered. Blake materialized next to her. "Blake… Blake I... Oh gods." Yang looked at her slave with desperate violet eyes, words dying on her lips and all rationality failing her. What… what happened to Ruby? Blake blinked slowly, appraising her master with rich, wheat-yellow eyes. Watching the red cloak fade into the traffic of camp, Yang bit back a surge of bile that rose in her throat. "Oh gods. I didn't know she was capable of that." Ruby felt the world shift beneath her feet as they carried her to Weiss' tent. The camp rose around her, shouts of busy soldiers washing over her shoulders. She looked at her hands. One was bloody, the other spotless. Her breaths came short and hurried, not nearly enough to fill her lungs. Finding the tribune's tent, she tore open the flap, finding the officer in question sitting down for dinner. A fruit of some sort fell from her fingers, her jaw sinking low. "Centurion Rose? I wasn't expecting you for another… what on Earth happened to you?" "I… there was… a dissenter. Insubordination." It all came rushing up, the screams, the feel of the leather as it bit deep into Dove's back. The blood splashing over her arms. She fell to her knees, vomiting. "Oh, gods!" Weiss cried, rushing forward. Her retinue backed away from the mess on the floor, careful to avoid their superior as she barreled past. "What did you do?" "F-flagrum." Ruby spat, wiping flecks of bile from her lips. "I wanted to make sure it wouldn't happen again. I was so scared. Oh, gods." She sank back, sucking in air. Weiss edged forward. "Are you ok?" Ruby blinked hard, desperate not to cry. No matter what, I will not weep. "I… think so. That was awful." "You need to tell me exactly what happened." Weiss said, taking her charge's hands in her own. "You left. I told them they needed to dig. One of my soldiers, Dove, he said I wasn't really their leader… no matter…" She sniffed, swallowing hard. "No matter what General Ozpin said." Weiss frowned, her hands tightening around Ruby's. "Ruby. Ruby. You're ok. You did the right thing. Shhh. Breathe deep." Ruby obeyed. She felt more vomit threaten to spill forth, but fought to keep it down. "I… I thought fighting in the battle was bad… why… why is this worse?" She said, voice hitching as she fought to retain composure. Weiss tore her hands away, looking deep into the Centurion's silver eyes. "Fighting the enemy is one thing, punishing your fellow soldier is another. I understand." "Y-you do?" "I do." She didn't. As the scion to a noble house, no one had dared question her word, not since she came of age. Weiss would wield punishments if it was required of her, but thankfully, discipline was not an issue in her retinue. While Albus still sniped her endlessly, he was always loyal, despite his smarting tongue. The rest of her comrades remained loyal and steadfast servants of House Schnee. So she found herself lying to Ruby, just to make her feel better. Why? Why am I so concerned about what she thinks of the matter? She did the right thing, even if using the flagrum was a bit excessive. She took hold of Ruby's shoulders once more. "You are a Centurion now. These lashes will not be your last. Realize that." "But-" "But nothing." Weiss hissed. "You are their leader. Not their friend, not their chum. You lead. That is all you do. It is as I said this morning. Never show weakness or hesitation. Not for a moment. Not just for your sake, but for theirs. Will they follow you into battle, if they smell frailty? No. Tonight, you showed them you are made of sterner stuff." "Weiss, I don't know, they looked just as scared as I did." "Good. Even better. Inspiring terror works just as well." But looking at Ruby's face, an incarnation of terror was the farthest thing from what she saw. She looked like a petrified little girl. And it is your fault. The realization made Weiss sick. It is your fault she's suffering. You wanted to thank her, so you dumped a promotion on her shoulders, and didn't think twice about the consequences. Could you have swallowed your outdated values for a second and threw some oak leaves on her head? No, you had to be better than that. "Weiss?" Ruby was looking up at her. "Ma'am?" She said, catching herself. "Breathe deep, Ruby. Come, sit and eat with us. Rest easy." She leaned over to Albus, who was watching the display with a posed look. Arrogant old fool. "Find Soldier Dove in Fourth Centuria. Attend to him immediately." She hissed. If Dove died of his wounds, Ruby could face death for murdering her subordinate. There was a reason the flagrum only fell on slaves. "Oh, he'll be fine. I remember when-" "Now." She spat. Shrugging, the older man took a hunk of bread and left the tent. Turning to Ruby, she sighed. "Just because you're not well right now does not mean you get to miss your lesson, Centurion." "Y-Yes, Ma'am." "Tonight… we'll focus on letters." Ruby nodded. Blake watched Dove's punishment with growing shock. Ruby had seemed the quiet and unassuming type when her master had introduced them last night. Rank sat poorly on her shoulders, that much had been plain. But now… each and every romans' focus was on her, sweat staining their brows like thick morning dew. Besides the brand on her back, her previous master rarely subjected his slaves to pain as great as the legionary was receiving. However, the man tied to the standard was not a slave. He was a roman citizen, born with rights and privilege. And he howled like a dog. Blake wanted to feel a sense of justice, wanted to cackle as each blow fell, relish in the revenge, but found that she could not. She couldn't meet her master's eyes, as they were focused somewhere else. As hard as it was to watch, she couldn't imagine watching a close relative torture someone like this. Ruby finished, tossing the whip aside and bellowing an order. They scrambled to their shovels, desperate to flee their superior officer. She obliged them, storming away from the weeping legionary. Yang hurried after her sister, and Blake trailed her before Ruby snapped at the blond-haired woman and continued on her way. She wanted to enjoy the look on her master's face, revel in the shock and the hint of fear, but instead a slab of grief welled within her heart, as cold and unwelcome as iron. A/N: OOC? Maybe. I tried to make it look believable that Ruby would snap like that (i.e. she was challenged, and totally over-blew it, not really sure what she was doing) More in the 'notes' section. Also, I just noticed, this chapter has perspectives from all of team RWBY! That's why we obey orders, milites. (And don't promote people out of turn) Anyway, some OC introductions. Hurrah for adorable signifers! :D Hope Flavia didn't grate too badly. Glossary of Terms: Flagrum: Cat o' Nine Tails. A wooden stick with nine straps of leather attached at the end. Used as an extreme form of punishment. Sarcina: The Legionary's marching pack. It was attached to a long wooden pole called the furca, which the soldiers rested on their shoulder. Used by all members of the legion (except for high-born officers and officials) It bore all of the soldier's armor, weapons, cooking utensils, clothing, and enough rations for three days. Signifer: Standard bearer for the Centuria. Flavia takes this job very seriously, and they did function as the heart of the Centuria, much as the Aquilifer did for the legion as a whole. (They carried the Aquila, the gilded symbol of Roman Might) Anachronisms, issues to address, and other misc. addendum. Ruby whipping the shit out of Dove: Believe it or not, Dove got off lightly. Insubordination was normally treated with instant death, but that happened more often with physical acts (striking an officer, etc.) As to why Ruby went berserk, she's reputed (by Yang) to have an 'unpredictable streak', which will be touched more upon later. She also reacted this way because she was terrified of messing up, or losing control of her command. Romans took rank very seriously, and Ruby acted like a cornered animal, lashing out (literally) as hard as she could to stomp out any scent of disobedience. I tried very hard to keep this in character for her, but I'm not sure if it came across as intended. Please, give me your thoughts on the matter. Why Dove, and Not Cardin: Reason 1: It was unpredictable, and Reason 2: Cardin's a decanus, so he has at least a small measure of intelligence. He doesn't like Ruby being in charge, but he's better at toeing the line. Ditch-Digging: Every night after marching, the Legion would dig defensive encampments, complete with trenches and whatnot. Yang as Optio: Whipping Dove was her duty, but Ruby decided to make a more personal impact. Why does Flavia have pink hair?: It didn't seem realistic to me that just the RWBY cast would have fanciful hair/eye colors. Realism in my fanfiction. Realism in my RWBY, Roman Empire AU fanfiction. I don't get it either. 'Consul Hirtus': Flavia named her bear-pelt 'Consul Hirtus', which is the roman equivalent of naming your favorite furry hat "President Fluffles" Signifer having a bear-pelt: Many depictions of signifers have them wearing bear-pelts, but I'm not 100% if this was accurate to the early Empire. I decided to roll with it, 'cause it looks cool. "Barley for a month": A relatively tame punishment, inflicted upon the lazy. Since laziness was the stem of Dove's complaint, Ruby saw fit to prescribe him this diet. Don't get me wrong though, that shit was vile. Ruby being killed for Dove's punishment: This was a real thing. If a centurion or other superior officer killed a subordinate during a non-lethal punishment, they were to be killed in turn.\ "I think my hair would fall out": Common Roman curses (especially against women) involved someone going bald. REVIEW REPLIES: ocomfv: Glad you're enjoying this! I always love getting your reviews! :D OBSERVER01: Well... here it is... kinda! Dustbringer Terra: I'm so glad you took a chance on this! I really love writing this fic, but unless it gets more interest, I can't justify spending too much time on it! :( metimesthree: It's my specialty! ;) haha Via: I was pleased with them too! Their personalites, as current unknowns, were difficult to develop, but they're serviceable for now! Happy you like them! They'll definitely play a large role in this story. Pschyco789: Should be better now... oh... damn. It's gone again. :( Leivve: The plot as a whole is pretty much planned out, but expect a slower pace. There's a lot of set-up that needs to happen, and history was very slow to make back in the day. Glad you're enjoying yourself! :D Yoshtar: Your review made me blush! :3 I'm thrilled you're liking this as much as you are, because I have a blast writing it. I'm happy that on some level, my world-building is working, or at least tolerable. It's too much fun to do! And yes, this fic is like 'The More You Know' except for being the opposite of family friendly. :P Next Chapter: Two 'new' characters arrive in a very entertaining manner... I think you know which ones! ;)On September 14th, a dead giant oarfish was found floating off the coast of La Jolla at the southernmost tip of California. On September 16th, a massive 8.3-magnitude earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of central Chile, triggering tsunami warnings up and down the coast as well as in Hawaii and California. On September 17th, tsunami waves reached … you guessed it … La Jolla and cities all along the coast of southern California. Was the dead oarfish – the legendary messenger of the deep – trying to deliver an earthquake and tsunami warning before they happened? According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the 8.3-magnitude tremor occurred off the coast of Coquimbo, 46 km (29 miles) west of the city of Illapel at 19:54 local time (22:54 GMT). As of this writing, at least ten people died and about one million were evacuated from coastal locations as aftershocks rattled cities and waves of up to 4.7 meters (15 feet) battered the shores. Tsunami warnings were issued for the coast of South America, Hawaii and southern California. The initial tsunami wave reached La Jolla early on 9/17 with a height of about one foot. Swimmers and boaters were immediately advised to stay out of the water and away from the beaches until the tsunami threat ended. If 8.3-magnitude sounds big, it is. That’s five times stronger that the earthquake which hit Nepal in April. The difference is that Chile is prepared for these massive quakes, having had three in the past five years, including an 8.8 in 2010. However, even the most up-to-date seismic warning equipment isn’t perfect, which is why we should pay attention to giant oarfish, the disaster harbingers of the deep. Shortly before the 2010 quake in Chile, Japanese fishermen found dozens of dead oarfish. And on September 14th, a 15-foot long giant oarfish may have been trying to reach La Jolla to deliver a warning. What will we run out of first … coastline or oarfish?By Justin Heinze & Kara Seymour: Toxic waste is an invisible problem across much of the United States, including Pennsylvania. Toxic chemicals plague hundreds of municipalities in the Keystone State, and it's not just in the places you would expect, with industrial refineries in sight. Thanks to the Right-to-Know Network website, rtknet.org, the public now has a detailed look into exactly where toxic pollution is the worst, and exactly what that pollution is comprised of. In Pennsylvania, 97.2 million pounds of these chemicals were released by 1,168 facilities required to report under the so-called "right-to-know law" in 2013, the most recent year for which full data is available. The Right To Know Network website, or RTKnet.org, keeps a detailed Toxics Release Inventory, which provides details about the releases and transfers of all toxic chemicals, including manufacturing, waste handling, mining, and electricity generation. Below is a complete list of all 385 Pennsylvania municipalities that have at least one pound of "on-site" releases of toxic chemicals. Thirteen different locales have over one million pounds of releases, including Philadelphia, which placed 12th overall. Nine Bucks County Towns made the list. According to RTKnet.org, these nine towns are among the state's most toxic: Bristol - #34 Warminster - #104 Quakertown – #134 Morrisville - #158 Fairless hills - #171 Southampton – #173 Bensalem – #239 Levittown - #356 Perkasie - #381 Zinc was the most common toxin released, accounting for 29 million pounds, as much as the next three chemcials combined. Horsehead Holding Corporation, a chemical manufacturer based in Pittsburgh, led the way among all businesses with 19 million pounds of pollutants. They were followed by US Steel, NRG Energy, Aircraft Services Corp, and Allegheny Energy as Pennsylvania's top five most toxic companies. Most contaminants were released into the air or the water, and occurred during off-site transfers for disposal. The most toxic town in Pennsylvania, Homer City in the mid-western part of the state, is home to a robust manufacturing industry. It is famously the home of NonLethal Technologie Inc, which produces the CS Gas that has been used to subdue protesters around the globe, according to Al Jazeera. 1. HOMER CITY - 5,893,194 2. NEW FLORENCE - 4,025,433 3. MASONTOWN - 3,552,987 4. CLAIRTON - 3,238,511 5. SHAWVILLE - 1,866,493 6. SHELOCTA - 1,846,058 7. READING - 1,587,825 8. BUTLER - 1,543,074 9. WYALUSING - 1,539,176 10. MIDLAND - 1,169,763 11. YUKON - 1,110,543 12. PHILADELPHIA - 1,025,887 13. SHENANDOAH - 1,022,942 14. COATESVILLE - 899,292 15. SPRING GROVE - 820,247 16. DANVILLE - 784,621 17. SOUDERTON - 781,557 18. MONACA - 781,300 19. SMETHPORT - 764,829 20. TREMONT - 665,644 21. FREDERICKSBURG - 636,859 22. TOWANDA - 592,292 23. PITTSBURGH - 515,885 24. SHIPPINGPORT - 513,746 25. NEW HOLLAND - 455,873 26. NEW WILMINGTON - 445,127 27. LANCASTER - 439,988 28. YORK HAVEN - 418,572 29. KENNERDELL - 417,678 30. EBENSBURG - 405,084 31. VANDERGRIFT - 401,807 32. MARION HEIGHTS - 393,069 33. COURTNEY - 359,437 34. BRISTOL - 356,863 35. WEST PITTSBURG - 351,332 36. KITTANNING - 350,650 37. ATGLEN - 336,494 38. JOHNSONBURG - 324,968 39. SPRINGDALE - 229,396 40. MOUNT BETHEL- 215,057 41. CHESTER - 211,811 42. NORTHAMPTON - 201,708 43. ROARING SPRING - 195,954 44. BRADFORD - 192,468 45. NAZARETH - 185,794 46. MC ADOO - 184,683 47. WYSOX - 181,914 48. ERIE - 181,132 49. SHAMOKIN DAM - 179,818 50. YORK - 176,981 51. TYRONE - 173,610 52. NESQUEHONING - 170,485 53. WARREN - 164,326 54. MARBLE - 156,242 55. ALLENTOWN - 154,853 56. FRACKVILLE - 154,734 57. MARIETTA - 147,378 58. WEST MIFFLIN - 134,524 59. CLARION - 130,503 60. MARCUS HOOK - 126,640 61. BOYERTOWN - 118,345 62. MOUNT UNION - 116,331 63. BIRDSBORO - 110,028 64. KREAMER - 107,534 65. CONSHOHOCKEN - 100,327 66. TRAPPE - 94,969 67. TRAINER - 94,122 68. BRADDOCK - 91,093 69. STEELTON - 90,770 70. JOHNSTOWN - 89,696 71. WHEATLAND - 88,432 72. MILTON - 87,550 73. PETROLIA - 78,100 74. CRESSONA - 74,230 75. BERLIN - 70,181 76. GREENVILLE - 69,517 77. BATH - 69,310 78. CENTRAL CITY - 69,190 79. HANOVER - 59,946 80. FLEETWOOD - 58,093 81. CHESWICK - 58,036 82. NEW CASTLE - 57,151 83. MOUNT JEWETT - 57,125 84. SCOTTDALE - 56,437 85. GLEN ROCK - 55,757 86. RIVERSIDE - 53,341 87. HARRISBURG - 49,808 88. BETHLEHEM - 49,427 89. SAYRE - 47,391 90. ANNVILLE - 46,212 91. THOMPSONTOWN - 45,448 92. SAEGERTOWN - 43,913 93. PULASKI - 41,986 94. SWIFTWATER - 39,420 95. WEST ELIZABETH - 39,165 96. PLEASANT GAP - 36,848 97. DONORA - 36,102 98. TAMAQUA - 35,926 99. FRANKLIN - 35,606 100. YOUNGWOOD - 35,448 101. PALMERTON - 34,533 102. MOUNT JOY - 33,406 103. BLANDON - 32,352 104. WARMINSTER - 31,754 105. WILLIAMSPORT - 31,660 106. GLASSPORT - 31,562 107. ROCHESTER - 30,270 108. BLAIRSVILLE - 29,935 109. ELRAMA - 29,309 110. WHITEHALL - 29,124 111. CABOT - 27,415 112. MANNS CHOICE - 26,922 113. SAINT MARYS - 26,789 114. LANGELOTH - 26,426 115. HERMITAGE - 25,874 116. MONROEVILLE - 25,850 117. MARLIN - 25,837 118. COCHRANTON- 24,863 119. PHOENIXVILLE - 24,850 120. EAST EARL - 24,471 121. CARLISLE - 24,396 122. MONONGAHELA - 24,162 123. GETTYSBURG - 21,332 124. UNION CITY - 21,144 125. SHIPPENVILLE - 21,043 126. WEST MIDDLESEX - 20,711 127. KLINGERSTOWN - 19,160 128. HAZLETON - 18,967 129. ALUM BANK - 18,830 130. LINESVILLE - 18,193 131. HARRISON CITY - 17,474 132. CURWENSVILLE - 17,423 133. MARTINSBURG - 17,346 134. QUAKERTOWN - 17,288 135. JEANNETTE - 17,069 136. BEDFORD - 16,311 137. EVANS CITY - 16,268 138. MACUNGIE - 16,014 139. WEST CHESTER - 15,759 140. EAST GREENVILLE - 15,421 141. KOPPEL - 14,998 142. SELINSGROVE - 14,774 143. BRACKENRIDGE - 14,454 144. EXPORT - 14,111 145. MILLERSBURG - 13,788 146. WAYNESBORO - 13,622 147. SUMMERVILLE - 13,588 148. WATSONTOWN - 13,084 149. MOUNT PLEASANT - 12,854 150. LEOLA - 11,997 151. LATROBE - 11,601 152. EMLENTON - 11,164 153. WASHINGTON - 10,395 154. LEWISTOWN - 10,296 155. DALLASTOWN - 10,277 156. CLARENDON - 10,166 157. SHADY GROVE - 9,752 158. MORRISVILLE - 9,528 159. BLOOMSBURG - 9,386 160. DANBORO - 9,100 161. CLEARFIELD - 8,790 162. BURNHAM - 8,672 163. SIMPSON - 8,633 164. COLUMBIA - 8,232 165. VALENCIA - 8,061 166. COLLEGEVILLE - 7,898 167. MC KEES ROCKS - 7,765 168. MORGANTOWN - 7,584 169. GIBSONIA - 7,510 170. FARRELL - 7,456 171. FAIRLESS HILLS - 7,354 172. KING OF PRUSSIA - 7,352 173. SOUTHAMPTON - 7,281 174. WEST CONSHOHOCKEN - 7,239 175. NORTH WALES - 7,200 176. STOCKERTOWN - 7,092 177. HORSHAM - 6,550 178. MILL HALL - 6,522 179. BELLEFONTE - 6,507 180. PARKER FORD - 6,351 181. NORTH EAST - 6,165 182. WAYNE - 6,022 183. HUGHESVILLE - 5,751 184. JEFFERSON HILLS - 5,521 185. QUARRYVILLE - 5,456 186. SHARON - 5,392 187. MIFFLINTOWN - 5,250 188. COLVER - 5,230 189. EMIGSVILLE - 5,176 190. CANONSBURG - 5,107 191. JENKINTOWN - 5,078 192. CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP - 4,782 193. WEST GROVE - 4,722 194. AMBRIDGE - 4,477 195. TELFORD - 4,249 196. CORAOPOLIS - 4,227 197. DU BOIS - 4,207 198. ALLENPORT - 4,180 199. LYON STATION - 4,137 200. MONTGOMERY - 3,931 201. BRIDGEVILLE - 3,899 202. MC ALISTERVILLE - 3,869 203. HUNLOCK CREEK - 3,850 204. OIL CITY - 3,824 205. LINWOOD - 3,767 206. MONTGOMERYVILLE - 3,679 207. CONNELLSVILLE - 3,585 208. HATFIELD- 3,491 209. SHOEMAKERSVILLE - 3,331 210. MARS - 3,225 211. SCHAEFFERSTOWN - 3,219 212. PALM - 3,000 213. ALTOONA - 2,960 214. CRESSON - 2,820 215. HOLLSOPPLE - 2,818 216. ELLWOOD CITY - 2,817 217. SAXONBURG - 2,813 218. BURGETTSTOWN - 2,789 219. HARWICK - 2,761 220. CLARKS SUMMIT -2,743 221. ZELIENOPLE - 2,669 222. DELAWARE WATER GAP - 2,522 223. KIMBERTON - 2,512 224. MUNCY - 2,366 225. INDIANOLA - 2,320 226. JAMESTOWN -
clearly isn’t working, while many citizens are losing confidence. Today, we can find two groups in the European Parliament who are advocating for a new economic model, but there is an important difference between the two of them: the GUE/NGL – Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left would see a bigger role for public ownership and social ownership, while we [the Greens/EFA Group] would advocate for commons, community ownership, and the social management of resources. UM: I have been very perplexed about this for quite some time. One part of me wants to think that the EU is still worth saving, and believes that the commons could be used to gain some kind of constitutional balance. But it is not going to be easy. Today there is a very bad constitutional balance in liberal Western constitutional democracies. If tomorrow we wanted to socialise Facebook, we would have to go over many phases of social litigation, and the likelihood of losing would be extremely high. On the other hand, if any European government decided to privatise something they could do that without any form of control. If for example the Italian government is selling the post offices, there is no legal action possible for me to stop the process, even though it is my property as a taxpayer. An important role of the commons would therefore be to ensure that public assets are entitled at least to the same protection as private assets. This is why we need to advocate for a fundamental transformation in the constitutions of Europe, changes that would allow some kind of reconfiguration of the relationship between the people of Europe and their belongings. A major worry for me concerning the EU is that I don’t know whether the commons are compatible with a system in which the centre of power is so far away from where things actually happen; half a billion people in a single market, governed by the same laws and the same institutions seems too much to me. The commons are based on the philosophy of ‘small is beautiful’, whilst in contrast the European project is huge. MSC: I disagree, I think that we need citizen participation at all levels: at the global level we need to solve climate issues, set common rules for corporations, and so on, then we can start with tax-policy at the European level, in order to stop corporations from making profits by avoiding taxes. Part of what we need to do is find out which powers should be exercised at which levels. There is a liberal argument according to which most people only start caring about the environment once they become rich with the help of capitalism – and indeed we can see that Green parties are most successful in the richer Member States of the EU. How can we overcome this problem when advocating for the commons? MSC: I think this is rubbish; if we look at where the environment has been destroyed less, those are the poorer countries of the world, and even the destruction that has happened there is due to the Anglo-Saxon and other European colonisers and post-colonisers. I think it is a complacent Eurocentric view to say that. But I take the point about our own societies; in Europe we haven’t been really successful in reaching out to working-class communities, but I think that’s mainly due to the way Greens speak and debate, and I think it is also patronising to say that that the poor are not concerned about the environment, because they absolutely are, and if they haven’t found a way to express that through politics that’s because the political system is failing them. UM: This is a new, revamped form of the old, disproven trickle-down argument.1 I think claiming that only the rich care about the environment is completely unfounded. California, where the environmentally-friendly Tesla electric cars were invented, has an ecological footprint of six, which means if everybody else in the world were to live like the Californians, we would need six planets to reproduce the resources that we use. Burkina Faso, in contrast, has an environmental footprint of 0.1. These are the facts; all the rest is bullshit. If the Greens are doing poorly in some countries that’s because of their poor leaders, at least in Italy, where the Greens existed as a small clique of people who had no capacity to talk to anyone who was different from them. But I admit that there is a problem due to the very strong relationship between the structure of representative democracy and the capitalist society, due to which a movement that doesn’t follow a capitalist mindset – someone who, for example, thinks in terms of the commons, rather than of the individual – will find it very difficult to be represented by the process of representative democracy. It is very difficult to impose commons from the top down, as the commons are a bottom-up platform, it has to come from the people, and the most conducive thing we can do now is to create some commons literacy, to talk to people, and to free them from the technological cage in which their heads are stuck.Supporters of Donald Trump cheer during a campaign rally Oct. 22 at Regent University in Virginia Beach. (Evan Vucci/AP) Americans are waiting anxiously for this election to end next week, but sadly the deep divisions exposed in this campaign won’t magically mend on Nov. 9. No matter who wins the presidency, there will be a large segment of the population that will struggle to accept the result. We’ve been fractured politically for years now, but 2016 feels so polarized that we might as well be living in two different Americas. But as “Saturday Night Live” captured so pitch-perfectly in a recent skit that had actor Tom Hanks as a Donald Trump supporter playing “Black Jeopardy,” the problems that plague white rural conservatives might not be so different from what worries African Americans. Many lament a system that’s unfair, discriminatory and one where the American Dream is out of reach. As the tea party rose to political prominence at the end of the last decade, a liberal Berkeley sociology professor set out to understand why the white working class, once a strong voting bloc for Democrats, had embraced anti-establishment ideas that put them further to the right of even the mainstream Republican Party. Arlie Russell Hochschild spent time in rural Louisiana over five years getting to know people in a state where only 14 percent of white voters supported Barack Obama in 2008. [A C-SPAN caller asked a black guest how to stop being prejudiced. Here’s how she responded.] “What I wanted to do was take my own political and moral and social alarm system off and permit myself to curiosity and interest in people very different from myself,” she said in an interview. “The main thing I was trying to do was to really see if I could make friends with people, really get close. For certain people I asked, would you show me the school you went to, could we visit the church you went to, the cemetery where your parents were buried. They were wonderful people who I came to know in this way.” What Hochschild discovered, and then wrote about in her book, “Strangers in Their Own Land” — a National Book Award finalist this year — is that neither side makes an effort to understand the other, but especially progressives, she said. Without understanding, there can’t be empathy. Without empathy, it’s nearly impossible to explore common ground. [Review of “Strangers in Their Own Land” by Arlie Russell Hochschild] Worried that this empathy gap will only widen post-election, we spoke to Hochschild this week about her experience embedding with rural conservatives — many who went on to become Trump supporters — whether empathy is possible after this bitter election, and where to even begin the healing process. The interview is edited for clarity and length. Q: What were your preconceived stereotypes or expectations before you first visited Louisiana for this book in 2011? Hochschild: What I expected was a self-centered people, but I found people who were nothing like that, quite the opposite. They were openhearted, they were communal. They were very eager to be known. They’d say, ‘Thanks for coming. We’re the flyover state, people don’t care about us, they don’t know who we are. They think we’re racist and homophobic and sexist and fat.’ There was a gratitude toward me, and I would tell them exactly who I was: ‘I think I live in a political bubble, and I’m trying to get out of mine and into yours. Will you talk to me? In some of them you sensed loss and a sense of being invisible and unappreciated and insulted. That liberals just think they’re rednecks. Here were people, some who had worked very hard, half were college-educated, and they just felt put down, and they felt a drifting downward in their economic circumstance, but didn’t hear anyone listening to them about their distress. They felt like a minority group. Q: Do you think they had preconceived notions about you, too? You could see brows knit up. One woman said I was her first Democratic friend. I met another woman who said, ‘I love Rush Limbaugh,’ and I said, ‘I would love to talk to you about that.’ It came out that when she was listening to him she liked that he was defending her against criticisms from liberals. That reversed the picture [of him] to me from accuser to defender. There is tremendous power to open up a cultural space for respectfulness. I was out fishing with a man, and there we were, and he says to me, ‘You know, I think our leaders are trying to divide us. If we just get together, we’ll find much more in common than we think there is.’ I found a bridge in our ways of thinking that I never would have discovered without laying down an emotional carpet that we could tread, of trust that we’re not going to be disparaged. Q: So you don’t think the two sides are as far apart as it feels right now? What exactly is Donald Trump tapping into then? There are fundamental differences, but there are yet more fundamental commonalities. He speaks to their underlying feeling of invisibility and being disparaged. He’s a charismatic leader, he’s not just a maker of a narrative; he’s proposing himself as a personal messenger of their desires and their distress. They don’t feel either party has mentioned them, that they are people who feel that they are quintessentially American, that they’ve bought the line that if you work hard and obey the rules, you will have the opportunity to better yourself. They feel like they have worked hard and obeyed the rules, but they don’t feel like they’ve achieved the American Dream. So that puts them in a psychological state of vulnerability, which Trump has moved in on. Q: But there is a segment of Trump supporters who have expressed racist, sexist and/or xenophobic beliefs, like the man who yelled, “Jew-S-A,” at the press at a rally. If you feel threatened by that, how do you also feel empathetic? Start with the world’s finest mediators — Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi. Explore the history of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the extraordinary history of victims understanding their victimizers. And then you say, ‘I’ve seen myself and my “side” as a victim, and now let’s see how they might feel that way, too.’ It doesn’t mean you’re ceding ground, it just means you’re seeing more possibilities in that person than if you saw them as a hopeless villain. Q: So is lack of empathy what is driving us apart? It’s absolutely one part. It would be far too simple to say it was the only part. But it is a basic part. I think a lot of people can do it. They do it with their spouses, their children, their loved ones. If you believe that getting to know people who are profoundly different from you is dangerous or ill-advised, then you’re not going to want to do it, then you won’t even try to do it. Progressives have to get out of their corner and reach out; we’re stuck in our enclaves, our geographic enclaves, our media enclaves. Extreme blame-pinning rhetoric tends to extinguish empathy toward the ‘other’ and create fellow-feeling among those with whom one already agrees. Q: So the onus is on progressives? Is there a responsibility for conservatives to reach out too? It goes both ways but I think liberals bear the bigger responsibility, and the bigger interest, if they want to understand why the democratic party has lost so many blue collar white voters. Q: To start working toward being more empathetic with one another, do we have to immerse ourselves with ‘the other’ like you did? It greatly helps. We know that. Of course, we can empathize with a character on the screen or in a book — a person we’ve never met. But it helps enormously to actually put yourself face-to-face with people you’ve mentally imagined as ‘against you and your values’ and to give yourself the chance to get to know them. You will still be you, and they will still be them, but there will open up a new space in which each can see the other. Q: So if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency and wants to reach out, do you have ideas for how she could do that effectively? If Hillary should win, and follow up on her own welcome and stated desire to be the healer of the nation, she should do two things: First, consider policies that would restore well-paid jobs to blue collar workers—ie institute policies that address the real distress of downwardly mobile blue collar men, and Second, begin an innovative program – through churches, schools, unions, people-to-people “living room conversations” – to get people out of our enclaves and talking to each other across the political divide. The purpose is to restore the democratic tradition of civil discourse across differences that has been broken by this election cycle. It could be called The Restoring Civility Project. Or the National Empathy Wall Project. Read more Inspired Life: This professor devotes her life to countering dangerous speech. She can’t ignore Donald Trump’s. Leave it to a Canadian ad campaign to deliver the most inspiring message of this U.S. election Meet the other Donald Trump, whom candidate Trump once called ‘the more important’ one Want more inspiring news and help to improve your life? Sign up for the Saturday Inspired Life newsletter.By Josh Popichak We all know the Lehigh Valley's historic inns, restaurants and pubs can be a great place to enjoy spirits (responsibly, of course), but did you know that more than a few of them are also reportedly home to spirits? Especially at this time of year, the talk at these historic "haunts" is known to turn not just to football, but also to the proverbial "things that go bump in the night." I learned more about several of the Saucon Valley area's legendary haunted landmarks at a recent talk by local author/historian Karen Samuels, presented by the Lower Saucon Township Historical Society. One of the well-known establishments Samuels highlighted during her talk is the former Spring Valley Inn in Upper Saucon Township, which reopened as Ye Olde Spring Valley Tavern over the summer. The rustic-looking building that houses the restaurant--which is famed for its trout ponds--dates from the early 1800s. But according to Samuels, it achieved perhaps its greatest notoriety during the Prohibition era, when its rural, off-the-beaten-path location made it a popular speakeasy. In the 1920s, trap doors were even used to conceal bootleg liquor from authorities, she said. Samuels explained that the ghost who may call the tavern home today is reportedly that of a former owner, whose family operated the inn from the 1950s to the 1980s. She is by all accounts a friendly spirit who's been known to rub patrons' backs while they're drinking at the bar, so if you feel a friendly "nudge" the next time you're nursing a drink, don't be alarmed. It's likely that she's just trying to make you feel welcome, as she no doubt did for decades. Another historic building that's known for a few spirits, not far from the Spring Valley Tavern, is the Belmont Inne on Old Philadelphia Pike in Lower Saucon Township. Over the years, patrons and employees at the historic, three-story Belmont have reported unusual goings-on that may involve guests from days gone by. Perhaps they simply don't want to leave...ever. But given the warm ambience of the place--which features an ornately-carved oak bar and woodwork throughout--I can't say I blame them. From the Belmont, if you head east to Freemansburg you'll find the landmark Willow Grove Hotel, which was built during the Civil War era. An imposing building situated along the banks of the Lehigh Canal, the Willow Grove has gained a reputation over the years for being inhabited by at least one other-worldly guest--that of a little girl who looks like she's been burned. The girl has been known to pull on men's pant legs, according to the Tri-County Paranormal website, but Samuels stressed that "she's harmless." Lastly, there is the Weaversville Inn in East Allen Township. I have had the pleasure of dining at this historic establishment (which is also home to Jessica's Tea Room), but I got to experience it in a different light during a recent Ghost Hunt Tour I embarked on with Steel Street Tours and Paranormal Spirit Finders. During our visit we conducted a paranormal investigation in the building's basement. The inn was built around 1835 on the site of a Colonia Era tavern, according to the inn's website, so it has a very long history. Although I personally didn't hear or see anything untoward while we were in the basement, I can attest to the fact that energy levels--as measured by the spirit finders--were high, and according to the inn's website, "the inn is...home to a few spirits," with many customers having "experienced a feeling of additional guests at their table." Anyone who visits the inn and has had a close encounter there is encouraged to share their experience. A few other Lehigh Valley establishments that are said to be haunted, which you may want to add to your list to explore, are the former Eagle Hotel on Main Street in Hellertown (which is today Braveheart Highland Pub and Restaurant,) the Leithsville Inn and the Beethoven Waldheim Club, both of which are in Lower Saucon Township. Whether or not you believe in the paranormal, all of these fine restaurants have fascinating histories and serve some great food. I hope you will consider visiting them and enjoying the kind of atmosphere that can only be developed over centuries. Happy Halloween! All Photos by Josh Popichak Josh Popichak is an independent digital journalist who focuses his news coverage on the Saucon Valley. He has edited or written for several area print and online publications, including Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch, The Bethlehem Press and the former Saucon News. His interests include history, politics, media, food and travel. A Bethlehem native, he lives in Fountain Hill with Ziggy, his cat. Follow him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/joshpopichak) and Twitter (@JoshPopichak).There are two principal lines of reasoning behind bans on vaping in public places. For one thing, public health officials are committed to limiting the proliferation of vaping, and if that means limiting its visibility by restricting the rights of current vapers, then so be it. For another thing, the same group has also expressed worries about the effects of “second-hand vaping,” a murky concept at best. Worries about second-hand vaping, for example, lie at the basis of Ontario’s new ban on vaping in cars with children under 16. Studies on the topic of second-hand vaping used to be extremely difficult to come by, but with the upsurge of vaping over the past year, the research landscape has shifted rapidly. Over the past couple of months or so, for example, two studies on second-hand vaping have been published in academic journals. As you might have expected, both of these studies showed that worries about second-hand vaping are basically groundless. The first study, which looked at nicotine residues in the homes of smokers, vapers, and people who neither vape nor smoke, found that, while nicotine residue levels in smoking households were extremely high, with an average of 1303 ± 2676 μg/m2, differences in surface nicotine levels between vaping households and non-smoking/non-vaping homes were not statistically significant. Compared to the smoking homes’ levels of surface nicotine, the 7.7 ± 17.2 μg/m2 average of surface nicotine is practically nothing. The study was conducted by researchers at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. The second study looked at indoor air quality in a room in which five test subjects, three of whom were experienced vapers, vaped during a simulated business meeting in order to get a good sense of air nicotine levels under conditions of normal use. While the study did show that propylene glycol levels in the air shot up while the occupants were vaping, researchers found that air nicotine levels remained unchanged. And despite the rapid increase in propylene glycol levels, these levels remained far, far below than UK Workplace Exposure Limit guidelines (0.203 mg/m3 v. 474 mg/m3), and also dissipated rapidly. Vaping basically just appears to briefly increase propylene glycol levels in ambient air under conditions of normal use, while having no noticeable effect on ambient nicotine levels. Second-hand vaping, apparently, only results in super-mild propylene glycol exposure. As usual, the provenance of this second study might raise some eyebrows. The principal researchers involved in this study are employed by Imperial Tobacco, and thus we should approach their methods with an extra degree of scrutiny. On the other hand, it’s important to keep in mind that researchers, even those who work for a big tobacco company, are highly unlikely to falsify their findings. Usually, biased studies are primarily biased in their experimental design; as long as the experimental design is sound, though, the results can presumably be trusted. In this case, the experimental setup seems quite reasonable. In fact, it seems a lot more reasonable than most studies on vaping, in which researchers have largely ignored natural vaping conditions in order to fabricate their negative findings. And given that both of these studies agree in their findings that second-hand vaping poses basically no danger, I think these results can probably be trusted. Happy vaping!U.S. leaders are increasingly worried that Russia's submarines could sever the communication arteries that drive global commerce. The communications cables criss-cross tens of thousands of miles of ocean to relay Internet and phone data between continents. The concerns arose in September, when a Russian spy ship armed with two unmanned submersibles was detected in the vicinity of the cables, according to an Oct. 25 article in The New York Times. Recent reports of Russia operating in the vicinity of submarine cables that carry nearly all the world's internet data has brought discussions largely held in classified settings to the fore: How might the Navy defend thousands of miles of critical infrastructure? The Russian operation has brought discussions normally held in classified settings to the fore: How can the U.S. Navy safeguard thousands of miles of critical infrastructure? It's a vexing issue at a time when the Navy's forces are stretched thin in the Middle East and while confronting emerging near-peer competitors like Russia and China. Navy leaders are starting to raise the alarm about this potential choke point, and the solution they propose is autonomous underwater systems. The head of the nuclear Navy said that the Navy needed to invest heavily in unmanned underwater systems to protect undersea infrastructure. "The necessity exists because of challenges we face from potential adversaries," said Adm. Frank Caldwell Jr., head of Naval Reactors, in an October briefing. "It exists because of the submarine [building] hiatus we took in the 1990s and the impending dip [in] force structure we'll have late in the 2020s... and we may be called upon in the future to protect undersea infrastructure, something we haven't really considered before." "You add all these up, I think there is an imperative to move forward more swiftly in this unmanned realm," he said. × Fear of missing out? Fear no longer. Be the first to hear about breaking news, as it happens. You'll get alerts delivered directly to your inbox each time something noteworthy happens in the Military community. Thanks for signing up. By giving us your email, you are opting in to our Newsletter: Sign up for the Navy Times Daily News Roundup U.S. officials are concerned that Russian submarines and their deep submergence vessels could tap into or even sever communications cables that carry the vast majority of global communications. These heavy-duty cables carry phone and Internet data and are shrouded by steel wires and a polyethylene covering. Photo Credit: Wikimedia To be sure, the vulnerability of undersea cables isn't a new concern in warfare. The Royal Navy severed German transoceanic cable lines in the opening days of World War I, impairing their secure communications. And the U.S. submarine Parche famously tapped Soviet military cables in 1979, among the foremost known feats of the Cold War. "Russians taking an interest in our submarine cables — it's not a new thing," said Bryan Clark, a retired submarine officer and analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. "But people are realizing the volume of traffic that goes over submarine cables now, relative to where it was in the Cold War." In September, a Russian spy ship armed with two unmanned submersibles was detected in the vicinity of the cables, raising fears that the Russians might be planning to cut the cables in the event of a crisis, according to an October 25 report in the New York Times. The cables themselves are most vulnerable near the continental shelf, where the landmass drops suddenly to depths that make them more difficult to access or cut, Clark said. And while day-to-day protection of the cables is the responsibility of the telecom companies that lay and operate them, the Navy would need to protect them against an imminent threat. It would be virtually impossible to defend thousands of miles of cables, but submarine bosses say it's possible to protect critical nodes. That can be done increasingly with unmanned systems, rather than using already busy attack boats. "We don't have to know everything everywhere," said retired Vice Adm. Michael Connor, former head of Submarine Forces at an Oct. 27 House Subcommittee hearing. "But there are places where you would like to have very good knowledge.. We have critical things we want to protect, like some of the undersea infrastructure that is so critical to our economy." "There may be places we decide we want to have some volume of systems and that relatively small area around that infrastructure where you would have sufficient vehicles to obtain perfect knowledge," he said. Combating unmanned underwater vehicles is also a tough nut to crack because they are often small, quiet, made of plastic and extremely difficult to detect. Experts say that technology under development could help protect important cable nodes. Upward Falling Payload modules under development by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency could be placed on the seabed nearby and, when an intrusion or threat is detected, could pop to the surface and inform operators of the attack, said Alan Beam, who headed DARPA's UUV division in the 1990s. Combating the threat to the cables is a tough nut to crack, and the Russians are a formidable adversary in the undersea realm, an area where they have invested money consistently even after the fall of the Soviet Union, said a retired submarine skipper who now works in the submarine industry. The sonar nets and undersea surveillance systems that were so effective at tracking Russian subs in the Cold War likely prompted Russia to invest in autonomous underwater vehicles and seabed systems to get around U.S. defenses because unmanned underwater systems are so hard to track. "Protecting any system against an autonomous unmanned undersea vehicle would be extremely difficult," the retired captain said in an email. "These vehicles are propelled by quiet, battery powered electric motors — they have almost no acoustic signature. In addition, they are physically small and would not provide a large return if active sonar was used to search for them." Given the difficulties involved in protecting cables, it will be important to invest in additional, secret infrastructure, said retired Adm. James G. Stavridis, in an op-ed in The Huffington Post.Three Vallejo men were wounded in a shooting Monday night in North Vallejo, police said. Officers responded to a report of gunshots, which was quickly followed by calls reporting shooting victims at about 8:20 p.m. in the 500 block of Fairgrounds Drive. At the scene, police found one victim inside JJ Fish and Chicken, while the other two victims were later reported to have walked into two separate local hospitals, police said. The man inside the restaurant was taken to a trauma center for his injuries. Police said the injuries seem non-life threatening. It was not immediately known where the actual shooting had taken place as of 9 p.m. Police said the suspect was described as a black man with dreads, last seen running north on Fairgrounds Drive. Anyone with information can call investigators at (800) 488-9383 or leave an anonymous message on the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (707) 644-STOP (7867).Stay tuned to this page for the latest in manual errata. Attributes Perception now affects Interrupt, Deflection, and Reflex. Intellect now affects the Will defense and Durations and Areas of Effect for all abilities and talents. Resolve now affects Concentration, Deflection, and Will. Combat Damage Threshold is now called Damage Reduction. Miss/Graze/Hit/Crit ranges have changed. A Miss is any attack roll that is 15 or less. Does no damage and inflicts no status effects or afflictions. A Graze is any attack roll that is between 16 and 50. Reduces damage and duration by 50%. A Hit is any attack roll that is between 50 and 100. Standard damage with standard duration. A Crit is any attack roll over 100. Damage is increased by 50%. Races Aumaua Island Aumaua The Island Aumaua racial bonus has changed. They now have Armed to the Teeth - All Island Aumaua gain an additional Weapon Set. Godlike Death Godlike Death's Usher now affects enemies with 25% or less endurance. Nature Godlike Wellspring of Life now grants a bonus to Might, Constitution, and Dexterity when Endurance is below 50%. Classes Chanter Chants Aefyllath Ues Mith Fyr is now a 3rd level chant. Druid Spells Touch of Rot has been deprecated from the 1st level druid spell list and replaced with Nature's Vigor, which does regeneration (like Nature's Balm) and adds to Max Endurance. The 1st level druid spell Talon's Reach is now Foe-Only. Nature's Mark should read as "Enemies are outlined in pale green light, decreasing their Deflection and Reflex defenses. Fighter Abilities Crippling Guard has been removed from the game. Instead, Fighters now have Disciplined Barrage. Confident Aim should read as a 20% increase in minimum damage, instead of 25%. Paladin Abilities Flames of Devotion is now 2/per encounter. Ranger Abilities Driving Flight now hits creatures in a 90 degree arc. Master's Call now summons the pet to the ranger and can knock enemies Prone along the way. Rangers no longer share Health and Endurance with their animal companion. Instead, if a ranger or animal companion are knocked unconscious, the partner suffers from Bonded Grief, affecting Accuracy and other stats, until the downed ally is revived. If a ranger is ever killed, the animal companion immediately dies from grief. Skills Lore The Lore skill affects the ability to use scrolls. Equipment Flails Flails no longer negate deflection bonuses, but instead convert Grazes to Hits. Arbalests Arbalests no longer have fast reload. Their bonus is that they can knock Prone on Crit. StrongholdWhat Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said is true, and damn true: “The Catechism was not written to please you. It will not make life easy for you, because it demands of you a new life.” Its teaching on modesty is so explosive that, would we believe and actualize it, we would convert. But I suspect we prefer monotony to metanoia, commentary to action, and porn to everything else. We’ll enthusiastically “note” the demands of the universal Church as “interesting,” and immediately — go back to sleep. (Were I made responsible for carving the tombstone for our age! I would put neither name nor date, only the words, “The more we spoke, the less we did, till we spoke about everything and did nothing at all.”) Believe it or not, I’m not being flippant. This fact, that our age seems characterized by a lack of action, has been with me for a while, and the Church’s teaching on modesty has stirred the coals back into flames. It began with a difficulty. Why on earth would she choose to say, in the Catechism which is the compendium of her teachings, that “modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies”? (CCC 2523) Shouldn’t she have said “the allurements of sinful fashions,” “over-sexualized fashions,” or something of the sort? After all, not all fashions are immodest. Crocs, for instance, actually function to maintain the virginity of their owner. But no, the Church says that modesty resists “fashions,” plain and simple. Now we know that modesty is not, primarily, about reducing the incidence of lust. Modesty is wholeness; integration; a harmony between body and soul; the outward revelation of our inward subjectivity through the presentation and action of the body, in which we express to the world the inexpressible fact of our personality, and by which we have the faith necessary to believe in the subjectivity and personality of every human on the planet — from the enemy, to the face in the crowd, to the uniformed fast-food worker who leans out the window to exchange our money for fries. Modesty preserves subjectivity. Because of this, I believe that modesty empowers us to act, and with the ability to act comes the ability and the impetus to resist the allurements of fashion. Follow me here: Passivity is the province of objects. Any object can be acted upon. A rock can be thrown. A body of water can be blown into waves. A billboard of a naked woman selling us tires can be set on fire. Even animal “action” can always be described as a “reaction” to the environment, the reception of change from some other object. This is essentially what we mean when we say that the dog “acts on instinct.” It does not freely choose to turn his head and bark, its turning and barking is caused by something else — the wave of food, or the noise of tires on the gravel. (Thus pornography, though its glare focuses on the reduction of the female body into a purely erection-inducing object, also objectifies the male viewer. He is animalized, and in this animalization he becomes an object acted upon, an animal responding to environmental stimuli, as removed from true, human freedom as a dog salivating at the sight of meat.) Action is the province of subjects. The only being in the Cosmos we experience as not merely being acted upon, but also having the capacity to freely act, is the human subject, namely, our selves. You. Think about it: The only being you’ve ever experience as acting out self-determination, deliberately causing something to happen, deliberately doing something, swinging the stick at the high grass out of a desire to swing the stick, is you. Sure, we generally believe that when our neighbor sits on his porch, he chose to do so as a free, self-determined action, but this is an act of faith. We only experience action as freely acted and self-determined when we our selves are its author. So — ignoring for the time the massive free-will debate that rages underneath my simplification — have my dogma: Action emanates from subjects, not objects. Insofar as we live as subjects, we increase our capacity for true, free action — for doing something. Insofar as we objectify our selves, we diminish our capacity for true, free action, and thereby increase our capacity for being acted upon. This has some phenomenological evidence, I think, in the crowd. “Madness is rare in individuals—but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the rule,” says Nietzsche. If a group of people cease thinking of themselves as individual, human subjects, and begin to think of themselves as mere objects and parts of a whole, they become a crowd, a mob — a group easily acted upon. The words we use to describe the crowd express this fact — the crowd is riled, stirred up, moved, enraged, passively receiving the acting force of another. It is easier to convince a crowd of people to vote for an economic plan or to lynch an enemy than to convince your neighbor to do the same, for the crowd, insofar as they are an objectified mass, are easy to move. Any object can be acted upon. Call it Dionysian, call it mob psychology, call it what you like: The less we see ourselves as selves and subjects, the greater our capacity to be acted upon. Fashion is passion. Fashion is passion, for passion, according to Aristotle, is the reception of change from another. Fashion is not something we do. Fashion is done to us. It is manufactured by an elite who view unique, human subjects as objects — as trends, demands, markets, and target populations — and sell their products accordingly. We did not willfully decide to buy every Apple product ever made. We were advertised to, moved to, and persuaded to through envy. We did not willfully decide to listen to Ke$ha, as we do not willfully choose the vast majority of what is nevertheless referred to as “popular music.” Popular music is marketed, produced, and advertised to be enjoyed on the most shallow level possible. It is sold like candy and immediately forgotten, preparing an objectified “audience” to purchase the next “big hit,” just as products are made to break, so we’ll purchase a replacement or — better still — the newest edition. We did not willfully elect our president. Our president is a fashion, as are most politicians. They spend billions of dollars to prostitute themselves to us, to move us, to sooth our fears and impose their image in our minds. (This is not to say there is utterly no free action involved in fashion, merely that it is greatly reduced.) Indeed, it is the mark of fashion that it is always self-aware of having nothing to do with human subjects, and everything to do with acting upon objects
really pretty common for a “mental illness.” Now, it’s not known how well these participants actually fit the diagnostic criteria for a paraphilia. For example, it’s not known whether the men who participated in sadistic experiences actually had the consent of their partners or not. It’s not known whether the participants were distressing others. But it IS worth noting that very few men were actually distressed by their arousal. Hmm… The other point of focus I find interesting is the difference between fantasy and reality, and in how much that difference differs between paraphilias. What influenced these participants to not act on their fantasies? Or, from my perspective, what can be done to help some of them express themselves safely with no harm to others, and what can be done to help others (e.g., pedophiles) refrain? What’s going on here? Sadly, I don’t have answers here. In conclusion, the authors state: “The findings suggest that paraphilia-related experience can not be regarded as unusual from a normative perspective.” I whole-heartedly agree. The abstract is publicly available on PubMed. Edit (2/24/2013): There has been some confusion over the percentages I quoted. Let me clarify: There were 367 participants total. As an example, of those, 27 reported having either fantasy, masturbation fantasy, or real experience with transvestic fetishism. And that breaks down to 18 having fantasy, 21 having masturbation fantasy, and 10 having reality. The researchers divided those breakdown numbers by the total number of participants (367) to get the percentages (i.e., 4.9% of the sample having transvestic fetishism fantasies, 2.7% of the sample having transvestic fetishim real experiences). Of those 27 people, only 1 was distressed by it. Thus, 3.7% were distressed by their arousal. Like this: Like Loading... Related Posts:The 2016 presidential campaign of Jill Stein, was announced on June 22, 2015. Jill Stein, a physician from Massachusetts, was the presidential nominee of the Green Party of the United States for President in 2016 and 2012. In 2012, Stein was the Green Party's nominee and received 469,627 votes for President of the United States in the 2012 general election.[5] She formally announced her second presidential bid during an appearance on Democracy Now! on June 22, 2015.[6] On June 15, 2016, she reached the necessary number of delegates for the presumptive Green nomination.[2] On August 1, 2016, Stein announced that she had selected international human rights activist Ajamu Baraka as her running mate.[7] Stein officially received the Green Party presidential nomination on August 6, 2016, at the party's nominating convention in Houston, Texas.[3] Background [ edit ] Stein speaking at a campaign event in Mesa, Arizona On February 6, 2015, Stein announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a campaign for the Green Party's presidential nomination in 2016.[8] In a June 2015 interview on The Alan Colmes Show, Stein said that she would announce her intention to run for President "certainly before the summer is up, probably a lot sooner than that".[9] In December 2015, Stein took part in the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in Paris, speaking at several forums.[10][11] That same month, Stein took part in RT's tenth anniversary celebration conference in Moscow, speaking alongside international leaders.[12][13] On February 24, Stein was invited to speak at the Oxford Union at the University of Oxford in England.[14][15] In March 2016, Stein was one of only two presidential candidates to receive an A rating for their health plan from Physicians for a National Health Program, an advocacy group for single-payer health care, out of an analysis of the health plans of six presidential candidates, including the top two Democratic candidates and the top three Republican candidates.[16] In May 2016, the Marijuana Policy Project released a voter guide of the candidates of the four largest political parties (Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Green) in the 2016 election. Stein received an A+, tying her with Gary Johnson and placing her above the Democratic and Republican candidates.[17] History [ edit ] Stein began taking part in the 2016 Green Party presidential primaries in February 2016. Stein was immediately the front-runner and was described as "steamrolling to victory."[18] On June 15, 2016, the Stein campaign announced that it had received 203 delegates, enough to win the nomination on the first ballot at the 2016 Green National Convention.[19] During the 2016 Democratic National Convention the Green Party encouraged Bernie Sanders supporters to switch support.[20][21] Stein officially won the Green Party nomination on August 6, 2016.[3] Fundraising [ edit ] In an e-mail to supporters on June 10, 2015, Stein wrote "I'm preparing to make a big announcement next week." She also challenged her supporters to raise $10,000 in that time period. Two days later on June 12, Stein's campaign sent another e-mail indicating that she had surpassed that goal and raised her fundraising goal to $30,000. Stein noted that she would seek to qualify for matching funds from the federal government by raising at least $5,000 from residents of 20 states before receiving the nomination in 2016. The e-mail indicated that she had already raised more than the requisite amount from residents of California and that Washington State, New York, and others were very close behind.[22] In September, Stein's campaign said they had met the $5,000 mark in five states (California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington) and had received at least half of that amount in eight others.[23] As of November 22, 2015, Stein's campaign had surpassed the requisite fundraising totals in at least 9 states. On November 28, Richard Winger of Ballot Access News reported that Stein would likely qualify for the initial public funding before January 1, 2016.[24] However, on January 3, Ballot Access News reported that Stein's campaign had only qualified in 13 states. It said that the campaign was trying to qualify in 8 others.[25] On January 8, Stein's campaign announced it had enough contributions to qualify for FEC funds.[26] Nevertheless, the campaign did not submit its request for matching funds and accompanying documentation until March 28, after which the FEC declared Stein eligible for matching funds on April 14, 2016.[27] In January 2017, Stein and her campaign received the final amount of matching funds from the FEC. The final check equaled $134,900. Overall, the campaign received $590,935.39 in matching funds.[28] Platform and issues [ edit ] Massachusetts Stein with supporters at a rally in Boston The Stein platform is labeled a 'power to the people plan.'[29] The main issues of Stein's platform are: A Green New Deal [30] Jobs as a Right End Poverty Health Care as a Right Education as a Right A Just Economy Protect Mother Earth Racial Justice Now Freedom and Equality Justice for All Peace and Human Rights Empower the People[29] Endorsements [ edit ] Ballot status [ edit ] Results [ edit ] On Election Day, Stein finished in 4th with over 1,457,216 votes (more than the previous three Green tickets combined) and 1.07% of the popular vote. However, she finished three million votes under Gary Johnson as the Greens once again finished behind the Libertarian Party, though they did gain more votes than Independent candidate Evan McMullin and Constitution Party candidate Darrell Castle.[32] Recount petitions [ edit ] On November 23, Stein launched a public fundraiser to pay for recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, asserting that the election's outcome had been affected by hacking in those states.[33] Changing the outcome of these three states would make Clinton the winner, and this would require showing that less than 60,000 votes had been counted for Trump which should have been counted for Clinton. Stein filed for a recount in Wisconsin on November 25.[34] Stein subsequently filed for a recount in Pennsylvania on November 28,[35] and in Michigan on November 30.[36] After unfavorable rulings by the courts, Stein abandoned her recount bid in December, 2016.[37] On December 18, 2017, the Washington Post reported that the Senate Intelligence Committee is looking at the presidential campaign of Green Party's Jill Stein for potential "collusion with the Russians."[38] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Media related to Jill Stein presidential campaign, 2016 at Wikimedia CommonsFar from being an individualistic, social Darwinist, Romney spoke comfortably about compassion and shared destinies: “We’re a nation that believes that we’re all children of the same God, and we care for those that have difficulties, those that are elderly and have problems and challenges, those that are disabled.” Far from wanting to eviscerate government and railing about government dependency, Romney talked about how to make government programs work better. “I’m not going to cut education funding,” he vowed. He praised government job-training efforts and said he wanted to consolidate them. He lamented that $90 billion has been shipped to energy corporations, which could have paid for two million teachers. Photo Far from being a pitchfork-wielding populist who wants to raze Washington, Romney said he would work with the people he finds there. “We have to work on a collaborative basis, not because we’re going to compromise our principle but because there is common ground.” He bragged that in his old job as governor, he met with Democrats every week. He boasted about his bipartisan health care bill. He praised the (semimythical) friendship between Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill. Far from being an unthinking deregulator, Romney declared, “Regulation is essential.... I mean, you have to have regulations so that you can have an economy work.” Instead of championing unfettered capitalism, he said he wanted predictable and workable rules. He criticized housing regulations that can’t give a clear idea of what a qualified mortgage is. He criticized financial regulations that favor big banks over small ones. Romney didn’t describe a comprehensive governing philosophy, but he gave us a hint of a strong center-right pragmatic approach. It starts with 1986-style tax reform and Wyden-Ryan Medicare reform and then offers a glimpse of experimental pragmatism on most everything else. 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. Yes, it’s true. Romney’s tax numbers don’t add up. Yes, there’s a lot of budgetary flimflam. No, Romney still doesn’t have an easy answer to wage stagnation (neither does Obama). But Romney’s debate performance signals the return of Governor Mitt. Democrats call it hypocrisy; I call it progress. You could conceivably build a majority coalition around this framework, winning over more working-class women and some Hispanic voters. The crucial test will be whether Romney can develop, brand and sell this approach over the campaign’s final month. Most important, Romney did something no other mainstream Republican has had the guts to do. Either out of conviction or political desperation, he broke with Tea Party orthodoxy and began to redefine the Republican identity. And, having taken this step, he’s broken the spell. Conservatives loved it! They loved that it was effective, and it was effective because Romney could more authentically be the man who (I think) he truly is. Now it’s the Obama campaign that has problems to solve. Politically, the president will have to go back to portraying Romney as a flip-flopper instead of an ideologue. Substantively, Obama will have to kindle new passion. So far, he’s seemed driven by the negative passion of stopping Republican extremism. He’ll have to develop a positive passion for something he actually wants to do. Advertisement Continue reading the main story I gave Obama better reviews than most pundits did Wednesday night, but his closing statement was as bad as any I’ve ever heard. If he can’t come up with a two-minute argument for why he should be president again, the former Mr. Audacity might still lose to the former Mr. Right Winger.GROUND TEXTURES MOD 6.5 This file is freeware! you can download it at NO cost * if you would like to support Barthek as a mod maker, you can make a donation (*) (*) 100% of this donation will go to the Author to help support him as a mod maker, this is not a donation linked to this mod or any other mod made by him. * PLEASE DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE!!! INSTALLATION GUIDE 1. If you're using any terrain mods, please deactivate them to avoid potential complications. 2. Download and install the great Forests without shadows mod by Mustang. This step is not obligatory but highly recommended if you want to gain some fps! 3. Download the MOD in JSGME-ready package from this website. 4. Unzip the content to your JSGME mods folder within your DCS main folder. 5. Activate the mod in JSGME. You can find a great tutorial on how to do that here - thanks Ebs! 6. Download these four missions to test the textures. I have prepared them for you so that you can test all 4 seasons in the blink of an eye. There are a couple of aircrafts flying in different parts of the map - you can toggle them by pressing the F2 key. If the mod looks exactly as on the screenshots attached, than congratulations - you have installed GTM successfully! I address my sincere thanks to all beta testers and Tom_Weiss for making this possible. GTM 6.5 FIELDS UPDATE The following update is JSGME-ready. However, it is NOT a stand-alone version. You need to have the main MOD enabled in JSGME before installing this update. 1. Download the update from here. Download the update from 2. Unzip the content to your JSGME mods folder within your DCS main folder. 3. Activate the update in JSGME. When this window pops up, click yes. Activate the update in JSGME. Whenpops up, click yes. 4. The fields should now look like on these screenshots. The fields should now look like onSLAP on an eyepatch then strip down. The Sydney Opera House Forecourt this year will roll to the sounds of pirate songs and the sight of thousands of nude people. Thousands of Sydneysiders will be asked to shed their clothes in the name of art, as renowned artist Spencer Tunick creates the mass nude installation on the steps of the Opera House. The event will take place on the morning of March 1. Many will be hoping autumn won't have come early. Tunick's installation, called The Base, is part of this year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival. But the artist is hoping Sydneysiders, regardless of sexual preference, will show up on the day. "We're looking for people who want to form a naked base for the Sydney Opera House,'' Tunick said yesterday. Onlookers eager to ogle naked flesh are not encouraged to turn up, he said. "I think people would be too embarrassed to show up just to look at naked people,'' he said. "The nude people far outweigh those that aren't. "When you have 3000 people nude and 50 or 100 who aren't the attention goes towards them and they feel self-conscious. It's kind of like reverse streaking." Those interested in taking part can register at mardigras.org.au/tunick to reserve a place. Originally published as Sydney urged to strip offDejan Lovren hands in Southampton transfer request amid interest from Liverpool Defender Dejan Lovren has handed in a transfer request at Southampton Saints stopper has been linked with a move to Liverpool Lovren has cited wanting to play Champions League football and changes in management as his reasons for wanting to leave Rickie Lambert has already signed for Liverpool, while Adam Lallana wants to follow his England teammate Dejan Lovren has submitted a formal written transfer request demanding to leave Southampton. Sportsmail Online can reveal that the central defender wrote an email to executive director Les Reed and chairman Ralph Krueger on May 30 with notice of his desire to leave St Mary's this summer. In the email, the defender outlined his ambition to play Champions League football next season and wants to move this summer. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Lovren transfer request a day before the World Cup opener I'll get my Croat! Dejan Lovren has handed in a formal transfer request at Southampton Despite Lovren's determination to leave in this transfer window that the club have yet to acknowledge receipt of his signed email. Lovren, who joined Southampton at the start of last season, claims the changes to management have also affected his decision. Executive chairman Nicola Cortese left in January and manager Mauricio Pochettino has quit to become the new Tottenham boss. The club have yet to appoint a manager to succeed Pochettino, but have always insisted cash would be made available to the new coach to strengthen the team. Lovren held talks with Saints at the end of the season after Liverpool, who are among a number of clubs who want to sign the Croatian, made their interest known. Red alert! The Croatia defender represented his nation in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup He then followed up that meeting with an email detailing the reasons behind his decision to leave Southampton. Lovren, 24, was signed from Lyon last summer for £7m is determined to quit the club to stay in the Barclays Premier League with a top four team. The defender, who was outstanding in his first season at the club, is among a number of players who want to leave. Captain Adam Lallana wants to move to Liverpool after the World Cup and young left-back Luke Shaw is on the verge of a switch to Manchester United when he returns from Brazil. Striker Rickie Lambert, also on international duty with England at the World Cup, has already sealed a £4m move to Liverpool.Louise Dumée (South African Female 1) ♦ Eveline Frei (Swiss/Euro Female 1) ♦ Jakub "Faleg" Janicki (Polish/Euro Male 1) READ THIS README, ESPECIALLY THE FAQ. IT EXPLAINS SOME MAJOR CHANGES FROM VANILLA. An extended campaign requiring far more missions to complete Tactical missions that allow up to twelve XCom soldiers per mission with the right upgrades Eight soldier classes: Infantry, Assault, Sniper, Scout, Gunner, Rocketeer, Medic and Engineer, and eight MEC classes: Valkyrie, Marauder, Jaeger, Pathfinder, Goliath, Archer, Guardian and Shogun English-accent voicepacks for soldiers from England, Australia and several other nations New and modified perks, including Ranger, Sapper, HEAT Warheads, Lock N' Load, Fire in the Hole, Hit and Run, and Javelin Rockets New and modified technologies, including Xenopsionics, Alien Biocybernetics, Pulse Lasers, Gauss Weapons and Advanced Aerospace Concepts, and many new foundry projects Five tiers of XCOM weaponry, many new armors and small items and S.H.I.V.s that can be equipped with perk-granting small items! See some of the new weapons here. Earlier access to psionics and an expanded psionics tree A system of commissioning and promoting XCOM officers who provide bonuses to your entire squad during missions (replaces the Enemy Within medals system) Overhauled interception game, with five new UFO classes such as the Fighter, Raider and Harvester, as well as six interceptors per continent, foundry projects to upgrade your aircraft, individualized pilot names and pilot experience, and the Stingray Missile weapon system Overhauled strategy game, in which the aliens gather resources and conduct research -- efforts XCOM must interdict if it hopes to save humanity. XCOM can now retake countries by finding and conquering alien bases in those countries. Help council countries defend themselves by fulfilling their requests for alien technology! Aliens and EXALT forces grow tougher over time, gaining stats and perks New weapons for XCOM soldiers Soldiers rest after each mission, requiring the player to build a much deeper roster of soldiers Modified Second Wave options to support longer campaigns Training mode config file for easier campaigns Instructions If you have ever played with any other mods on your EW install, or have changed some files yourself, verify back to a vanilla installation of EW before installing Long War. If you have any trouble with installation, do this as well. other mods on your EW install, or have changed some files yourself, verify back to a vanilla installation of EW before installing Long War. If you have any trouble with installation, do this as well. Disable any antivirus software. We have specific reports that Comodo security software prevents a proper install, and BitDefender free crashes the game on startup. Make sure you have the latest.NET Framework installed. Run the installer. When you select your path to install the mod, you should receive a warning that the directory already exists. If you didn't, have you may have missed a step. Start the game once. You may receive a crash to desktop (CTD) error; this appears to be some aspect of the mod completing installation and then making nice with Steam. Start it again, and it should run. If you have been playing vanilla XCOM in a language other than the one you installed it in, switch XCOM to the installed Long War language via its properties in Steam. Notes This mod will overwrite several game files and likely render multiplayer unplayable until you uninstall. A Mac and Linux version is available via separate downloads. The mod will not work properly on vanilla Enemy Within campaigns, so you'll need to start a new one. Campaigns are saved even if you uninstall, so you should be able to return to vanilla campaigns. Long War campaigns probably won't work well in vanilla. If Firaxis/2K Games issues any patches to vanilla XCOM, it will overwrite and disable Long War, and almost certainly make the mod unplayable until the modders are able to update it. Unfortunately, turning off automatic updates to the game in Steam, via the game's Steam Library context menu? Properties? Updates tab, does not prevent patches from loading. Your savegames should be preserved, though. If you want to use alternate game textures via TexMod, install them AFTER you fully install Long War. you fully install Long War. If you install this mod over an existing version you won't be able to uninstall back to vanilla; to do so, you'll have to go to Steam and use the Verify Integrity of Game Cache option (under the game's Steam Library context menu? Properties? Local Files tab) to restore your game to its original settings. You should also do this if something goes wrong with the uninstall. If you get multiple CTDs upon boot, or when starting the first mission, or you start with only four soldiers, or see graphical glitches with some of the new weapons, try the following steps: Go to C:/Users/YOUR WINDOWS USERNAME/Documents/My Games/XCOM - Enemy Within/XComGame/Config Delete all files in that directory. Start the game and see if it works. Go to C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/SteamApps/common/XCom-Enemy-Unknown/XEW/XComGame/CookedPCConsole. (This may vary if you have a nontraditional Steam installation.) Look for the files XComGame.upk.uncompressed_size, XComStrategyGame.upk.uncompressed_size and Engine.upk.uncompressed_size. If they are present, delete them. Start the game and see if it works. If not, Go to C:/Users/YOUR WINDOWS USERNAME/Documents/My Games/XCOM - Enemy Within/XComGame/SaveData Delete or rename the file profile.bin and start the game. You may have to re-set your graphics and other settings ingame after this. Start the game and see if it works. Install Long War EW again, over the current copy. This will probably make the included uninstaller not work, so you'll have to verify back to vanilla via Steam to uninstall. Delete old savegames you aren't using anymore Turn off cloud synchronization of your saves Play in offline mode General Questions Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: The player hasn't adapted to the changes in the mod and expects their suboptimal strategies to succeed (we believe this is the case with outsiders). We have a Long War Strategy subforum you can go to for advice. The player's definition of fun is different from ours; they expect the game to provide them easier situations, make solutions more readily available or be geared to provide the illusion of challenge but actually make it pretty easy to win. In this case the player should play an easier difficulty setting and/or use the Cinematic Mode Second Wave option, which gives accuracy bonuses to both XCOM troops and aircraft. They player can also mod Long War to their personal preferences or play another mod. Long War isn't for everyone. The mod really is unreasonably hard (or bugged in a way that makes it too hard) and should be changed. Specific feedback about the situation and how you attempted to address helps us; general complaints about difficulty really won't induce us to make any changes. Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Gameplay Questions Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: EDIT THIS FILE AT YOUR OWN RISK Q: A: Software People This mod makes hundreds of changes, large and small, to the vanilla version of the game. It is harder and longer than the vanilla version but gives you many more tools to combat the alien threat.Some of the changes in this mod include:Most of the specific changes will be detailed in in-game text. Many game mechanics have changed, so read perk, tech and item descriptions closely! They may not do what you expect from vanilla.Perk trees for all classes are in the file Long_War_3_perk_tree.jpg in your XEW directory, or here Tech tree is in the file Long_War_3_tech_tree.png in your XEW directory, or here A Long War wiki is hosted on UFOpeadia, here. (It needs contributions!)(Art in this section by Dana Henderson/lfish You must have a legitimate PC, Mac or Linux version of Enemy Within to play this mod. This mod is for games with the March 10, 2014, patch, what we're calling Enemy Within Patch 3. The game version is still listed as 401776.An Enemy Unknown version of this mod (with fewer features) is available in the Files section. It has not been updated to work with EU patches 5 and 6 (too much work), so you have to take extra steps to roll back your XCOM EU installation to patch 4, with this tool. For help with installation of the EU version, check out Phwop's tutorial, here If you are getting slowdowns in plays or CTDs when loading user settings, try the following:If those steps don't work, please check the extended troubleshooting file in your XCOM directory and any bugfixes (on the Nexus forums). If your issue isn't listed, we want detailed feedback on all of those things on the Long War EW feedback forum. Make sure you post your difficulty level, any Second Wave options you are using, and whether you started a campaign under this version, or a prior one. If you have a CTD, please follow the instructions in the readme for reporting crash logs to us.I love this! Can I give you something?For those who want to directly support the modders, you can do so here, but we are not allowed to request, reward or publicly acknowledge any specific gifts (sorry, but we really are deeply grateful), in accordance with Nexus policies that prohibit any kind of appearance of selling the mod. In addition, you're always welcome to buy JohnnyLump's sci-fi novels through his homepage here I'm fairly new to XCom. What difficulty should I start with?Normal.I'm an XCOM veteran. What difficulty should I start with?Normal.But I'm really awesome at --Sorry to interrupt, but just start with Normal. We don't have easy difficulties in this mod that hold your hand while you learn the ropes and we've removed every bit of code we can find that cheats for the player on the lower difficulties. It's going to be hard. The other difficulties are just harder versions of Normal; feel free to move up when you get a handle on all the new mechanics.Say what? Ten HP Outsiders with regeneration in the first downed UFO mission? I love all the new XCOM options but don't like the difficulty. Why did you make a mod that is so hard?This mod was made by people who loved the vanilla game and saw lots of opportunities within the engine for much deeper strategic and tactical play and a greater variety of problems to throw at the player. When someone tells us it is too hard, there might be any of three things going on:I want to mod feature X myself. How do I do that?Many, many game settings are contained in the file DefaultGameCore.ini in the game's Config folder, which can be edited with a text editor, and your changes should take effect the next time you load the mod (no other changes are usually necessary!). In-game text is in.INT files in the localilzation folder. If it's not in either of those files, you'll probably have to make hex changes to the game's *.upk files, which is considerably more complicated. See the Modding Long War subforum or the general XCOM Mod Talk forum on the Nexus Forums for details.Okay, I get it; it's hard. But I'm a casual player without a ton of time or Grognard levels of strategery. What starting settings would you recommend?Play normal difficulty with only the Dynamic War and Cinematic Mode Second Wave options activated. This is probably somewhere close to vanilla classic levels of difficulty and Marathon duration.It's still too hard.Long War includes an alternate config file that contains most of the settings of the game. The file is "DefaultGameCore.ini" and it is in your equivalent of C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\XCom-Enemy-Unknown\XEW\XComGame\Config. Go there, and you'll find a file, DefaultGameCore - Training.ini. Rename it DefaultGameCore.ini (after renaming the regular version of the file) and you will find a set of four easier settings to play. Note that text is unchanged, the fourth level is still called "impossible," although it is not.I'm made of tough and insist on playing Ironman.You're not really asking a question, but understand there could be campaign-ending bugs or corrupted savegame issues that we can't do anything about. Periodically back up your savegames or face the prospect of losing all your work. You've been warned.I want you guys to add feature X. How do I tell you?Post in the Long War Feature Requests and Suggestions subforum. We do read the suggestions and have adopted many of them that sound fun and are technically feasible. We can't always reply, though.I want to make some changes and redistribute my version of your mod. May I?Contact JohnnyLump via the Nexus messaging system. Permission is NOT granted unless he says it's OK.Can you make a shorter version of Long War?Try the "Dynamic War" Second Wave option.Can you make a longer version of Long War?Try the "Liberators" Second Wave option.Do I still have to disable phone home like in Long War Enemy Unknown?No longer! The mod fixes the game's executable so that is no longer required.Can I use other mods like ToolBoks with Long War?It depends, but probably not. Other large-scale overhaul mods (if anyone ever makes any others) will not be compatible, nor will mods that change INI settings or in-game text by overwriting INI and INT files. Mods that make individual changes *may* be compatible if they search and replace hex. If they search by absolute offset within the *.upk files (like ToolBoks does), they will not be compatible unless they are made specifically for Long War. Keep an eye on the Modding Long War subforum; we'll post possible changes you can make yourself if they are easy to implement and frequently requested.I keep getting the same maps every other mission! Is there a fix?Press Alt+F10 once during the game. The only feedback you will see is the XCOM shield spinning briefly in the lower-right corner, but this resets the file that tracks which maps you've already played. What is happening is some of Long War's repurposed maps are being treated as "new" and repeatedly pushed to the top of the queue; by resetting your log the game will treat all maps equally.I installed the mod, but got error 0xc0000142 when I try to run the game.This error is known to occur when people install mods on pirated copies of XCOM. The mod only works with legitimate Steam versions of the mod. This includes the boxed DVD version, which requires Steam to install. While this occurs because of something the pirates did (and not us), we don't support pirated versions and will not troubleshoot these problems; the solution is to buy a legit copy of the game.How do I win?Win the Temple Ship mission, same as vanilla.How do I lose?All 16 council countries have to defect from XCOM. That's it. A successful assault by the aliens on XCOM HQ no longer ends the game.Hey, I lost a country with little panic in the first month! Is that supposed to happen?Yes. And if the aliens grow strong enough, they'll do this again, although you can stop those missions once launched (it's just really hard). Find and defeat the alien base in lost countries and you can get them back.A really big UFO just landed in my home country in March! How am I supposed to beat that?Basically, you're not (it's possible, though). The aliens have an active strategy now, gathering resources and conducting research and going on other missions not directly related to XCOM's operations. They're going to do their thing, and sometimes you'll cross paths with them when they are doing something they feel is rather important and have brought along a massive force to defend it. The penalties for XCOM aborting that mission early on are usually small, so don't feel obligated to sacrifice your force to win that one.It's early in the campaign and I just ran into a mission with tons of powerful aliens. How am I supposed to beat that?Again, you're not. Part of the tactical challenge of the mod is to recognize a bad situation and retreat. Of course, later in the game, the aliens' development may outpace yours.What's that little shield by each country in the Situation Room?That represents the country's ability to defend itself from the alien incursions. Fulfilling council requests from that country fills the shield and increases that country's ability to resist panic increases caused by alien activity and helps protect any satellites overhead from detection by alien scouts.Why do all my starting soldiers have Gene Mod armor?That's a new armor, the tac vest, which anyone can wear. Long War Enemy Within introduces 7 new armors (for a total of 14) generally built as lighter armors allowing more mobility at some cost of protection; we used the Gene Mod armor bases to represent these armors. If you don't like the look, try some of the alternate decos, which will minimize the sleeveless effect.Why do my starting soldiers have EXALT weapons?EXALT weapons have been repurposed in Long War and now serve as the default ballistic weapon set (along with the traditional shotgun). EXALT lasers are now the Beam Laser class of weapons; vanilla XCOM ballistic weapons are now the Gauss class of weapons, and XCOM lasers are now the Pulse Laser class of weapons.One of my weapons did zero damage after a hit! Is that supposed to happen?Yes. When this happens, you'll usually see a blue icon with a shield and a number. That's a measure of Damage Reduction, i.e. how much damage bounced off the enemy after a hit.I just bagged a sectoid that had mind-merged to another sectoid, but it didn't die; it only took some damage. Is that supposed to happen?Yes. XCOM psionic troopers can get mind-merge, too, and we suspect you wouldn't want the effect to kill two XCOM troopers at once, would you?My soldier's status shows "fatigued." What does that mean?After missions, soldiers need to rest for several days to recover from the intensity of combat and exposure to strange alien chemistry. During this time, they will not be auto-loaded into mission rosters. You can still send them on a mission (with no loss in capability), but after the mission they will suffer a light wound, representing exhaustion, and will be unavailable until they recover.Why are my arc thrower stun chances so low?Arc Throwers are no longer nearly automatic; your best case is a 55 to 60 percent chance to stun an alien. This is to make capturing aliens a meaningful and dangerous challenge. With Long War's increased mission count, you'll have far more opportunities to stun aliens and get their stuff, and you wouldn't want Alien Containment to overflow, would you?I only got a few Meld from a canister on the first mission? Is that supposed to happen?Yes. The amount of Meld you get will vary, based on something we'll let you figure out.I saved some of the civilians on a terror mission but panic still went up! Is that supposed to happen?Yes. Your job on terror missions is to minimize damage by saving lives; every civilian killed raises panic in both the country and on the continent.II captured an alien but
and examination to determine whether he might attempt such a crime again. Neighbors were afraid that he might, according to a victim statement at the time. Woodbury police found a "murder kit" in Busskohl's car trunk containing a swimming cap, latex gloves, knives, a scalpel and other items during their initial investigation. Busskohl's desire to kill, "appears to have been, in part, prompted by the show 'Dexter,'" documents say. The series depicts a police forensic investigator who is secretly a serial killer who targets only criminals. But Busskohl was unable to find anyone in Woodbury who fit that criteria, so he shifted targets. That, experts testified, signaled that he was not after vigilante justice, but only had a desire to kill. Last May, he told his mother that he was having homicidal thoughts. He had identified a Woodbury couple, again picked from the phone book, and planned to slit their throats. As in the first case, he had started to assemble items for the crime, including a knife. While he was on probation in the earlier plot, the county began commitment proceedings. Busskohl had violated parole conditions four times -- including possessing knives and using drugs -- and it became apparent he needed help, officials said. Jim Anderson • 651-735-0999Illustration by Greg Ruth In 1972, Ramparts, the San Francisco journal that had been one of the key outlets for the 1960s New Left, published a barbed little takedown of Norman Rockwell. Titled “Capitalist Realism,” the item was occasioned by a touring career retrospective of Rockwell’s work: His later work contains attempts at a greater “relevance”: but his is one world where nothing has really changed. Rockwell is Rockwell, possibly the only one who sincerely believes in his vision of things. This retrospective is vintage nostalgia. It holds up a mirror to America: not the America that was, or the America that should have been, but the sugar coating that sweetened the bitter pill. Ramparts’ venomous assessment is well-turned but unremarkable—Norman Rockwell was, after all, a representative of the “culture” against which the “counterculture” pitted itself. The funny thing is that five years earlier, the venerated American illustrator had assented to do a cover for the outspokenly lefty magazine, offering a double portrait of the British philosopher Bertrand Russell for the May 1967 issue (which also contained Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam.”) Evidently, by this time, the Rockwell legend was so overpowering that it was impossible to see through, even by those who might have had a reason to. The Ramparts review uses the metaphor of the mirror, and American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell happens to be the title of Deborah Solomon’s robust new biography. Like the author of “Capitalist Realism,” Solomon is aware that Rockwell didn’t “mirror” American life in any true way; his work was, if anything, a kind of funhouse mirror in reverse, turning a world that was really full of strange bumps and twists into something eerily becalmed and normal-looking. “Rockwell Land is its own universe, freestanding and totally distinct,” Solomon admits at the outset. We think of his work as of the past now, but even in its own time it was out-of-time: Already in 1936, his editor at the Republican, anti-New Deal Saturday Evening Post was fuming to Rockwell that the subject of his illustration The Ticket Agent, a glum, bony man trapped behind the cage of a window at a small-town train station, came off as too provincial: “We feel it would be more typical of millions of our citizens if he worked in a town of between ten and fifty thousand inhabitants and not such ‘Mi gosh’ and ‘by-heck’ surroundings.” Solomon is a veteran of the artist biography genre, with books on Joseph Cornell and Jackson Pollock under her belt, and American Mirror is a book of dazzling and accomplished detail about an accomplished but thoroughly undazzling life. The book spans from Rockwell’s prehistory—his artist grandfather’s struggles in mid-1800s New York—to his early attempts to define himself creatively in New York in the 1910s, through his long allegiance to such quaint bergs as New Rochelle, N.Y., Arlington, Vt., and, finally, Stockbridge, Mass., where he died a peaceful death in 1978, a certified national treasure at 84. For most of its 400-plus pages, American Mirror tells the story of a neurasthenic illustrator who was almost willfully uninteresting. What drama there is comes not from the incidents of Rockwell’s life but from how, in Solomon’s telling, everything in his art actually represents its opposite. Rockwell created the imagery of the Boy Scouts—his most lucrative and long-lasting gig was for the annual Boy Scout calendar—but he was himself not particularly outdoorsy, a neat freak who couldn’t bear to get dirty. He created memorable images of piety (Saying Grace, 1951), but his clan was uninterested in religion; captured scenes of scampy rebellion (The Shiner, 1954) but was rule-bound and order-obsessed; and, most damningly, painted odes to family togetherness (The Homecoming, 1948) but was so affectionless that his own family despaired of ever knowing him. His first bride, Irene O’Connor, divorced him in 1930 on grounds of “mental cruelty;” his second wife, Mary Barstow, was driven to alcoholism and finally the mental hospital by his remove. Only his third wife, Molly Punderson, whom he met when he was 65 and she 64, seems to have been a fit, and they slept in separate beds. “At last he had found his feminine ideal,” Solomon writes: “an elderly schoolteacher who was unlikely to make sexual demands on him.” American Mirror’s most controversial point will likely be Solomon’s conclusion that part of the sexless character of Rockwell’s oeuvre can be traced to his own repression, specifically the fact that he was attracted to men but unable to express it. While living in New Rochelle, Rockwell forged an extremely intimate relationship with the Leyendecker brothers, famous illustrators who created the proto-metrosexual “Arrow Collar Man,” and were gay. Seeking therapy in the late ’50s, Rockwell apparently confessed to having “overly intense relationships” with men, though he was so reserved, even in his private correspondence, that it is hard to know what he meant by this. Piecing together the details of a two-week-long long fishing trip he took to Canada in 1934 with his handsome model and studio assistant, Fred Hildebrandt, Solomon comes to a suggestive dead end: The trip raises a complicated question: Was Rockwell homosexual? It depends on what you mean by the word. He demonstrated an intense need for emotional and physical closeness with men. From the viewpoint of twenty-first-century gender studies, a man who yearns for the company of men is considered homosexual, whether or not he has sex with other men. In Rockwell’s case, there is nothing to suggest that he had sex with men. The distinction between secret desires and frank sexual acts, though perhaps not crucial to theorists today, was certainly crucial to Rockwell. Whatever the case on this score, Rockwell’s detachment was not confined to his personal affairs. While his public persona was all self-deprecating humor and his illustrations usually had a jokey vibe to them, he could be extraordinarily, robotically cold. In the late ’30s, he moved to Arlington, whose residents became part of his folksy New England cosmology. Yet when he moved abruptly away more than a decade later, in 1953, to pursue psychotherapy at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, it was as if a switch had been turned off: “If someone had been a very close friend, when Norman moved … it was as if they never existed,” an associate remembered. “Everyone complained that he never kept in touch. People said, ‘We were his best friend, and now we don’t hear from him.’ ” Perhaps Rockwell’s greatest moment of popular relevance came in the ’40s, during World War II, when his “Four Freedoms” became icons of pro-American propaganda, and his Rosie the Riveter suddenly gave his life-long difficulty in representing traditional femininity a national purpose in recruiting women to the war industries. Having already been doing covers for the Post for a quarter century, Rockwell was by then an institution—but he was also becoming an icon of the past. Photojournalism was eroding the basis for magazine illustration as a vital profession, and TV would erode the basis of magazines themselves. Victory in World War II would make the United States a global power, undermining the hold that Rockwell’s whimsical provincialism had on the national imagination, though it admittedly had a long afterlife in Eisenhower’s suburban ’50s. Author Deborah Solomon Photo courtesy Christian Oth American Mirror only gets truly interesting in its final fourth. Artists often have late-period turnarounds—Titian going quasi-impressionist, Goya lining the walls of his house with nightmare imagery, Matisse breaking free of canvas with his luminous paper cuts. Rockwell had his own, and it took the form of a sudden and public turn toward liberal progressivism. When at last he cut himself free of the declining Post, he had the chance to reinvent himself, though it was too late to shift gears stylistically. His well-known The Problem We All Live With, made in 1964 for the interior of Look—three years after the event it depicted—shows in sympathetic detail the entrance of a young, black schoolgirl into a desegregated school, escorted by National Guards, the brutal epithet “NIGGER” scrawled in the background, a blood-red splash of rotten tomato behind her, as if she is just one step ahead of the mob. In its own way, it is as homiletic as his earlier work, but of a different world (partly because, Rockwell remembered, the Post had editorially mandated that African Americans only be shown in service-industry roles); it reflects news from his titanic near-present, not a transmission from a quasi-mythic past. Rockwell hardly became a political crusader, but amid the sturm und drang of the ’60s he did at least speak up. In 1962, he became a public “sponsor” of the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, his name appearing alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. and Benjamin Spock on its masthead. He did a startling, cinematic piece about the murder of Civil Rights activists during the “Freedom Summer” for Look, and even was made a lifetime member of the NAACP. As Vietnam reached the heights of savagery, he repeatedly telegrammed Lyndon Johnson, whose portrait he had once done, pleading with him to end the war. “Times are changing now, and people are getting angry,” he wrote in 1965. “I’m beginning to get angry too.” No comparably passionate statement appears in the first part of the book, where Rockwell comes across as almost pathologically disengaged. Still, American Mirror doesn’t exactly explain the change, just document it; Rockwell remained an aloof figure, closed into his own quirky world, until the end. Why return to Normal Rockwell, now, in 2013? That is a difficult question. Solomon wants to reclaim him as a “postmodern” artist, but I don’t think that quite flies. We are separated from his imagery of quaint civic rituals, small-town contretemps, and easy patriotic faith by Vietnam and Watergate and Stonewall, by Afghanistan and Lehman Brothers and WikiLeaks. The rage for “Americana” that Rockwell fed in the ’20s was, Solomon reminds us, a novel phenomenon of the time, an appetite created by a modernizing America looking for a simple and stable past. Similarly, she says, “Rockwellian” as an adjective is an invention of the disillusioned 1970s. In art, we think of this as the period of post-minimalism and performance and the feminist breakthrough. But in politics, Nixon tried to name and speak for a “silent majority”—hostile to the counterculture, pro-business—and the coronation of Rockwell as an unsung American Master was a kind of cultural correlate; his art was populist and unchallenging and, after all, commercial. That touring museum retrospective that the Ramparts article lambasted was, Solomon recounts, the creation of Madison Avenue dealer Bernard Danenberg, who saw a market niche to exploit, and pitched the show to the Brooklyn Museum as a way of attracting large audiences. Rockwell himself declined to show up. The right-wing activists who dress in tricorne hats at Tea Party rallies are, perhaps, the contemporary audience for a “Rockwellian” myth of America, longing for a homogeneity that never existed. There’s a reason why, when looking to deify Sarah Palin, a conservative fan would figure her as Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter. Will such an audience want to wade through Solomon’s account of Rockwell’s life in its petty, oddball human actuality? Do they really want to hear about Rockwell’s disdain for his hypochondriac mother, about his trip to England to secure a safe abortion for his second wife in pre-Roe U.S., his dependence on pills to control his anxiety, his 1962 admission that, “I was born a white Protestant with some prejudices which I am continuously trying to eradicate”? Likely not, because to learn about the actual Rockwell is to undo the power of the “Rockwellian” spell. As for the rest of us, Solomon’s book gives us the set-up to a punch line we already knew. Rockwell’s art is most interesting when he is least Rockwellian. I can’t say that American Mirror convinces me that his classic images are secretly more complex than we thought. On the contrary: The story of his life makes clear all the complexity that for the most part his art lacks. — American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell by Deborah Solomon. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. See all the pieces in this month’s Slate Book Review. Sign up for the Slate Book Review monthly newsletter.College football starts next month. It's time to make our best guesses as to which teams finish where in every conference around the country. To that end, voters from SB Nation's college football network selected full standings for each 2013 league and division. We also included Football Outsiders' F/+ projections as a ballot, because we like math. (Learn more about F/+ here.) Full standings below for each conference, as well as our projected conference title game or, based on standings, the biggest games of the year for those leagues without title games. You will disagree with us loudly and frequently in the comments, and that is appreciated now more than ever. ACC Atlantic: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Clemson 1.41 7-1 2 Florida State 1.55 8-1* 3 N.C. State 3.67 4-4 4 Maryland 4.8 2-6 5 Syracuse 4.87 5-2 (Big East) 6 Boston College 5.5 1-7 7 Wake Forest 5.97 3-5 Coastal: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Miami 1.81 5-3 2 Virginia Tech 1.91 4-4 3 North Carolina 3.03 5-3 4 Georgia Tech 3.72 5-4** 5 Pittsburgh 5.26 3-4 (Big East) 6 Virginia 5.47 2-6 7 Duke 6.27 3-5 ACC Championship, Dec. 7: Clemson vs. Miami (Charlotte, NC) Last meeting Miami 30, Clemson 21 (2010) Series record Miami leads, 6-3 2013 F/+ ranking Clemson 20, Miami 25 ACC championships Clemson 14, Miami 0 Last ACC championship Clemson 2011 More: Projections for all 35 2013 bowl game matchups American Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Louisville 1.04 5-2 2 Cincinnati 2.57 5-2 3 Rutgers 3.65 5-2 4 UCF 4.83 7-2** (C-USA) 5 Houston 5.7 4-4 (C-USA) 6 USF 6 1-6 7 SMU 6.87 5-3 (C-USA) 8 UConn 7.17 2-5 9 Temple 7.52 2-5 10 Memphis 9.75 4-4 (C-USA) Biggest game: Louisville at Cincinnati, Dec. 5 Last meeting Louisville 34, Cincinnati 31 (OT, 2012) Series record Cincinnati leads, 22-21-1 2013 F/+ ranking Cincinnati 26, Louisville 31 Big East championships Cincinnati 4, Louisville 3 Last Big East championship Shared with Rutgers and Syracuse in 2012 Big 12 Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Oklahoma 2.15 8-1 2 Oklahoma State 2.63 5-4 3 Texas 2.85 5-4 4 TCU 3.4 4-5 5 Baylor 5.32 4-5 6 Kansas State 5.56 8-1 7 West Virginia 6.88 4-5 8 Texas Tech 7.04 4-5 9 Iowa State 8.64 3-6 10 Kansas 9.88 0-9 Biggest game: Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Dec. 7 Last meeting Oklahoma 51, Oklahoma State 48 (OT, 2012) Series record Oklahoma leads, 83-17-7 2013 F/+ ranking Oklahoma State 6, Oklahoma 7 Big 12 championships Oklahoma 8, Oklahoma State 1 Last Big 12 championship Oklahoma 2012 (shared with Kansas State), Oklahoma State 2011 More: Vegas lines on 248 2013 college football games Big Ten Leaders: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Ohio State 1 8-0 2 Wisconsin 2.22 5-4* 3 Penn State 2.97 6-2 4 Indiana 4.4 2-6 5 Illinois 4.88 0-8 6 Purdue 5.52 3-5 Legends: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Michigan 1.76 6-2 2 Nebraska 2.03 7-2** 3 Michigan State 3.03 3-5 4 Northwestern 3.33 5-3 5 Minnesota 5.39 2-6 6 Iowa 5.42 2-6 Big Ten Championship, Dec. 7: Michigan vs. Ohio State (Indianapolis, IN) Last meeting Ohio State 26, Michigan 21 (2012) Series record Michigan leads, 58-45-6*** 2013 F/+ ranking Ohio State 10, Michigan 28 Big Ten championships Michigan 42, Ohio State 35*** Last Big Ten championship Ohio State 2009***, Michigan 2004 (shared with Iowa) More: The most fun games of 2013 Conference USA East: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 East Carolina 1.76 7-1 2 Marshall 2.72 4-4 3 Middle Tennessee 3.67 6-2 (Sun Belt) 4 Southern Miss 3.83 0-8 5 UAB 5.33 2-6 6 FAU 5.38 2-6 (Sun Belt) 7 FIU 5.88 2-6 (Sun Belt) West: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Tulsa 1.59 8-1* 2 Louisiana Tech 2.11 4-2 (WAC) 3 Rice 3.76 4-4 4 UTEP 3.94 2-6 5 North Texas 4.7 3-5 (Sun Belt) 6 UTSA 5.82 3-3 (WAC) 7 Tulane 5.94 2-6 Conference USA Championship, Dec. 7: East Carolina at Tulsa Last meeting East Carolina 51, Tulsa 49 (2010) Series record Tied, 5-5 2013 F/+ ranking Tulsa 59, East Carolina 74 Conference USA championships Two each Last Conference USA championship Tulsa 2012, East Carolina 2009 MAC East: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Ohio 1.85 4-5 2 Bowling Green 2.6 6-2 3 Kent State 3 8-1** 4 Miami 4.05 3-5 5 Buffalo 4.2 3-5 6 Akron 5.3 0-8 7 UMass 7 1-7 West: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Northern Illinois 1.25 9-0* 2 Toledo 2.15 6-2 3 Ball State 3.75 6-2 4 Central Michigan 3.95 4-4 5 Western Michigan 4.15 2-6 6 Eastern Michigan 5.75 1-7 MAC Championship, Dec. 6: Northern Illinois vs. Ohio (Detroit, MI) Last meeting Northern Illinois 23, Ohio 20 (2011 MAC Championship) Series record Northern Illinois 10, Ohio 9 2013 F/+ ranking Northern Illinois 39, Ohio 76 MAC championships Ohio 4, Northern Illinois 3 Last MAC championship Northern Illinois 2012, Ohio 1968 More: National college football recruiting coverage Mountain West Mountain: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Boise State 1 7-1 2 Utah State 2.5 6-0 (WAC) 3 Air Force 2.95 5-3 4 Colorado State 4.55 3-5 5 Wyoming 4.6 3-5 6 New Mexico 5.4 1-7 West: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 San Diego State 2.05 7-1 2 Fresno State 2.1 7-1 3 San Jose State 3.05 5-1 (WAC) 4 Nevada 3.26 4-4 5 Hawaii 5 1-7 6 UNLV 5.55 2-6 Mountain West Championship, Dec. 7: San Diego State at Boise State Last meeting San Diego State 21, Boise State 19 (2012) Series record Tied, 1-1 2013 F/+ ranking Boise State 12, San Diego State 60 Mountain West championships One each (shared in 2012 with Fresno State) More: Odds against SEC making it eight championships in a row Pac-12 North: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Oregon 1.19 8-1 2 Stanford 1.89 9-1* 3 Oregon State 3.62 6-3 4 Washington 3.8 5-4 5 Cal 4.88 2-7 6 Washington State 5.56 1-8 South: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 UCLA 1.85 6-4** 2 USC 2.31 5-4 3 Arizona State 2.96 5-4 4 Arizona 3.08 4-5 5 Utah 4.76 3-6 6 Colorado 5.92 1-8 Pac-12 Championship, Dec. 7: UCLA at Oregon Last meeting Oregon 49, UCLA 31 (2011 Pac-12 Championship) Series record UCLA leads, 39-26 2013 F/+ ranking Oregon 2, UCLA 45 Pac-12 championships UCLA 17, Oregon 10 Last Pac-12 championship Oregon 2011, UCLA 1998 SEC East: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Georgia 1.62 7-2** 2 South Carolina 2.12 6-2 3 Florida 2.35 7-1 4 Vanderbilt 4.62 5-3 5 Tennessee 4.81 1-7 6 Missouri 5.88 2-6 7 Kentucky 6.42 0-8 West: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Alabama 1.25 8-1* 2 Texas A&M 2.27 6-2 3 LSU 2.54 6-2 4 Ole Miss 4.62 3-5 5 Arkansas 5.38 2-6 6 Mississippi State 5.88 4-4 7 Auburn 5.96 0-8 SEC Championship, Dec. 7: Alabama vs. Georgia (Atlanta, GA) Last meeting Alabama 32, Georgia 28 (2012 SEC Championship) Series record Alabama leads, 37-24-3 2013 F/+ ranking Alabama 1, Georgia 9 SEC championships Alabama 23, Georgia 12 Last SEC championship Alabama 2012, Georgia 2005 Sun Belt Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Louisiana-Lafayette 2.4 6-2 2 ULM 2.56 6-2 3 Arkansas State 2.8 7-1 4 Western Kentucky 3.19 4-4 5 Troy 4.38 3-5 6 Texas State 5.94 2-4 (WAC) 7 South Alabama 7 1-7 8 Georgia State 7.32 1-7 (FCS) Biggest game: ULM at Louisiana-Lafayette, Nov. 30 Last meeting Louisiana-Lafayette 40, ULM 24 (2012) Series record Louisiana-Lafayette leads, 15-13 2013 F/+ ranking ULM 78, Louisiana-Lafayette 85 Sun Belt championships One each (shared with Arkansas State in 2005) * Added a conference win in conference championship game. ** Added a conference loss in conference championship game. *** We don't really care about NCAA-vacated wins. Photo credits: Mike Ehrmann, Getty; Andy Lyons, Getty; Brett Deering, Getty; Andrew Weber, US Presswire; Spruce Derden, USA Today; Mark A. Cunningham, Getty; Otto Kitsinger III, Getty; Steve Dykes, Getty; Paul Abell, USA Today; Buffy Massey, University of Louisiana at Lafayette More from SB Nation: Follow @SBNationCFB Follow @SBNRecruiting • The NFL considers a stupid NCAA idea (but we repeat ourselves) • Tons of top recruit interviews from SB Nation at The Opening • Bill Connelly’s Pac-12 team preview series is underway • Preseason All-America team led by Jadeveon Clowney, Johnny Manziel • National recruiting coverage • Today’s college football news headlinesThe nation’s two largest wireless carriers weren’t very active during the FCC’s incentive auction of 600 MHz airwaves—Verizon, in fact, spent nothing. But many smaller operators and would-be service providers moved aggressively to add to their spectrum portfolios. As new maps from Mosaik illustrate, nobody was more aggressive than T-Mobile. T-Mobile “T-Mobile is perhaps the biggest winner here,” Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson wrote this week in a research note to investors. “And theirs is the simplest story: They needed low-band spectrum and they got it. And they got it at a very good price.” Mobile World Congress 2019 Attend the 2-Day Executive 5G Panel Series FierceWireless is returning to Barcelona, Spain, during Mobile World Congress 2019 with a two-day Executive 5G Panel Series at the Fira Congress Hotel, conveniently located across the street from the MWC Convention Center. The panel events will take place on Feb. 25-26 and will cover 5G and The Fixed Wireless Access Opportunity, Taking 5G Indoors, and Making 5G Ubiquitous. Attendees will have the opportunity to network and hear from 5G leaders including Verizon, Vodafone, Orange, Sprint, NTT Docomo, Boingo Wireless, Qualcomm, and more over the course of two days. Secure your spot at the event today! Now is your chance to join fellow industry professionals for networking and education. Registration information and the schedule can be found on the website here. Register today RELATED: Bidders in the FCC's forward auction spent vastly different amounts per license The No. 3 U.S. operator is “uniquely well-positioned” to grow its customer base by expanding its network coverage area and retail footprint, MoffettNathanson wrote, and its $8 billion spectrum buy will help pave the way. T-Mobile has said repeatedly it hopes to deploy services on some of its new airwaves as soon as this year, although much of the 600 MHz spectrum bought at auction won’t be made available for wireless for at least a few years. Perhaps even more importantly, the new spectrum licenses will add negotiating leverage for T-Mobile to execute a merger or acquisition. Analysts generally expect to see a flurry of such discussions once the so-called anti-collusion period ends in about a week, and many believe President Trump’s administration will be far more likely to greenlight major deals than President Obama’s was. T-Mobile has gained remarkable traction in the wireless market in the past three years largely by improving the quality of its network in urban areas. During the auction, though, it primarily focused on suburban and rural areas in states such as Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho. The operator could be ripe for a merger with Sprint or could provide a path for another company looking to jump into the mobile game. “(T-Mobile) can make a stronger case than ever that Sprint needs T-Mobile a lot more than T-Mobile needs Sprint,” Moffett wrote. “If there is a negative here, it is that Comcast’s more muted participation in the auction may actually make it harder to get a Sprint/T-Mobile merger through the Department of Justice. The best hope for merger approval has always been the argument that Comcast is a credible (facilities-based) competitor. That will be harder to argue now.” Dish Network Dish Network already had a pile of mid-band spectrum that it has yet to use, and recently the company outlined plans to build an NB-IoT network to provide connectivity to a wide range of devices other than traditional tablets and smartphones. Some analysts remain skeptical, though, believing that Dish plans to either sell or lease its spectrum, or partner with an existing service provider to join the wireless market. Dish committed to spend $6.2 billion to buy 486 licenses, far exceeding the expectations of most analysts. While Deutsche Bank said the move could enable Dish to position itself as “a one-stop shop” for spectrum for any company hoping to jump into the mobile industry, MoffettNathanson said the hefty investment makes sense only if Dish truly does move ahead and build its own network. “Leave aside the price signal here—the average price per MHz-POP in the just-ended auction was just 93 cents on a gross basis and 91 cents on a net basis, far below the average price currently being assigned to Dish’s spectrum holdings as implied by its current stock price. It is the strategic signal that really matters. Dish’s decision to load up on low frequency (coverage) spectrum makes no sense if they are planning to sell the rest of their spectrum … but it makes all the sense in the world if they are planning to build a network.” Comcast While Dish was unexpectedly aggressive at auction, Comcast was surprisingly conservative. The cable operator agreed to spend $1.7 billion, buying 10 MHz of spectrum covering about 145M POPs in its own footprint within New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Comcast recently outlined plans to deploy its own wireless service using a combination of its own Wi-Fi hotspots and an MVNO deal to use Verizon’s network. Moffett had expected Comcast to spend as much as $6 billion acquiring spectrum, laying the groundwork for a bold move into wireless. But its modest buy may signal Comcast is considering other ways of moving into mobile. “Comcast bought spectrum covering just 145 million POPs—all for in-region PEAs (partial economic areas)—and passed on the five PEAs in the top 20 that are outside of its footprint … If they were planning on a deal down the road, Comcast arguably wasted a couple billion dollars. Still, it is hard to reconcile Comcast’s half-hearted participation with a serious expectation of going it alone.” AT&T AT&T’s modest and highly targeted bids were no surprise given recent developments. The carrier will spend less than $1 billion to pick up spectrum in 18 PEAs, grabbing 30 MHz in Dallas and lesser amounts in smaller cities. AT&T has moved aggressively to shore up its spectrum assets in recent months, and will get access to additional low-band spectrum after winning the right to build the first U.S. network dedicated to first responders. Similarly, Verizon added a significant chunk of millimeter-wave spectrum last year through a transaction with XO Communications. “They already have a spectrum-rich portfolio, with AWS-3 and WCS bands that are still largely unused,” Moffett wrote of AT&T. “Their FirstNet 700 MHz award will augment their already robust coverage layer, while their recent acquisition of Straight Path’s millimeter wave spectrum—ignoring for a moment the risk that Verizon buys it away from them, as suggested by press reports on Thursday—positions the company well for 5G.”President Trump, a fan of Diet Coke, will soon have four new flavors to choose from. On Wednesday, Coca-Cola KO, -0.56% said it will introduce four new flavors of Diet Coke: Ginger Lime, Fiesty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange and Twisted Mango. And they will come in tall cans the company describes as “sleek,” designed to remind consumers of a slim body. “We’re maintaining the essence of Diet Coke while modernizing the brand to invite a new generation of drinkers to try it,” the company said. The company reportedly spent two years on plans to revamp the brand, testing more than 30 flavors before settling on the final four. There’s a lot at stake. Diet soda sales have tumbled in recent years as consumers switched to bottled water. Bottled-water consumption in the U.S. hit 39.3 gallons per capita, according to data released this year, while carbonated soft drinks fell to 38.5 gallons, marking the first time that soda was knocked off the top spot, according to recent data from industry tracker Beverage Marketing Corp. (Soda, however, remains more expensive.) Reaction online was mixed: "Feisty Cherry" is one of the worst flavor names ever. https://t.co/CIR0d8KKae — Allison Carter (@AllisonLCarter) January 10, 2018 I haven't had a Coke in probably 5 years, yet this rebrand is appealing. Nice work @CocaCola https://t.co/8169gcR7Q5 — Mallory Baker (@_mallorybaker) January 10, 2018 Diet Coke remains an iconic brand. A New York Times story on life inside the White House published last month said President Trump consumes a “dozen Diet Cokes” every day. Trump’s thirst for the diet drink doesn’t follow national trends. Trump once observed that he’s “never seen a thin person drinking Diet Coke.” A spokeswoman for Trump did not respond to request for comment, but a spate of recent research suggests the Commander-In-Chief may be onto something. A plethora of studies raise questions about the safety of artificially sweetened sodas: Does diet soda help you lose weight or confuse your body? Researchers are divided over whether diet soda actually helps people lose weight, according to a 2017 review of trials and studies involving more than 400,000 participants and published in the peer-reviewed Canadian Medical Association Journal. Diet soda may condition the body to expect calories, according to Susan Swithers, a professor of psychological sciences and a behavioral neuroscientist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. When people drink diet soda, the body speeds up its metabolism and releases hormones to anticipate sugar and calories, she said. However, the Calorie Control Council, a trade group for manufacturers of artificial sweeteners including sucralose and aspartame, said the latest study linking weight gain and heart disease with low calorie sweeteners paints with too broad a brush. “Obesity is a complex condition with numerous causes and associations,” a statement at the time read. Robert Rankin, president of the Calorie Control Council, said, “Individualized strategies are critical for successful body weight management and should address not only dietary preferences.” What diseases have studies linked to artificial sweeteners? Artificially sweetened beverages may be linked to an increased risk of stroke and dementia, according to a recent study by the American Heart Association’s peer-reviewed journal Stroke. The researchers looked at 2,888 people over the age of 45 (with a median age of 62) for stroke risks and 1,484 people over the age of 60 (with a median age of 69) for risk of dementia. After adjustments were made for age, sex, caloric intake, diet, exercise and smoking, they found that diet soda drinks “were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, all-cause dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease dementia.” (The study cites correlation rather than causation.) Another 2015 study found that older women who consume two or more diet sodas per day are 30% more likely to suffer a cardiovascular event and 50% more likely to die from related disease than women who rarely consume the drinks. Ankur V
and space combat games. A genre that for years had been under-served, once gamers got older and decided they didn’t want to read game manuals any more, let alone spend more than 10 mins learning how to actually play a game. So for me, this vast amount of wealth (currently to the tune of $156M, not to mention loans and unknown investments) that’s not only been squandered but STOLEN from this genre and gamers who buy the games we make in the genre, is a very personal fight for me. In July 2015, before I wrote that In July 2015, before I wrote that first blog, I had written a similar Facebook post for the benefit of my many industry friends and colleagues, alerting them to what I believed was going to happen, most of which has turned out to be true. I always said that, regardless of the consequences (if you are aware of the I always said that, regardless of the consequences (if you are aware of the many attempts to vilify, harass, and attack me for writing my articles, then you are all to familiar with that I am talking about) and/or expenses, that I was going to keep writing and exposing what’s going on, in a bid to not only hold Chris accountable, but also to ensure that he didn’t get away with what he has done. With that, believe me when I tell you this, with what I know, and what I have and believe to be true, I am going to do everything in my power to not only hold Chris Roberts accountable, but to also put him behind bars if it comes to that. That is all. .The political crisis that has been shaking Venezuela for months is at the heart of a war of information and propaganda, which is even inviting itself, albeit for other purposes, into the French political debate. Beyond binary discourses, we wanted to take the risk of complexity with Fabrice Andreani, doctoral student in Lyon-II University, who is working on the Bolivarian revolution. [ CQFD ] CQFD: In January 2016, in CQFD, you analysed with Marc Saint-Upéry the crises of post-Chávez Venezuela. How have things evolved? Fabrice Andreani: The victory of the anti-Chavist opposition coalition Table of Democratic Unity (MUD) in the December 2015 legislative elections meant the loss by the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies of 2 million votes, mainly because of the abstention in the barrios, the popular neighbourhoods, demobilized since the death of Chávez in 2013. This was against a background of shortages of regulated or subsidized goods and recourse to the black market, with astronomic rates of inflation. But also brutalization and an unprecedented extension of state violence. After declining between 1999 and 2008, it began with judicial, police and militia harassment of PSUV dissidents (trade unionists, peasants, indigenous people), before spreading to the students and the parliamentarians of the MUD who were demanding the departure of Maduro between February and May 2014. It took on a much more lethal character in 2015, through a campaign, as illusory as it was spectacular, against ordinary popular kinds of illegal activities — especially small- and medium-scale smuggling –- resulting in thousands of evictions from public housing and dozens of summary executions. I was in Venezuela in the spring of 2016 when people started talking about a humanitarian crisis. Apart from local fruit and vegetables and bread here and there, the purchase of any basic product — flour, oil, milk, margarine, soap, nappies, sanitary pads, paracetemol, condoms — implied waiting in endless queues or paying a high price to the local trader. Emigration spread to all social classes. Riots and looting, which had almost disappeared under Chávez, became commonplace, as well as the lynching of thieves, real or targeted as such. All of this in a context where the rate of homicide is fifty times higher than in Europe and 95 per cent of crimes and misdemeanours are unresolved. Meanwhile, the MUD was deprived of a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, which augured for a quasi-cohabitation. The Supreme Court of Justice, whose mandate was renewed before the legal date by the outgoing PSUV majority, effectively invalidated the election of indigenous deputies on suspicions of fraud (so far unproven), then annulled all the laws that had been adopted, including entry into the country of humanitarian aid, denounced as an “imperialist Trojan horse”… Maduro then took on emergency powers and declared a state of economic emergency. On the one hand, he set up a network of committees of PSUV militants who directly sell the food sent by the army. On the other hand, he launched the Orinoco Mining Arc, whereby 12 per cent of the country’s territory is to be exploited via opencast mining, in order to extract minerals (gold, silver, diamond, bauxite, coltan, cobalt…), by a military enterprise linked to the entourage of Maduro and by Chinese, Russian and North American multinationals — in defiance of the vital rights of indigenous peoples. Following these various irregularities, the MUD launched a procedure to revoke Maduro by referendum — also demanded by many Chavists. But the National Electoral Council (CNE) changed the rules several times along the way. Finally it cancelled it in extremis, after having suspended the regional elections, but also the trade union elections, where the PSUV no longer controls the two major industries, oil and steel. So by autumn 2016, the demonstrations called by the MUD and the student organizations coexisted intermittently with popular protests. So that between two steps of salsa and jokes about his “diet” on TV, Maduro was forced to cut short at the last minute disastrous inaugurations of infrastructures in barrios –- which was followed by arrests and convictions. Since the end of March, when the Supreme Court decided to take the place of Parliament and Luisa Ortega, the Attorney General –- a Chavist –- denounced a break in the constitutional order, the streets have not been empty. Especially since on May 1st, after some thirty deaths, hundreds of arrests and a series of penalties of ineligibility against MUD parliamentarians, Maduro pulled out of his hat the idea of an all-powerful Constituent Assembly. Unlike Chávez in 1999, he refused to submit to a referendum on the system of election, which was tailor-made for the PSUV [1]. The opposition boycotted the election of this Constituent Assembly which took place in August under conditions that were more than dubious. The dissenting prosecutor Luisa Ortega has since fled the country, denouncing the corruption of Maduro and others. What political forces does the government actually have at its disposal? Is there any opposition other than the liberal right? The first victory of the Constituent Assembly was to dismiss the “traitor” Luisa Ortega, who had been at the head of her ministry since 2007. Too well known to be found at home with a bullet in her head, she was given a warning by the abduction of her daughter and granddaughter in February when she was in Brazil. In dissenting, she is well placed to know what risks she runs if there is no movement on the side of the PSUV: at best, she will finish in a minor position on the left flank of the MUD; at worst, she will rot in a military prison alongside people whom she did not much care about in previous years [2]. Or else she can take flight, at the risk of being forced, due to insufficient protection, to give names to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), present in many countries of South America, in exchange for political asylum. However, she explained that she could not demand that the protestors respect the law in the face of a government proclaiming “Whoever is not with us is a terrorist” (as Maduro put it), and while exactions have become the norm [3]. Before embarking with her files in a “go-fast” (a flight) to Colombia and then Brazil, along with her husband and colleagues who were equally threatened, Ortega said that of the more than a hundred violent deaths since April, about 25 per cent were due to the police and the army, and 40 per cent to pro-government paramilitaries. To this must be added the more confused causes of the deaths of rioters and onlookers, as well as the assassination of Chavist militants and representatives, as well as police and military personnel [4]. Today, “Madurism” is fundamentally based on the politico-military chieftainships of public administrations and enterprises, and on networks of currency, contraband and drug trafficking. To this must be added the support of a clientele of 10 to 15 per cent of the electorate, of which a minority deals the crumbs (from the oil rent) to the rest, provided that they stay in line. The monocolour Constituent Assembly probably mobilized not more than half of the 8 million voters announced — against a backdrop of widespread blackmail in relation to public employment and food aid. In the face of Ortega’s “betrayal” and the hundreds of cases of military insubordination, part of the PSUV and its allies doubtless hoped for a signal from the higher ranks of the army, and vice versa. But notwithstanding the dissent of three PSUV deputies, the appeal to rebellion of a helicopter pilot over Caracas in July, or the civilian-military attack on a barracks in the popular town of Valencia in August 2007, the status quo prevailed. Whether it is the Platform in Defence of the Constitution, launched in mid-2016 by ex-ministers, intellectuals and high-ranking officials, or Marea Socialista (see the platform published on July 29th, 2017) a dissident political grouping of the PSUV, no anti-Madurist Chavist group can claim to have a significant popular base. The Socialism and Freedom Party, autonomous from the PSUV since 2008 and anchored in the trade-union movement, created along with Marea Socialista and collectives of barrios a Platform of the People in Struggle and Critical Chavism. But it still has to fight against the widespread idea on the left that occupying the street is playing the game of the right. On this point the anarchists close to the monthly El Libertario are in agreement. Roughly speaking, the MUD opposition coalition gravitates to the centre-right — its parties range from the far left post-Maoists to the liberal-conservative right, through various forms of social democracy. But these labels generally remain in the background during mobilizations that bring together up to a few hundred thousand people. And it can be over a million, in a country of 31 million inhabitants, when students, private sector employees, health workers and teachers are involved. As is the case with any state or “body of armed men” (as Engels put it), who trick and mistreat in a “socialist” Newspeak, the “anti-communist” — and here, anti-Cuban –- discourse is certainly present in the street, in particular among the students. But this is more in the name of a primordially political liberalism than an economic ultraliberalism that has never really caught on in this oil country [5]. There is also racism –- based more on class than on race — in the wealthy fringes of the MUD, but it is too minor to explain alone the weak mobilization of the anti-Madurist Chavist base. In reality, the culture of street protest, still strong in the barrios, is contained in it by the “social informants” of the PSUV and the paramilitaries. On the other hand, this same culture is totally foreign to the middle-class youth who supported the revolution. In short, behind the comfortable criticism of the leading contingents in the demonstrations, described as violent and right-wing — while being eminently plural — the fear of repression remains a great factor of deterrence. Some observers argue that the situation, comparable to that in Chile in 1973, results from an “imperialist economic war”. What do you think? The April 2002 coup, followed by the oil and commercial lock-out the following winter, both backed by the private media and the United States, but defeated by a massive popular and military counter-offensive, forms the original matrix of the Chilean analogy. Chávez wanted to stop the rampant privatization of the PDVSA oil company and launch an agrarian reform. The managers of PDVSA and the big bosses then bet, mistakenly, on his fall. Hence the decision to reinstate exchange controls to prevent capital flight. But this, together with the complicity of the Chavist high officials, generated a hyper-profitable business, through the falsification of imports and the resale on the black market of petrodollars assigned by the state to pay for them. For the greater benefit of the bosses tied up with to the government, especially those in charge of public enterprises and subcontractors. The private sector, forced to be more scrupulous under the threat of nationalization, got into this business later on. Of the trifle of one trillion petrodollars accumulated over the period 2003-2013, nearly a quarter evaporated, even before it was counted by the state, and another quarter was lost in the operations of an allocation of foreign exchange to importers who speculate, in various ways, with the foreign exchange earned. Besides, while the oil sector and nationalized enterprises (steel, cement, electricity, etc.) were slowing down –- because of lack of maintenance, corruption scandals and repeated strikes — the rentier euphoria was such that the state has continued to get into debt to finance a number of major projects: from TeleSur satellites to the hundreds of thousands of homes provided in the last campaign of Chávez (2012), and a number of infrastructures that have never been created (metro and train lines, bridges, etc.). The PDVSA even incurred debts in kind China –- something which was only viable if the price of oil remained high. Unfortunately, crude oil prices collapsed in 2014, making the gap between the official and unofficial exchange rates of the dollar literally explode — a gap that already provided profit margins of at least 100 per cent to “agents of economic war”. Although the fall in crude oil prices is partly a result of the growth of shale oil production in the United States, it is not the result of any concerted plan… No more than is the flight of capital, the shortages and the hyper–inflation, not to mention the disappearance of millions of 100-bolivar bills – worth almost nothing and used to make fake dollars (using “cleaned” paper). As the Marxist economist Manuel Sutherland, who was sacked last year by the Bolivarian University, clearly explains, the Bolivarian Revolution succeeded in making currency trading “the most profitable business in the history of capitalism”, and all the rest flows from that. It is a curious war, he adds, where Maduro and his consorts are constantly rearming their enemies whom they have denounced for so many years. The fact is that they prefer to pay, cash down, an “odious” debt, including to Wall Street, rather than restructure it – probably less through divergences with the IMF than to avoid any audit that would reveal the identity of the operators of this veritable robbery of the century. However, it would have been enough to save less than a tenth of the loot stashed away since 2003 to pay for more than three years of imports at the staggering levels of 2012. Moreover, the fact that small Madurist groups advocate an agrarian neo-Stakhanovism in isolated communes has very little influence over the activity of the rest of the population, 90 per cent urban, half of them self-employed in the informal market sector. Trump recently spoke of “a possible military option if necessary”. Is it credible? Neither the State Department nor the Pentagon nor the CIA take seriously any statement from Trump on international issues. All the regional leaders, allied or not, condemned these remarks. As did the White House National Security Advisor, and then the Vice-President. What is worrying, especially in Bogotá and Brasilia, is the possibility of a civil war, with a population exodus even more spectacular than the current one. A scenario all the more sombre in that it would correspond to a form of “Lebanonization” (as in Lebanon, with confrontations based on regions) of the conflict, which would be more multi-gang than binary. The extreme right-wing (narco-) paramilitaries demobilized in Colombia and present in the Andes, as well as the pseudo-left guerrillas of Llanos (South), would have as much chance of joining with representatives of the MUD as with the PSUV, for pragmatic commercial reasons. This interview was first published on the CQFD site, and subsequently on the site A l’encontre. Note by A l’encontre According to the AFP of September 16th, 2017: “Under the auspices of the Dominican government and the United Nations, the government and the opposition agreed on Thursday in Santo Domingo to the creation of a group of friendly countries to lead future negotiations. They will meet again on September 27th. The Venezuelan opposition added to these talks the respect of certain conditions, among which were an”electoral calendar“including the presidential election at the end of 2018, the release of 590”political prisoners“, the”respect“of the Parliament whose powers were confiscated by the Constituent Assembly and the lifting of sanctions that prevent some oppositionists from standing in elections.” Moreover, to give the appearance of independence against the dollar, Maduro asserted, two days ago, that sales of oil would be denominated in Chinese renminbi; which is, in fact, a demand of Beijing. According to the AFP of September 14th, 2017: “Confronted with an unprecedented food and economic crisis, Venezuela seems determined to remedy its shortages. The government, led by President Maduro, announced on Wednesday that a new urban agriculture plan will be put in place by October 4th. This includes the ”rabbit plan“ whose aim is to develop the breeding of the rodent and encourage the inhabitants to eat it.” There is a cultural problem because we were taught that rabbits were cute animals, Agriculture Minister Freddy Bernal said on a television show this week. “A rabbit is not a pet. It is two and a half kilograms of high-protein, cholesterol-free meat.”PARIS — The French government on June 10 confirmed that the Arianespace launch-service consortium ultimately would be controlled by Airbus Safran Launchers following the sale of the French government’s share in Arianespace. In a statement following a meeting of the French ministers for research, defense and industry – the first two having direct control of the French space agency, CNES – the office of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said negotiations on the conditions of the equity transfer “will continue on this basis [that Airbus Safran Launches will end up with the shares] while respecting the usual procedures.” The “usual procedures” include an evaluation by a French government organization overseeing French government stakes in private companies of how to value Evry, France-based Arianespace. “These discussions will be conducted in close collaboration with our European partners and with other French and European space industry actors, with the goal of writing a new page in the history of Europe’s space sector,” the statement said. Airbus Safran Launchers, created earlier this year, is Arianespace’s largest shareholder, with a 39-percent stake in the company. CNES has a nearly 35-percent stake. Airbus Safran Launchers and Airbus officials have said in recent weeks that they have no intention of shutting down Arianespace. They have further said that the company would remain as it is, for the moment, at its Evry offices, and would continue to act as the sales agent for Europe’s launch vehicles. Still unclear is whether the French government will play hardball in negotiations over the valuation to be assigned to Arianespace equity, or will seek to trade its stake in the company for some other advantage with respect to Airbus Safran Launchers. Some French industry officials have said that discussions over how to value the CNES Arianespace stake could include concessions by the French government on what it charges Arianespace for launch-related activity at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, Europe’s spaceport on the northeast coast of South America. Arianespace currently manages the commercialization and launch of three rockets from the South American spaceport: the heavy-lift Ariane 5, for which Airbus Safran Launchers is prime contractor; the medium-lift Europeanized Russian Soyuz; and the small-satellite Vega rocket, for which an Italian government-industry consortium is prime contractor. One Airbus official said recently that governments do not need to have equity in a given enterprise to control their movements, and that this is especially true in the case of a strategic sector such a space-launch capacity.Re: Emacs Lisp's future From: Richard Stallman Subject: Re: Emacs Lisp's future Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 14:01:00 -0400 [[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider ]]] [[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies, ]]] [[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]] My understanding is that Magnars lost control of contributors to s and dash some time ago. Getting people to sign papers will be hard. If some contributors don't sign papers, and their contributions are big enough to be legally significant, we may need in some cases to rewrite their contributions. We should get good packages into Emacs early, to prevent this sort of problem from developing. And we should warn the developers that if they don't do this, it will cause problems for our support for their packages. I recommend we set up a group of volunteers to look for new packages at an early (one developer or just a few) that seem promising, and talk with them about proceeding to get those packages into Emacs soon. We should reject the "ecosystem" viewpoint, making it clear that Emacs consists of what's in the Emacs and ELPA repositories; other people's Lisp programs are not Emacs. We should discourage package developers from depending on packages that are not in Emacs, warning them that this would cause trouble for us and we will be peeved at them. To some extent, we have exacerbated the problem by recommending the packages that are outside Emacs too eagerly. See "Where can I get Emacs Lisp packages that don't come with Emacs?" in the Emacs FAQ. -- Dr Richard Stallman President, Free Software Foundation 51 Franklin St Boston MA 02110 USA www.fsf.org www.gnu.org Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software. Use Ekiga or an ordinary phone call.More charges filed in Detroit in genital mutilation investigation Copyright by WCMH - All rights reserved Video DETROIT, MI (AP) - Federal prosecutors on Friday expanded their investigation of female genital mutilation in the Detroit area by filing charges against the owner of a clinic where the alleged practice was performed on two girls who belong to a Muslim sect. Dr. Fakhruddin Attar was aware that another doctor was performing the illegal procedure at his Livonia clinic after hours, and his wife, Farida, offered assistance, the government said in a criminal complaint. The charges against the Attars, including conspiracy, came a week after Dr. Jumana Nagarwala was arrested and accused of genital mutilation against two 7-year-old Minnesota girls in February. The Attars appeared briefly in federal court and were returned to jail to await another hearing Wednesday. A judge will decide at that time whether to keep them locked up without bond. "Dr. Attar is not aware that any crimes were committed at his clinic," defense attorney Mary Chartier said outside court. Farida Attar's attorney declined to comment. In a court filing, federal agents said they interviewed Dr. Attar and were told that Nagarwala treats girls who have problems with their genitals, including rashes, on Friday nights or Saturdays at no charge. Genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision or cutting, has been condemned by the United Nations and outlawed in the U.S. But the practice is common for girls in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The Attars and Nagarwala belong to a Muslim sect called Dawoodi Bohra, which is concentrated in India. Nagarwala was ordered to jail this week without bond while her case winds through court. Her attorney, Shannon Smith, said the doctor removed mucous from the Minnesota girls as part of a religious custom. Smith said it wasn't genital mutilation or even a medical procedure. Prosecutors disagree. Meanwhile, the Detroit-area congregation of Dawoodi Bohra released a statement Friday, saying members do not support any violation of U.S. law. A subsequent email said there would be no further comment. "It is unfortunate if anyone has not abided by the laws of the country.... We take our religion seriously but our culture is modern and forward-looking," the statement said. ___The new trailer for Todd “Hangover” Phillips new films has arrived, and I’m sorry to announce I’m still not on the band wagon. Stilling in a darkened room for over two hours watching a group of assholes through a party does not seem like my idea of fun. I am a uni student and this shit is targeted right at me, we are the party generation, everything about this is for the 19-year-old, the club music soundtrack, the kinetic camera work for a nonstop age and even the fucking midget all targeted at a collective ‘us’. The same ‘us’ that seems to be unable to watch an episode of a T.V. show without tweeting along, the ‘us’ that doesn’t know how to sit still for the duration of a film and the same ‘us’ that can’t watch a good film, just because its silent. There may be many of these ass holes out there, but I’m not one of them, and I hope I’m not alone. The idea of watching three unlikable twats have a massive party, destroying property and assaulting a man in a desperate bid to become ‘Heroes’ seems like a highly un-enjoyable experience. And it’s not like they are even loveable losers, these guys are not McLovin, they are rude and bad-mannered not only to each other but to members of the public. I need to enjoy spending time with the characters to enjoy a film, there are many lovable assholes as leads characters though out history, but they all seem to be played with just the right hit of knowing. Please Hollywood stop trying to make films ‘I will want to see’ and just make films you want to see, ultimately I will enjoy that more. Undoubtably some of you will want to see this film, if so I hope you do enjoy it and I would love to be surprised when it comes out later this year on March 2nd. AdvertisementsCLOSE Venables has a lot of respect for UNC. BART BOATWRIGHT/Staff Buy Photo Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson leads the nation with 20.5 tackles for loss this season. (Photo: BART BOATWRIGHT/Staff)Buy Photo CLEMSON – Somewhere, hidden in Shaq Lawson’s 6-foot-3, 270-pound frame, is John Stockton. “He thought he was going to the NBA,” Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said. “Then he learned he wasn’t a point guard.” But Lawson certainly has turned out to be a pretty good defensive end. Lawson leads the nation in tackles for loss with 20.5 this season, and is attempting to become the fourth player in Clemson history to lead the country in that statistical category. He took the lead with 1.5 tackles for loss in last week’s victory at South Carolina, prompted by a challenge issued by Swinney prior to the game. “I told him, ‘When the game’s over, you need to be leading the nation,’ ” Swinney said. “He loves stuff like that. He likes challenges. “Now he needs to be leading the nation after this game, too.” “This game” is Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game against North Carolina in Charlotte, and padding his numbers could prove a daunting task. North Carolina has allowed 51 tackles for loss, including only 12 sacks, this season, ranking among the national leaders in both regards. The quarterback for the Tar Heels, senior Marquise Williams, is savvy and elusive, and running back Elijah Hood seldom gets trapped behind the line of scrimmage. But Lawson is eager for his chance. NEWSLETTERS Get the Top 5 newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong The five biggest headlines in your inbox each morning Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-736-7136. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Top 5 Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters “We’ve been tested all year,” Lawson said. “We’re ready for the challenge.” Lawson has met every challenge this season. Moving seamlessly into the defensive end position vacated by All-American Vic Beasley, Lawson quickly established himself as yet another force to be reckoned with, continuing a tradition of standout defensive ends who have honed their games at Clemson. He’s logged at least one tackle for loss in 11 of 12 games for the top-ranked and unbeaten Tigers, but really impressed NFL scouts with his performance against No. 6 Notre Dame on Oct. 3. Lawson had nine tackles, including 3.5 stops for loss, while working against highly touted tackle Ronnie Stanley. In his latest assessment from NFLDraftScout.com, Lawson is considered a first-round draft pick, No. 21 overall and rated the third-best defensive end. Buy Photo Shaq Lawson (90) had a season-high 3.5 tackles for loss in Clemson's 24-22 victory against Notre Dame on Oct. 3. (Photo: BART BOATWRIGHT/Staff) He’s fourth on team with 73 tackles and leads Tigers in sacks with 8.5; he’s also second on the team with 12 quarterback pressures. “He’s a disruptive force,” Venables said. “We love him and are glad he’s on our team. The recognition he’s received is well deserved. “Shaq likes to play. He brings passion and good energy and good instincts.” Lawson is known for his fun-loving demeanor and exuberance, even in the midst of battle. “I’m very excited when I make a play,” said Lawson, a first-team All-ACC pick who was runner-up for ACC Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday. “I like to lead the team on and motivate them every time I’m out there on the field, bring excitement to the game.” Lawson has done that, time and again this season. Now the future is up to him; should he return for a senior season or make the jump to the pro ranks? “I’ve made up my mind,” Lawson said. But he isn’t willing to share his decision just yet. “I’ll wait, I’ll wait,” he said. Perhaps he’s still pondering a future as an NBA point guard. CLEMSON’S NATIONAL TACKLES-FOR-LOSS LEADERS 2015 Shaq Lawson DE 20.5 1999 Keith Adams LB 35.0 1991 Rob Bodine DT 27.0 1984 William Perry MG 27.0The dust appears to have settled with the Hawaiian port calendars. If you recall back in January, the Disney Wonder appeared on the Honolulu port calendar for September 7, 2015 for a few days until it was removed. Then, a bit later the schedule was updated with a placeholder ship under the Disney Wonder’s shipping agent’s name for the same date. Over the past few months, the calendars for Hilo, Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui have been updated. Guess what they all have in common? September 2015 calls for Inchcape Special and all include with the same placeholder ship. Hilo Honolulu Kauai Maui At first glance, the calendars appeared to conflict with each other; but if you take a closer look, it all comes into focus. The Maui schedule shows the ship arriving in the morning, spending the night and departing the following evening. This same pattern repeats just one day later following what on paper looks like three consecutive days in Honolulu. The key date here is September 17 in Honolulu. I cannot imagine a round trip sailing repeating overnights in Maui just one day apart from each other. This implies Honolulu could be used as the turnaround port on a 10-night one way sailing from Vancouver followed by a potential repeat sailing in reverse order based on the call dates from the calendars above. A quick search for 10-night sailings to Hawaii resulted in a couple aboard the Celebrity Solstice, as well as Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas both of which required 5 sea days. We know the Disney Wonder will be in Vancouver on September 7th as this marks the end of her final Alaskan cruise for 2015 which is currently bookable. Compiling the Hawaiian port calendar information as well as comparable sailings from Celebrity Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean, we get the following estimated sailing schedule for the Disney Wonder in September 2015. I’m speculating after September 21st, the 10-night itinerary could very will go back to San Diego, but I decided to use the itineraries from this year and it sort of fit nicely on the calendar below. If these scheduled calls do pan out, I would imagine Aulani will be an enticing pre or post stay option in Honolulu. By the way, did you know Aulani has a nearby port, Kalaeloa Barders Point Harbor? Can you imagine a Disney Cruise ship docked transferring guests between the ship and Aulani? Sure, that would be too cool – but in reality, Kalaeloa Barders Point Harbor is an industrial cargo port. As far as the schedule for the Disney Wonder beyond September, she appears in Grand Cayman port calendar in early November… Are you looking forward to booking a cruise to Hawaii? Do these potential one way sailings appeal to you with the idea of adding a stay at Aulani or elsewhere in Hawaii?The annual Wikimedia Foundation fundraiser brings in critical revenue so that Wikipedia and its sister projects can remain freely available to people around the world. Funds raised in this campaign by Wikimedia and its regional chapters will be used to maintain Wikimedia’s server infrastructure and improve software, expand global reach, and provide direct support to a global volunteer community. The Foundation’s total 2011-12 planned spending is $28.3 million USD. Let’s be clear about what Wikipedia is in relation to the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF). The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia and several free knowledge projects: Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Wikiquote, Wikibooks, Wikisource, Wikispecies, Wikinews, Wikiversity, Wikimedia Commons, and MediaWiki. There are many other wiki projects, but WMF operates those 10 and that’s it. So, when you donate to Wikipedia you are actually donating to the Wikimedia Foundation or its international partner organizations, the Wikimedia chapters. Wikipedia is by far Wikimedia’s largest project, but the other projects have the same mission: give free knowledge to the world through a global collaborate effort. So why should you donate? Here are a few reasons: Two words: Free knowledge. Three more words: For the world. Francis Bacon first coined the phrase, “Knowledge is power.” If everyone in the world no matter who or where they are has access to knowledge, imagine the great things that can happen to humanity on a global scale. WMF is working towards bringing knowledge to every corner of the earth. There are more and more Wikipedia articles popping up on Wikipedia pages around the world in over 250 languages. Did you know that in many different countries there are Wikimedia chapters supporting volunteers who work on Wikipedia in their language? Wikipedia is also working on a mobile project that is making Wikipedia easier to view on portable devices, sometimes without paying for bandwidth. Wikipedia is ad free. The Wikimedia Foundation does not accept government grants. Wikipedia does not contain an ad on any page of the entire website. What does that mean? Wikipedia can be neutral and has no obligation to be biased towards an advertiser or government. Just like you would not like to be inundated with advertising in a library or classroom, Wikipedia remains ad-free to keep its pages a sacred ground for learning and sharing. You use Wikipedia. Wikipedia did not get to be the 5th largest website in the world by not having visitors to the site. People are using Wikipedia. You are using Wikipedia. Why not donate to something you use? The Wikimedia Foundation understands not everyone has money to donate, but if you can afford to donate, your money goes to help keep Wikipedia growing into an increasingly vast source of information accessible to an increasingly larger number of people. Wikipedia is bringing up-to-the-minute knowledge to us in a way that we have never seen before. Before the internet as we know it, it was not possible to get up to the minute information about most things, especially in an encyclopedia. For example, when it was released that Pluto is actually a dwarf planet, Wikipedia was updated with the new information immediately and that information was available to anyone with access to a computer, for free. With Wikipedia, there is now a collaboration of people working together to create content that is updated with up-to-the-minute current information so you can get new information instantly. Wikipedia is a global collaboration. Wikipedia does not employ people to add or edit articles, the articles are created entirely by volunteers around the world. When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing that people from all over the world can work together to share knowledge. It is one of the easiest ways to volunteer for a huge global project, and anyone who has access to a computer can do it from the comfort of their own home. Are you curious about exactly where your donation money is going? You can see the public record of Wikimedia’s budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Remember: free knowledge for the world. Donate today. Stacey Merrick Social Media Coordinatornews Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare has issued a statement claiming that half a million homes and businesses have become the first “victims” of the Coalition’s revised NBN policy and that the new Coalition Government is not sticking to its promise of honouring existing NBN fibre contracts. Yesterday the National Broadband Network Company updated its projected rollout maps to provide residents and businesses around Australia with greater certainty in terms of when they can expect the NBN’s infrastructure to be deployed to their area. Previously, the maps had shown NBN Co’s three year rollout schedule. However, they had become substantially inaccurate due to the fact
but nothing worked. I’m sure I could have brought it to a data recovery specialist, but my money was extremely tight at the time, and it just wasn’t worth it. I asked some friends to send me a few of my favorite albums and then I stashed the drive inside a desk drawer, telling myself that I’d be able to fix it later. I never did get that hard drive fixed. I ended up slowing building back my music library from scratch. It took a lot of time, and a lot of work, and I vowed to never let something like that happen to me again. I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost all my photos or school documents. I started researched backup tools. As a Apple user, I immediately started looking into Time Machine, the backup tool built into OS X. But this relies on a physical hard drive — just like the one that crashed and destroyed all my music — so I wanted something more reliable. Then I discovered online backup. I had always been under the impression that these type of services were really expensive, especially if you’re backing up an entire computer, but I was pleasantly surprised at the cost. I initially signed up for Jungle Disk, but found it to be a bit too complex for me (Jungle Disk works with both Rackspace Cloud Files and Amazon S3, which was a little confusing for me to set up) and so I eventually settled on BackBlaze (affiliate link). I pay $5 per month (it’s cheaper when you buy an entire year at once, but I opt for monthly) for automatic continuous backup of my MacBook Air AS WELL AS all my external hard drives. It runs completely in the background, so I never have to think about it again. Not only have I stopped worrying about future disasters, it has also come in handy at a variety of different times. There has been numerous times when I’ve been at work and needed a file on my computer at home. I just log into the BackBlaze recovery platform and download the file. Just like a thought-collection system, having a backup program constantly running in the background is a great way to gain better peace of mind. Hard drives and computers will crash, that’s just how technology works these days, and it feels good to know that you won’t be totally screwed when that day finally comes. Always confirm plans I faced an unexpected, though not unsurprising, fact when I started using a calendar and getting serious about being social: not everyone was as organized as me. I’d make plans with someone only to have them cancel at the last minute or simply not show up. By then, it was too late to make new plans, so I’d just go home feeling slightly resentful. But then I picked up a new habit that brought plan cancellations down to nearly zero: I started sending an email or text the day before, or the morning of, our scheduled get together. My initial goal was to catch the cancelers early, so I’d have enough time to make new plans, but this practice had an unexpected outcome: it nearly completely eliminated cancellations. With a quick email, consisting of just one or two sentences, I was able to keep increase the the consistency of my friends’ follow-through. I was amazed, and made a promise to myself that I would always send a confirmation message before meeting up with anyone. Before trying the confirmation email method, I would send my friend’s calendar invites. This was especially convenient for me, since I relied heavily on my calendar and was creating a new event anyway. But sending a friend a calendar invite is only useful if they use a calendar as well. Not enough of my friends used a calendar, so this method proved ineffective. However, all my friends use email, so this became the best way to get their attention. There have been a few instances over the years where I’ve forgot to confirm plans, and I’ll invariably get a cancellation or a no-show. I can no longer blame the other person — I know exactly how to prevent last-minute changes. It’s just a reminder to keep with the new habit and always confirm with people. What are some shortcuts that have a big impact on your life? Let me know in the comments below.The Georgetown University Master's in Cybersecurity Risk Management prepares you to navigate today’s complex cyber threats. Take classes online, on campus, or through a combination of both -- so you don’t have to interrupt your career. Learn more. How Linux Works: What Every Superuser Should Know, 2nd Edition By Brian Ward No Starch Press November 21, 2014, 392 pp. US$39.95 Print Book and E-Book (No Starch Press) $26.37 Paperback (Amazon) $31.95 E-Book (No Starch Press) How Linux Works: What Every Superuser Should Know offers an unglamorous view of the Linux operating system. It takes readers behind the graphical user interface into the bowels of command line operations. This second edition of Brian Ward's classic Linux reference book is completely revised, and it offers something for every Linux user. Ward drills down to the technical specifics that developers need -- but he also peels back the onion layers gently enough for Linux tinkerers to know what happens when they do stuff with the operating system -- and why. Casual Linux users run a slight risk of getting lost in some of the verbiage. Readers need only basic computer-user knowledge, though, such as how to move around a GUI, and the differences between files, directories and folders. Two more reader prerequisites include an ability to check additional system documentation and a yearning to play around with a computer. No Fight Policy Ward wrote this second edition to feed his passion for helping Linux users learn why and how their computers work. He believes computer users should know how to use the operating system software as intended. How Linux Works helps to achieve that goal. It provides Linux users with an understanding of the fundamentals. "You should never have to fight with a computer!" is Ward's battle cry. How Linux Works is a nonthreatening way to take the frustration out of using a computer. Game Plan This book is not organized the way you might expect. It is not a Linux For Dummies type of read that takes a soft approach. Rather, it delves into detailed workings of the Linux architecture in three basic sections. Ward presents a solid technical view of the Linux OS in the initial chapters. This heavy dose of details goes a long way toward explaining the nuts and bolts that make Linux what it is. Ward begins with the big picture in Chapter 1. Then he meticulously takes readers behind the scenes. He disassembles that picture layer by layer to reveal its details. His philosophy is very clear. This is not a user's guide to navigate the desktop GUI. It is a treatise on all of the assembled components. He takes readers through basic commands and directory hierarchy, devices, and disks and filesystems in Chapters 2 through 4. Building Momentum That is a necessary foundation. Ward uses it to reveal to readers how the Linux kernel boots and how the user space starts in the next two chapters. The author's intent is not to explain how to install and use a Linux distribution. Instead, Ward delves into why Linux works as it does and how to handle its complexities. For example, Chapter 7 unwraps the mysteries of system configuration. The reader peers into logging, system time, batch jobs and users organizations. Chapter 8 gives readers a closer look at the processes of the OS and utilizing resources. Moving Beyond At this point, Ward has exposed the platform under the hood. This is a midpoint from which he embarks on understanding the network and its configuration. He follows those details with a hefty chapter on network applications and services. Chapter 11 shifts to the third part of the Linux picture. This is where Ward's approach turns more toward "how" than "what." For example, Ward presents an introduction to shell scripts. Then he follows up in Chapter 12 by showing users how to move files across the network. Changing View Ward provides a different perspective on the role user environments have in making the Linux operating system work in Chapter 13. He adds to this view in the next chapter by presenting a wrap-up of the Linux desktop. Much of this book does for Linux users what a mechanic's shop book does for automotive enthusiasts. Ward tells Linux users why Linux performs as it does. Readers then can feel empowered to use Linux more masterfully. The final three chapters push this point even further. The reader gets a close up look at development tools. Even better, the book ends with an introduction to compiling software from C Source Code and building upon the basics. About the Author Brian Ward has been working with Linux since 1993. He began by scraping together enough pennies for a secondhand 386 computer. Ward has a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Chicago. He now works in San Francisco as a consultant and instructor. In addition to How Linux Works, Ward has authored The Linux Kernel-HOWTO, The Book of VMware and The Linux Problem Solver. Bottom Line Readers with a more technical background will find the author's approach very effective. Those who do not can follow along and just skip over the stuffy parts. Either way, this book goes a long way toward furthering your understanding of how Linux works. If you are interested in Linux, How Linux Works: What Every Superuser Should Know is a must-read title. Jack M. Germain has been writing about computer technology since the early days of the Apple II and the PC. He still has his original IBM PC-Jr and a few other legacy DOS and Windows boxes. He left shareware programs behind for the open source world of the Linux desktop. He runs several versions of Windows and Linux OSes and often cannot decide whether to grab his tablet, netbook or Android smartphone instead of using his desktop or laptop gear. You can connect with him on Google+.Alfred Schaefer: I was born Jan 30 1955, and grew up in Canada, thinking that there could not possibly be anything in all the world that could ever threaten us. We were 5 children, my older brother who is a doctor but a complete zombie, my younger sister who pretends not to understand that this is important, then Monika, who understood immediately and you know her, and my youngest sister who died aged 26 in a mountaineering accident. Only recently did I figure out that the strife, that the “easy go lucky” hippy movement created for us in the family, came from the “demoralization” that was happening to our entire western society. We thought that this was all a natural development, never ever suspecting that the entire rock and roll and hippy scene in that era was manufactured by the same forces that are now trying to enslave us. This was all part of the subversion, driving a wedge between the disciplined and cultured older people, and ourselves. We thought they were just old fashioned, and we were so cool. But, the discipline from our parents did save us from completely failing, and we did have a lot of fun with them doing a lot of hiking and camping and stuff like that. After high school I tried university, but quit that after a couple of months. The next year I attended a technical college. I took a two year “Electronics Engineering Technology Course” in the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. After graduating from that, in Edmonton Alberta, in 1977, I went to work for IBM as a “repair man”, fixing photo copiers and typewriters and small computer systems. I did that for three years, with the intention of saving enough money to go on a big bicycle trip. I spent one year on a bicycle circling the USA, going down the west coast in the autumn of 1980, then across to Florida in the winter months, dipping into Mexico on the way across. Then, up the east coast and across to Edmonton. The following year I went to Europe, and spent the next 4 years riding and jobbing and helping some Germans that I met, take trucks and busses down from Germany through the Sahara, to Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, and Mali, to sell them. I did this 5 times with these people, until I realised that if I don’t settle down in a normal life soon, that it may never be possible and I may end up in sorry shape. So, in 1985, I applied to work as a technician for IBM in Munich. It was a supremely lucky break for me that this effort succeeded, and the two years that I intended to work in Munich turned into a “lifer”. I got a job that I did not even dare to apply for, namely working on the large systems as a technician. As the technology evolved and the technical skills were less and less in demand, I changed my line of work within the company, which also meant moving several times. I spent 3 years in Boulder Colorado on an assignment for the European countries in the IBM printing systems development lab. All of these experiences gave me the necessary base for doing what I am now doing for the “truth movement.” Then, this summer, a series of amazing coincidences once again set the stage. Monika and Tony Hall came for a visit, and that visit resulted in the “sorry mom” video, as well as the CODOH video and so much more. It was a life changing visit for all of us. I am not superstitious, but I do feel that this much good fortune obligates, otherwise, it is all wasted. My last video summarises my “truther” career, more or less, as I had taken a short scene from my very first video which was the “9/11 Gatekeepers and Controlled Opposition”. This video resulted from me becoming uncontrollably enraged after seeing the video posted by Kevin Barrett on Veterans Today where Noam Chomsky dismisses that student in Florida with his question on WTC7. Remember, Chomsky was like an ikon for us, a guru. When I saw that video, it blew out all my fuses. It was information that I gleaned from Kevin Barrett’s dialog with Chomsky that enabled me to get though to Chomsky. That idiot Chomsky replied to me, after I wrote him what I thought of his treasonous behaviour. He probably could not stand the fact that some little shit can be so outright brazen and challenge him on this, and he wrote back to me. This went back and forth several times. Jonas E. Alexis: You have argued that people can face numerous consequences if they “commit the crime of thinking” in Germany. Whatever happens to the German intellectual tradition? What would thinkers like Kant and Hegel say of Germany’s thought police today? Explain those issues for us. Alfred Schaefer: Our forefathers would turn over in their graves if they were to witness what we are living today, not only in Germany but throughout the European and “western” countries. The “re-education” that was imposed upon what was left of the German people after the genocidal wars against Europe, what we call “WWI and WWII”, continued the destruction of independent thinking. The suppression of independent thinking was already well advanced in those countries that were tricked into fighting these totally senseless wars which only the perpetrator of this conflict benefitted from. That winner was international Jewry. The entire official narrative of those wars, is nothing more than the interpretation that the perpetrators have presented us. They gloat about their ability to do this in the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”. See Protocol #7 under the subtitle “Universal War.” This power, their control over the media, gives these people the ability to channel and mould our thinking to serve their interests. Without the hatred incited against Germany well before the start of these genocidal wars, they never would have taken place. They resulted in the extermination of countless millions of the best people, the flower of the European people, a genetic degradation, as well as the wholesale destruction of irreplaceable historical culture. Dresden comes to mind here. This follows the instructions in the Protocols that calls for the total and utter destruction of those who do not subordinate themselves, including any memory of them. The destruction of cities like Dresden was intended to help erase the memory of the Germanic people as it was perhaps the most beautiful city in the world for its cultural heritage. It was overflowing with refugees fleeing the onslaught of the Jewish Bolsheviks from the east, when it was firebombed in a true holocaust. Dresden had no military value targets whatsoever. For a description of this barbarity, the book by Thomas Goodrich titled “Hellstorm”, is a sobering account. Producer Kyle Hunt has also made this into a film, which the Jews unsuccessfully tried to sensor from the German people. Our world today would be very different indeed had we not been tricked into these suicidal struggles, going back to even before the French Revolution in 1789. A good contemporary example of how the interpretation of events creates a narrative that has very little to do with reality, is the official version of 9/11, and how 19 Muslims with box cutters hijacked 4 airliners to pull that off. Since this event took place in our lifetime, it is easier to understand. It can be used as a blueprint to illustrate how these lies are implanted into our collective psyche, even though any human being with a functioning brain, knows that this official story is totally false. After that event took place, only the false narrative is ever repeated, over and over again. Any and all people who are dependent on the Jewish money system lose their ability to survive if they utter one word about what happened on 9/11 that deviates from the official lies. This process, imposed on a population over a span of several decades or generations, makes any other narrative appear wrong or even insane, simply because everyone is repeating the same lies. For the “party line” to succeed in becoming the “truth”, all dissenting “opinions” must be subdued. To accomplish this, both carrots and sticks are employed. Carrots may come in the form of promotions, payoffs, or being puffed up and glorified in the media. Sticks may come in the form simple censorship, deleting data from the internet, or hysterical attacks of denunciation or death. These include the ultimate: “holocaust denier”, “anti-Semite”, “conspiracy theorist” or any of the other meaningless control trigger words. These control trigger words activate a carefully engineered program that has been installed in our minds over a long period of time. The ability for an “enemy within the gates” to trigger programs residing within our minds, would vindicate Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), who singlehandedly set the stage for German philosophy in the nineteenth century, in his understanding of the human mind. Kant held that any object given to the human mind is subject to the means by which the mind receives it. All of our lives our minds have been subjected to a barrage of messages that have been “interpreted” for us, as “reality”. In other words, the mind receives certain messages over and over and over again, from all directions, imbedding the Jewish fantasies into our minds until we believe them to be reality. Whether it is “Anna Frank’s” phony dairies, or the fiction “Schindler’s List” turned into fact by presenting it as such, to the children in our schools. Just recently a friend of mine, a woman from Kenya, dropped by to discuss politics with me. Naomi worked as an Au Pair for the neighbours before studying in Munich. She watched my “Police Raid” video and was delighted that it really told the truth. Then she confessed that she was warned by her friends in Kenya about 8 years ago, before coming to Europe, to be on her guard so as not to get “brainwashed” when in Europe. Her friends expressed concern that she may also get “brainwashed” during her stay in Europe if she is not careful. She explained the extreme frustration that her German boyfriend and herself are experiencing now with fellow Germans who seem not to be able to understand that the imposed beliefs of the “Holocaust”, and many other beliefs are “brainwashing”. When a woman from Kenya laments about the “saturation brainwashing” throughout the “western” countries, this gives us an alarming indication about the condition of our “intellectual tradition”. In your question you mention Hegel. We often talk about the Hegelian dialectic, where two contradictory ideas or entities are mixed together resulting in something different from either of the two initial starting points. In today’s world of fear and lies, with the perpetrators protected behind a shield that the incessant application of trigger control words provides them, they are now setting up numerous Hegelian dialectic’s that will destroy us, and we are not able to recognise or resist this process because of the condition of our compartmentalised and fragmented minds. Any recognition of the Hegelian dialectics is instantly countered with the application of control trigger words. For example, if a European notices that most of the “refugees” are tough looking military aged fighting men, this observation is silenced with the simple term “Racist”, or “Neo-Nazi Racist”, and the military aged fighting men can go about destroying and raping without too much interference. Those foreigners who came here years ago understand the lethal situation that this represents. Another example that Naomi, the woman from Kenya, gave me makes this clear. A fellow Kenyan who has also been in Germany for many years told her the following story. He observed how two African “refugees” stole a telephone from an unsuspecting European. He confronted these two “refugee” men, and lectured them about how harmful this behaviour will be for them. They should give it back and claim that they saw it fall to the ground. So what did they do? Rather than take his advice, they beat him up for trying to discipline them. Obviously those people who understand what civilization is all about, and still have a functioning brain, are very alarmed about the Hegelian Dialectics they see being set up. Here are several of the Hegelian Dialectics: 1 – ) The “ruling elite” pretends that the lies are truth. Their decisions are based on pretending that the lies are truth. 1 + ) The awakening masses understand the facts and will not tolerate the lies or those who protect the lies. 2 – ) Third world “refugees” flooding into our European countries expecting to enjoy all the fruits of the civilisation we have built and inherited from our forefathers. 2 + ) European citizens who worked all their lives understand the injustice of having the invaders take it away from them. Their sense of justice has been utterly betrayed. The invaders are immune to prosecution while indigenous Europeans are held to account for the smallest of infractions. 3 – ) Jewish financial criminals stand well above the law for multi billion dollar theft and mass murder. 3 + ) Normal working people can no longer get by with regular work and pay. 4 – ) People speak one “language” in public or at work. (the lies, ignorance) 4 + ) People speak another “language” at home or with friends whom they trust. (the truth) 5 – ) Intellectually weak minded people unable to discern fact from fiction. Easily directed like controlled and programmed laboratory rats. Many feminized men and gender confused people in this category. 5 + ) The exploding numbers of people decontaminating themselves from the lies. Initial confusion turns to rage. 6 – ) Our money is a fiat money based on a foundation of lies and deceit. Promissory notes based on lies. 6 + ) All fiat money collapses eventually, there are no exceptions to this rule. Our survival depends on our ability to migrate from the present expired and toxic system to a new system for exchanging real value for real value. To prevent a catastrophic explosion destroying our civilisation we need to understand these processes and reverse them before they implode in a “Supernova”. In my video titled “Police Raid and my Confession by Alfred Schaefer” I tried to deconstruct the trigger control words, as this is an essential first step in regaining the ability to think independently. The trigger control words separate the compartments of the fragmented mind that no longer communicate with each other. The compartmentalisation of the mind produces results similar to a physical lobotomy. In my video I refer to this condition as “induced mental illness”, which can be treated by careful exposure to truth and reason. The purpose of these trigger control words is to prevent us from understanding and stopping the Hegelian Dialectics that will explode on us, unless they are reversed and dismantled. Kant and Hegel would be alarmed to see that the descendants of their beloved society have unlearned how to think at all. Jonas E. Alexis: You said that “The German ministry of forbidden thought” sent their agents to search your house and steal things you had in your computer. Describe this for us in detail. In the process, tell us whether they had any legal right to do so. In your opinion, was there any organization behind this? Alfred Schaefer: The actual trigger for the “Kriminal Polizei” to come to raid our house, was the video that I had uploaded on the 17th of June 2016 with the title “Sorry Mom, I was wrong about the Holocaust”. B’nai Brith sent out clear messages that “this guy needs to be taken down”. In the search warrant they stated that my offence was the “Sorry Mom, I was wrong about the Holocaust” video. What is astounding is that they did not seem to have a problem framing an apology to one’s own Mom, as “incitement to racial hatred”. This logic would certainly have had Hegel and Kant very alarmed about the state of mind of our people. It makes no sense. Actually, they then go on stating that the person in this video claims that there were no gas chambers and that the holocaust is the biggest lie in history. That is the simple truth. This is now common knowledge, so obviously we are now dealing with a religious tribunal determined to weed out all heretics. So again, philosophers of the past would be astounded at how far we have regressed to in the year 2016. The main purpose of this raid was to try to silence me. Ironically, this raid and its aftermath actually provided me with useful data for my latest video. As I stated in this video, “Police Raid and my Confession by Alfred Schaefer”, I think the physical loss of these devises was well worth the price for having an interesting story to tell. Their intention was obviously to make it more difficult for me to work, or to silence me, but it has had the opposite effect. You ask, if this was legal and what is the organisation behind it? Allow me to respond with a question of my own: Was 9/11 legal, and what is the organisation behind that? The answer is the same in both cases. The paragraph 130 in German “law” that forbids stating that the fake holocaust consists of lies, is a law that allows the totally arbitrary punishment of any and all dissent. If a law was enacted that forbade breathing, then those in power could use the “anti-breathing” law to arbitrarily silence or punish any dissent, no matter what it was. Everyone with a functioning brain and the courage to ask to most basic questions, knows that the Jewish holocaust is nothing more than a fraud on an unprecedented scale. But the law can now be arbitrarily applied to anyone that they want removed from the scene, which gives them truly god-like power over all of us. For me, I would rather be physically locked up or die, than to submit to this pathetic tyranny that reduces human beings to programmed rats. Jonas E. Alexis: Describe how people in Germany and Canada can legally and effectively fight against the thought police. Fighting the thought police legally and effectively is like trying to fight the inquisition with logic and reason. It is not possible to fight an oppressor who labels “Sorry Mom, I was wrong about the Holocaust”, which is an apology to one’s own mother, as “incitement to hatred”, in a system where “law” is arbitrary and one-sided. Thought laws as we have them now, in what was once our civilisation, are pure tyranny. You cannot fight this tyranny with logic or laws that negate free speech and justice. To fight “legally and effectively” with a “lawmaker” who is a Talmudic psychopath is like a sparrow asking the cat to negotiate. A regime that imposes thought laws will not relinquish the power that thought laws represent. Our oppressors will never voluntarily relinquish power. This is psychopathic behaviour, and it will continue on the same peak and crash trajectory that it has always experienced in the past. Peak and crash, peak and crash, peak and crash. The past crashes were characterised by the expulsion of the Jews from either cities or regions. This is the fist time that the magnitude of the crash can be seen as a life threatening event that may put us back to something that more resembles the Stone Age than our present day technological society and civilisation. Our best hope is for very large numbers of people to stand up and ignore thought laws by publicly announcing their defiance. A law becomes unsustainable when the productive people of the society openly defy these destructive and suicidal thought laws. Any thinking person with the smallest amount of self-respect would not blindly subordinate himself to these bizarre thought laws. They are not accidental, harmless or irrelevant laws. They are the shield behind which the Jewish mega criminals bring us death and destruction on a global scale. Maybe the fear of being seen as too cowardly or too stupid to speak up needs to become greater than the fear of possible consequences for actually speaking up, before the lemmings join those who are now already speaking up. In any case, fear is the overwhelming force that is determining the outcome. The danger of our present situation is, that the perpetrators have always seen this moment in time as the timeframe reserved for their long planned “WWIII”. Their hope is that the traumatised remnants of this conflict will be in no more a position to resist the imposition of their long planned “Jew World Order”, than were the Germans able to resist the imposition, by stealth, of the imaginary “Holocaust” as we have witnessed over the past decades. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96SLSOia8sThe blogosphere is talking about how Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor was caught in an outright falsehood about the country’s deficit, and how PolitiFact backed him up. Cantor said Sunday that Congress should be “focused on trying to deal with the ultimate problem, which is this growing deficit.” Fact: the deficit is shrinking faster than any time since the end of WWII, and is down 50% from where Bush left it. But PolitiFact declared Cantor’s lie “half true.” Fact: the deficit is down more than 50 percent from where Bush left it, and is falling at the fastest rate since the end of WWII. This chart is from my February post, Deficit Is Falling Dramatically, But Only 6% Know That: (Note, the 2009 budget was Bush’s last budget year, before the “stimulus” kicked in.) PolitiFact excuses Cantor for saying the country’s “ultimate problem … is this growing deficit” because even though the deficit is shrinking rapidly, at some point in the future deficits might maybe perhaps start to grow again. Or not. Steve Benen writes about Cantor and PolitiFact at the MaddowBlog, PolitiFact finds its pants on fire, (click through, there are links in the text) What Cantor said was the opposite of the truth — he said the nation has a “growing deficit,” when in reality, we have a shrinking deficit. We can have a discussion about whether the House Majority Leader was deliberately trying to deceive the public — Republicans have an incentive to convince the public that U.S. finances are in worse shape than they really are — or whether Cantor simply doesn’t know the basics of current events. But I’m afraid it’s either one or the other. Unless, that is, you’re PolitiFact. Atrios declared Politifact “Wankers of the Day“. Why This Is Crucially Important At The Plum Line Greg Sargent explains why this is so important, … if you look back at the transcript of Cantor’s full remarks, you’ll see that the House Majority Leader explicitly cited the deficit as justification for the GOP’s current policy posture. Right after citing the “growing deficit,” Cantor went on to suggest that this is why Republicans will stage a confrontation over the debt ceiling this fall. … Elsewhere in the same interview, Cantor cited the deficit as the reason Republicans would insist that the sequester cuts be replaced with only entitlement cuts, describing entitlements as the “real problem” we face. Dems, by contrast, want to replace the sequester with a mix of tax hikes and spending cuts — including to entitlements. But the GOP position is it must only be replaced with spending cuts — which Cantor here justifies with an allusion to the deficit. This is just crucially important. Republicans are threatening to shut the government and take the country into default this fall because they say we have a deficit emergency, when in fact the deficit is falling at the fastest rate since the end of WWII. If we base our country’s economic policy on something that is just backwards, then the results of doing that will be backwards for the country. In other words, it will cost us jobs and wages and factories and industries and our future instead of helping those things. Sargent then makes the key point that this is part of a deception: The bigger story here is that Republicans have persuaded the base that the push for the lowest spending levels possible is akin to a moral crusade, a higher calling whose urgency must never be questioned. This idea is incompatible with the notion that the deficit is falling, even just in the near term. The current GOP posture is premised on a whole series of falsehoods about spending, ones designed to obscure the facts that Dems have already made major concessions on spending, and that Obama has steadily offered Republicans some of the very entitlement cuts they themselves have asked for. The notion that the deficit poses an urgent and immediate threat is central to this larger ongoing deception. Paul Krugman — yes, Paul Krugman is a blogger, too — explains just how much this idea of rising deficits is backwards and harmful, in PolitiFact and the Shape of the Planet, Deficit Edition, The crucial point here, however, isn’t just that Cantor said something unequivocally false. It is that he said something that gets the whole story upside down. The central fact at the heart of any rational fiscal debate right now is that deficits are coming down fast, even as the economy remains depressed. The sharp decline in deficits means that the medium-term debt outlook is no longer remotely scary; indeed, even if you project out to 2030 it doesn’t look too bad. At the same time, sharply reducing deficits in a depressed economy, with interest rates up against the zero lower bound, looks like extremely bad macro policy. So that’s what we should be discussing: do we want deficits coming down this fast? Benen concluded his post, “I suppose my follow-up question for PolitiFact is this: what incentive do political leaders have to tell the truth when you tell the public their patently false claims are “half true”?”Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) (YouTube) (CNSNews.com) -- Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who serves on the House Judiciary Committee -- which has oversight of the Justice Department and the FBI -- sent a letter this week to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein demanding that he provide answers that he promised to provide at a hearing last week about apparent bias and conflicts of interest at the DOJ and the FBI. Gaetz particularly is seeking details about the DOJ's handling of the so-called Trump-Russia "dossier," which was partly paid for by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee through the opposition research firm Fusion GPS and to British ex-spy Christopher Steele. When he was FBI director, James Comey described the dossier as "salacious and unverified." However, it has been learned that Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce J. Ohr, in campaign year 2016, met with Christopher Steele. Ohr also met with Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson. Further, it was discovered that Ohr's wife, Nellie Ohr, works for Fusion GPS. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. (YouTube) In early December, Ohr was stripped of his associate deputy attorney general title and ousted form his office on the DOJ's fourth floor, a few doors down from Rosenstein. In his Dec. 18 letter to Rosenstein, Rep. Gaetz says, "In your December 13 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, you said that were unable to answer several of my questions, as well as the questions of my colleagues, because you needed to check your information before providing an answer. I appreciate your commitment to accuracy. Now that you are able to check and confirm the information you provide, I would like to ask again: " 1) Was [FBI official] Peter Strzok either the recipient or the sender of any documents or correspondence related to the 'tarmac meeting' of former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President William Clinton? If so, please provide copies of any and all such documents. " 2) When did the Department of Justice become aware that Nellie Ohr was employed by Fusion GPS? Since her husband, Bruce Ohr, served as the Associate Deputy Attorney General, did her employment with Fusion GPS raise any concerns about potential conflicts-of-interest among anyone within the Department of Justice or the Federal Bureau of Investigation? Were these concerns addressed in any way? FBI official Peter Strzok. (YouTube) "3) When did the Department of Justice learn about Bruce Ohr’s meeting with Christopher Steele, and his meeting with Glenn Simpson? When I asked you these questions during your testimony, you said that you were not in a position to provide that information, but that the Department of Justice has agreed to turn over relevant information to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. I should not need to point out that the House Committee on the Judiciary, not the Intelligence Committee, has oversight over the Department of Justice. Your answer to this question is relevant to our oversight capacity." "The American people have seen your testimony, and have been left with more questions than answers," said Rep. Gaetz. "So too have my fellow members of the House Committee on the Judiciary. With this letter, I hope to receive answers." Peter Strzok is an FBI counterintelligence officer who was assigned by then-FBI Director James Comey to participate in the investigation of Hillary Clinton's illicit use of a private email server as Secretary of State. Strzok revised Comey's memo on Clinton in 2016, changing the language about her conduct from "grossly negligent" to "extremely careless." FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. (YouTube) Strzok was selected by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in 2017 to assist with the Trump-Russia "collusion" case. In August, it was discovered that Strzok had been having a long-term extra-marital affair
improving the access of lower-income individuals and youth to savings institutions. Americans are notoriously poor savers. The personal savings rate dropped to nearly zero before the 2008 crisis; it briefly rose, but has recently fallen below 4 percent. By contrast, Germans, French, Austrians, and Belgians have saved more than 10 percent over the past 30 years. A big problem is that one-fourth of low-income Americans are “unbanked.” They have no savings or checking accounts. Banks tend to drive small savers away by imposing onerous fees and high minimum balances, forcing many to pay even higher fees at check-cashing services. Because it’s unlikely most banks will suddenly discover their social conscience and introduce no-fee small savers’ accounts, postal savings would be an excellent way of encouraging saving. A century ago when American banks faced competition from the government-run postal savings bank, they promptly opened their doors to small savers. Second, postal savings offers the best shot for “saving” the Post Office itself. The U.S. Post Office is not unique in suffering declining revenues from delivery services as customers shift to online communication and shipping companies. Yet in many other countries, from France to Japan, post offices have discovered that the key to continued profitability lies in postal financial services. Indeed, the recent global financial crisis prompted savers to return in droves to state-guaranteed postal deposits. The revival of postal savings is one of several policy recommendations in my new book, Beyond Our Means: Why America Spends While the World Saves. I tell the global story of how nations in Europe and East Asia encouraged ordinary people to save over the past two centuries. They did so by establishing various small savers’ institutions - including savings banks, postal savings systems, and school savings programs. In America today, it has become painfully clear that millions lack the savings to cope with medical emergencies, job loss, foreclosures, and retirement. Worse, many families are hopelessly indebted. What might we learn from the rest of the world in our efforts to restore some balance between household saving and debt? In addition to postal savings accounts, the book recommends other means of promoting saving. The government should incentivize banks to offer small savers’ accounts. In France, the state subsidizes the popular no-fee "Livret A" an account available at post offices and all banks. Also, the U.S. government should take the lead in promoting financial education in every school, so to increase youth literacy about saving, investment, mortgages, credit cards, and student loans. This is the norm in German schools; in Japan, an agency within the central bank helps standardize financial education curriculum. The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could play such a role here. Moreover, this is a good time to revise tax laws to encourage low- and middle-income people to save. While granting paltry incentives to the vast majority, the U.S. tax code does a great job of encouraging affluent Americans to save in retirement accounts - as if they needed the extra push. Perversely, the system grants the lion’s share of tax benefits to savers and homebuyers in the highest tax brackets, promotes overinvestment in housing, and fosters indebtedness by making interest on home equity loans tax-deductible. Two thirds of wage-earners do not itemize deductions, and thus, they do not benefit from the vaunted mortgage deduction. Politics aside, we could easily redesign the tax code to balance saving and borrowing. One way to universalize retirement savings accounts would be to offer working people a substantial tax credit, rather than a deduction. We might also consider the tax-free treatment of small savings as in France and Germany. For the last several decades, America has been preoccupied with democratizing credit. Surely, the time has come to democratize saving. It should be as easy for any American to open a savings account as it is to get a credit card. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Sheldon Garon.What do you say about a man who invalidates 86.4 percent of a country's currency overnight, and then keeps coming up with explanations over the next one year to tell the citizens that it was a success? You don't need to be an economist to realize that if the bulk of currency in a country where transactions are largely carried out in cash (80 to 98 percent, depending on which estimate one takes), is suddenly invalidated, the results will largely be disastrous, a few benefits here and there, notwithstanding. It has almost been a year since Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a late evening broadcast to the nation, invalidated Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The idea was to attack black money and fake currency which were used to finance terrorism. Advertisement As the press release accompanying the demonetisation decision put it: "Use of high denomination notes for storage of unaccounted wealth has been evident from cash recoveries made by law enforcement agencies from time to time." Modi invalidated Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, which he said were used to store black money, and then decided to introduce a Rs 2,000 note, making it even more easier for those who have black money, to store some of it, in the form of cash. Let's look at a few points one by one. 1) The total value of the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes that were invalidated stood at Rs 15.44 lakh crore. On November 15, 2016, a week after Modi announced the demonetisation decision, the Attorney General, Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that the government expected that around Rs 4-5 lakh crore of the invalidated notes won't make it back into the banking system. Advertisement The hope was that those who have black money in the form of cash will not deposit it in the banks because they would end up creating an audit trail. This would end up destroying black money. Of course, nothing of that sort happened. Around 99 per cent of the invalidated currency made it back into banks. This basically meant that what was supposed to be an attack on black money became a big money laundering scheme. 2) Why did this happen? This happened primarily because no basic research was carried out to check if demonetisation could really attack black money. In May 2012, the ministry of finance had published a White Paper on black money. As per data offered in this White Paper, it can be calculated that on an average around 4.9 percent of the black money is held in the form of cash. A bulk of the black money is held in the form of real estate and gold. Hence, by attacking cash/currency, Modi ended up sending the entire country on a merry-go-round. This is what happens when you make a decision that goes against the data that is on offer. Advertisement 3) In August 2014, Raghuram Rajan, the then governor of the Reserve Bank of India, whom the Modi government let go by not offering a second term, said: "In the past, demonetisation has been thought of as a way of getting black money out of circulation. Because people then have to come and say 'how do I have this 10 crores in cash sitting in my safe and they have to explain where they got the money from. It is often cited as a solution. Unfortunately, my sense is, the clever find ways around it." Rajan further said: "Black money hoarders find ways to divide their hoard into many smaller pieces...I think there are ways around demonetisation. It is not that easy to flush out the black money." Advertisement Thus, a decision which was supposed to destroy black money, helped people launder it. This is precisely what happened. Those with black money found various ingenious ways to divide their black money into smaller amounts and exchange it. Thus, a decision which was supposed to destroy black money, helped people launder it. This was before any such proposal for demonetisation was on the table. As Rajan writes in his recently released book I Do What I Do: "I was asked by the government in February 2016 for my views on demonetization, which I gave orally. Although there might be long-term benefits, I felt the likely short-term economic costs would outweigh them, and felt there were potentially better alternatives to achieve the main goals. I made these views known in no uncertain terms." Advertisement Of course, PM Modi decided not to listen to the best economist he had at his disposal. 4) No country in a reasonably good economic position has demonetised currency in the past, at the same level that India did. This is primarily because the economics of demonetisation is very complex. This was also overlooked. In short, there was enough evidence available which said that demonetisation as a tool to weed out black money, would not work. 5) Demonetisation was also supposed to "to curb financing of terrorism through the proceeds of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN)." Take a look at Table 1, which basically lists out the number of fake currency notes that were detected in the banking system. Advertisement Table 1: Denomination-wise Counterfeit Notes Detected in the Banking System Annual report of the Reserve Bank of India. (April to March) (Source: Annual report of the Reserve Bank of India) The number of fake Rs 500 (old) and Rs 1,000 notes that were detected during the financial year stood at around 5.74 lakh. The total number of demonetised notes stood at around 2,400 crore. This basically means that as a proportion, the fake notes identified between April 2016 to March 2017 stands close to 0 percent of the demonetised notes. Demonetisation failed to achieve its second big objective. In fact, if you look at Table 1 carefully, fake notes of the new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 hit the market, soon after demonetisation. Advertisement 6) In a matter of few weeks it was clear that demonetisation would not achieve its two main objectives. Hence, a third objective was introduced. This was to move towards a cashless society through digital transactions. As Modi said in the November 2016 edition of the Mann Ki Baat radio programme: "The great task that the country wants to accomplish today is the realisation of our dream of a 'Cashless Society'. It is true that a hundred percent cashless society is not possible. But why should India not make a beginning in creating a 'less-cash society'? Once we embark on our journey to create a 'less-cash society', the goal of 'cashless society' will not remain very far." Advertisement Indeed, a very noble motive, but at what cost? How are things looking on this front? Let's first look at the total value of digital transactions. Data for total digital transactions is available up to August 2017 and has been adjusted for real time gross settlement, which can only be used for transactions of Rs 2 lakh or more. Take a look at Figure 1. Reserve Bank of India (Source: Reserve Bank of India) The total value of digital transactions in August 2017 was more or less similar to the total value of digital transactions before demonetisation. As Figure 1 tells us, digital transactions by value kept increasing between January and August 2016. After that they have gone up and down. This also reflects the overall slowdown of the economy post demonetisation. Advertisement How do things look, when it comes to volume of digital transactions? Take a look at Figure 2. Figure 2: Reserve Bank of India (Source: Reserve Bank of India) While, there was a huge one time jump when it comes to the volume of digital transactions post demonetisation, things have remained flattish since then. The initial jump wasn't surprising given that there was barely any cash going around in the financial system. But that growth hasn't sustained. Hence, the digital goal has not been achieved either. Such a fundamental behavioral change cannot be made overnight. People have to be nudged towards it and not forced, as was the case. Advertisement 7) In the game of changing goal posts, an increase in the income tax base, has been highlighted as another benefit of demonetisation. The question is, has this increase translated into higher direct tax collections? For the period, April to September 2017, "Net Direct Tax collections represent 39.4% of the total Budget Estimates of Direct Taxes". For the same period last year, "38.65% of the Budget Estimates of direct taxes for FY 2016-17 has been achieved." Yes, there has been a marginal improvement in direct tax collection. But this still does not justify the destructive effect that demonetisation had on the economy. Advertisement Another point made in the game of changing goal posts is that income tax notices have been sent to many people. So, what? People with black money have access to the best CAs and the best lawyers, and know how the system functions. They aren't exactly sitting there waiting to pay fines and hand over their money to the government. Also, take a look at Table 2. This tells us very clearly, the limited processing capacity of the Income Tax department. Table 2: Annual Report, Ministry of Finance (Source: Annual Report, Ministry of Finance) 8) There is enough evidence going around by now to say that the informal part of the economy, which dealt in cash, received a huge blow, from which it is yet to come out. The tragedy is that much of this is not reflected in the GDP numbers, given that the GDP numbers tend to measure the formal part of the economy, and not the informal one. Advertisement Also, there is a huge contradiction here. The Modi government has been saying that self-employment is the way forward when it comes to jobs. If self-employment is the way forward, then the informal sector needs to be handled with care. In fact, as former prime minister Manmohan Singh, put it in an interview to Bloomberg Quint: "The value created by the informal sector will be captured in the form of income, wealth or consumption effects. Hence, we must be cautious about sweeping generalisations about the informal economy and passing moral judgments about the entire sector." 9) One of the claimed successes of demonetisation has been that the cash to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio has come down. In a speech made on October 4, 2017, Modi said: "Demontisation के बाद Cash to GDP Ratio अब 9 प्रतिशत पर आ गया है। (after demonetisation, the cash to GDP ratio has come down to 9 per cent." Advertisement This fall in cash to GDP ratio is being passed off as an achievement and the fact that nation as a whole has become more honest. As Modi said in the speech referred to earlier in the piece: "भाइयों और बहनों, इस सरकार ने देश में संस्थागत ईमानदारी को मजबूत करने का काम किया है। ये सरकार के अथक परिश्रम का ही परिणाम है कि आज देश की अर्थव्यवस्था कम Cash के साथ चल रही है। (Brothers and sisters, this government has worked to strengthen the institutional honesty of the country. It is due to the tireless hard-work of this government that today the country's economy is running on less cash.)" For the period of three months ending March 2017 and June 2017, the non-government part of the GDP (which forms around 90 per cent of the GDP) has grown by a little over 4 per cent. When growth in economic activity slows down, the growth in currency in circulation is bound to be impacted as well. Advertisement So, yes, the hard work of the government has led to a lower cash to GDP ratio, but at the cost of slowing down economic activity. Hence, claiming this as success, is more of trying to build a narrative around demonetisation being successful, rather than being an actual success of any sort. 10) Another point that is being made is that a lower cash to GDP ratio means that the country has become more honest. Take a look Figure 3. It basically plots the cash to GDP ratio of different countries. Figure 3: https://scholar.harvard.edu/rogoff/curse_of_cash_data (Source: https://scholar.harvard.edu/rogoff/curse_of_cash_data) Advertisement Japan has the highest cash to GDP ratio at 19.4 per cent. India is nearly half of that at around a little over 10 per cent. Is India a more honest nation than Japan? As per the Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index for 2016, Japan is the twentieth least corrupt country in the world. India stands at the 79th position, despite having a much lower cash to GDP ratio. To conclude, one year after demonetisation, all the destruction that was unleashed in its aftermath, could have been avoided, if PM Modi had heard the best economist he had at his disposal, and not an accountant masquerading as one. Or take the case of Brazil, which has a cash to GDP ratio of 3.31 per cent. Like India, it is the 79th least corrupt country in the world. Then there is the Eurozone (country's which basically use euro as their currency). Their cash to GDP ratio is higher than that of India. Is the Eurozone more corrupt than India? Hence, the link between a low cash to GDP ratio and low corruption is basically very weak. It is basically something that the Modi government has invented in order to build a positive narrative around demonetisation. To conclude, one year after demonetisation, all the destruction that was unleashed in its aftermath, could have been avoided, if PM Modi had heard the best economist he had at his disposal, and not an accountant masquerading as one. (Vivek Kaul is the author of India's Big Government—The Intrusive State and How It is Hurting Us.)Kays Electronics - HIRE - PA - DJ - Lighting - System - PARTY WEDDING - GALA - OUT DOOR PA EVENTS - SOUND HIRE PA We specialise in PA Hire for live music events, equipment hire but also provide a range of sound and lighting hire systems for other types of events (including galas, weddings, private parties and social or corporate). pa Band hire,Functions Birthdays and Events equipment hire PHONE JENNY 01246 205361 text mobile 07926647078 Kays Electronics of Chesterfield 195 Sheffield Road Chesterfield S41 7JQ Suppliers to the Hire / Entertainment Industry for over 30 years We provide a range of pa and lighting hire - Band equipment/systems, Disco, Karaoke, lighting and services for event organisers, Entertainers and sound/ lighting venues in Derbyshire and Midlands If you are planning an event and would like to hire a public address, pa hire system please phone 01246 205361 07926647078 email sales [email protected] for further details. 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Chapter the Twelfth: In which homework is done, a Reward is issued, and Victory is celebrated. "Stupid homework… I wanna enjoy my weekend…" Xander yawned as he sat by the desk in the FYSX dorm. He really wanted to know what sort of wrongdoing the freshmen class had committed to deserve a 25-page reading assignment from Professor Peach, at that receiving it not in person, but by a written notice on her chalkboard. That was just rude. "'tcha readin' there, Xanman?" a voice suddenly whispered in his ear, causing him to jump in shock. "Dammit Flora, please stop doing that!" Flora chuckled as she straightened up. "But it's so fun teasing you! If you don't like it, maybe you should try not being such an adorable scaredy-cat." She squinted as she read from Xander's book. "Prof Peach's homework assignment? Are you still not done with that? I blew past that in like, ten minutes." Xander grumbled as his forehead impacted the book on the desk in front of him. "Show-off…" Flora patted him on the back and massaged his shoulders. "Finish up and I'll give you a reward, how about that?" noticing Xander's blank stare and slightly flushed cheeks she quickly added "… nothing lewd, promise." With renewed vigour, Xander made short work of his reading. "Good work, now let's go!" Flora smiled excitedly with a fist pump. "Where?" Xander replied as he was dragged along by his team leader. "Oh, you'll see…" "… An arcade?" Xander stared at the small building in downtown Vale. "Yep. I've been meaning to check this place out for a while, and now when I've got a boyfriend of my own I think it's just as good a time as any to do so." Quickly crossing the street, they stepped into the arcade. "Huh, wooden panel walls. How old-school." Flora noted, mostly to herself. "… Wanna try that air hockey table first?" Xander gave Flora a challenging smile. "You're on, girl." They walked up to the table, but just as Flora reached for her purse Xander put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, I can pay for this." "But I'm the one who invited you, I should be paying…" "Flora, it's okay. Let me do this for you, okay?" "… Fine. But I'm paying for the next game we try." "Deal." Xander inserted two 10-lien coins into the slot on his side and pressed the start button. Flora scored the first goal with a clever zig-zag bounce feint on Xander's right side. "Hey!" "Huh, that worked. Haven't played air hockey in ages…" "Oh, you are going down…" "Bring it, boy…" Flora grinned menacingly, only to dumbstruck stare as Xander scored a point of his own. "Dammit. 1-1." After a few more minutes of play, it had escalated to 3-4 in Flora's favour as the timer counted down the last 30 seconds of their allotted time. Xander bounced the puck off the right wall, aiming in-between Flora's mallet and her goalpost, but she swiftly blocked it and sent it back towards Xander's goal. It was a close call, as he barely pinned it between the wall and his mallet. Pushing the puck back out on the field again, he bounced it off Flora's goalpost into the back of her mallet and into her goal. "Yes! 4-4!" "Time we ended this, my boy…" "Yes, quite. 10 seconds." "Not what I meant, you mood killer." "Heh." Suddenly Flora lashed out and bounced the puck on the right side wall, across the field and bounced it off the backside of Xander's mallet into his goal, with one second left. "Yes! I win!" After having spent a few hours in the arcade, winning prizes left and right, the two huntsmen trainees wandered home towards the airship terminal. Flor was carrying a small stuffed bear she had won from a claw machine, and Xander hefted the gorilla plush he had won in a ring-toss stall. "I had fun tonight Flora, thanks for the invite." "You're welcome." Flora answered as she leaned in and hugged his free arm. AN: I am quite literally finishing this chapter at Thursday midnight, please don't judge quality too hard x_x I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.A set of recently leaked e-mails between former Secretary of State Colin Powell and political donor Jeffrey Leeds uncovered a few messy details about Hillary Clinton and her true feelings toward President Obama. Clinton is embroiled in an e-mail scandal of her own, so this newly released correspondence takes a hammer to her already damaged image. According to the Daily Mail, hacker D.C. Leaks reportedly compromised Powell’s private Gmail account and leaked several emails. Those emails were then posted to Twitter by investigative journalist Lee Fang. In one of the posted messages, Leeds describes Clinton’s all-consuming want to win the upcoming election, but admits that she probably won’t win in the end. He also offers some insight into the former first lady’s personal feelings toward POTUS. “It’s the one prize she wants,” Leeds wrote to Powell. “She has everything else. And she HATES the President (‘that man’ as the Clintons call him) kicked her a** in 2008. She can’t believe it or accept it.” Colin Powell & mega Dem donor Jeffrey Leeds chat about how much the Clintons hate Obama (via newly leaked emails) pic.twitter.com/6dEbD4AU3r — Lee Fang (@lhfang) September 13, 2016 It should be noted that all of this is second-hand information; none of it has come from Clinton herself. In other email exchanges, Leeds and Powell discussed everything from Clinton’s recent health scare(s) to her email scandal that just won’t seem to go away. In one of them, the “mega” donor mentioned that Clinton “could barely climb the podium steps” at an event last month, to which Powell responded, “On HD TV, she doesn’t look good. She is working herself to death.” Leeds also commented on the former first lady’s legal woes, brought on by her use of a private email server. “She’s got trouble too,” he wrote. “No one likes her and the criminal thing ain’t over.” Powell’s leaked emails come shortly after Clinton and her campaign dragged the former Secretary of State into her email scandal by claiming that he was the one who advised her to set up a private email account. Powell has since admitted to using private email, but in a manner that was legal — unlike Clinton’s. For instance, the former Secretary of State didn’t have a server at his house or rely on outside contractors like Clinton did at her home in Chappaqua, N.Y., the The New York Times reports. According to Atlanta Black Star, the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s email fiasco revealed correspondence between the two from 2009, in which the former first lady asked Powell about his email practices while he was Secretary of State. A statement from Powell’s office also confirmed that he sent Clinton an email memo explaining his use of his personal email account for unclassified messages “and how it vastly improved communications within the State Department.” “What I had to do was to bring the State Department into the 21st Century,” Powell explained during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And the way of doing that was getting them new computers that gave them access to the whole world. And then to make sure I could change the brainware of the department, and not just the software and hardware, I started to use email.”Participants in the ARRL’s National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program have completed more than 1 million contacts! Activators operating from National Park Service units across the US and Chasers around the world pushed the contact tally over its goal this week. ARRL sponsored NPOTA to help the National Park Service celebrate its centennial. “National Parks on the Air has become one of the most popular events in the history of the League,” NPOTA Administrator Sean Kutzko, KX9X, said. “It’s been fun seeing so many hams take part.” Kutzko said the NPOTA Facebook group really helped drive participation, especially in the last 3 months, when it became clear that the 1 million-QSO goal was within reach. “Some 25,000 NPOTA contacts were uploaded to Logbook of The World (LoTW) every week since October,” he noted. “The entire group came together and simply willed the 1 million-contact mark to be broken. It was incredible to watch!” He said some real friendships developed among those who frequented the NPOTA Facebook page. Those taking part in NPOTA made nearly 20,000 visits to 460 of the 489 NPS units eligible for NPOTA credit, including portions of the National Trails System and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Nearly 150 Chasers completed contacts with more than 400 of the 489 NPOTA units this year, while one Activator transmitted from more than 250 different NPS units in 2016. Kutzko said the activations effectively transported those National Park Service units via radio to all 50 states and more than 100 countries during 2016. Kutzko said NPOTA garnered interest from hams at all proficiency levels, but he was especially gratified to see how it encouraged less-experienced hams to acquire new skills, such as operating a portable station on battery power, learning CW, or discovering digital modes. “Pileups from some activations rivaled those during a major DXpedition — if only for a few hours at a time,” he added. Jim Clark Jr., an NPS Ranger at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Vermont, said NPOTA helped to generate greater awareness of his unit. “National Parks on the Air has afforded us the opportunity to connect with a much larger and more diverse audience than we could have ever imagined,” he told ARRL. “We are pleased and proud that the world of Amateur Radio helped us to celebrate 100 years of service to the nation.” Kutzko said being able to blend Amateur Radio with the history and scenery offered by the National Park Service was a wonderful gift. “We heard from countless amateurs who learned something about our country while operating from an NPS unit and experiencing ‘the other side’ of a pileup. There will be other on-air events from ARRL, but National Parks on the Air was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I don’t think there will ever be anything quite like it in Amateur Radio again. I will miss it.” Until month’s end, NPOTA Activators will make a big push to get on the air from NPS units all across the country in a final sprint to the finish line. Get in on the action as NPOTA ends with a roar on December 31 at 2359 UTC!Navigating beer festivals can be daunting. With dozens of brewers slinging styles from every corner of the beer world, it’s easy to get lost. Austin Beer Week, a nine-day celebration of all things local and boozy, is no exception. Fortunately, you don’t have to be an expert to have fun during this event. Whether you’re new to Austin’s beer scene or a certified cicerone, there’s plenty to do and see during local beer’s biggest week. For Craft Beer Newbies Tried your first Fireman’s 4 last week and now you’re looking to learn more? Here are some Austin Beer Week events that’ll get you on the fast track to beer appreciation. You’ll be searching for firkins in no time! Oct. 23 @ 5 p.m. – Austin’ish Tap Wall at Red Horn – Live up north and can’t get to the big Craft Pride kick off? Cedar Park’s newest beer bar is having a shindig of their own. Offering variety, local flavor and a rep from Circle Brewing on hand to answer questions, Red Horn’s kick off will be a fantastic introduction to craft beer. Oct. 24 @ TBD – NXNW Tailgate at the Beerliner – Local brewpub NXNW is bringing their accessible, easy drinking brews to a UT tailgate. They’ll even be tapping a cask of their Sunbreak IPA with experimental hops for the more daring beer newbies. Trying craft beer while hooking horns? The best of both worlds. Oct. 29 @ 7 p.m. – (512) Tap Takeover at Hopfields – A combination of classic (512) beers and special creations, this event will give attendees a bit of everything. Hopfields‘ rock solid food menu doesn’t hurt either. For Everyday Enthusiasts You’ve done the brewery tours, started buying bombers and have graduated to the craft beer section of your local H.E.B. It’s time to take your knowledge up a notch with some events perfect for the everyday craft beer fan. Oct. 25 @ p.m. – Guided Flight by the Founder at Hops and Grain – Josh Hare, founder and head beer geek at Hops and Grain, will be dropping knowledge via a flight of four barrel-aged beers. Combine that with food pairings supplied by Micklethwait Craft Meats, and you have a tasty way of learning more about flavor, aroma and texture. Reservation required. All tickets come with a commemorative glass. Oct. 26 @ 6 p.m. – Metal Monday at Craft Pride – Rock out with Real Ale as they take over Craft Pride’s tap wall with ten varieties of the exceptional Mysterium Verum series. If you’ve never tried an MV beer, this is a must-attend. Metal blaring in the background and a rock-related movie playing on the patio makes the event even more badass. Nov. 1 @ all day – Recooping with Agent Cooper at Black Star Co-op – Recover from your Halloween weekend with “hair of the dog” at Black Star Co-op. Not only will they be screening a Twin Peaks marathon, but they’ll be tapping Agent Cooper, a cask-conditioned cherry porter. For the Experts If you’ve hosted a bottle share, cellared a stout or learned the mysterious complexities of brettanomyces yeast, congrats. You’re a certified beer geek! Whether you’re hunting for rare beer whales or looking for special events to tantalize your palate, these events are guaranteed to satisfy. Oct. 23 @ 5 p.m. – (512) 2015 WBADPP Release Party at Craft Pride – Austin beer geeks know the abbreviation by heart. The whiskey aged version of the immensely popular 512 Pecan Porter is a must-try, and Craft Pride will be the first place in town to tap it. Plus, you’ll be first in line for the big opening shindig. Best of both worlds! Oct. 25 @ 3 p.m. – Sour Mash Home Brew Class at Blue Owl – What do you do once you’ve tried every beer under the sun? Make your own! Not only will you get hands-on experience working with sour mash, you’ll be visiting one of Austin’s newest breweries. Pro tip: If they’re serving it, try the Professor Black. It’s exceptional. Tickets here. Oct. 27 @ 5 p.m. – Hops and Grain Beer Pairing Dinner at Hi Hat – When it comes to combining gourmet comfort food with an exceptional beer list, few do it better than Hi Hat. This five-course dinner paired with some of Hops and Grain’s finest brews is any foodie’s dream. Beef cheek sauerbraten never sounded so good. Reservations required. Call Hi Hat directly to reserve a spot. Oct. 29 @ 7 p.m. – The Funk n’ Sour Fest at Jester King – Pair the reigning king of ATX sours with a curated selection of artisan food stuffs, and you have an event for the ages. Oct. 30 @ 6 p.m. – Jester King 2015 Estival Dichotomous Cask Night at Billy’s on Burnet – When the reigning king of ATX sours and farmhouse ales does a tapping, beer geeks come running. Fruit forward with big melon notes, this saison
from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), an Armed Services Committee member; Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the incoming minority leader for his caucus; and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee. “This cannot become a partisan issue,” they added. “The stakes are too high for our country. We are committed to working in this bipartisan manner, and we will seek to unify our colleagues around the goal of investigating and stopping the grave threats that cyberattacks conducted by foreign governments pose to our national security.” During the election, emails from the Democratic National Committee and the private account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, were hacked and released on WikiLeaks. The DNC emails, in particular, caused turmoil within the party as supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) accused party officials of tipping the scales for Clinton during the primary based on exchanges in the released emails. On NBC’S “Meet the Press” Sunday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said there was “no doubt that the Russians hacked our institutions.” “Plainly they were after discord and in this they were spectacularly successful. But it wasn’t alone to try and sow discord,” Schiff said. “They had a candidate with pro-Putin, pro-Russian views who belittled NATO, who was willing to potentially remove sanctions on Russia ― and by contrast they had in Secretary Clinton a candidate very tough on Russia and who they blamed... for the protest, the mass demonstrations against the corruption in the Russian elections in 2011.” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, also said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday that she supports investigations into Russia. “This should be not only about protecting us going forward but this is a form of warfare for Vladimir Putin, who is a thug and a bully and has the friends around the globe that we don’t want to be friends with,” she said, adding, “I’ve had briefings just this last week that indicate that this is a very serious issue for the American people to understand. And for Donald Trump to dismiss out of hand the intelligence community’s fact gathering is, frankly ― doesn’t bode well for him protecting our country.” Trump has repeatedly denied Russia interference and told “Fox News Sunday” that it was “ridiculous” and an “excuse” to undermine his win. “No, I don’t believe that at all,” he said. “Nobody really knows, and hacking is very interesting,” he added. “Once they hack if you don’t catch them in the act you’re not going to catch them. They have no idea if it’s Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace. I mean, they have no idea.” During the campaign season, Trump consistently praised Russia, even saying during a debate that the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, “has been a leader far more than our president has been.” Want more updates from Amanda Terkel? Sign up for her newsletter, PipingHot Truth, here.Developer Equity One goes before the Cambridge Historical Commission on Thursday for permission to gut the buildings that house Curious George and Urban Outfitters and add three new floors to create a mall called the Harvard Collection. Equity One, which says it specializes in "the redevelopment of high quality shopping centers in supply constrained markets," spent $85 million last October to buy 1-7 and 9-11 JFK Street and 18-20 Brattle Street. Under the plans submitted to the Historical Commission, the space now occupied by the Curious George bookstore would be replaced by a building lobby, a stairway and an elevator. The building is also known for the Dewey, Cheetham & Howe headquarters of Car Talk. Atop the two buildings further away from the square, the company proposes two new floors of glass-enclosed space - which would then be connected to the existing Curious George building to create "contiguous retail and commercial floors." And then, atop that and extending onto the roof of the current Curious George building. would be a similarly glass-enclosed "pavilion," capped by a large skylight. The company's filing does not specify what the topmost floor would house. Equity One says it would retain the existing brick facades - and try to restore many of the windows to their original configurations as part of its "complete renvoation and restoration" of the buildings. The commission's hearings begin at 6 p.m. at Cambridge City Hall, Sullivan Chamber, 795 Massachusetts Ave. There is not a specific time for the Harvard Collection hearing. In a conference call with investors last fall, Equity One CEO David Lukes explained why the company bought the three buildings: This property is a rare find and it checked all three of our strategic boxes, overwhelming demand, near-term below market expirations and supportive zoning. Over 20,000 people a day use the T-Stop across the street and 8 million people visit Harvard Square every year and all the leases in the project are short-term with expirations occurring before the end of 2017. Just as important, we believe our investment in this asset will well exceed our cost of capital and we'll be producing these returns in one of the most coveted urban retail corridors in the country. Proposed view from the intersection: Schematic of exterior changes: Sign in Curious George window: Equity One's plans, filed with the Cambridge Historical Commission (4.6M PDF). Equity One's application to the commission (539k PDF).After 3 weeks Peeled the first coating of 2 Peeled completely 2 Left 2 as they were Discarded 1 too small To peel it, use a cutter and do it carefully. The first layer will come of quite easily (if you don't cut yourself), the second too, but beware of damaging (a scratch or two is OK) the inner seed. In the following picture you can see 2 seeds peeled, 2 first-coating removed seeds and 3 as they were, after this a half peeled one, and a completely peeled seed. 3 different treatments 3 different treatments Here you can see (a piece) of the first coating removed in the left and all the coating removed on the right. I put them over a wet paper towel in a sealed plastic container, in almost full sun (around 3 hours of full sun, full light in the day). The peeled ones started to turn green in just 2 days. 2-3 days: turns green and opens After around 10 days, the completely peeled ones had "opened" (see picture above), started to grow a very small root and the untreated ones were mouldy. I discarded them, waited 3 days more and removed the last layer of the remaining two. After a day, they started to turn slightly green... but the roots of my first two were not developing. My conclusion: they got enough water as they were, and enough energy from the sun to work. I covered them by folding over the wet paper to avoid this process. After around 7 days they developed a nice root, which grew slowly. Now, after 3 more days I'm planting them, as they start to grow a little offshot. Remove coating of the seeds Put in wet paper towel (completely covered), inside a plastic bag in a warm place Wait! Plant them In 2-3 weeks Steps: If you enjoyed this post, or was lucky and got a nice and cute lemon tree, leave a comment, picture, or share this post with Digg, StumbleUpon or whatever you enjoy. Thanks! Related posts:Washington will not be the one to decide Sweden’s policies, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström said after the US criticized Stockholm’s plans to officially recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. “It's not the US that decides our politics,” Wallström said, adding that the new Swedish authorities expected to “get criticism” after their announcement on Palestinian statehood. However, the minister stressed that Stockholm “will continue the constructive dialogue with the US to explain our motives and reasons for this,” Aftonbladet newspaper reported. In his first speech before the country's parliament on Friday, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven promised that Sweden will “recognize the states of Palestine.” READ MORE:Sweden to become first EU country to officially recognize State of Palestine He added that the conflict with Israel “can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law.” If the initiative is approved by parliament, Sweden will become the first EU member to recognize Palestine as an independent state. But Sweden's plans were not welcomed by the US, Israel's top ally, which warned the Scandinavians against rushing into things. "We believe international recognition of a Palestinian state is premature," US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said. "We certainly support Palestinian statehood, but it can only come through a negotiated outcome, a resolution of final status issues and mutual recognitions by both parties." She added that Israel and Palestine must be the ones "to agree on the terms on how they live in the future two states, living side-by-side.” The Social Democrats gained power in Sweden during the general election in September, following eight years of conservative rule. Prime Minister Lofven also promised to adjust Sweden’s foreign policy, which would include the country giving up on its aspirations to join NATO. The Palestinian Authority is aiming to establish an independent state in the territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem serving as the capital. Israel captured both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the Six Day War in 1967. East Jerusalem was later annexed as part of Israel’s indivisible capital, though this move has never been recognized internationally. Israel is also actively building settlements in the West Bank which are considered illegal by the UN. Israel launched a 50-day military operation in the densely populated Gaza area this summer, which saw over 2,100 Palestinians – mainly civilians – killed and some 18,000 homes destroyed.Team GP along with the good folks at Zetetic, are happy to announce that we have reached FINAL on our first release (“v1” 0.0.6 build) of SQLCipher for Android. This means we consider this a production release, ready for shipping with your apps to provide for reliable, open-source, secure application data encryption. If you need a refresher, here is what the cross-platform, open-source SQLCipher provides: SQLCipher is an SQLite extension that provides transparent 256-bit AES encryption of database files. Pages are encrypted before being written to disk and are decrypted when read back. Due to the small footprint and great performance it’s ideal for protecting embedded application databases and is well suited for mobile development. Blazing fast performance with as little as 5-15% overhead for encryption on many operations 100% of data in the database file is encrypted Uses good security practices (CBC mode, key derivation) Zero-configuration and application level cryptography Broad platform support: works with C/C++, Obj-C, QT, Win32/.NET, Java, Python, Ruby, etc on Windows, Linux, iPhone/iOS… Algorithms provided by the peer reviewed OpenSSL crypto library. In addition to our work porting the core codebase, the work done on Android also provides near exact API compatibility with the default Android Database API. This means that developers can drop in SQLCipher, and add data encryption to their application, with very little changes to their existing codebase. Finally, while full disk encryption is offered newer Android devices from Motorola, and those running Android 3.x Honeycomb or 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich, that only provides encryption of the entire internal or external storage, which must be unlocked and decrypted when the device is booted. The SQLCipher model ensures only a limited amount of data from your app is accessible at anytime, and allows the user or the app to lock itself down, whether or not the device itself is locked or encryption. Download the Software Development Kit here for integration with your Android apps: https://github.com/downloads/guardianproject/android-database-sqlcipher/SQLCipherForAndroid-SDK-0.0.6-FINAL.zip You can see all the closed issues addressed in this release. If you want to build from source, you will need the Android NDK, as well as the SDK. Pull the repo, and run ‘make all’ with the included SQLCipher Makefile. Our partners at Zetetic have published a step-by-step application integration tutorial. You can also get started by working with our sample ‘NoteCipher’ project available on Github. If you happen to encounter them, please report any unexpected behaviours, bugs, typos or other abnormalities, as soon as you can. We know there are still some outstanding issues faced in some cases, but we did not consider them blockers. SQLCipher for Android Home: https://guardianproject.info/code/sqlcipher/​Screengrab: ​Citizenfour Trailer ​ A very misguided man in Kansas is suing Edward Snowden, ​Laura Poitras, and the ​official promoters of Citizenfour in one of the most annoyingly insane lawsuits in recent memory. ​The lawsuit, filed in December on behalf of the entire population of the United States, has been ​pretty well covered elsewhere, but some new developments, not least of which is Citizenfour's Oscar win, ​have made it noteworthy again. The general premise of the suit is that the film contains classified information, so it should be removed from release and re-edited in order to preserve national security. Also, Poitras and Snowden should have to pay the government "billions of dollars to achieve restitution" for the damages done by Snowden's leaks. The plaintiff, Horace Edwards, is a regular guy (as in, not a federal attorney) who identifies himself as a former naval officer. His and his attorney's actions since filing the suit, however, have only gotten more desperate and weird as it becomes ever apparent that the lawsuit is backfiring. Reading the court case from start to finish is like taking a master's course in the Streisand effect and is a dictionary-perfect definition of frivolous litigation. Here is a rough timeline of events, which get increasingly odd as we move along in the proceedings. October 10, 2014: Citizenfour is screened at the New York Film Festival. October 17, 2014: Citizenfour is screened at the BFI London Film Festival. December 12, 2014: Citizenfour is in 105 theaters in the United States. December 19, 2014: Edwards and his attorney, Jean Lamfers, file their initial "billions" complaint, asking the judge to prevent the release of the film. January 13, 2015: Lamfers files an "amended" complaint to include "United States of America" as a plaintiff. Yes, Lamfers attempts to sue on behalf of the US government. January 15, 2015: Citizenfour is nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary. January 23ish, 2015: Lamfers requests that Citizenfour not be allowed to be entered as evidence. Instead, it should be screened to the judge and to the judge only, she argues. January 24ish: Poitras and her attorney deliver a copy of the film to the Lamfers. She does not take it well. "I said I did not want to take possession of it. This was because of my understanding the film contains classified information based on my having seen the film. I received no response to [my] request from defendants' counsel [to bar the film from being entered as evidence in court]," Lamfers wrote in an email sent to the judge presiding over the suit. "To the contrary defendant's counsel delivered a copy of the DVD to my office (which remains unopened and under lock and key)." Screengrab: Citizenfour February 10, 2015: Poitras and her legal team are allowed by the judge to enter the film into evidence. Two DVD copies and a transcript of the film are submitted to the court February 12, 2015: Edwards and Lamfers become concerned that the film has been entered into evidence. They file a motion to seal the DVDs, lest someone actually see the film. Note that this injunction would only seal those two specific copies of the DVD. Citizenfour is still being screened in many theatres worldwide, and, in fact, was slated to premiere in seven new cities on the 13th. February 13, 2015: Motion denied: "Given the inherently public nature of this film, the Court can discern absolutely no interest that could justify sealing this exhibit. Moreover, even if this DVD contained some sort of confidential information for which Plaintiff had an interest in preventing public disclosure, it has already been publicly filed," the judge wrote. February 14, 2015: Cryptome, a site that posts hacker documents and that sort of thing, incorrectly assumes that, because the film was entered as evidence, it has entered the public domain and is free for anyone to use. Cryptome posts two copies of the full film for download on its website. Defense provided 2 DVDs of Citizenfour as exhibit in Edwards suit. So film in public domain as unsealed record. On HBO 2/23/15. Leaking $. — Cryptome (@Cryptomeorg) February 14, 2015 "I personally doubt this use of the film would avoid copyright infringement of uses of the film that were not otherwise fair, eg, comment on legal issues pertaining to the film," Jerome Reichman, a professor at Duke University's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, told me. In other words, you can probably download and watch the film to comment on whether or not this lawsuit has any merit. Edwards and Lamfers, therefore, have, by filing this lawsuit, perhaps indirectly exposed classified information to more people. In any case, there are now easy-to-access, direct download links to the film. February 14, 2015: Lamfers is required to remove the United States government as a plaintiff in the case. February 17, 2015: Lamfers calls the court on an "emergency basis" in an attempt to temporarily seal the DVDs pending appeal. February 18, 2015: Court emails Lamfers back, urging the lawyer to not make random emergency calls to the court. February 19, 2015: Lamfers emails the judge, at 12:46 AM local time (according to the court record), chastising the court for endangering national security and for not immediately responding to her call. "This situation has placed the plaintiff in an untenable position regarding avoiding irreparable harm and obtaining appropriate relief sought on a serious issue in a timely manner," she wrote. "The denial of a sealing motion has furthered the irreparable harm and relief necessary to address such harm, among other things, by the continuing injury through repetition of classified, stolen information that reaches a broader constituency of extremists with each showing." February 19, 2015: In a "supplemental memorandum pursuant to emergency contact with court via email," Lamfers suggests that "better safe than sorry" is not merely a turn of phrase, but that, literally, the DVD should have been put into a safe where it could never, ever be seen. February 22, 2015: The court formally asks Lamfers to stop calling: February 22, 2015: Citizenfour wins an Oscar. February 23, 2015: Citizenfour is screened on HBO. The case is still underway.The Boston Red Sox have explored the possibility of playing an exhibition game in Cuba this spring, a source involved in the conversations told ESPN. At this time, there are no plans for a game, nor is there is expected to be. It is believed that a Red Sox fan of some note, Secretary of State John Kerry, has had a voice in the conversations. Although the Red Sox have interest in an exhibition in Cuba, another source said, the team is sensitive to making sure all parties -- Major League Baseball, the players' association and respective governments, among others -- are fully vetted and that the timing for a game works for all. According to the source, this spring would be too soon for the Red Sox to make a game work. The Baltimore Orioles, who played against the Cuban national team in Cuba 15 years ago and subsequently hosted the national team from Cuba at Camden Yards, are interested in participating in an exhibition in Cuba this spring, given the past history and the shift in U.S.-Cuban relations, a source said.NORTH Korea's top military chief has threatened to "launch a nuclear attack on America" TOMORROW to mark 64 years since the end of the Korean War. Media reports in the rogue state predict another major provocation from Kim Jong-un and his cronies on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the historic cease-fire. 6 Kim's controversial test-launch of Inter-continental Ballistic Rocket Hwasong-14 AP:Associated Press 6 Trigger-happy Kim loves to shock the international community The North has designated the date as Victory Day to celebrate what it claims was its victory against the US during the conflict which raged from 1950 to 1953. The latest terrifying verbal threat came from Armed Forces Minister Pak Yong-sik after Pyongyang snubbed South Korea's recent offer of "peace". "If enemies misunderstand our strategic status and stick to options of staging a pre-emptive nuclear attack against us, we will launch a nuclear attack on America's heart as the most relentless punishment without warning or prior notice," said Pak, reports the official KCNA news agency. The hermit kingdom likes to mark key events in history with missile launches or similar acts of aggression. Its recent ICBM test was launched on July 4 as a "present" for Donald Trump on Independence Day. The ICBM was the first of its kind to be launched by the secret state and the test sent shockwaves across the world after the trigger-happy tyrant vowed to turn the US into a “pile of ash”. AP:Associated Press 6 North Korea paraded nukes to mark 105 years since the state’s founder Kim Il-sung was born Getty Images 6 Hawaii has launched a campaign to help residents plan for a nuclear missile attack from North Korea A successful ICBM test launch marks a significant step forward for secretive Pyongyang’s weapons capability. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 3,418 miles, but some are designed to travel 6,214 miles or further. Transporter vehicles carrying equipment for the firing of a ballistic missile have also been seen arriving in Kusong of the country's northwestern province. The United Nations Security Council is still mulling whether and how to impose further sanctions in response to the July 4 ICBM test. 6 Kim claims his nukes can now hit the US mainland But South Korea remains keen on talks with its northern neighbour. Since President Moon Jae-in was inaugurated in May, he has been pushing for inter-Korean cooperation as a way of reducing tensions. The Koreas may have ended their conflict in 1953, but they have yet to formally agree a peace treaty. Last week, Hawaii has become the first US state to prepare for a possible nuclear missile attack from North Korea amid rising political tensions. The plan includes Cold War-style evacuation drills for school students and announcements that will tell residents “Get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned." Reuters 6 Kim Jong Un reacts with scientists and technicians after the test-launch Starting in November, the scheme will also include testing of a new emergency siren on the first work day of every month in the event of an attack from North Korea. The campaign by Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is aimed at helping people prepare for doomsday if North Korean leader Kim decides to follow through with his threats. Vern Miyagi, head of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (Hema), said: “We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public. However, we have a responsibility to plan for all hazards.” MOST READ IN NEWS ROCK STAR DEAD The Cure and Iggy Pop drummer Andy Anderson dies aged 68 after cancer battle GTA RAPE Boy, 12, raped his sister, 6, by acting out scene from Grand Theft Auto game Latest brink of war India ‘shoots down Pakistani jet' after two of its own planes blasted from sky PERIOD DRAMA Sex coach smears menstrual blood on her face to show periods are 'powerful’ NET NASTY Stacey Solomon fears for kids after Momo Challenge spreads to YouTube & Fortnite GREAT BRRRITAIN Snow to hit as temps to plunge by 15C TOMORROW with gales and rain “We don’t know the exact capabilities or intentions of the North Korean government but there is clear evidence that it is trying to develop ballistic missiles that could conceivably one day reach our state. “Therefore, we cannot wait to begin our public information campaign to ensure that Hawaii residents will know what to do if such an event occurs.” It comes as US military chief Joe Dunford says any attack from North Korea would "kill more people than anything experienced in our lifetime". Speaking on the North's July 4 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, he said: "Anyone who has been alive since World War II has never seen the loss of life that could occur if there is a conflict on the Korean peninsula."Caitlyn Jenner has voiced her opposition to anti-LGBT legislation in the US, arguing that North Carolina's bathroom law could lead to "abuse, aggressive and confrontational behaviour". Passed last month, the law requires people to use the public toilet designated to the biological sex they were designated at birth, rather than the gender they identify with. Meanwhile, a new law approved in Mississippi allows businesses to deny services to same-sex couples on religious grounds. 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. "I've spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of message these harmful bills send, especially to transgender youth growing up in these states," Jenner wrote in a lengthy blog post on her website. "We all want safety and privacy in public bathrooms. But these anti-LGBT bills, like the ones in North Carolina and Mississippi, actually make us less safe, not more safe," the reality TV star and activist added. "They open the door to abuse, aggressive and confrontational behavior in bathrooms, and encourage strangers to demand that women and girls prove that they are actually female in order to use the restroom. No one wants that." Jenner, who shared the blog post with her 3.8m million Twitter followers, also urged people to "listen to the stories of actual transgender people who live near you". "We have already seen the difference it makes!" she explained. "In South Dakota, a group of incredibly brave trans youth shared their stories with Governor Dennis Daugaard, and he vetoed a bad bill that targeted trans people." Several high-profile musicians have cancelled concerts in North Carolina in recent weeks in protest against the bathroom law, including Pearl Jam, Boston and Bruce Springsteen. During his visit to the UK, President Barack Obama said the controversial bill was "wrong" and should be overturned. Shape Created with Sketch. People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Show all 10 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights 1/10 Caitlyn Jenner 2/10 Miley Cyrus Getty 3/10 Kristen Stewart 4/10 Cara Delevingne 5/10 Keegan Hirst 6/10 Ruby Rose 7/10 St Vincent (who's in a relationship with Cara Delevingne) 8/10 Annie Lennox 9/10 Ellen Page 10/10 Justice Anthony Kennedy 1/10 Caitlyn Jenner 2/10 Miley Cyrus Getty 3/10 Kristen Stewart 4/10 Cara Delevingne 5/10 Keegan Hirst 6/10 Ruby Rose 7/10 St Vincent (who's in a relationship with Cara Delevingne) 8/10 Annie Lennox 9/10 Ellen Page 10/10 Justice Anthony Kennedy The British Government has changed its travel advice to warn of the impact on the legislation on LGBT travellers visiting the state. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowNotoriously combative Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein has his sights trained on a new target: the American gun lobby. Weinstein’s latest project will star actress Meryl Streep and will take on the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA). The film will be called The Senator’s Wife, although as yet there is no writer or director attached to the project. Mr Weinstein said it would be like 1939’s Mr Smith Goes to Washington, which starred James Stewart as a junior senator who heads to the capital to combat political corruption. Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent Without the ads – for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month “We’re going to take this issue head-on, and they’re [the NRA] going to wish they weren’t alive after I’m done with them,” Weinstein told Howard Stern’s Sirius XM radio show on Wednesday. The producer, who co-founded Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company, added: “I don’t think we need guns in this country, and I hate it, and I think the NRA is a disaster area.” The story is believed to focus around the powerful gun lobby’s efforts to combat gun control legislation in the wake of recent mass shootings at Aurora and Newtown. President Barack Obama referred to “intimidation” that led to the bill being defeated. There was no response from the NRA last night, although supporters took to social media, with some criticising Weinstein for targeting gun owners despite making money from violent films.Elaine Kurtenbach, The Associated Press TOKYO -- U.S. president-elect Donald Trump says he wants to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership but other Pacific Rim leaders are vowing to push market-opening efforts they say are vital for growth. The possible decline of the 12-nation TPP could give a boost to alternative initiatives including one promoted by China in which the United States is not taking part. Trump's message, in a brief video, was issued after President Barack Obama and other leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, meeting in Peru, called Sunday for fighting the backlash against trade highlighted by Trump's victory and Britain's vote to leave the European Union. Promoters of the TPP say it is a step toward building a wider, pan-Pacific free trade zone, though critics object it would shift too much control over regulation to companies from governments and the public. "There is very strong support among the other 11 parties to the TPP to ratify it and to seek to bring it into force," said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Trump described the 12-nation pact as a "potential disaster for our country." He has also said he wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. Obama has said he would give up seeking congressional approval for the TPP. He had championed it as a way for the United States to lead the creation of "gold standard" rules for 21st century trade. "I think not moving forward would undermine our position across the region," Obama told reporters in Lima. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Washington will need to think about what role it wants to play in Asia and its fast-growing markets. "The United States isn't an island. It can't just sit there and say it's not going to trade with the rest of the world," said Key after returning home. "At some point they're going to have to give some consideration to that. But naturally, we're a bit disappointed." The TPP, signed this year in New Zealand, would take effect after it is ratified by six countries that account for 85 per cent of the combined gross domestic product of its member nations. The United States is 60 per cent of the combined GDP of that group and Japan less than 20 per cent, so those conditions cannot be met without U.S. participation. "TPP is meaningless without the United States," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Last week, he became the first foreign leader to meet Trump since his Nov. 8 election victory. As Japan's most powerful leader in a decade, Abe invested political capital in overcoming opposition to the TPP from farmers and the medical lobby. His ruling Liberal Democratic Party pushed TPP ratification through the lower house of parliament and had been set to seek final approval in the upper house. Renegotiating the agreement would "disturb the fundamental balance of benefits," said Abe, who was in Argentina following APEC. Other TPP members include Chile, Mexico, Canada, Peru, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Australia. China hopes for progress on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, it is promoting with the 10 governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said. The RCEP would require fewer market-opening concessions than TPP. Critics say that would let China shield its huge but inefficient state-owned companies from competition. The agreement would include China, India, Indonesia and South Korea but no countries from the Americas have joined. "We would like to push the negotiation process to make headway at an early date," said the spokesman, Geng Shuang, at a regular briefing. China also called at APEC for progress on a separate arrangement, the Free Trade Agreement of the Asia Pacific. "We hope these free trade agreements can reinforce rather than thwart each other," said Geng. "We should prevent fragmentation of economic and trade arrangements or politicizing such agreements." Associated Press writers Liu Zheng in Beijing; Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia; Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, and Almudena Calatrava and Luis Andres Henao in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this reportIt appears some folks might be scapegoated... As NY Times reports, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down, under presssure. President Obama made the decision to ask his defense secretary — the sole Republican on his national security team — to step down last Friday, as a recognition that the threat from the Islamic State would require a different kind of skills than those that Mr. Hagel has, and that his team has struggled to stay ahead of an onslaught of global crises. As NY Times reports, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down under pressure, the first cabinet-level casualty of the collapse of President Obama’s Democratic majority in the Senate and a beleaguered national security team that has struggled to stay ahead of an onslaught of global crises. The president, who is expected to announce Mr. Hagel’s resignation in a Rose Garden appearance on Monday, made the decision to ask his defense secretary — the sole Republican on his national security team — to step down last Friday after a series of meetings over the past two weeks, senior administration officials said. The officials described Mr. Obama’s decision to remove Mr. Hagel, 68, as a recognition that the threat from the Islamic State would require a different kind of skills than those that Mr. Hagel was brought on to employ. In his less than two years on the job, Mr. Hagel’s detractors said he struggled to inspire confidence at the Pentagon in the manner of his predecessors, especially Robert Gates. But several of Mr. Obama’s top advisers have over the past months also acknowledged privately that the president did not want another high-profile defense secretary in the manner of Mr. Gates, who went on to write a memoir of his years with Mr. Obama in which he sharply criticized the president. Mr. Hagel, they said, in many ways, was exactly the kind of Defense Secretary which the president, after battling the military during his first term, wanted. ... He raised the ire of the White House in August as the administration was ramping up its strategy to fight the Islamic State, directly contradicting the president, who months before had likened the Sunni militant group to a junior varsity basketball squad. Mr. Hagel, facing reporters in his now-familiar role next to General Dempsey, called the Islamic State an “imminent threat to every interest we have,” adding, “This is beyond anything that we’ve seen.” White House officials later said they viewed those comments as unhelpful, although the administration still appears to be struggling to define just how large is the threat posed by the Islamic State.Twenty-three women of childbearing age were monitored for a period of 3 months to evaluate the effect of oral contraceptive steroids on central corneal thickness. Eight of these women acted as the control group and 15 were first-time users of oral contraceptive steroids. Two males were also studied to investigate the possible existence of cyclic change of corneal thickness in females vs males. The results obtained from the control group of females indicated a definite cyclic variation in corneal thickness, females showing minimum thickness just before ovulation. The cornea seemed to be thickest either at the beginning or the end of the menstrual cycle. The males showed no specific pattern. The variation seen in females is hypothesized to be related to the ovarian and gonadotropin hormones. Of the experimental group, the females who were using the higher progesterone concentration pill showed stabilization starting almost immediately and by the 3rd month their corneal thickness showed very little variation during the cycle. The women on lower dosage pills also stabilized but took longer to do so. PIP:A review of dental fees in Alberta released Thursday has confirmed what patients like Ambrose Blum have long suspected — prices are significantly higher and skyrocketing faster than anywhere else in Canada. “It’s like fixing a car,” said Blum, adding high fees prompted him to have his teeth worked on only by students at the University of Alberta School of Dentistry. “You had to shop around. It was all over the board.” In mid-2015, following years of complaints of costly work and lack of transparency, Health Minister Sarah Hoffman launched a review of the province’s dental fees. Based on the results, Hoffman announced the government will create a public dental fee guide to be released sometime in 2017. Alberta became the only province without a dental fee guide when the Alberta Dental Association and College stopped publishing a suggested fee guide in 1997. The province also released a report of average dental fees in 2016 for the most common procedures that can be used as a reference for Albertans. It’s available at http://www.health.alberta.ca/health-info/dental-fees.html Hoffman said she stopped short of releasing a fee schedule that would have regulated prices. “We looked at what every other province is doing
properties, cars and each other as they blatantly carry the air rifles and BB guns through the estate, sparking terror among the area's residents. Scroll down for video Families say they are being 'held to ransom' by yobs shooting at homes and cars with air rifles and BB guns Residents even claim one woman who confronted the yobs was shot at. A mother-of-three, who asked not be named, released the appalling footage and says she has been left 'terrified' by the thugs. She said one brave neighbour who confronted the youths was fired at by the gang. The frightened mother said: 'Something needs done about this gang - they are putting pellets through windows and cars and it is only a matter of time before somebody is hurt. The CCTV footage shows the youngsters shooting at both homes and each other as they blatantly carry the air rifles and BB guns through the estate, sparking terror among the area's residents 'They have intimidated, threatened and terrorised people for too long now.' A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: 'We take reports of firearms and gun crime incredibly seriously in South Yorkshire and this story gives us cause for concern.' He also urged residents to report incidents. A residents' association spokesman for the area said: 'Our community is entitled to live free of fear, intimidation or damage and loss. 'The few that are committing these offences should not hold the estate to ransom. 'We have lodged a request for a meeting with the police, Crime Commissioner, council housing, council ASBO team, councillors and prospective councillors to discuss the behaviour.' One brave resident who decided to confront the youths was allegedly fired at by the gang The spokesman for the Angram Bank Tenants' and Residents' association added: 'I tell you why you must report these goings on. Until the police can prove who these criminals are they can't act. 'The police are human beings not mind readers, none of us want people being arrested without evidence, so it's up to you to do your bit to make High Green a lovely place to live again.'Was Scott Brown drunk last month when he tweeted "bqhatevwr"? Whatever, the former Massachusetts senator says. It was just a classic case of a butt tweet. Really Scott Brown? We beg to differ. Advertisement For those unfamiliar with the tweet in question, it's long since been deleted. Fortunately, though, our friends at Gawker were able to get a screengrab before it disappeared: So. Was bqhatevwr the work of drunken fingers or, as Brown claims, accidental butt communication? Before you make up your mind, here are the exact conditions that would have had to coalesce that night for Brown to be telling the truth: The Twitter app was open when Scott Brown put his phone in his pocket. A new tweet was open when Scott Brown put his phone in his pocket, or his butt opened a new tweet. Scott Brown had a serious case of swamp ass, giving him a capacitive butt. Scott Brown has a very bony butt. Scott Brown was fidgety, allowing his wet bony butt to hit letter keys on his open tweet. Like, very fidgety, so fidgety that his butt can almost spell the same word he had just intentionally tweeted a few times, but not quite that word. Like a drunk version of that word. Scott Brown's butt hit send. Decide for yourself! For reference, I sat on my iPhone with Twitter open and wiggled for several minutes and no tweets were sent. [Politico]The commandos are trained to hunt for mines or plant explosives on enemy ships. The U.S. Navy's K-Dog, a bottle-nose dolphin belonging to Commander Task Unit, leaps from the water during training in 2003 in the Gulf. Dolphins are used for mine detection and intelligence purposes. Three Ukrainian dolphins, reportedly trained by the Ukrainian Navy for such missions as planting explosives, reportedly escaped recently in the Crimea. (Photo11: Brien Aho, US Navy, AFP) Three Ukrainian commando dolphins trained to search for mines, attack divers and plant explosives have escaped from their handler in the Crimea, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reported Tuesday. The news agency, citing the Ukrainian media, said only two of five military-trained "killer" dolphins returned to their base in the port city of Sevastopol after recent exercises. RIA Novosti said the Ukrainian defense ministry denied the reports of killer dolphins going AWOL, but also even refused to confirm the existence of such a program. Dolphins were trained for commando missions at Sevastopol for the Soviet navy as far back as 1973, but Ukraine took over the unit after the Soviet breakup and the splitting of the Black Sea fleet into the Ukrainian and Russian fleets. To keep the unit intact, the dolphins were trained for civilian tasks such as working with disabled children. A military source in Sevastopol told RIA Novosti last year, however, that the Ukrainian navy had restarted training dolphins for commando operations, such as attacking enemy combat swimmers using special knives or pistols fixed to their heads. They were also being trained to plant explosives, carried on their heads, on enemy ships, the unidentified source is quoted as saying. Even in the past, training could go awry at certain times of the year, a former Soviet naval trainer told the news agency, and may account for the latest defections. "If a male dolphin saw a female dolphin during the mating season, then he would immediately set off after her, Yury Plyachenko, a former Soviet naval anti-sabotage officer told RIA Novosti."But they came back in a week or so." CBS Seattle reports that other militaries, including the U.S. Navy, also usedolphins, but that the U.S. trains them not for attack but for intelligence gathering. CBS reports dolphins were used in the Iraq War. Contributing: Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/XGbn01Two weeks ago we brought you news about the four states that have marriage-related ballot initiatives this fall. As the election quickly approaches, each of the campaigns in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington have begun running television ads that highlight the stories of individuals, religious leaders, and community leaders who support the freedom to marry. These ads show the underlying issue at stake this fall – that marriage, both for straight and gay couples, is about building a life with someone and making a commitment to take care of and love one another. Here is a look at some of the stories being told: Maine – Lifelong Republican Supports Freedom to Marry Republican Representative Stacey Fitts of Pittsfield, Maine voted against same-sex marriage while serving in the legislature in 2009, but has since changed his mind. Now in 2012, he's standing up and speaking out about his support for the freedom to marry as a Republican. Stacey says, “Deciding who you marry is the most important decision you will ever make. I don’t believe the government should tell anybody who they can love, or who they can marry. Voting ‘Yes’ protects religious freedom, and it protects individual freedom. To me that’s what our country is all about. We should allow gay people the freedom to marry, and we should protect individual liberty too. Voting ‘Yes’ on Question 1 will do both.” The ACLU of Maine and Mainers United for Marriage couldn't do the important work of bringing Republicans – and people of all parties – together to support marriage for same-sex couples without the leadership of Representative Fitts. His choice to share his personal journey will help others think about why they should support marriage for loving and committed same-sex couples across our state, regardless of their political affiliation. Maryland – A Matter of Civil Rights and Fairness The ACLU of Maryland is a board member of the Marylanders for Marriage Equality, which on Monday released its latest ad in support of Question 6, the Civil Marriage Protection Act. The ad features NAACP Chairman Emeritus Julian Bond and is airing in the Washington, D.C. market. Bond affirms that Question 6 protects civil rights for all, saying, “My name is Julian Bond. I know a little something about fighting for what’s right and just. Maryland’s gay and lesbian families share the same values, and they should share in the right to marry. I believe people of faith understand this isn’t about any one religious belief; it’s about protecting the civil right to make a lifelong commitment to the person you love. Join me in supporting Question 6. It’s the right thing to do.” The campaign also has two ads airing in the Baltimore market that feature Rev. Donte Hickman of Baltimore’s Southern Baptist Church and Rev. Delman Coates of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Prince George's County. Both affirm that Question 6 protects religious freedom while treating people fairly under the law. Minnesota – Love is Bigger Than Government With three weeks until the election, Minnesotans United for all Families, of which the ACLU of Minnesota is a member, has been kicking their campaign – to defeat the hurtful and freedom-limiting constitutional amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples – into high gear by sharing the stories of real Minnesotans talking about why they are voting “No” and standing up for the freedom to marry. The latest TV ad to be released, Land of the Free, highlights the amendment as too much government intrusion, that limits a basic freedom. “Government isn’t telling people who they can fall in love with, so government should not be telling people who they can marry. We’re supposed to be the home of the brave, land of the free. If two people – gay, straight – commit to each other and want to take responsibility for each other through marriage, there is no reason for the government to get in the way of that. The constitution is supposed to protect our freedom, not take it away. I’m voting ‘No.’ Love is bigger than government.” Another ad features Kim and John, a Catholic Republican couple who discuss their journey to arrive at voting No. A third ad features, John from Richfield, Minnesota discussing the importance of marriage in his own life, and how he doesn't want to deny that happiness to anyone – gay or straight. Check out a whole host of videos of people talking about why they are voting no here. Washington – It’s A Question of Fundamental Fairness In February of 2012 Washington state Governor Chris Gregoire signed SB 6239, an historic bill granting civil marriage to gay and lesbian couples in the state. Opponents of marriage equality collected enough signatures to challenge the bill at the ballot this November. Washington voters must approve Referendum 74 to secure the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples. Washington United for Marriage, a coalition of more than 600 organizations, including the ACLU of Washington, has launched several beautiful ads showing a broad base of support for marriage equality. Among them is a recent statewide ad by Republican WA State Representative Maureen Walsh (R – District 16). Her ad speaks about the freedom to marry as “a question of fundamental fairness.” It is reminiscent of her moving testimony on the house floor, back in February, which became a national sensation when the video went viral on YouTube. “I was married for 23 years to the love of my life, and he died six years ago, and I miss him every day. I think to myself, ‘How could I deny any couple, whether they’re gay or straight, that incredible bond of marriage?’” Walsh says. “We’re all God’s children – who am I to pass judgment on others? As a Republican, I don’t believe the government should tell anyone who they can or cannot marry.” View additional ads and videos from Washington United for Marriage here. Learn more about 2012 freedom to marry ballot initiatives: Sign up for breaking news alerts, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.President Barack Obama (AP Photo) (CNSNews.com) – During his U.S. Senate campaign in 2004, Barack Obama was asked by a local Illinois reporter about his stand on same-sex marriage. Candidate Obama said he did not support it and that the institution of marriage has “religious roots” and “strong tradition” and as such is important to Americans. “I have been very clear on this,” Obama told a television reporter at a Springfield, Ill., campaign event. “I have said I am not a supporter of gay marriage. “I think the term marriage itself has strong religious roots and a strong tradition that means something special to people in this country,” Obama said. Obama went on to say he believed that homosexuals should be allowed to form “civil unions.” “I am a strong supporter, however, of gays and lesbians not being discriminated against; having the ability to visit each other in hospitals; having the ability to transfer property to each other and, as a consequence, I support civil unions and I’ve repeated that position and have been consistent in the position throughout the primary and throughout the general election,” he said.Why and how did this happen? In his new book WTF? How Karl Rove and the Establishment Lost...Again, C. Edmund Wright, a frequent contributor to the American Thinker website and senior consultant to the Winning Our Future Super PAC in 2012, clearly and cogently lays out not only the factors that resulted in the ignominious defeat of Mitt Romney, but the historical reasons behind the rise and fall of the Republican Establishment and it's consultant class. Not since 1984 and the landslide victory of Ronald Reagan have the Republicans had a more winnable election than the 2012 presidential election. Yet the Republican Establishment managed to lose to the worst and most vulnerable President in modern history, with historically poor approval ratings, unemployment averaging over 8.7% during his entire first term, a stagnant economy and someone who ran the smallest and most absurd of all possible re-election campaigns. Mr. Wright accurately points out that the loss in 2012 had been in the works since 1992. Why? Primarily because this is when the establishment, made up of career politicians, deep pocket "country-club" Republicans, a newly emerging political consultant coterie, and an incestuous lobbyist cabal, abandoned Ronald Reagan and what he stood for. More telling was the unprecedented success in 1992 and 1994 of a third party candidate, Ross Perot, whose campaign was based on overturning the status quo in both parties, but particularly the Republican Party. Yet this lesson was lost on the Establishment hierarchy as they grew more entrenched in their make believe world. It is not a coincidence that since the presidential election in 1988 (which was in reality a vote for a Reagan third term) in which George H.W. Bush won 426 electoral votes, the Republicans have lost 4 out of 6 presidential elections and have not been able to get beyond 286 electoral votes (2004). Per Mr. Wright: This current group of leaders in the [Establishment] now controls the main messaging outlets for Republican candidates and their top Super PACS. Never has a group of scared party apparatchiks been so out of touch with the base of their party, not to mention the truth about the history and greatness of America, as these people are today. Rove certainly epitomizes this current group, and he controls more levers of power, influence, and money than any other single person. His fingerprints are all over the Party Establishment mess, as well as their estrangement from the rest of the country (and reality). More damning, Rove is largely responsible for the fact that voters still blame Bush for the economy and still give no credit to Bush and Cheney for the eventual death of bin Laden. Rove's previous strategies can also be linked to the belief that the Hurricane Katrina response, dominated by Democrats and bureaucrats, was somehow a systemic Republican management problem. As 2012 played out and voters believed all these fictions, they naturally concluded that Obama was the man to save the economy, restore America's place in the world, and to save New Jersey and New York from Sandy's damage. The mindset of the Republican Establishment is that elections are won in the mushy middle of the electorate and thus the message of any Republican candidate should be geared to this group -- which therefore requires an equally mushy campaign devoid of any so-called "hard-edged" policy or election tactics. That the other side can do or say anything with impunity is never challenged as that might alienate the moderate or independent voters. Mr. Wright thoroughly explores not only this ill-conceived mindset but the impact of the media and the messaging since 1992. He goes into great detail in the post-mortem of the disastrous Mitt Romney campaign strategy and failure of the independent Super PACS to blunt the devious, dishonest and calculating campaign of the Obama cabal. But no analysis of this nature would be complete without a roadmap to not only purge the Republican Party of this self-centered and myopic Establishment but how to win upcoming elections and recapture the heights scaled by Ronald Reagan in the 1980's. Mr. Wright accurately points out that there is no time for a third party as the damage inflicted by Barack Obama and his fellow travelers will soon metastasize into an inoperable cancer that will ultimately destroy the country. The steps laid out by Mr. Wright are spot on and should be considered and acted upon by all Republicans running for office in 2014 and 2016. This is a must read for all to understand what happened in 2012 and why but more importantly how to avoid a repeat.Mantic Games today announced the newest in its series of dungeon crawler tabletop board games: STAR SAGA, which will launch a campaign on Kickstarter on September 26th. The spiritual sequel to the smash hit DUNGEON SAGA, Star Saga: The Eiras Contract will see the dungeon crawler format take flight—into outer space! Featuring strong story-telling elements with immersive game scenarios, and set in Mantic’s evocative Warpath Universe, STAR SAGA will see players guide a team of space mercenaries on a mission to retrieve stolen data plans from a research facility orbiting a far-off alien world. Players will take on platoons of minions, powerful alien bosses and be forced to make difficult choices as the story takes unexpected twists and turns. Further campaigns and expansions will utilize the full scope of the science fiction settings, from space stations and starships to alien worlds and beyond. Dungeon Saga was praised for its simple core mechanics that provided a perfect opening for new players, and Star Saga will build on that success. Introducing newly improved and stronger rulesets, Star Saga will feature both ‘learn as you go’ rules for new players, and more detailed, advanced mechanics for seasoned gamers. Star Saga: The Eiras Contract will hit Kickstarter on September 26th at 8:30AM EST, and run for 25 days. You can sign up for a dedicated Star Saga newsletter at www.manticgames.com/star-saga.html Share this: Email Facebook Twitter Reddit TumblrOne of Ontario’s most storied video game companies, Silicon Knights Inc., is dramatically smaller today after a sweeping round of layoffs. The St. Catharines, Ont.-based studio behind such titles as Blood Omen, Too Human and Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, is one of Ontario’s oldest development studios and one of the province’s top employers of video game talent. On Monday, citing unnamed sources, gaming news Website 1up.com reported that Silicon Knights had dismissed 72 employees, bringing the company’s head count down to just 25 staff. However, Mike Mays, chief financial officer of Silicon Knights, confirmed the layoffs to the Financial Post on Tuesday. Mr. Mays said the company laid off 45 employees — just under half its workforce — leaving an employee base of “just under 40.” “We just finished a project with [Activision Blizzard Inc.] that got completed,” he explained. “We had another project lined up that had been in the works for months, which had been green-lit and at the final second, at the high corporate level, the project got canceled. We don’t know why. Probably something to do with the publisher on their side, but that resulted in us having too many people so we had to do a layoff.” Over the past four years, Silicon Knights has been awarded a total of $8-million in government funding from a variety of provincial and federal programs. The first $1-million came from the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) in February of 2008, then $4-million came from Ottawa’s Federal Community Adjustment Fund last year and another $3-million came from the Ontario government three months ago. In the latter two rounds of funding, Silicon Knights founding president Denis Dyack said some of the money would be used to increase the company’s headcount by 65 and 80 new staff members, respectively. With local newspaper TheSt. Catharines Standardreporting in July that Silicon Knights had 97 staff members, the current total should be near 175. The studio’s most recent game, X-Men Destiny, launched on several platforms owned by Nintendo Corp. (Wii, DS), Microsoft Corp. (Xbox 360) and Sony Corp. (PlayStation 3) in late September. However, the game received a harsh welcome from critics and was largely ignored by consumers. The 1up.com report suggested the names of some developers who worked on the project prior to being let go were removed from the game’s credits, though the company has denied the suggestion, noting those names appeared in a “Special Thanks” section of the credits. Silicon Knights is currently negotiating contracts for new projects, Mr. Mays said, declining to provide details on what those new projects might entail. If the talks are successful, he said the company plans to rehire its former employees. “So hopefully this layoff will be short term.”There’s been much discussion in the parenting world regarding how to handle raising boys. Paranoid feminists essentially believe they must emasculate their boys, forcing them to remain in a toddler state of continuous wonder and love lest they dare to do so much as form a fist, let alone the dreaded finger gun. Masculinity advocates long ago titled this strange rage the “war on boys.” Now, self-titled “healer and spiritual thought-leader” Raven Anne Quigley has determined that the war on boys is actually a series of “microaggressions perpetrated against boys” on a daily basis by various cultural figureheads including their own parents. Quigley asserts that all boys are told as preschoolers to “man up” and not cry before being thrown into inherently violent sports programs against their will. All families, even the non-abusive ones, inherently teach boys the values of “violence, aggression and hyper-sexuality (violence toward women)" through the simple act of teaching them to defend themselves. Quigley explains, “A family only needs to be afraid that the boy will get beaten up himself, to harshly and powerfully school him on how to ‘be a man.’” All of these assertions are not based in fact, but rather a series of hypothetical scenarios best left to the stuff of tween TV with gay students being slammed into lockers by peers who are addicted to violent video games. The reality is that boys are naturally active creatures who often see the world in competitive terms. Their addiction to concepts like superheroes who kill bad guys has more to do with problem-solving than violence. And very few boys ever transition from active to truly aggressive. But, because facts don’t mesh with Quigley’s ideology, she simply ignores them. But please, don’t mistake her strangely worded manifesto for mere second-wave feminist dribble. Buried within her prose is the statement that makes her motivation clear: In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, we are teaching our boys that their role in our culture is that of violence, domination, power and authority. As long as “power” and “authority” are equated with “violence” and men are believed to be the arbiters of power, men and boys will always be on the losing team. Social justice warriors believe themselves to be caught up in a perma-fight against “The Man,” the obscure figure cloaked in darkness who somehow lords over their free will at all times. Contemporary feminists need The Man, otherwise there’d be no need for feminism as it’s currently written. The real secret that keeps the SJW in power is that there is no “Man.” They, in fact, are The Man as in “the man behind the curtain” no different than the one who wizarded Oz.Former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Seán Fitzpatrick is to stand trial in October 2014 on charges of failing to make disclosures to the bank’s auditors about loans he received. A trial date was requested by Mr Fitzpatrick’s defence counsel today at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan was told that the trial will take about two months. Judge Nolan fixed October 7th, 2014 for the trial. He also listed the case for the earlier date of July 25th, 2014 for an update on the trial preparations. Mr FitzPatrick (65) of Camaderry, Whitshed Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow is charged under Section 197 of the Companies Act 1990. He faces 12 counts of failing to disclose to auditors Ernst & Young the true value of loans worth at least €139 million given to him or people connected to him, by Irish Nationwide Building Society from 2002 to 2007 while he was an officer of the bank. On a hearing date in March the court was told the trial can likely not take place until late 2014. This is to allow a period of ‘fade’ regarding expected media coverage of the accused’s trial in early 2014 on separate matters. Mr Fitzpatrick was not present at today’s short hearing after being excused from attendance on a previous date.Michael Ledeen’s insightful take on the Charlottesville violence includes this passage: Have you seen the old movie “Skokie”? It’s about a Nazi march in Skokie, Illinois, and stars Danny Kaye. He plays himself, a Jew very upset that monsters are going to parade through the streets of his town, and he resolves to fight it. Which we all applaud. But the film stresses that the Nazis are entitled to march, just as the Nazis were entitled to demonstrate in Charlottesville. And when they do, the rest of us should denounce them. As we do, with rare exceptions. That’s the way it’s supposed to work. Danny Kaye was the quintessential Hollywood liberal of his time. “Skokie’s” emphasis on the right of the Nazis to march reflected a core liberal belief. In that era, many liberals rejected the notion that a march should be banned because it made others feel unsafe, even though, unlike so much of what is deemed unsafe today, the Skokie march actually would have had that effect (it did not take place, the Nazis moved it Chicago). Skokie was home to thousands of Holocaust survivors. The racists and anti-Semites who gathered in Charlottesville had a right to do so. Those who protested against the rally also had that right, as long as they didn’t interfere with the free speech rights of the racists and anti-Semites. Neither side had the right physically to attack members of the other side. It will be up to the authorities to determine who attacked whom. There’s a good chance that some members of both sides will be found culpable. Before concluding, I want to praise the ACLU for defending the right of the racists and anti-Semites to protest in Charlottesville. The city of Charlottesville had tried to revoke the protest permit of one of the rally organizers, Jason Kessler. However, the ACLU came to his legal defense, arguing that the city was trying unlawfully to restrict his speech based on content. A U.S. district court judge agreed. He ruled that Kessler “has shown that he will likely prove that the decision to revoke his permit was based on the content of his speech.” The judge noted that the city revoked Kessler’s permit but left in place the permits issued to counter-protestors. The ACLU’s stance won’t sit well with its donor base, I assume. But the ACLU is being consistent. It has defended the Ku Klux Klan, Milo Yiannopolous, as well as radical Islamists. And, in perhaps its most famous case, it defended the Nazis who wanted to march in Skokie 40 years ago.During the middle of an interview with The Daily Beast, renowned astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson shared his thoughts on religion, giving a surprising defense of Scientology (“So, you have people who are certain that a man in a robe transforms a cracker into the literal body of Jesus saying that what goes on in Scientology is crazy?”) — and, from that, asking how it is that homophobia could be legalized. “The Constitution makes no mention of Jesus, God, or anything,” Tyson argued. “The Constitution is religion-free on purpose, which I’ve read was controversial. They were smart. They said, ‘Well, if we mention god, then it establishes a religion, and that would give the government power to influence your belief system, and you would no longer have a free country.'” When asked how this extended to the recent proliferation of politically-motivated religious freedom bills — like that one recently enacted in Indiana that could be used to discriminate against LGBT customers — Tyson admitted that the law’s entire premise confused him. “I just think it’s a little weird that there’s a law that allows you to earn less money,” he said. “I think that’s weird within a capitalist democracy. If you’re a company and you don’t agree with it, you don’t put your factories there, and I don’t think that’s good for your economy. Usually the economy wins in the end in terms of decision-making, so we’ll see what comes of this.” And as to how he viewed homophobia from the perspective of a scientist, Tyson noted that homophobia “almost always entirely stems from religion”: But the point here is that if you’re religious, and your religion tells you that being gay is bad, then don’t be gay. But you have to remind yourself that that’s your belief system, and there are other belief systems that don’t agree with that, so you should not be in the position to make legislation that affects other people. It’s a fun interview. Read the full post here [The Daily Beast] [Image via screenshot] — >> Follow Tina Nguyen (@Tina_Nguyen) on Twitter Have a tip we should know? [email protected]/AURORA | Trying to explain the myriad ways in which the metro area has changed in recent years is akin to describing Donald Trump’s flaxen mane. It’s time consuming, complicated and, in the end, the exercise is likely to yield answers that are more unsettling than satisfying. The seemingly sudden arrival of thirsty Californians, bored New Englanders and every restless soul in between has abruptly shaded the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood corridor with increasingly complex hues. And the resulting influx of freshman Denverites has sparked a feverish frenzy of construction that could make even the stone-lipped Trump froth with profitable delight. Abysmal vacancy rates and a sizzling housing market have made cranes, Caterpillars and construction hats ubiquitous sights on nearly every one of the region’s high traffic arteries. Many of the newly erected urban hives are welcome refuges for space-strapped transplants desperately seeking somewhere, anywhere to lay their well-shampooed heads. But not everyone is on board with the latest residence raising madness. “Knocking something down and putting something new in is kind of a new manifest destiny, and that’s happening on an almost horrific cultural scale,” said Derrick Velasquez, a Denver-based artist and professor of fine arts at both the University of Denver and the Metropolitan State University of Denver. “I think it’s a violent thing to displace people, knock down old buildings and replace them with others that don’t have a similar structure.” That tempestuous angst Velasquez feels toward the current construction hysteria is what has fueled his latest, and largest-ever exhibit, slated to be debuted at Aurora’s in-progress Stanley Marketplace at 2501 Dallas St. on Nov. 12. Titled “New Brutal,” Velasquez’ work is a 25-foot-tall absurdist sculpture made of twisted two-by-fours, ornate molding and the general chaos unique, and perhaps exclusive to, a construction site. Many of the newly erected urban hives are welcome refuges for space-strapped transplants desperately seeking somewhere, anywhere to lay their well-shampooed heads. “The aesthetics that I’m using are based off of all of the construction going on throughout Denver,” Velasquez said. “All of the condos going up, not only in central Denver, but in Stapleton and out in the greater Denver area as well.” A graduate of both University of California, Santa Barbara and Ohio State University, Velasquez said that the piece is intended to prod jaded residents into more acutely analyzing the region’s rapidly morphing skyline and understand that newer does not inherently equate to better. “When you see a fresh, new thing next to a 100-year-old house with crown molding and the only thing separating those is property lines, it just seems strange to me,” he said. “New Brutal” will be displayed at Stanley through Dec. 10 as a product of Black Cube, a new, mobile gallery concept that was launched earlier this year in Denver. Founded by the same team behind the Red Line gallery in Denver’s RiNo Art District, Black Cube is billed as a “nomadic contemporary art museum” designed to bring art to under-served people and unexpected places. “We have plenty of cubes and traditional gallery spaces in Denver, both non-profit and for-profit art spaces or museums,” said Cortney Stell, executive director and chief curator of the organization, which had its first pop-up exhibition at Red Rocks just last month. “So we wanted to think of a way to bring art to the public. The metro area has a very tight-knit contemporary art community and we wanted to reach beyond that.” Velasquez is a Black Cube artist fellow through year’s end, and “New Brutal” will be the organization’s third-ever pop-up exhibit. Velasquez said the freedom and the funding behind Black Cube, which is backed by the David and Laura Merage Foundation, are what set the organization apart. “In lieu of having to pay taxes on a building to rent or own, we’re able to put money towards the project, so as far as individual projects go, it’s extremely well-funded,” Velasquez said. “And issues with the city can make public art quite difficult, so it’s exciting to do something really ambitious or unfettered by any bureaucracy, really. It’s a really interesting new concept.” Both Velasquez and Stell touted the massive space at the Stanley building, and trumpeted the rare opportunity to show art at an active construction site. They said the Stanley building was chosen for this particular exhibit for the dual construction themes as well as its unique positioning on the line of both Aurora and Stapleton, two significantly disparate communities. “You can literally see at the Stanley site the clash or the juxtaposition of the type of development in Stapleton with newly built, cookie-cutter houses, and then the community of Aurora right beside it, it’s like day and night,” Stell said. The $25-million Stanley project is expected to be open for business this spring. In an effort to show appreciation to both communities, Velasquez will be giving away the materials used in the construction of “New Brutal” on a first-come-first serve basis to any nearby neighbors who want them. “If anybody needs two-by-fours or metal sheeting, they can come get it for whatever need,” he said. “Or, if there’s anyone who wants a 25-foot-tall thing that’s not structurally engineered, that would be great, too.” “New Brutal” Opening Reception: 6-9 p.m., Nov. 12, Stanley Marketplace, 2501 N. Dallas St. The exihibit will also be available for viewing from 6-8 p.m. on Thursdays and 12-4 p.m. on Saturdays through Dec. 12. For more information, visit blackcubeart.org.Credit: DC Comics Credit: Gary Frank (DC Comics) During his panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego, Geoff Johns confirmed that Dr. Manhattan is, in fact, the catalyst behind the stolen time revealed in DC Universe: Rebirth #1. "If there's one being out there that could mess with time in such a radical way and challenge hope, it's Dr. Manhattan," said Johns. As for why it wasn't revealed outright sooner, Johns said he didn't want it to overshadow the book's other big return. "I wanted people to come away from DC Universe: Rebirth #1 talking about Barry and Wally and not be overshadowed by Doctor Manhattan." "Did we just say Doctor Manhattan?" Dan DiDio interjected. "That's the first time we've officially confirmed that." After that, Johns shared several panels from Doomsday Clock by Gary Frank. The first was a new character in a prison cell. The next several was of a jailbreak and an abandoned car, which Johns relates to "desperation." Although it hasn't been disclosed how many issues Doosmday Clock would be, Johns said that when the final issue comes out the other DC Universe titles will be caught up to the finale, and will segue into the future of the DC Universe. "[Gary and I] are trying to do something we've never done before," said Johns. The next panels are of a skull X-Ray, The Daily Planet, and Dr. Manhattan's atom symbol. "I didn't want Dr. Manhattan to show up just as a gimmick or a cameo," said Johns. "There are people out there who believe the Watchmen should never be touched. But I have a story and I believe in it." Johns said fans would know on the first page of the story what the whole thing is about. "There's so much great thematic and important stuff about what these heroes mean to us," said Johns. "That's what Doomsday Clock is about. It encompasses everything from Action Comics #1 to today." Johns' favorite interaction was "seeing the smartest man from one world meeting the smartest man from another - and the smartest man in the DC Universe is Lex Luthor." Johns stopped short of saying "Ozymandias" but he heavily implied it. The image at above right was shown during the panel. Drawn by Doomsday Clock's Gary Frank, it features the Justice League standing, apparently, on Mars with Earth in the background. Doomsday Clock is scheduled to begin in November. xRep. Paul Ryan Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images. One of the developments of the past few years that’s so peculiar that few people have really gotten their heads around it is the way in which conservative members of the House of Representatives have emerged as the key institutional roadblock to large cuts in American social insurance programs. You really see this, however, in Ezra Klein’s recounting of his dialogue with Paul Ryan about taxes. It’s clear that Ryan favors lower taxes. It’s clear that Klein doesn’t believe Ryan has an empirically well-grounded basis for this
faint smile stood in the corridor, encouraging the children to go in and join the fun. “Today you go to that Nani and hear songs and rhymes. Next time, I will tell you about how my friends and I fought in the great liberation war,” she said with a proud toss of her head. It was incredible to see how quickly these children managed to interact with the people at the old home, especially since in other places, they might not have received an equally warm welcome due to their underprivileged status. “It was really nice to play these games and learn these rhymes,” said 13 year old Meem. “We don't normally get such affection from strangers like this.” 15 year old Sayeed, however, was not surprised at all. “It doesn't matter if these old ladies don't have their own children with them now,” he says. “They still have the hearts of mothers, and that is why they are kind.”President Obama, in a freewheeling final press conference of the year, blasted Syria for trying to “slaughter its way to legitimacy," Russia for meddling in the U.S. elections, and even some Donald Trump supporters, who he said would make "Ronald Reagan roll over in his grave” for warming to Vladimir Putin. Though he had strong words for Russia, Obama stopped short of saying Putin himself orchestrated the Russian hacking of U.S. political sites during the election – but he did say it was done at the highest levels of the Kremlin. He says he will let the public decide whether there were rogue high-level Russian officials acting without Putin's knowledge. Obama also urged Trump to back a bipartisan investigation into the matter. "Not much happens in Russia without Vladimir Putin," Obama said in his year-end news conference. The president said he had warned Putin there would be serious consequences it he did not "cut it out," through Obama did not specify the extent or timing of any U.S. retaliation. Democrat Hillary Clinton has even more directly cited Russian interference. She said Thursday night, "Vladimir Putin himself directed the covert cyberattacks against our electoral system, against our democracy, apparently because he has a personal beef against me." Obama did not publicly support that theory Friday. He did, however, chide the media for that he called an "obsession" with the flood of hacked Democratic emails that were made public during the election's final stretch. U.S. intelligence assessments that Russia interfered in the election to benefit Trump have heightened the already tense relationship between Washington and Moscow. In the wide ranging press conference, Obama rejected the notion that the dispute over the origin of the hacking was disrupting efforts to smoothly transfer power to Trump. Despite fiercely criticizing each other during the election, Obama and Trump have spoken multiple times since the campaign ended. "He has listened," Obama said of Trump. "I can't say he will end up implementing. But the conversations themselves have been cordial." Trump's election has upended the Democratic Party, which expected to not only win the White House but also carry the Senate. Instead, the party finds itself out of power on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. In a moment of self-reflection, Obama acknowledged that he had not been able to transfer his own popularity and electoral success to other sin his party. "It is not something that I've been able to transfer to candidates in midterms or build a sustaining organization around," Obama said. "That's something I would have liked to have done more of but it's kind of hard to do when you're dealing with a whole bunch of issues here in the White House." Separately, Obama blamed Russia for standing in the way of international efforts to stop the civil war in Syria, where government forces have beaten back rebels in their stronghold of Aleppo. Obama strongly condemned the actions of the Syrian regime, declaring it could not “slaughter its way to legitimacy” and calling for an international observer force in Aleppo. “The world shall not be fooled, and the world will not forget,” Obama said. Obama began his press conference by touting his achievements from his time in office, noting that the unemployment rate has decreased and higher rates of insured people under his healthcare overhaul. Obama said he was leaving the country "stronger and more prosperous than it was when we started." Following Friday’s press conference, Obama departed for his annual family vacation in Hawaii. The Associated Press contributed to this report.Al Jazeera investigates claims that the US used germ warfare during the Korean War. This summer marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, a bloody three-year conflict that set Communist North Korea against a South Korea supported by a UN coalition headed by the US. It was the first armed confrontation of the Cold War and by the time a truce was agreed in 1953, two million soldiers and two million civilians had been killed or wounded. Six decades on, the conflict is still not formally resolved. Troops from both sides continue to face each other across the 38th parallel, while the relationship between Washington and Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, is dominated by acrimonious quarrels over the latter's nuclear weapons programme. But there is another bitter and intractable dispute that continues to haunt both sides. North Korea alleges that the US used biological weapons against Korean civilians during the war– dropping "germ" bombs containing insects, shellfish and feathers infected with anthrax, typhoid and bubonic plague on villages across the country. The US has always vehemently denied these claims, dismissing them as crude and outlandish communist propaganda from a secretive and totalitarian state. Nevertheless, the accusations have refused to go away. Pyongyang continues to press for an apology for an "outrage" that the US insists never happened. Professor Mori Masataka has been trying to unravel the truth about alleged germ warfare Twenty-year mystery In a specially extended edition, People & Power set out to investigate this extraordinary story. Our journey began in North Korea where we were given unprecedented access to follow a leading Japanese academic, Professor Mori Masataka, who has been trying to unravel the mystery for the last twenty years. On this, his fourth visit to the country, Mori's intention was to talk to men who claim to have witnessed, first hand, biological attacks on villages in 1952. But neither he nor People & Power's location producer, Tim Tate, were under any illusions. North Korea is one of the world's most secretive states and is usually impenetrable to journalists. Everywhere our cameras went, government officials went too, strictly monitoring where and what we could film. In a vast museum in the centre of Pyongyang, Mori explored a room given over to what the North Koreans claim is direct evidence of US germ warfare – including specimen jars filled with flies, mosquitoes and fleas all allegedly injected with deadly pathogens. A smartly uniformed army officer, Captain Ryu Uk Hui, drew his attention to some salvaged bomb casings. On impact, she said, they were adapted to split open and release the insects to infect the local population. A film-show followed. North Koreans said masses of insects crawled around bomb casings which fell in the snow The grainy black and white footage, purportedly North Korean news film from 1952, appeared to show masses of insects crawling on the snow covered ground beside the bomb casings. All this could have been phony, of course, and that is how the US has always responded to such claims, especially to filmed "confessions" from 36 captured US airmen - also screened in Pyongyang's museum - in which they give the North Koreans apparently detailed accounts of their participation in the US "germ" raids. Accounts that, it must be said, were all retracted on the air crews' return home to the US after the war. Hwanjin But other testimony is more difficult to fake convincingly. Later, we are driven deep into the North Korean countryside, to a village called Hwanjin, where two elderly farmers are patiently waiting. It is clear they have been tidied up for the occasion and both wore patriotic badges pinned to their tunics, yet their weathered faces, calloused hands and still grimy fingernails speak of long years spent in the fields. Although it is impossible to be sure, neither seems to be a Communist Party apparatchik primed for the occasion. And one speaks with convincing passion about the events that took the life of his father and many others, in the days after the insects came. "It was in March", says Yun Chang Bin. "The flies were big and their colour was brown-ish. "Not long after that, about April, terrible epidemics like typhoid fever were spread. People in the village developed high temperatures. Loss of appetite and then aches on the arms and legs, there was much pain." There were some 50 households in the village, he went on, and more than thirty people died. "My father died. He suffered a high fever, and then he was not able to use the lower half of his body, he wasn't able to eat and was not able to move." As his fellow farmer nods encouragingly beside him, Yun Chang Bin looks directly at Professor Mori. "I want you to go and tell the peace-loving people in the world about the atrocity the Americans committed to inflict pain to us, to make us unhappy, to kill all us Korean people, by scattering germ bombs to exterminate us." Tears and grimace At another village, another eyewitness, Li San, Bum holds his arms out as he describe the iron bomb that almost six decades ago had tumbled out of a low flying plane onto a nearby frozen lake, spilling its cargo of insects out onto the snow. And then the villagers began to get sick and die. "When they moved their bowels their stools had blood in them. And then they developed fever, and the fever made them vomit everything. My grandmother died after contracting this fever. One of my uncles died as well. So we should regard the Americans as arch enemies - how can we think well of them," Li San says. Mori has interviewed dozens of North Koreans over the years and has heard similar tales from all of them. "They told me their stories, shedding tears and grimacing with anger. They told me this germ warfare actually happened." Yun Chang Bin says his father died from high fever after the US bombed near his village But however convincing he has found these accounts, Mori knows that testimony from North Korean citizens will not be enough to convince a sceptical world that the US used germ warfare in Korea. "A scientific investigation or medical or biological investigation should be carried out. I think it is definitely necessary that a non-political purely-scientific organisation should be sent to North Korea to investigate", Mori says. As it happens, within months of the original allegations being made back in the 1950s, North Korea invited an international commission to visit the country. International commission Composed of scientists from France, Italy, Sweden, the Soviet Union and Brazil, and led by Joseph Needham, a distinguished - if left-leaning - British embryologist, the commission toured the affected areas, interviewed the sick and the dying and carried out a detailed analysis of their infections. The resulting 600-page report included results of post-mortem on the victims: these identified bubonic plague, cholera and anthrax. It concluded that germ warfare had been deployed exactly as the North Koreans claimed. Yet despite its apparent wealth of scientific evidence, it was again dismissed by the US as communist disinformation. Which is why, if a new international enquiry was ever undertaken, it would have to spread its net far further than North Korea and to the US, in particular, where the truth almost certainly lies, buried deep in the Cold War secrets of a superpower. It was there that People & Power discovered that during the 1940s and 1950s American scientists at the US Army base in Fort Detrick, Maryland, had developed ways of delivering bomb-loads of insects infected with bubonic plague and other deadly pathogens. Our investigations also uncovered two remarkable documents in the US National Archives. Unit 731 They revealed that the US had bought the expertise of Unit 731, a Japanese army biological warfare team, which conducted human experiments in the 1930s and 1940s to perfect the technology of bacteriological warfare: in World War 2, the Japanese military had dropped thousands of "germ bombs" across Northern China, killing millions of civilians. A third crucial document - marked "Top Secret" - showed that in September 1951, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff issued orders to begin "large scale field tests... to determine the effectiveness of specific BW [bacteriological warfare] agents under operational conditions." If these "field tests" were indeed undertaken, then they may have drawn again on the expertise of the Japanese biological warfare team. In Japan, People & Power found home video footage from one of the former members of that team, shot just before his death, in which he claimed that its leaders had indeed assisted the US in mounting "an attack" in Korea. But perhaps the most telling evidence came from a former US air force officer who took part in bombing raids over North Korea. Kenneth Enoch was shot down in January 1952 and held as a POW for 20 months. "Confessions" While in captivity, he was one of 36 US air force officers who made written and filmed "confessions" that they had taken part in "germ bomb" missions. When these POWs were repatriated in 1953, the US department of defence threatened to charge them with treason for co-operating with their captors. Each then retracted their confessions in front of military cameras: each claimed they had been tortured or indoctrinated by North Korean and Chinese guards. But when we tracked down and interviewed Enoch, now a sprightly 85 and living in a gated retirement community in Texas, he denied having been ill-treated or indoctrinated – and appeared to make at least a partial admission that the US did use biological weapons in the Korean War. "The people who deal in that don't have to go and fight, and that's a pretty sweet deal for them. You know, but they send it with you," he said. Nevertheless, he continued to deny that he personally played any part in biological weapons attacks. At one point, Enoch said his statements had been coerced by the North Koreans Records of Enoch's bombing missions over North Korea were removed by US air force investigators from the official records in March 1952 – two months after he was captured and one week before he made his confession to "germ warfare". People & Power asked both the US state department and the department of defence for an interview about the issue raised in our film. They turned down the offer and also declined to answer ten specific questions we put to them about North Korea's allegations. "Baseless claims" Instead, a spokesman for the US administration dismissed the claims as "baseless" and said they were "the disinformation campaign that refuses to die." So who is to be believed? Professor Mori Masataka, thinks he knows the answer. "Use of germ weapons in war is in breach of the Geneva Convention. I think that's why the Americans are refusing to admit the allegations. But I have no doubt. I'm absolutely sure that this happened." The clear implication, of course, is that were North Korea's claims ever to be proved, the US might be open to prosecution for war crimes – which would be awkward, to say the least, at a time when the US is relying on its moral authority to underpin international efforts to combat global terrorism and nuclear proliferation. Either way, one thing is clear. Until the allegations are laid to rest and the US's innocence or culpability is established beyond doubt - perhaps by an independent enquiry – one of the most enduring Cold War mysteries will continue to haunt Washington's relationship with the world's most secretive state. This episode of People & Power aired from Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Source: Al JazeeraMaine Gov. Paul LePage claimed last month that he had a three-ring binder showing that 90 percent of the suspected drug dealers arrested in the state were black or Hispanic. The binder, unbelievably, turns out to be real, but LePage's statistics—much more believably, considering the state is almost 95 percent white—do not. LePage made headlines in August when he declared that "people of color or people of Hispanic origin" were "the enemy" in the drug war. Facing accusations of racism, LePage tried to tamp down the controversy by calling a state lawmaker a "little son of a bitch socialist cocksucker" and claiming he had the statistics to back his comments up. "Let me tell you this, explain to you, I made the comment that black people are trafficking in our state, now ever since I said that comment I've been collecting every single drug dealer who has been arrested in our state," LePage said at a town hall event in August. "I don't ask them to come to Maine and sell their poison, but they come, and I will tell you that 90-plus percent of those pictures in my book, and it's a three-ringed binder, are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Conn., the Bronx and Brooklyn." In an impressive piece of public records trolling, the Maine ACLU immediately put in a freedom-of-information request for LePage's binder. Lo and behold, it really exists. The governor's office released the contents of the binder—about 150 pages of mostly news clippings and press releases—to the ACLU and media outlets Monday morning. But the binder doesn't back up LePage's claim. It demolishes it. According to the the Portland Press Herald: Of the 93 people pictured in the binder, 37 appear to be either black or Hispanic, or about 40 percent of all the photos, while 56, or about 60 percent, appear to be white [...] His office has repeatedly sought to explain that LePage was specifically referring to out-of-state heroin dealers when he described the race of those arrested, not to dealers in other drugs like methamphetamine, whose photos also are in the binder. But the photos of the 51 people facing heroin or other opioid drug charges show that only 47 percent, or 24 individuals, appear to be black or Hispanic. The remaining 53 percent, or 27 people, are white. Other press releases in the binder report the names of people charged with heroin trafficking but do not include booking mug shots. In a statement, Alison Beyea, the executive director of the ACLU of Maine, said that "whether or not [LePage's] assertions were deliberately misleading, they were dangerous and racist." "The governor has multiple agencies at his disposal that collect arrest data in Maine," Beyea continued. "It is outrageous that he would rely on an incomplete collection of newspaper clippings and emails to make false, inaccurate accusations about people of color. It's time for the governor to stop using people of color as a scapegoat for Maine's drug problem, and to start proposing real solutions based on actual facts."ODEON is aware that going to a standard performance of a film can be a challenge for guests on the autism spectrum or with sensory or learning disabilities. As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility and to promote greater social inclusion, ODEON is delighted to host specially adapted Autism Friendly Screenings of new releases one Sunday morning each month. ODEON were the first cinema chain to partner with Dimensions (a not for profit organisation providing support services for people with learning disabilities) to offer nationwide Autism Friendly Screenings and we now have over 90 ODEON cinemas through-out the UK and Ireland participating every month. The special performances have subtle changes to the cinema environment which mean that people who have sensory difficulties have a more positive experience than they would in a traditional cinema setting. Changes include: • The lights being kept on at a low level • Lower than usual sound levels • No trailers or advertisements - just the film • Allowance for increased levels of movement and noise Our hope is that, as guests with sensory difficulties become more familiar with the cinema environment, at some point they will feel comfortable with attending standard screenings. You can find out the details of the screenings at your local cinema simply select the “Autism Friendly Screenings” filter when viewing the performances at your cinema. If no performances are displayed, there may not be any Autism Friendly screenings that week – in that case you can contact our “Disability and Accessibility Helpline” who will be able to advise you further or ask in cinema. For more information about Dimensions and the Autism Friendly Screenings please visit Dimensions (opens in new window). Alternatively you can reach them via Twitter (@DimensionsUK) or Facebook (dimensionsUK).The hot new burger in this bun-and-patty-obsessed city isn’t a meaty, dry-aged, Pat LaFrieda-blend monster. It’s a quinoa-based veggie patty. Herbivores and omnivores alike are lining up at Superiority Burger, a tiny six-seat vegetarian restaurant in the East Village that Brooks Headley, a Del Posto alum, opened at the end of June. “The Superiority Burger may be the best veggie burger I have ever had,” raves Katrin Frick, 30, a copywriter living in Williamsburg who tried one for dinner on Monday. “And I have had a lot.” Headley first served the burgers at various special events and a series of wildly popular pop-ups last summer and fall. On Instagram, pork-loving chef David Chang called it “the best veggie burger I’ve ever had,” and Questlove served them at one of his exclusive dinner salons. “I’m still sort of processing it,” Headley, 43, says of all the acclaim. What’s made the burger so hot? Headley, a former vegetarian and punk rock drummer (for bands like Skull Kontrol and Wrangler Brutes), has long been passionate about veggie patties — he used to seek out the best ones when he was a touring musician in the ’90s — and he wanted to create one that wasn’t trying to mimic meat. “That’s obviously been done before,” he says. Instead, he wanted to do “something that’s made out of whole grains and vegetables that gives you the same sort of umami [as a meat burger].” He’s succeeded with a crispy, slightly charred patty made from quinoa and a rotating mix of vegetables — “We’re constantly tweaking it,” says Headley — on a squishy Martin’s potato roll. It’s topped with tomato, Muenster cheese, honey mustard and iceberg lettuce. While Headley could have gone with a more “prestigious lettuce,” he says the iceberg gives it an appealing “fast-foody” quality. Still, Headley, who spent seven years as the head pastry chef at Del Posto, says there’s plenty of technique in the $6 burger. “It’s a culmination of all of my years working in fine-dining restaurants.” Stacy De-Lin, a vegan who recently tried Superiority Burger, says Headley’s résumé comes through at the new place. “[It’s] pretty fantastic,” raves De-Lin, 35, a physician who lives in the West Village. “I’ve had the tasting menu at Del Posto, and they do vegan so well... It doesn’t surprise me that one of their chefs, Brooks Headley, came up with these recipes.” Superiority Burger, 430 E. Ninth St.; 212-256-1192. Additional reporting by Johnny OleksinskiFord and toy maker Tonka teamed to create this one-of-a-kind, not-for-sale F-750 diesel-power Ford dump truck. It'll be toted to various work-truck and equipment shows to promote Ford's shift of heavy-duty truck production to Avon Lake, Ohio, from Mexico.. (Photo: Ford) Ford Motor says it teamed with toy maker Tonka for a really big "toy" truck -- a full-size, fully functional, diesel-power, F-750 dump truck. Ford will exhibit it at the National Equipment Association Work Truck show in Indianapolis Wednesday, then take it on tour of other work-truck and equipment shows. "The people at Geneva (Motor Show this week) will wish they were here instead," quipped Ford's chief truck spokesman, Mike Levine. The Mighty Ford Tonka dump truck is real -- hauls up to 17,000 pounds in the dump box, he says. Power is from a 6.7-liter diesel V-8 rated up to 330 horsepower, 725 pounds-feet of torque. But it's a promotional item only, to draw attention to the new-design, 2016 F-650 and F-750 trucks. Ford plans to build no more -- even though some business owners might pay a small fortune to have one as a rolling ad for their hauling companies. "It's two iconic brands getting together to make a big toy for all ages," Levine says. he says. "Creating this F-750 Tonka truck is a special way to celebrate that many of today's Ford truck customers first drove a Tonka truck," says Kathy Hawk,vice president of marketing for Tonka parent Funrise Toy. The Ford Tonka also is meant to call attention to the fact that Ford has moved production of its heaviest-duty F-series models -- the F-650 and F-750 -- to Avon Lake, Ohio, out of Mexico where the previous version was built. Avon Lake formerly made E-series vans -- Econolines -- that have been discontinued. The big Transit van, on sale since last year, replaces the E-vans. The model on which the Tonka is based is beyond what Ford calls "Super Duty," which runs from F-250 to F-550. Those wind up on the street as factory-made high-capacity pickups, and after-market modified into ambulances, tow trucks and other specialty vehicles. Perversely, for those not truck savvy, the hulking, brawny dump truck and its ilk are considered medium-duty models, and are identified as Class VII vehicles. Semi-tractor rigs are Class VIII and considered the true heavy duty vehicles. Ford has said it will make extensive use of aluminum on the next-generation Super Duty models, drawing on experience from the aluminum-body F-150 -- a standard-duty model in truckers' lexicon -- that went on sale last November. That move to aluminum won't include the F-650 and F-750. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1BEHIs4Sure, Toronto’s reputation has taken a bit of a hit during this past crazy week or two in Canadian politics. While it may be difficult, spare a thought for the image of Ottawa too. It hasn’t been a great few weeks for the national capital in the news either, above and beyond the follies in the Senate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, see on a convention video screen, was in front of his Conservative Party faithful in Calgary on Nov. 1 when he railed against the "elites" and the courts that beset him so back in Ottawa. ( todd korol / reuters ) Toronto and Ottawa, for very different reasons, have become targets for ridicule this fall, through no real fault of their citizens. While Toronto’s citizens are asking not to be judged by what their leader does, for instance, Ottawa’s residents are asking not to be viewed by what the Prime Minister says. And if it’s true that a good proportion of Torontonians believe they deserve better at the top, the man at the top in Ottawa has been making clear that he finds the city wanting. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is Ottawa’s most reluctant resident. He’s the outsider in the big house at 24 Sussex Drive — and he’s keen to share his disdain for the city in which he finds himself. Article Continued Below If you listened closely to Harper’s speech to Conservative loyalists about a week ago in Calgary, it was hard not to see him as a man held hostage in enemy territory. To hear Harper explain things, he’s trying his best to make it work in Ottawa, but he’s being thwarted at every turn by political rivals or the media or the courts lurking everywhere in this hostile capital. Yes, he mentioned the courts. The same man who asked the Supreme Court to guide him on how to reform the Senate is now saying that that this whole business of doing things by the legal books is an obstacle in his path. It’s a bit like a municipal official asking the chief of police to step aside, to get out of the way during a political investigation — but that wouldn’t happen in real life or a working democracy, would it? The courts are just part of the Prime Minister’s problems with Ottawa. In his Calgary speech, Harper made it clear that he and his wife came to Ottawa a decade ago against their better judgment. “We didn’t go to Ottawa to join private clubs or become part of some elite,” he said, evoking the image of the capital as one big, dark, smoky backroom; the aforementioned “elites” sipping brandy and puffing on cigars bought at the expense of the hardworking taxpayers. In real life, Ottawa isn’t that bad a city. Honestly. It’s filled with people who do work hard every day, many of them in the public service. Article Continued Below According to the latest missives coming from Harper’s government, these public servants aren’t working for you and me, or even Harper, but instead for “union bosses” — no doubt housed somewhere else in the capital, in yet another dark room full of cigar-smoking elites. “Look, I know some of the union bosses are upset and they’re going to light their hair on fire and say how horrible this is,” Treasury Board Tony Clement said in a recent, testy interview with local CBC Radio. He was talking about a surprise measure mentioned in the Throne Speech, which would give the government the right to designate essential services in the case of looming strikes with the public servants. It was said this week that Toronto continues to be a great, thriving city, despite the problems with the mayor — that a visitor to downtown Toronto, oblivious to the headlines, would still see a city functioning as normal. Perhaps it’s just coincidence, but the same cannot be said of downtown Ottawa. Any visitor to the streets around the Parliament buildings will find a scene of torn-up streets, construction mess and block-long rows of empty, historic buildings and abandoned stores. The downtown core of Ottawa looks like it’s in the midst of some disaster-recovery operation, thanks to the Public Works department. Glass-half-full people will say that this downtown mess is a sign of hope — a government intent on taking a hatchet to the public service is still gutting great buildings to create more office cubicles. Who knows? Maybe a government that’s creating a museum of history across the river in Gatineau will find a way to showcase the history of the buildings it has rendered to dust immediately in front of Parliament. But it is kind of eerie how the physical condition of downtown Ottawa, especially in the streets around Parliament Hill, is coming to resemble the wrecking-ball rhetoric about the city. Toronto’s residents have been assured that their mayor still loves his city, despite his troubles. Citizens of Ottawa, navigating through the wreckage around the Parliament buildings, are not likely to make the same claim about the Prime Minister. Ottawa bureau member Susan Delacourt’s new book is Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose Us and We Choose Them (Douglas & McIntyre). It is available for purchase at StarStore.ca/delacourt Read more about:Cancer conwoman Belle Gibson faces more than $1 million in penalties for profiting off false cancer claims and defrauding charities while orchestrating a global health scam that gave false hope to seriously ill people and fooled multinational companies including Apple and Penguin. In the most significant action taken against the disgraced "wellness" blogger, Victoria's consumer watchdog on Friday launched legal proceedings in the Federal Court that pave the way for serious penalties against Ms Gibson. The action is in response to Ms Gibson's false claims of beating terminal brain cancer by eschewing conventional medicine, and the unlawful fundraising appeals run by The Whole Pantry founder in 2013 and 2014. Her publisher, Penguin, will have to pay $30,000 for failing to fact-check Ms Gibson's book, The Whole Pantry, in which she claims to have cured herself with a healthy lifestyle.Dumb name for a dumb blog post - my ears finally popped overnight after a painful flight home yesterday. Thanks, Twitter, for giving me tips!Someday, in my fantasy future, I won't get sick after a convention, and my flight won't be filled with headaches/earaches/bloody noses. Though it does often discourage my seat neighbor from using the armrest. Perks!Thanks to everyone who came out to ECCC! Sweet god, what a fantastic show. You guys really make me feel like a rock star, I hope you know.For those who didn't catch the news, a bunch of us (read: nearly all of us at Blind Ferret) went without a good 50% of our merchandise, as an entire pallet was held up at customs. My apologies for anyone who wanted a book or McPedro doll after, like, 3 pm Saturday!With luck this'll never happen again, and next year I should have, what, like 7 books? And a billion McPedros.By the by, did you knownext? Because why rest?? hahaHAHAHAHahahahaNo, really, I'm excited to go and see everyone. Plus, I'll totally be sitting withand! So you'll be able to find all three of us by locating the end of Jeph's line. ;) 2019 Schedule TCAF May 11 & 12 2nd floor Toronto, ON August 1-4 Indianapolis, IN SPX September 14 & 15 Bethesda, MD Danielle likes to read... New faves!! My Giant Nerd Boyfriend Boumeries Up and Out Alison and her Rock Awesome Robot Kevin Budnik's autobio comics Lunarbaboon ~*TIMELESS CLASSICS*~ Questionable Content Something Positive Dumbing of Age Diesel Sweeties Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Johnny Wander Octopus Pie That Deaf Guy LunarBaboon Sufficiently Remarkable Blaster Nation Ramen Empire Molebashed Murdercake Jump Rope Outlander Man Too Sexy For Work! Chester 5000 (too sexy for work!) Oh Joy Sex Toy (also too sexy!) The Rock Cocks (careful: sexy!) Finished, but worth re-reading! The Bad Chemicals Cul de Sac I also love the podcast My Brother My Brother And Me! My old pal R. Stevens and I used to do a podcast called Coffee and Cider! It was mostly about being work-obsessed idiots and human beings who like beverages and have cats.IN THE RECENT Future Of Ireland survey, 48% of respondents were in favour of the payment of a basic income to all citizens. A basic income is a regular payment from the state, granted to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement. It is paid irrespective of any income from other sources and is given without requiring the performance of any work, paid or even unpaid, or the willingness to accept a job if offered. Ideally, it should be sufficient to support a frugal but decent lifestyle. For people who are not employed, the basic income payment would replace most social welfare payments. For people who are employed, the basic income payment would replace most tax credits. The payment would also extend to those who currently receive no income from the state. Social Justice Ireland calculates that we can do this in Ireland, pegged to current social welfare rates: €188 to each person between 25 and 65 €230 to each person over 65 €100 to each person between 18 and 25 Current child-benefit rates to under-18s. Carer’s Allowance, Disability Allowance and other special-needs payments will still exist as means-tested top-ups to basic income. A single tax of 45% on personal incomes (replacing current income tax, USC and employee PRSI), along with an employers’ solidarity payment (to replace current employer’s PRSI) would finance this proposal in a revenue-neutral fashion, that is, neither increasing nor reducing the government’s deficit. Fianna Fáil’s Willie O’Dea speaking about the basic income concept to TheJournal.ie: Imagine if the government of the day decided to introduce basic income for all citizens and legal residents, starting on 1 January 2017. That means that until 31 December 2016 taxes and benefits would be collected and paid under the old system and on 1 January 2017, taxes would be collected and basic income paid under the new system. What would need to happen in the year leading up to 1 January 2017? It would be necessary for the government to put in place an education campaign similar to what we had for the euro changeover throughout 2001 and for introducing postcodes in 2015. Everybody would then understand the ideas behind basic income including how it would be financed, and the advantages it would confer on society and economy. In parallel, practical preparations for a changeover would take place, so that on 1 January 2017, PRSI and the current income tax system, as well as most discretionary tax reliefs, would cease to exist. They would be replaced with an employer’s solidarity payment and a 45% flat rate of income tax on all income over and above the basic income (which always remains tax-free). To this end, the tax and welfare departments and systems in Ireland would need to be completely integrated and a capacity-building programme put in place for the relevant civil servants. They are essential players in any system of state support and would need to thoroughly understand the practicalities and underlying principles of basic income, in order to implement the changeover and efficiently maintain ongoing administration. All entitled residents would need to be registered for their basic income. Everybody would need a post office or bank account for direct weekly payment. Online and paper information about amounts paid to each category of recipient, and how it would be paid would have to be widely distributed. Some civil servants would need to be deployed to conduct local information meetings. Key points about basic income The day-to-day workings of basic income can be understood easily. Equally important in the education campaign would be the following key points about the principles underpinning the new system: Basic income is not free money but a rights-based floor of security for citizens and legal residents, which is under everything else in society and economy. Basic income is revenue-neutral and will not encroach on health, education or other capital spending. A single income-tax rate of 45%, combined with a tax-exempt basic income, is highly progressive. Universal payments are more efficient and fairer than means-tested payments. It makes more sense to reclaim basic income costs from rich people via taxation, rather than have an arbitrary cut-off point for the basic-income payment. Unpaid work, which is supported by basic income, contributes hugely to economy and society. Basic income always provides a financial incentive for people to take up paid work. At the same time, it gives people freedom to turn down exploitative, harmful, useless or dead-end jobs. Money introduced at the bottom of an
continued throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries,[75] running in parallel with John Locke's views that there was an association of ideas requiring the coexistence of feelings with awareness of the feelings.[78] Hypnosis, which was pioneered in the late 18th century by Franz Mesmer and Armand-Marie Jacques de Chastenet, Marques de Puységur, challenged Locke's association of ideas. Hypnotists reported what they thought were second personalities emerging during hypnosis and wondered how two minds could coexist.[75] The plaque on the former house of Pierre Marie Félix Janet (1859–1947), the philosopher and psychologist who first alleged a connection between events in the subject's past life and present mental health, also coining the words "dissociation" and "subconscious." In the 19th century, there were a number of reported cases of multiple personalities which Rieber[78] estimated would be close to 100. Epilepsy was seen as a factor in some cases,[78] and discussion of this connection continues into the present era.[79][80] By the late 19th century, there was a general acceptance that emotionally traumatic experiences could cause long-term disorders which might display a variety of symptoms.[81] These conversion disorders were found to occur in even the most resilient individuals, but with profound effect in someone with emotional instability like Louis Vivet (1863–?), who suffered a traumatic experience as a 17-year-old when he encountered a viper. Vivet was the subject of countless medical papers and became the most studied case of dissociation in the 19th century. Between 1880 and 1920, various international medical conferences devoted time to sessions on dissociation.[82] It was in this climate that Jean-Martin Charcot introduced his ideas of the impact of nervous shocks as a cause for a variety of neurological conditions. One of Charcot's students, Pierre Janet, took these ideas and went on to develop his own theories of dissociation.[83] One of the first individuals diagnosed with multiple personalities to be scientifically studied was Clara Norton Fowler, under the pseudonym Christine Beauchamp; American neurologist Morton Prince studied Fowler between 1898 and 1904, describing her case study in his 1906 monograph, Dissociation of a Personality.[83][84] 20th century [ edit ] In the early 20th century, interest in dissociation and multiple personalities waned for a number of reasons. After Charcot's death in 1893, many of his so-called hysterical patients were exposed as frauds, and Janet's association with Charcot tarnished his theories of dissociation.[75] Sigmund Freud recanted his earlier emphasis on dissociation and childhood trauma.[75] In 1908, Eugen Bleuler introduced the term "schizophrenia" to represent a revised disease concept for Emil Kraepelin's dementia praecox.[85] Whereas Kraepelin's natural disease entity was anchored in the metaphor of progressive deterioration and mental weakness and defect, Bleuler offered a reinterpretation based on dissociation or "splitting' (Spaltung) and widely broadened the inclusion criteria for the diagnosis. A review of the Index medicus from 1903 through 1978 showed a dramatic decline in the number of reports of multiple personality after the diagnosis of schizophrenia became popular, especially in the United States.[86] The rise of the broad diagnostic category of dementia praecox has also been posited in the disappearance of "hysteria" (the usual diagnostic designation for cases of multiple personalities) by 1910.[87] A number of factors helped create a large climate of skepticism and disbelief; paralleling the increased suspicion of DID was the decline of interest in dissociation as a laboratory and clinical phenomenon.[82] Starting in about 1927, there was a large increase in the number of reported cases of schizophrenia, which was matched by an equally large decrease in the number of multiple personality reports.[82] With the rise of a uniquely American reframing of dementia praecox/schizophrenia as a functional disorder or "reaction" to psychobiological stressors—a theory first put forth by Adolf Meyer in 1906—many trauma-induced conditions associated with dissociation, including "shell shock" or "war neuroses" during World War I, were subsumed under these diagnoses.[85] It was argued in the 1980s that DID patients were often misdiagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia.[82] The public, however, was exposed to psychological ideas which took their interest. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and many short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, had a formidable impact.[78] The Three Faces of Eve [ edit ] In 1957, with the publication of the bestselling book The Three Faces of Eve by psychiatrists Corbett H. Thigpen and Hervey M. Cleckley, based on a case study of their patient Chris Costner Sizemore, and the subsequent popular movie of the same name, the American public's interest in multiple personality was revived. More cases of dissociative identity disorder were diagnosed in the following years.[88] The cause of the sudden increase of cases is indefinite, but it may be attributed to the increased awareness, which revealed previously undiagnosed cases or new cases may have been induced by the influence of the media on the behavior of individuals and the judgement of therapists.[88] During the 1970s an initially small number of clinicians campaigned to have it considered a legitimate diagnosis.[82] Between 1968 and 1980, the term that was used for dissociative identity disorder was "Hysterical neurosis, dissociative type." The APA wrote in the second edition of the DSM: "In the dissociative type, alterations may occur in the patient's state of consciousness or in his identity, to produce such symptoms as amnesia, somnambulism, fugue, and multiple personality."[62] The number of cases sharply increased in the late 1970s and throughout the 80s, and the first scholarly monographs on the topic appeared in 1986.[11] Sybil [ edit ] In 1974, the highly influential book Sybil was published, and later made into a miniseries in 1976 and again in 2007. Describing what Robert Rieber called "the third most famous of multiple personality cases,"[89] it presented a detailed discussion of the problems of treatment of "Sybil Isabel Dorsett," a pseudonym for Shirley Ardell Mason. Though the book and subsequent films helped popularize the diagnosis and trigger an epidemic of the diagnosis,[38] later analysis of the case suggested different interpretations, ranging from Mason's problems having been caused by the therapeutic methods used by her psychiatrist, Cornelia B. Wilbur, or an inadvertent hoax due in part to the lucrative publishing rights,[89][90] though this conclusion has itself been challenged.[91] Dr. David Spiegel, a Stanford psychiatrist whose father treated Shirley Ardell Mason on occasion, says that his father described Mason as "a brilliant hysteric. He felt that Dr. Wilbur tended to pressure her to exaggerate on the dissociation she already had."[92] As media attention on DID increased, so too did the controversy surrounding the diagnosis.[8] With the publication of the DSM-III, which omitted the terms "hysteria" and "neurosis" (and thus the former categories for dissociative disorders), dissociative diagnoses became "orphans" with their own categories[93] with dissociative identity disorder appearing as "multiple personality disorder."[11] In the opinion of McGill University psychiatrist Joel Paris, this inadvertently legitimized them by forcing textbooks, which mimicked the structure of the DSM, to include a separate chapter on them and resulted in an increase in diagnosis of dissociative conditions. Once a rarely occurring spontaneous phenomenon (research in 1944 showed only 76 cases),[94] became "an artifact of bad (or naïve) psychotherapy" as patients capable of dissociating were accidentally encouraged to express their symptoms by "overly fascinated" therapists.[93] In a 1986 book chapter (later reprinted in another volume), philosopher of science Ian Hacking focused on multiple personality disorder as an example of "making up people" through the untoward effects on individuals of the "dynamic nominalism" in medicine and psychiatry. With the invention of new terms entire new categories of "natural kinds" of people are assumed to be created, and those thus diagnosed respond by re-creating their identity in light of the new cultural, medical, scientific, political and moral expectations. Hacking argued that the process of "making up people" is historically contingent, hence it is not surprising to find the rise, fall, and resurrection of such categories over time.[95] Hacking revisited his concept of "making up people" in an article published in the London Review of Books on 17 August 2006.[96] "Interpersonality amnesia" was removed as a diagnostic feature from the DSM III in 1987, which may have contributed to the increasing frequency of the diagnosis.[11] There were 200 reported cases of DID as of 1980, and 20,000 from 1980 to 1990.[97] Joan Acocella reports that 40,000 cases were diagnosed from 1985 to 1995.[98] Scientific publications regarding DID peaked in the mid-1990s then rapidly declined.[99] There were several contributing factors to the rapid decline of reports of multiple personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder. One was the discontinuation in December 1997 of Dissociation: Progress in the Dissociative Disorders, the journal of The International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality and Dissociation.[100] The society and its journal were perceived as uncritical sources of legitimacy for the extraordinary claims of the existence of intergenerational satanic cults responsible for a "hidden holocaust"[101] of Satanic ritual abuse that was linked to the rise of MPD reports. In an effort to distance itself from the increasing skepticism regarding the clinical validity of MPD, the organization dropped "multiple personality" from its official name in 1993, and then in 1997 changed its name again to the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. In 1994, the fourth edition of the DSM replaced the criteria again and changed the name of the condition from "multiple personality disorder" to the current "dissociative identity disorder" to emphasize the importance of changes to consciousness and identity rather than personality. The inclusion of interpersonality amnesia helped to distinguish DID from dissociative disorder not otherwise specified, but the condition retains an inherent subjectivity due to difficulty in defining terms such as personality, identity, ego-state and even amnesia.[11] The ICD-10 still classifies DID as a "Dissociative [conversion] disorder" and retains the name "multiple personality disorder" with the classification number of F44.8.81.[5] 21st century [ edit ] A 2006 study compared scholarly research and publications on DID and dissociative amnesia to other mental health conditions, such as anorexia nervosa, alcohol abuse and schizophrenia from 1984 to 2003. The results were found to be unusually distributed, with a very low level of publications in the 1980s followed by a significant rise that peaked in the mid-1990s and subsequently rapidly declined in the decade following. Compared to 25 other diagnosis, the mid-90's "bubble" of publications regarding DID was unique. In the opinion of the authors of the review, the publication results suggest a period of "fashion" that waned, and that the two diagnoses "[did] not command widespread scientific acceptance."[99] Society and culture [ edit ] Despite its rareness, DID is portrayed with remarkable frequency in popular culture, producing or appearing in numerous books, films, and television shows.[43] Psychiatrist Colin A. Ross has stated that based on documents obtained through freedom of information legislation, psychiatrists linked to Project MKULTRA claimed to be able to deliberately induce dissociative identity disorder using a variety of aversive techniques.[103] Surveys of the attitudes of Canadian and American psychiatrists towards dissociative disorders completed in 1999[65] and 2001[104] found considerable skepticism and disagreement regarding the research base of dissociative disorders in general and DID in specific, as well as whether the inclusion of DID in the DSM was appropriate. NFL player Herschel Walker published an autobiography in 2008 discussing his life and diagnosis of DID.[105] Legal issues [ edit ] Within legal circles, DID has been described as one of the most disputed psychiatric diagnoses and forensic assessments.[6] The number of court cases involving DID has increased substantially since the 1990s[106] and the diagnosis presents a variety of challenges for legal systems. Courts must distinguish individuals who mimic symptoms of DID for legal or social reasons. Within jurisprudence there are three significant problems:[6] Individuals diagnosed with DID may accuse others of abuse, but lack objective evidence and base their accusations solely on regular or recovered memories. There are questions regarding the civil and political rights of alters, particularly which alter can legally represent the person, sign a contract or vote. Finally, individuals diagnosed with DID who are accused of crimes may deny culpability on the grounds that the crime was committed by a different identity-state. In cases where not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) is used as a defence in a court, it is normally accompanied by one of three legal approaches—claiming a specific alter was in control when the crime was committed (and if that alter is considered insane), deciding whether all (or which) alters may be insane, or whether only the dominant personality meets the insanity standard.[8] NGRI is rarely successful for individuals with DID accused of committing crimes while in a dissociated state.[9] There is no agreement within the legal and mental health fields whether an individual can be acquitted due to a diagnosis of DID. It has been argued that any individual with DID is a single person with a serious mental illness, and therefore exhibits diminished responsibility; this was first recognized in an American court in 1978, in the State of Ohio v. Milligan case. However, public reaction to the result of the case involving William S. "Billy" Milligan was strongly negative, and since that time the few cases claiming insanity have found either that the altered consciousness found in DID is irrelevant or that the actual diagnosis itself was not admissible evidence.[8] The self-reported nature of the symptoms used to reach a diagnosis makes it difficult to determine their credibility, although objective measuring of brain activation and structural patterns are a promising direction for future scientific research into distinguishing malingered from genuine DID in forensic settings.[6] Forensic experts called on to conduct forensic examinations for DID must use a multidisciplinary approach, including multiple screening instruments.[8]When charging ahead with all of your new strategies for responsive web design don’t forget the one of most important parts – the typographic headlines. Stay ahead of most web designers by paying close attention to how the headlines are playing out on the page at different sizes. That means being very intentional about the sizing and line breaks for type. Here are some current options for creating large headlines at all sizes – some old-school and less versatile and others that will give you a delicious looking result at every size. 1. Use an Image – Not Recommended You really could do quite a bit with just an image with a width of 100% and a height that is left on auto, or set to auto. The problem is that this takes away control from people who land on your site to copy or highlight the text, makes it hard for accessibility or people with vision issues to access your text, and makes that text less accessible for search engines as well. It’s your headline! You want Google and other search engines to see how much of a emphasis you’re putting on that text with a <h1> tag wrapped around real text – not an image. 2. Use Media Queries – (@media in conjunction with em and rem for font-size.) Media queries with em and rem suffer from the text-size not really being 100% fluid. Most designers I see are using the media-queries method, and it does have it’s drawbacks. If you do this though, you have to write a media query for every size if you want the text to adapt to the browser, but in between you don’t have an incremental change. /** For instance here is the way many web designers are currently making their headlines responsive **/ h1 {font-size: 37px;} @media screen and (min-width: 768px and max-width: 1080px) { h1 {font-size: 29px} } @media screen and (min-width: 500px) and (max-width: 768px) { h1 {font-size: 21px} } } @media screen and (max-width: 500px) { h1 {font-size: 19px} } } But what about a better way? One that doesn’t require you to write a new media query for every size? 3. Use CSS Viewport Units – (vw, vh, vmax, and vmin) For a little less control than the Javascript options, but only utilizing new CSS conventions, these are awesome. For IE 10+, Firefox 19+, Chrome 34+, Safari 7+, Android 4.4+, iOS 6+, (in other words, most modern browsers) this CSS version can really do the trick; h1 { font-size: 36px; /* Some in between fallback that isn't horrible */; font-size: 5.4vw;} Some of the features of these Javascript plugins aren’t there, but for most newer browsers this gets the job done. If you have headlines that you’re generally keeping on one line though this is perfect without the weight of the Javascript. But what about justifying the text so it goes to the edge of the container and evens out on each line? It is a headline after all. That’s where Javascript comes in, and these JS plugins can do some of the math for you. 4. BigText – JS Plugin Here’s one of the simpler JS Plugins by Zach Leat. As you can see in this JS Fiddle it allows you to quickly implement something like CSS Viewport units but with justification as well. For BigText you need to add divs around each line and wrap them in all in a div with an id=”bigtext”. Of course each of these; BigText, FitText, and SlabText will require you to load the JS wherever you’re loading your JS on the site. Each of these you should load before anything that would hide the elements you’re trying to resize like sliders or other JS files of that nature. 5. FitText – JS Plugin According to the authors of FitText, Paravel; “If your text is resizing poorly you can tweak up/down something in the Javascript file called “The Compressor” which works a little like a guitar amp. The default is `1`. FitText now allows you to specify two optional pixel values: `minFontSize` and `maxFontSize`.” FitText is great for situations when you want to preserve hierarchy between your lines. Make sure your container has a width so that FitText can work, so that it knows what to size the text to. 6. SlabText – JS Plugin This is a lot of designers’ favorite, because of the amount control possible, and the very sleek features. Once again, with the SlabText JS plugin, you can wrap up certain groups of words to make sure those words all stay on one line and the text is justified to any size and is ideal for longer headlines. Sara Soueidan created a nice CodePen to demonstrate the excellence of this, so you can see it in action. You can include it, or download it from GitHub at this location: http://freqdec.github.io/slabText/js/jquery.slabtext.min.js And activate like this: $("h1").slabText({ // Don't slabtext the headers if the viewport is under 380px "viewportBreakpoint":380 }); Check out a more in-depth post about how to implement this, and try it out now and see how easy it could be. Headlines need love on the web and don’t always get the attention they deserve even know they set the visual tone for so many sites. If you pay attention to them and give them a bit of love with one of these methods, it’s just one more way you can set your website designs apart from other sites. The Author Tim Brown is a web designer and marketer for SEO Minneapolis and who is particularly passionate about typography as it relates to web design. (dpe)I've compiled the most common questions about the BioShock 2 Multiplayer Experience and Multiplayer Matchmaking into a Q&A and interviewed 2K Marin for answers. Below are the fruits of our labor. Enjoy! How does multiplayer work on the consoles, and is it different for the PS3 and 360? They work similarly for both platforms, with some differences in how they are integrated with its respective party systems. How does multiplayer, in general, differ on the PC from the consoles? Like above, the core gameplay experience of the PC, Xbox and PS3 are similar, with some differences in how they are integrated with its party systems and required functionality for its respective platform. How do ranked matches work? The multiplayer does not have ranked/unranked distinctions, but a hybrid system where there is an in-game party system where you can invite up to four of your friends into your party to take into online matchmaking. You can also join in-progress games on any of your friends if there is space available. All of these games have stats recorded to a worldwide leaderboard. You can also create private matches where you can invite up to 9 other people into a match to play the games on your own time. Private match results don�t get posted on the leaderboards and is a safe place for you and your friends to practice before going online. Can you play ranked matches with your friends? Yes, once you are in the lobby, you can invite your friends to form a party to play online. The matchmaking system will keep you and your friends together on the same team as long as you all want to play together and will attempt to find you players of similar skill for your party to play against. How does your matchmaking system work and how do you make sure there isn�t lag or bad match ups? The matchmaking system takes a couple of things into account. We try to get you into a game as quickly as possible (since we know how much waiting really stinks), but match you up to people who are as close to your rank and skill as possible, with a certain amount of weighting to each factor, as well as requiring a low ping for those matched players. How do you deal with people who grief or cheat or are otherwise not making a good ranked experience? Can you kick them? Even though we are doing everything we can to try to find exploits in our own game, there will always be people who will find a way to grief a game. There is no kick option as we felt like it often leads to more unfair kicking than fair kicking. We hope that because there are a variety of player goals and a multitude of options for ranking up and killing, the player will always feel like he or she is gaining something in a match with mean people and griefers. If you do get matched up with one of those people, please report it, leave that game, and we�ll try to smooth out the online experience as best as we can. What�s the difference between ranked and unranked matches and why did you choose to have these two options? We don�t have these two options. We felt like having just one giant place to meet players would be easier for getting better matches, and it is very important to us that we never split your parties. We want you to make friends, play with your friends, and compete with your friends. If you want to get practice in before going online, you can make a private match where you can play with people on direct invitation. Do you support LAN play on consoles or PC? Do you support dedicated servers? Short answer, no and no. There is always a finite amount of time for the development of a game. Bringing Multiplayer to BioShock was a daunting task between the tech (there was no multiplayer support in the codebase from the first game) and the expectations of the community. Either you try to do everything and so nothing feels finished or you focus your efforts to do a smaller number of things really well like an accessible online experience. We chose to spend the time we had creating a solid game foundation and unfortunately that did not include LAN play or dedicated servers.Transworld Surf Waves Goodbye To Print After a ride of nearly 15 years, Transworld Surf magazine appears to have come to a closeout. The staff is now reportedly working on the final issue of the magazine. At a meeting this morning (June 25, 2013) in Transworld’s Carlsbad, California offices, it was reportedly announced to the staff that the print magazine would be shutting down, however, the website would continue under the leadership of Justin Cote and Zander Morton. This news come just one month after it was announced that GrindMedia/Source Interlink had purchased Transworld Media from the Bonnier Corporation. When that transaction was announced GrindMedia Senior Vice President and Group Publisher Norb Garrett said on May 20, 2013 suggested that there were no plans to cut any Transworld brands or employees. How quickly things change. In an interview posted on the GrindMedia owned Transworld Business Garrett explained the decision: The first question everybody in the industry asked us was “can you do three surf mags?” That was a question we needed to answer first before we did anything else. While we could have on day one just closed TW Surf, which would have made a lot of sense to a lot of people, I really felt that we owed the brand and the market an opportunity for us to understand more about how the brand fit into the space. That was information we couldn’t get until after we had the brand and could have the conversations with advertisers, people in the industry, and even people outside the industry. Over the last month we spent a lot of time asking that question and the answer we came up with was no. Garrett said that a few of the staff will be offered other opportunities in the company, and a few employees will be cut. No other title cutbacks were announced in the meetings held June 25, 2013 according to the story, but it seems likely in this changing media environment that more evolution will take place in the coming months. For the rest of Garrett’s interview click the link. [Link: Transworld Business]Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. April 27, 2017, 1:44 PM GMT / Updated April 27, 2017, 1:44 PM GMT By Jane C. Timm President Donald Trump has made little progress on some of his key campaign promises in his first 100 days as president. Of the 10 core goals for his presidency tracked by NBC News, Trump made progress on two, faltered on four, and did little or nothing on the rest. Trump's tangible progress is mostly confined to headline-grabbing executive orders that tackle parts of his promises from the campaign by undertaking regulatory or administrative reviews, or green lighting permits. "I don't think there's any question that the president has done a significant amount on the issues that he put forward in the campaign," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters ahead of the 100-day mark, touting "a record number" of executive orders. "We are very proud." RELATED: Tracking Donald Trump's Promises But when it comes to the pledges that helped Trump get elected — the big-ticket items that require Congressional input like reforming immigration and revamping health care — the president has struggled to make a dent. “He’s issued executive orders in line with what he’s said and appointments as well, but at the same time … to a remarkable degree, he doesn’t feel his previous statements bind him to anything," presidential historian Michael Beschloss told NBC News. Here's where things stand: 1. Promise: Create 25 million jobs, rebuild industry Status: Some direct action, progress Job creators have applauded Trump’s “pro business” policies, and he’s taken some action aimed at job creation through executive orders. He rolled back regulations on the coal industry and ordered federal agencies to rescind regulations that “unduly burden” domestic energy development. Sources in the coal industry say the jobs are unlikely to come back, though his actions may stave off further losses. He's blasted Canadian dairy farmers as a "disgrace" because their government-subsidized farms are charging low prices that undercut some American farmers, and he declared that the Canadian government's protection of its dairy industry through import tariffs and other measures is unfair. The president also ordered a review of foreign-worker visa programs in hopes of encouraging domestic corporations to hire more Americans, though the details of implementation are unclear; effects on the H1-B visa program won’t be immediately known, as this year’s visa process won’t be affected. Trump has been quick to take credit for the state of the economy, including claiming credit for job gains that came under President Barack Obama. He's also celebrated the very monthly jobs reports he had suggested were fraudulent under the Obama administration. What's more, Trump's anecdotal claims of success have repeatedly been found to be exaggerated or had been announced months and sometimes years ahead of his presidency, like when he touted 900 new or saved jobs in Michigan that were part of a larger effort that saw a net loss of 200 jobs, or when he boasted of saving a Ford plant in Indiana that was not up for relocation. 2. Promise: Unite a divided nation Status: No tangible progress or efforts Trump has not taken any direct action that we can evaluate here, and divisions he has decried — a record-high 77 percent of Americans said in late November they see the nation as divided — persist. His legislative attempts have yet to attract bipartisan support, and his executive orders rolling back protections for transgender students and women in workplaces have been criticized as divisive. The nation is sharply split in its view of Trump, too. Nearly 100 days in, more Americans disapprove of the president’s leadership than approve of it: The most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found 48 percent of Americans disapproving of his presidency, with 44 percent approving. He reiterated his goal to unite the nation in a February interview, but insisted the problem wasn't his fault. “It’s very important to me," he said in a press conference. “But this isn’t Donald Trump that divided a nation. We went eight years with President Obama, and we went many years before President Obama. We lived in a divided nation. And I’m gonna try, I will do everything within my power to fix that.” 3. Promise: Deport undocumented immigrants, build the wall Status: Limited direct action, some early progress Trump has made some progress but the results are mixed: Deportations are up and southern border crossings are down, but the oft-promised "big, beautiful wall" between the U.S. and Mexico lacks funding. Despite Trump's promises on the campaign trail, Mexico says IT will not pay. Trump signed an executive order authorizing construction to begin, but the government has just $20 million — enough for about seven miles of the wall — in its coffers, according to ProPublica. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s budget doesn’t include the money for it either, signaling that the president may struggle to get his own party on board. Meanwhile, border apprehensions are down an unprecedented 70 percent over two months, according to Homeland Secretary John Kelly, who credits Trump’s tough rhetoric for adding “enough confusion” to slow crossings. “To a remarkable degree, [Trump] doesn’t feel his previous statements bind him to anything" —presidential historian Michael Beschloss Domestically, the administration is more aggressively deporting undocumented immigrants, with immigration arrests rising by a third in the first weeks of Trump’s administration. While Trump promised that he’d focus on deporting criminals, the uptick in deportations is in part fueled by the removal of twice as many immigrants without criminal records as compared to last year, according to data obtained by the Washington Post. The president has not eliminated the deferred action programs for childhood arrivals and the parents of American citizens — earning criticism from his supporters. Trump also used an executive order to block federal funds from going to cities that limit federal immigration enforcement in their jurisdictions in January, but a judge put a temporary stop to it in late April, saying the president had overstepped his power in the order. 4. Promise: Eradicate ISIS, make the U.S. safer Status: Some action, progress stalled or unknown During the campaign, Trump said a Muslim ban would make America safer from terrorist threats, later walking that back slightly before his election to be a ban on people traveling from certain countries. As president, he signed two executive orders temporarily banning refugees and citizens of several Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States, but both orders were quickly challenged on legal grounds. The first order's immediate implementation resulted in chaos at the nation's airports and borders before being stopped by the courts, while the second order was blocked by the courts before implementation. Trump promised to "destroy" ISIS as a candidate, and his first public effort against the terror group was certainly a headline maker. The U.S.military dropped the so-called “Mother of All Bombs” in Afghanistan, where ISIS was believed to be establishing a new foothold in the border region near Pakistan. The impact on the terror group is still unknown. 5. Promise: Repeal and replace Obamacare Status: Stalled action Trump vowed a speedy repeal of his predecessor’s signature health care law countless times during the campaign, promising to replace it with “something better” that would lower costs, wouldn't cut Medicaid or take away anyone's insurance. According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and policy experts, the American Health Care Act, the House bill his Republican caucus proposed and Trump endorsed as a way to repeal much of the Affordable Care Act and replace it, would have broken all of those campaign promises. The CBO estimated that more people would lose their insurance under the GOP’s proposed replacement than if the party simply repealed Obamacare, and moderate Republicans in the House refused to support it in part because the cuts to Medicaid were too deep. More conservative Republicans, meanwhile, were frustrated that it didn't repeal the law in its entirety. With Democrats united in their opposition and Republicans divided in their support, GOP leaders pulled the bill from consideration. Trump has said he’s not done working to get a repeal bill — he has gone as far as to threaten to deprive the the ACA of funding in order to tank the existing program — and Republican members of Congress have publicly bounced around ideas for a compromise. Still, 100 days in, Obamacare remains law. 6. Promise: "Drain the swamp" Status: Some action, much of it potentially detrimental Trump promised that one of his first actions as president would be to propose a constitutional amendment imposing congressional term limits. He has failed to do so, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said it won't happen. The president used executive authority to institute some of the ethics reforms he promised from the campaign trail, imposing a lifetime ban on White House staffers lobbying for foreign governments and imposing a five-year ban on lobbying for domestic clients. "I don't think there's any question that the president has done a significant amount on the issues that he put forward in the campaign" —White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer But he also weakened an Obama-era lobbying restriction that barred lobbyists from taking a job within an agency they had tried to influence in the last two years, which gives lobbyists more power to take jobs in the Trump White House as soon as they quit from their lobbying roles. Meanwhile, the swamp has hardly vanished: Dozens of lobbyists were found in Trump administration hiring rolls by ProPublica, who also discovered three hires working on the issues they’d lobbied on previously, like Shahira Knight, a former Fidelity lobbyist who had lobbied on retirement and tax issues and now is the president’s special assistant for tax and retirement policy. The White House may have given Knight a waiver, the investigative outlet reported, but there’s no way to know because the administration has also ended the government’s publication of those waivers through the Office of Government Ethics. 7. Promise: Rebuild America with $1 trillion infrastructure plan Status: Little action The White House has not yet rolled out a plan to rebuild what Trump calls America’s “crumbling” infrastructure. The president appointed a special assistant of infrastructure with D.J. Gribbin, who has a history brokering deals between private investors and governments seeking infrastructure investment, the very kind of deal Trump says is key to funding reform without growing the deficit.Congressional leaders and infrastructure experts say they’re unsure just how feasible such funding mechanisms are; domestically, the nation has seen both successes and failures arise from such partnerships. Trump's only action to date on an infrastructure project is his approval of permits for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. With that, Trump made good on one campaign promise while reneging on another: The Keystone XL pipeline won’t have to use American steel in construction, despite a White House order mandating pipelines do so. 8. Promise: Cut better deals globally, regain respect Status: Some action, little progress Trump kept his campaign promise to withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he said on the trail was badly negotiated and harmful to American workers. On the other global deals, he has accomplished few of his promises: He has not withdrawn the U.S. from the trade deal NAFTA, though he announced late Wednesday that he'd begin renegotiating it. He also has not removed the U.S. from the Paris Climate Change Agreement. His budget did, however, propose cancelling the billions of planned U.S. funding to United Nations climate change efforts, a step towards keeping that promise. On the matter of global adversaries, Trump vowed to be tough on Iran and has issued sanctions on the nation over some missile tests in February. Still, he has yet to make good on his promise to unravel the nuclear deal his predecessor struck with the country — in Trump’s eyes, “one of the worst deals I’ve ever seen.” His administration said in mid-April that Iran was complying with the sanctions-relieving nuclear deal at present and subsequently continued the sanctions relief the president had condemned from the campaign trail. The White House said at the time they were reviewing the deal still, and Trump argued that Iran was violating the "spirit" of the deal, which may set the stage for future action. Meanwhile, after promising to label China a currency manipulator within his first 100 days, he reversed himself entirely in April. "They're not currency manipulators," Trump told the the Wall Street Journal. After an unorthodox call with the president of Taiwan in December and the suggestion that he might not abide by the One China policy, Trump agreed to honor it in February. The move came during a phone call with the Chinese president, who had reportedly only agreed to take if Trump
: “Where we compete with Clinton, where this competition is real, we have a very good chance of beating her in every place that we compete with her.” So, let’s look at the states in which they both competed:Google Builds First US Off-Shore Superhighway for Clean Energy! October 12th, 2010 by Susan Kraemer Some very exciting news for US clean energy today. Google announced on their blog last night that they will invest in a project to build 350 miles of transmission off the Atlantic coast from New Jersey to Virginia to tap into gigantic off-shore wind potential that we are only just beginning to tap into — the first-ever US approval of an off-shore wind farm, by the Obama administration, was just this year. The new transmission cables, a superhighway for clean energy, will enable the connection of up to 6,000 MW of offshore wind turbines. That’s equivalent to 60% of the wind energy that was installed in the entire country last year and enough to serve approximately 1.9 million households. Putting this system in place removes a major barrier to offshore wind energy in the US: lack of infrastructure. And it should — with a friendly administration — jump-start off-shore wind in this country. The US currently lags so far behind Europe that the first off-shore farm approved, this year’s Cape Wind, which signed the US’ first offshore wind energy lease last week, was reduced to using German turbines (Siemens). Google’s new superhighway of energy will be built by transmission company Trans-Elect and be financed by Google, Good Energies and Marubeni Corporation. Google points out in their blog that just a beginning is needed at this early stage. “We are investing 37.5% of the equity in this initial development stage, with the goal of obtaining all the necessary approvals to finance and begin constructing the line. Although the development stage requires only a small part of the total estimated project budget, it represents a critical stage for the project.” These four mid-Atlantic states are the middle states central to a consortium of what is now 11 Atlantic states whose governors have signed an agreement to develop their tremendous off-shore wind potential, which has been estimated at 330 Gigawatts in total, more than twice what the 11 states use. Polling of the 5 mid-Atlantic state coastal residents has found that they are very supportive of the development of their off-shore wind (previous story). These four mid-Atlantic states that Google proposes to get started with have more than 60 GW (60,000 MW) of this gigantic off-shore wind potential in relatively shallow waters that extend miles out to sea, making it easier to install turbines 10-15 miles offshore, where they are barely visible. This is a historic milestone for the USA. Total off-shore wind power off the Atlantic has been estimated to be enough to take one third of the US population off the fossil grid. Image: Google Susan Kraemer@TwitterThe Manifesto Flash Player is dead. Its time has passed. It's buggy. It crashes a lot. It requires constant security updates. It doesn't work on most mobile devices. It's a fossil, left over from the era of closed standards and unilateral corporate control of web technology. Websites that rely on Flash present a completely inconsistent (and often unusable) experience for fast-growing percentage of the users who don't use a desktop browser. It introduces some scary security and privacy issues by way of Flash cookies. Flash makes the web less accessible. At this point, it's holding back the web. Our goal: To get the world to uninstall the Flash Player plugin from their desktop browsers. Why, you ask? Why does it matter, when Adobe has already neutered the platform by publicly killing Flash on mobile devices? Why does it matter when HTML5 has clearly won the fight for the future of our web browsing? Well, as we've seen with other outdated web technologies (most notably the much-lamented Internet Explorer 6), as long as software is installed on machines, there will be a contingent of decision makers who mandate its use, and there will be a requirement of continued support, the plugin will live on, and folks will continue to develop for it. Also, for unknown reasons, Adobe is still sticking with Flash as a desktop browsing technology. The only way to truly force the web to embrace modern open standards is to invalidate old technology. Now let's be clear: Disabling Flash Player in your browser will likely mean that some of the sites you use regularly are less usable (We're looking at you, Google Analytics. For shame!). Should you choose to join the movement, there will be some pain and sacrifice involved in your decision. But the more of us who run browsers that don't support Flash, the quicker that pain will subside. Note: This is not a campaign against Adobe, or even their Flash platform. We're sure there are plenty of good uses for it, such as building great Air applications, for example. In fact, Adobe has stated they believe HTML5 is the future of web browsing. We're simply trying to help them get there a little faster (Sidenote: Adobe, if you're reading this, how about manning-up and supporting this site, like Microsoft did with the IE6 Funeral) Note: this site has no corporate backing, and is not a lobbying effort of any sort. Sad that we have to say that, but the accusations have arisen. A Final Note: This campaign is in no way meant to belittle the efforts of the more important Occupy movements currently going on. We understand we are fairly shamelessly co-opting populist terminology. And for that matter, we're not really occupying anything. More like evicting. Or banishing. Regardless, we love the idea of normal people taking on big corporations in the interest of the population at large.SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants’ second-half collapse is easier to quantify than it is to qualify. They charged into the All-Star break with the best record in baseball, setting a three-month pace for a 102-win season. Since then, they are 25-41 – the worst record in the NL, losing at a rate that extrapolates to a 101-loss season. Here is how it breaks down: Their hitters averaged 4.71 runs prior to the break – fourth best in the NL. They have averaged 3.83 runs since the break – worst in the NL. That’s a difference of minus-0.88 runs per game. Their pitchers averaged 3.90 runs allowed prior to the break – fifth best in the NL. They have averaged 4.08 runs allowed since the break – second best in the NL. That’s a difference of plus-0.18 runs allowed per game. Go back and reread that last paragraph, and it’s true: the Giants have given up the second fewest runs among NL teams since the break. Only the Chicago Cubs pitching staff has allowed fewer runs. And yet the Giants’ 25-41 record is the worst in the NL since the break. One more exercise: Add up 0.88 fewer runs scored per game and 0.18 more runs allowed per game. You get 1.06. That is the difference between a 102-win juggernaut and a 101-loss cesspool: 1.06 runs per game. And if that doesn’t sound like a whole lot, well, it isn’t. Over one of the worst 66-game stretches in Giants history, one that put them on a 101-loss pace and destroyed an NL West lead that once stood at eight games, Bruce Bochy’s team has been outscored by just 16 runs. That is amazing. Consider that the Cardinals, clearly a deficient team in so many respects, have been outscored by 43 runs in the second half, yet are 35-33 over that span. Even the spiraling Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been outscored by an NL-worst 90 runs, have a better record than the Giants in the second half. They’re 27-39. There is some regression, of course. The Giants went 20-10 in one-run games prior to the break. They are 8-17 in one-run games since then. And it’s a pretty big swing, in addition to an emotional gut punch, when you add up the nine games they’ve lost when leading after eight innings compared to their zero comeback wins in 61 games when they trailed entering the ninth. Those bullpen failures turned so many two-out-of-three series victories into two-out-of-three series losses – and likely had a hangover effect, too. The Giants have won a grand total of three series out of 21 since the break. Yet the Giants just had their best day in the wild card standings in weeks on Monday. They moved up by standing still, because the Mets and Cardinals both lost. For all that has gone against them, the Giants enter their final, six-game homestand of the season in the second wild card position, a half-game behind the Mets and one game in front of the Cardinals. Those are the numbers. As for the qualitative explanation, we turn to executive vice president Brian Sabean. We talked the other day for a story about the toll this second half has taken on Manager Bruce Bochy. It has taken a toll on Sabean, too. He is a baseball architect, accustomed to building a team under certain physical laws and assumptions, and this second half has not adhered to any of them. It’s been a zero gravity environment. And in many ways, it defies explanation. Here’s a transcript of our conversation about the general state of the team: Q: How do you begin to explain what happened? A: For all of us, it’s been a learning experience. You think you’ve seen it all and been through it all and obviously, this second half is something we can’t individually or collectively explain. Expectations were high after the first half, and we just didn’t take it onto the field. The maddening thing is with the group we have, which is a talented group, a pretty experienced group, that it hasn’t corrected itself. That’s the human side of baseball, and when you lose the edge or the confidence or the swagger, it’s pretty humbling. Q: For Bruce Bochy, it even involved watching a game from a hospital bed with an irregular heartbeat. Can you speak to the physical demands of the job on him, and how that might have affected his ability to manage? A: I won’t speak to his health. That’s a personal thing. But all of us have to find different ways to decompress and shed that skin and move on to the next day. I’ve been here since 1993 and I’ve never seen stress like this that has been so maddening on a day-to-day basis. Whether it’s him or anybody else, you realize it’s beyond your control. When it’s gone as far sideways as it has, and we’re talking the entire ballclub, there’s only so much you can do. I think you realize it’s up to the players. Q: Even for a manager of Bochy’s reputation, the bullpen has been a puzzle he has not solved. Can someone even with his level of experience learn something, or take away a more informed perspective, based on those issues? A: That’s age-old. Any manager, and I’ve had the pleasure to work with three really good ones, would rather have a dedicated man in the seventh, one in the eighth and a bona fide closer. But a lot of years, it doesn’t work that way. You are dealing with inexperience. You’ve got guys who will tell you they haven’t performed the way they expected. You have to continue to try to find a method to get through it, and Lord knows, this manager and coaching staff has met a lot of challenges in the past. You can’t sit down individually or collectively and come up with an overall reason it went so sideways, including the bullpen, because the talent is there. But you have to earn people’s trust to pitch in a certain role. Q: The bullpen, obviously, has blown a franchise-record 30 saves this season. But the Giants almost never put a game away with their bats. They have played 55 one-run games, which is more than a third of their season. To what extent could carrying over more of the first-half offense have mitigated some of the bullpen issues? A: To your point, we’ve underperformed across the board and in almost every department. There isn’t one player in the lineup having a career year or performing beyond the norm. Felipe Alou had a great saying: when you become a leaky boat, it only takes one leak on a given day to put you on the wrong side of the score. We’ve done it with not enough starting pitching, with the bullpen work, by not adding on. We haven’t played the clean baseball we’re used to. That’s based on defense, pitching and timely hitting. Q: You also went one 30-game stretch in which you committed just one error as a team. That is incredible. And you have been in every game, with a chance to win every series – even when you lost three of four at Wrigley Field. A: The one gratifying thing about the Cubs series is we went toe to toe with them in their place. I think everyone knows we could’ve won three of four. But again, you’re on the wrong end of the results. We had the look of turning corner (after sweeping at) Arizona, and laid an egg (at home) in the San Diego series. Sustaining the momentum just hasn’t been possible for whatever reason. Q: With no knowledge of how it happened, you’d assume, just looking at the winning percentage from one half to the next, that you sustained major, crippling injuries like the shattered ankle that ended Buster Posey’s season in 2011. Instead, the reverse is true. You got players like Hunter Pence and Joe Panik back. Even Angel Pagan has stayed off the DL in the second half. You could put out a lineup with seven players who have made All-Star teams. So what went missing? A: There’s no question to me the effort is there and no question we have talent, but it is tougher and tougher for us to win a major league game. In our league, it comes down to pitching and there’s going to be pitching you haven’t faced before, and you don’t have a road map to mount an attack. That’s the nature of the game in the NL. The only other caveat is that we’re not known for the home run, and it’s the inability to break open a game and take some of the pressure off, we don’t have that luxury to do that. If you’re not going to hit (home runs), you can’t give them up. In the past, we haven’t given them up. And there was a point in the season when we were. We nose dived so badly into being a second division team that you think at some point, you’ll come out of it, get back to playing.500 and make a move. But we haven’t been able to bail the boat out. You think you’re sailing along and all of the sudden it’s not so smooth. There are a lot of clichés that apply: you’re never as good as you are when you’re playing your best. Did any of you guys think this club would have the best record in baseball in first half, and be (24 games over).500? Of course not. But for it to take such a dramatic right turn, and not maintain some semblance of consistency, it wears on everybody. And all of this we’re talking about isn’t on Boch. You’re talking about an experienced coaching staff that’s been through a lot. Q: And yet, as of this moment, you would be a playoff team. A: Well, the challenge is at hand. We’ve inflicted a lot of pain on other folks in the past and had it our way. Things have a way of coming around. Now having said that, there’s six games left, and texting back and forth with Boch and the staff, it’s as simple as this: a lot of this group has done it before, so you can’t count them out. And you know a lot of this group will die on the sword before they give up. But to the bigger question: It’s human nature that you want to find a direct way to explain it, and there might not be one, other than it being a collective failure.SALT LAKE CITY — On Monday, the Utah Jazz announced that they had signed Jeff Withey, the center who last played for the New Orleans Pelicans. At 7 feet tall, Withey will find himself in familiar company on the Jazz, who already feature two other 7-footers in Rudy Gobert and rookie Tibor Pleiss. The Jazz now join the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers as the only teams in the NBA to feature three 7-footers. Perhaps the most telling sign about this signing is that despite the Jazz losing Dante Exum to a torn ACL, likely costing the second-year guard his entire 2015-16 season, the Jazz are comfortable with their point guard rotation to start the year. Third-year veteran Trey Burke will be joined by rookie Raul Neto and second-year guard Bryce Cotton, tasked with managing the Jazz lead guard position. Burke is the only player of the three guards to start any games in the NBA. The next detail to emerge, as previously mentioned, is the height Withey adds. Before Exum's injury, the Jazz were projected to have the league's tallest starting lineup, something that will definitely take a hit if the team winds up starting either 6-foot-1 Burke or 6-foot-2 Neto. Outside of the undersized point guard position, the Jazz feature great height across the rest of the roster and measure out as one of the NBA's tallest teams on average. With data used from basketball-reference.com, the Jazz roster stands at an average height of 6-foot-6.3, good for the fifth tallest roster in the NBA. The Minnesota Timberwolves (6-foot-7.1), New York Knicks (6-foot-6.9), New Orleans Pelicans (6-foot-6.7) and Los Angeles Lakers (6-foot-6.6), round out the top five tallest teams, and all feature rosters taller than the Jazz. All of these rosters are subject to change, as players could be waived before the season begins, potentially altering these rosters that are separated by fractions of inches. Perhaps concerning for Jazz fans, of the five tallest NBA teams, only the New Orleans Pelicans made the playoffs last season, and they sneaked into the final spot of the Western Conference playoffs, winning a tie breaker over the Oklahoma City Thunder on the final night of the regular season. Related: Report: Utah Jazz sign Jeff Withey to 2-year deal According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Utah Jazz have signed former Kansas and New Orleans center Jeff Withey to a partially guaranteed two-year contract. While the Jazz stack up favorably to the rest of the modern NBA height-wise, how do they stack up against their own past, including some of the best teams in Jazz history? I narrowed down this study to look at starting lineups only, as often a few undersized, or oversized backups can dramatically alter the average height of a team while having very little impact on the team's performance. This coming season, with Burke projected as the starting point guard, Alec Burks projected to start at shooting guard and Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Gobert rounding out the frontcourt, the height of the average Jazz starter is 6-foot-6.3. Since the 2000-01 season, this lineup would tie for the fourth tallest starting lineup, with the 2003 roster featuring John Stockton, Calbert Cheaney, Matt Harpring, Karl Malone and Greg Ostertag. The tallest starting lineup since the year 2000 appeared late last season for the Jazz, with Exum, Joe Ingles or Rodney Hood, Hayward, Favors and Gobert sporting a 6-foot-7.5 average. That lineup was a full inch taller than the second tallest lineup for the Jazz over the last decade and a half, when in 2006 and 2008 the team had an average starting height of 6-foot-6.5. The shortest starting lineup over the past 15 years occurred in 2013, and 2001 when the Jazz starters stood at an average of 6-foot-5.1 tall. In 2013, Mo Williams and Randy Foye combined to make up an unusually small backcourt, while John Starks and Stockton made up the guard line in 2001. The Jazz's most successful season, the 64-win 1996-97 campaign that ended with a finals loss to the Chicago Bulls, saw an average starting height of 6-foot-5.6. The 62-win, 1997-98 campaign, which replaced Ostertag with Adam Keefe as the starter at center, saw the average starting lineup shrink to 6-foot-4.8. The Jazz's only other 60-win season came in 1994-95, when the average starting height was 6-foot-5. When the Jazz stunned the NBA by pushing the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers to seven games in the second round of the playoffs, the team stood at an impressive 6-foot-7.1 average. The lineup was buoyed by the 7-foot-4 Mark Eaton and 6-foot-11 small forward Thurl Bailey. For historical purposes, the 1974-75 New Orleans Jazz, the first team in franchise history, stood at an average 6-foot-6, while the 1979-80 Utah Jazz, the team's first year in Salt Lake City, averaged 6-foot-4.3, the smallest of any season I examined. If one thing emerged in my research, it's that the current Jazz roster is tall, not just for the modern NBA, but historically. Unfortunately, it also appears that there is little correlation between height and success, as the Jazz's most successful roster had an average height of 6-foot-5.6, while the tallest roster won only 38 games. While the Jazz project to be tall again in 2016, height alone won't determine the team's success. It's far more likely the final record will be determined by the play of the Jazz's shortest position, the point guards, and whether they can rise to the level of their more proven teammates. About the Author: Ben Anderson × Related StoriesI recently compiled all Python version from v2.2 to 3.0b, to see how their performance compares. I decided to not use pybench, but to take some of the benchmarks from the [http://shootout.alioth.debian.org/gp4/|Computer Language Benchmarks Game] instead (hoping they are slightly more "real use" realistic). I compiled all versions of Python identically, using the same compiler (4.3.0) and the same optimization options ("-O3 -march=core2 -mtune=core2"). All benchmarks were run 20 times for every python version, and the fastest run for each benchmarks and interpreter was picked. This obviously gives a "best case" scenario (I think), the other alternative would be to do a median or average, but I wanted to avoid any unfairness due to system/OS activities. The benchmarks had to be ported to support Python3000 (v3.0b3), but these changes were mostly trivial (__print__'s and __xrange__'s), so I don't think that should affect the results. My test system (a Core2 Duo box with plenty of RAM) was "unused" during the entire test run (which took over 6 hours to complete). Alright, so what are the results? The most interesting data is the relative performance index. This is the average of each test as compared to Python v2.2.3, which therefore has an index of "1.0". This also means that each test has equivalent weight in the total index calculation (a higher index is better). ::{img src=http://www.ogre.com/files/ogre.com/py-performance-index.png}:: I'm also including the results for each individual benchmark, in the following graph (times in seconds, lower is better): ::{img src=http://www.ogre.com/files/ogre.com/py-performance-bench.png}:: __Update__: On request from a friend, I tried compiling with "-Os" instead of "-O3", and not surprisingly, compiling for size is not advantageous on my Core2 box. This is in line with the results from the Firefox tests I did before. Again, the 4MB L2 cache probably negates any benefits from compiling for size. I'm not going to make any comments about what might have happened after v2.4.x, but it's good to see that Python3k is getting very promising results.We tend to think that we’re participants in an era of unprecedented busyness. The icon of our situation is the e-mail inbox, relentlessly full and irredeemably disordered. A few nights ago, I was flipping through a volume of Benjamin Franklin’s writing and noticed that perhaps a quarter of his letters from the middle period of his life began with the sort of apology that’s familiar to all of us: I’m really sorry for my late reply. Franklin’s literal inbox was apparently as backlogged as my own figurative one. Of course, my ordinary e-mail isn’t held up by the need to write back to George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, or Joseph Priestley. The founding fathers were sometimes overwhelmed by their correspondence. But does that mean everyone has always felt as busy as we do now? These are among the very most profound writers of their time, famous in part because of their letters, so we’re confronted with a survivor bias. But, maybe there’s some consolation in the idea that we’re all now as sought-after as Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington. The excerpts below are from the Franklin and Jefferson anthologies published by the Library of America. You’ve probably forgotten about this already. “I ought to have wrote to you long since, in Answer to yours of Oct. 16. concerning the Water Spout: But Business partly, and partly a Desire of procuring further Information by Inquiry among my Seafaring Acquaintance, induc’d me to postpone Writing from time to time, till I am now almost asham’d to resume the Subject, not knowing but you may have forgot what has been said upon it.” 1 —Benjamin Franklin, February 4, 1753, to John Perkins Sorry. I promise I’ll be quicker. “I receiv’d with great Pleasure your friendly Letter by Mr. Alexander, which I should have answer’d sooner by some other Conveyance, if I had understood that his Stay here was like to be so long. I value myself extreamly on the Continuance of your Regard, which I hope hereafter better to deserve by more punctual Returns in the Correspondence you honour me with.” —Benjamin Franklin, June 2, 1765, to Lord Kames Mail is really messed up for some reason. “I received three days ago your favor of Apr. 12. You therein speak of a former letter to me, but it has not come to hand, nor any other of later date than the 14th of December. My last letter to you was of the 11th of May by Mr. Adams who went in the packet of that month. These conveiances are now becoming deranged.” —Thomas Jefferson, June 17, 1785, to James Monroe I’m traveling, so just time for a quick reply. “Being just return’d home from a Tour thro’ the northern Colonies, that has employ’d the whole Summer, my Time at present is so taken up that I cannot now write fully in answer to the Letters I have receiv’d from you, but purpose to do it shortly.” —Benjamin Franklin, December 17, 1763, to John Waring Your last note was crazy. You work too hard. LOL. “I received your Favour of the 10th. of Decemr. It was a great deal for one to write, whose Time is so little his own. By the way, When do you intend to live? i.e. to enjoy Life. When will you retire to your Villa, give your self Repose, delight in Viewing the Operations of Nature in the vegetable Creation, assist her in her Works, get your ingenious Friends at times about you, make them happy with your Conversation, and enjoy theirs; or, if alone, amuse yourself with your Books and elegant Collections?” —Benjamin Franklin, March 14, 1764, to John Fothergill Now it’s my turn to apologize. “You made an Apology to me for not acquainting me sooner with your Marriage. I ought now to make an Apology to you for delaying so long the Answer to your Letter. It was mislaid or hid among my Papers, and much Business put it out of my Mind, or prevented my looking for it and writing when I thought of it. So this Account between us if you please may stand balanced.” —Benjamin Franklin, August 9, 1768, to John Alleyne NRN “Your head, my dear friend, is full of Notable things; and being better employed, therefore, I do not expect letters from you.” —Thomas Jefferson, April 11, 1787, to the Marquis de Lafayette I am the worst. “Our Correspondence might be carried on for a Century with very few Letters, if you were as apt to procrastinate as myself. Tho’ an habitual Sinner, I am now quite ashamed to observe, that this is to be an Answer to your Favour of January last.” —Benjamin Franklin, November 7, 1773, to William Brownrigg I’ve just checked, and I definitely did not get that note. “I have just been honoured with a Letter from you, dated the 26th past, in which you express your self as astonished, and appear to be angry that you have no Answer to a Letter you wrote me of the 11th of December, which you are sure was delivered to me. “In Exculpation of my self, I assure you that I never receiv’d any Letter from you of that date.” 2 —Benjamin Franklin, April 6, 1777, to — Lith Quick reply; about to go into meetings. “Your’s of Aug. 3. came to hand yesterday; having had no moment to spare since, I am obliged to set down to answer it at a Committee table while the Committee is collecting. My thoughts therefore on the subject you propose will be merely extempore.” —Thomas Jefferson, August 13, 1776, to Edmund Pendleton I was taking an e-mail break. “You conclude, Madam, from my long silence that I am gone to the other world. Nothing else would have prevented my writing to you so long. I have not thought of you the less, but I took a peep only into Elysium.” —Thomas Jefferson, July 1, 1787, to Maria Cosway And, finally, a couple of charming opening sentences that don’t happen to be apologies. Good to hear from you! “Your letter, my dear friend, of the 18th ultimo, comes like the refreshing dews of the evening on a thirsty soil. It recalls antient as well as recent recollections, very dear to my heart.” —Thomas Jefferson, March 5, 1810, to John Langdon You’re much too kind. “Your favor of the 14th has been duly received, and I have to thank you for the many obliging things respecting myself which are said in it. If I have left in the breasts of my fellow citizens a sentiment of satisfaction with my conduct in the transaction of their business, it will soften the pillow of my repose through the residue of life.’ —Thomas Jefferson, September 20, 1810, to John B. Colvin 1 I’ve kept the original orthography intact here, as it appears in my copies of the Library of America compilations of these authors’ letters. This includes the German-style capitalization of improper nouns. I’d be curious to know when that convention was dropped for English. 2 This letter continues with some good advice for correspondence, whether in the 18th century or the 21st: But I receiv’d one from you of the 8th of January, which I own I did not answer. It may displease you if I give you the Reason; but as it may be of use to you in your future Correspondences, I will hazard that for a Gentleman to whom I feel myself oblig’d, and as an American, on Account of his Good Will to our Cause. Whoever writes to a stranger should observe 3 Points; 1. That what he proposes be practicable. 2. His Propositions should be made in explicit Terms so as to be easily understood. 3. What he desires should be in itself reasonable. Hereby he will give a favourable Impression of his Understanding, and create a Desire of further Acquaintance. Bonus for reading this far: Thomas Jefferson appraises John Adams in a 1787 letter to James Madison: He is vain, irritable, and a bad calculator of the force & probable effect of the motives which govern men. This is all the ill which can possibly be said of him. He is as disinterested as the being which made him: he is profound in his views: and accurate in his judgment except where knowledge of the world is necessary to form a judgment. As anyone who grew up within view of Monticello can explain, Jefferson and Adams later became intimate friends, and died on the same day 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence that they had drafted together.Protesters rally against mass surveillance during an event organized by the group Stop Watching Us in Washington, DC on October 26, 2013. via Shutterstock)” width=”308″ height=”461″ />(Photo: Protesters rally against mass surveillance during an event organized by the group Stop Watching Us in Washington, DC on October 26, 2013 via Shutterstock)Help Truthout continue producing grassroots journalism and publishing visions for a brighter future throughout 2014 and beyond. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation! What are outraged American citizens to do after the federal government has pretty much decided to do nothing to fix the unconstitutional NSA spy program? Get the states involved! A handful of states across the country have already begun devising plans to thwart the dubious agency with state laws, including stopping the NSA facilities’ water and electricity access. So far, six states (Missouri, California, Oklahoma, Kansas, Washington, and Indiana) have introduced bills that target the NSA. Though they all differ somewhat, each state’s bill would impede NSA operations within their boundaries. In Washington, for example, the bill would attack the NSA on multiple fronts: State and local officials would be barred from providing information or “support” to the NSA. The NSA would be forbidden from researching and recruiting at state universities. Evidence collected by the NSA would be inadmissible in state courts. Businesses that have contracts with the state would not be allowed to conduct business with the NSA in any capacity; companies that disobeyed would lose their contracts and face criminal charges. Access to water and electricity provided by the state would be cut off altogether. The last one is particularly a doozy since the buildings would be unable to operate without power and water. NSA’s facility in Utah, for example, requires 1.7 million gallons of water each day. (Forget the warrant-less surveillance for a moment – can we get some eco activists on their case?) Presumably, the NSA would seek these pulled resources from private companies instead, but it would certainly make things more complicated for the agency. That’s precisely the point, anyway. If the states can’t eliminate spying and mass data collection on innocent citizens altogether, they can at least put up obstacles that may deter them. Will the federal government still find it worthwhile to spy on citizens in a particular state when officials aren’t allowed to assist them? How about when the evidence they’ve gathered is ultimately banned from the courtroom? Remarkably, participating states are seeing bipartisan support for these retaliatory steps. Though the NSA may be a contentious issue, opponents are hardly divided by party lines. Politicians from both sides of the aisle have taken issue with the assault on the Fourth Amendment and are willing to work together to protect constitutional rights. As Mother Jones points out, it’s not unprecedented for states to take issue with national agencies. Colorado and Washington don’t work with the Drug Enforcement Administration to pursue marijuana smokers. Meanwhile, California passed its own laws to prevent turning over illegal aliens to U.S. Immigration for likely deportation. It’s too soon to project whether the states will have any success getting these anti-NSA bills through their respective state legislatures – even critics of the program may be too shy to disobey a federal agency on this issue. Nonetheless, the early action has been enough to inspire additional bills, with politicians in Arizona, Utah, and Michigan indicating that they’re preparing to introduce similar legislation. If even just a couple of the states can put these bills into action, it will speak volumes on a symbolic level. If President Obama isn’t willing to put a stop to this alarming program, it’s nice to see that many on the state level are set on honoring the U.S. Constitution – even if it means shutting the lights off by literally cutting off its electricity.Overwhelming interest for driver's licenses for non-citizens COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - More than 830 people have made appointments in Colorado to get a license through the Colorado Road and Community Safety Act. The program let's people who can't demonstrate lawful presence in the U.S. or people who can only demonstrate temporary lawful presence in the U.S. apply for a Colorado driver's license, instruction permit or identification card. It's scheduled to be rolled out on Aug. 1, but people could begin making appointments with the Division of Motor Vehicles this week. The interest has been so high, the DMV's website was down earlier in the week. A spokesperson with the Department of Revenue said it has since improved. Teresa Montelongo, who lives in Colorado Springs, said the process to request an appointment was accessible and understandable Thursday. She said applying for a license means a lot. "I feel more confidence and happy to know I will be able to drive without fear," she said. The licenses cannot be used as federal identification, for voting, or for public services. According to the group, Driver's License For All Coloradans, "The Colorado Road and Community Safety Act will make us safer by allowing immigrants who pay taxes, can prove their identity, pass the driver safety test and pay a $41 fee to get a driver's license, register
find the information, then marry it together so that when it's applied it actually means something and the players can do something with it. That's the ultimate challenge.'' In addition to the Panthers, the Devils, Oilers and Maple Leafs have all hired math whizzes to break down advance statistics. Teams have always researched referees and what kind of penalties they're more prone to call. The coaches then warn their players in pregame meetings so that if one ref calls a lot of high-sticking penalties, they instruct them to keep their sticks down on the ice. Obviously, the Panthers haven't heeded these warnings as they are tied for second-most minor penalties in the NHL. Thus far this season the Panthers have a plus-17 Corsi rating, meaning they have 270 shot attempts while allowing 253 shots which is 13th in the league. Most players have no idea what their Corsi ratings are and don't want to know because they don't always trust the people gathering the data. "Just because x,y,z does stats for this team they're too subjective,'' said Panthers veteran defenseman Willie Mitchell. "In baseball you can quantify the strike zone but in hockey every play is constantly evolving and no play is the same. "I don't put a lot of stock into it. It's the buzz item right now but I think it's going to come and go.'' The stat that usually determines contenders from pretenders are goals for and goals against, two categories the Panthers were 29th in last season, but are now 29th and tied for ninth respectively.The future of Showtime’s long-running series “Shameless” is being held up, due to ongoing negotiations with star Emmy Rossum. Rossum, who’s been a lead on “Shameless” since it debuted in 2011, is in the midst of re-negotiating her contract for a potential eighth season. Sources close to the show tell Variety that months ago, the actress was offered pay parity with her co-star William H. Macy — but she is asking to be paid more. An insider says Showtime wants to renew the show for Season 8, but won’t proceed until resolving Rossum’s salary. The creative forces behind the dramedy have not even considered a plan for the show to continue without her, our source explains, as all parties involved are hopeful to close negotiations with the actress. Rossum is demanding equal pay with Macy, after seven seasons of being paid less than him, according to a report published earlier today by the Hollywood Reporter. A source tells Variety she has in fact been offered equal pay. But she is holding out for a bigger salary than Macy to make up for the previous seasons where she was making significantly less than him. Both Showtime and Warner Bros. TV, the studio behind “Shameless,” declined to comment. Reps for Rossum didn’t immediately respond to Variety‘s calls. A source close to “Shameless” tells Variety that the network and studio take the income disparity very seriously, but insist that the offer for parity has been on the table for a while and is not being accepted by Rossum’s team. By offering her the same salary as Macy, this person says the network and studio are “clearly acknowledging her importance to the show” and how her role has evolved into a crucial part over the years. “It hasn’t even been contemplated doing the show without her,” adds the source. Rossum’s salary dispute comes at a time when equal pay has become a prominent conversation in the industry, led by actresses like Patricia Arquette and Jennifer Lawrence. At the time “Shameless” premiered, Macy, 66, was arguably more well-known than Rossum, 30. Though the actress was coming off of films like “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Phantom of the Opera” for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe, Macy had already won multiple Emmys, plus had an Oscar nomination, Golden Globe and SAG nominations. For his work on “Shameless,” Macy has been nominated for three Emmys, a Golden Globe, and won a SAG Award. Rossum has been nominated for two Critics Choice Awards, but never an Emmy, SAG Award or Golden Globe. Awards recognition typically helps actors to negotiate a pay raise. Rossum has renegotiated her salary since “Shameless” debuted. An insider says she got a significant increase from her original deal several seasons ago, as did Macy. Macy recently closed a new deal for the potential eighth season — the same deal that is now being offered to Rossum.Can Mitchell Johnson be the force he was the last time Australia toured South Africa? © Getty Images Just as a gastronome would moan if Heston Blumenthal served up only one course at The Fat Duck, so too will cricket fans lament the decision to make Australia's tour of South Africa so brief. Three years ago, these teams delivered the ultimate degustation experience. Over three months and across two continents, they dished up helping after helping of the highest quality cricket, and the final 3-3 score line left viewers simultaneously satisfied and hungry for more. There was the near-record chase of 414 in Perth, completed by AB de Villiers and the debutant JP Duminy. There was Graeme Smith's courageous return to the crease at the SCG, where he tried in vain to save the Test, batting with a broken left hand and painful right elbow. There was Phillip Hughes' twin centuries in Durban, in his second Test. Every moment was worth watching. By contrast, a tour consisting of two Tests, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20s will not satiate fans, but it will at least provide a tantalising taste of what the teams can offer. The squeeze has been necessitated by the tight calendar - Australia need to get home by late November for their home Tests - and their next tour of South Africa will include four Tests to compensate. There are still plenty of fascinating elements on the menu. Both teams have new captains since their last meeting, Australia in all three formats, South Africa in ODIs and T20s. Both sides have new coaches, South Africa a former champion player, Gary Kirsten, and Australia a stand-in mentor, Troy Cooley. Australia have slipped to fourth on the ICC Test rankings, a far cry from the battle for the Test mace that occurred last time, while South Africa remain at No.2. Despite the rankings, the teams are close to being evenly matched. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe will provide a fierce challenge to Australia's top order, but equally the conditions should suit Australia's attack. They will note with interest that South Africa haven't won a Test series at home since beating Bangladesh three years ago. Perhaps the most fascinating sub-plot surrounds Mitchell Johnson, who was one of the key antagonists in the drama of 2008-09. In those six Tests he took 33 wickets, second only to Dale Steyn. Johnson broke Smith's hand with a nasty delivery in Sydney, was unplayable during a fearsome late-afternoon spell at the WACA, swung the ball expertly at the Wanderers and drew blood from Jacques Kallis' chin in Durban. For good measure, he also scored a couple of half-centuries and his maiden Test hundred. Johnson has failed to hit those heights since. He has slipped back into his old ways, angling the ball across right-handers and hoping they make a mistake. Australia hope a return to South African conditions will turn his form around. They need him firing in an attack likely to feature the bustling but injury-prone Ryan Harris, and the steady but far from frightening Trent Copeland. At least Johnson is - for now - still part of the Test team. The same cannot be said of Marcus North, who impressed with a century on debut in Johannesburg but thereafter proved to be unacceptably inconsistent, Simon Katich, who has been usurped by Hughes, and Ben Hilfenhaus, another new man in that 2009 series who now cannot find a place in the side. Not to mention that Australia have been through five Test spinners since then. South Africa's personnel list has had fewer changes, the key departures being Makhaya Ntini to retirement and Duminy to poor form in the longer format. It is hard to believe that Duminy never matched the highs of his first two Tests, in Perth and Melbourne, so classy did he appear at the time. The veteran wicketkeeper Mark Boucher remains in the side for now, but could be under pressure as the summer wears on. Not that it is entirely clear who is part of South Africa's Test outfit at the moment, so long has it been since their last match. They haven't played a Test since the first week of January, when they drew with India in Cape Town to level the series. And while a break between contests is desirable, nine months without a Test is far from ideal. They have only two matches in which to readjust to the longest format; last time South Africa enjoyed such a lengthy hiatus was after the 2009 Tests against Australia, and in their next series, at home against England, it took them until the fourth match of the series to register a win. Australia are in precisely the opposite situation after their series win in Sri Lanka last month. Some members of the squad, such as Shane Watson and Michael Hussey, have hardly had a chance to sit down between the Sri Lankan Tests, Champions League Twenty20 in India and the limited-overs games in South Africa. The last time an Australian team made back-to-back Test tours without a significant break or a home summer in between was in 1969-70, when Bill Lawry's side won in India and was then demolished by South Africa. The abbreviated length of trips these days should prevent any similar burnout this time. That will be helped by the schedule, which eases the players in with two Twenty20s and three ODIs. South Africa begin without the injured de Villiers, who is not only the world's No.2-ranked ODI batsman but is also the newly-appointed captain in the shorter formats. Whether he is fit for the Tests remains to be seen. In the meantime, Hashim Amla has been given the leadership of the Twenty20 and one-day teams. They haven't played a T20 since January or an ODI since exiting the World Cup in March. Their rust needs to be shed quickly. Australia begin with Cameron White in charge for the T20s, before Michael Clarke takes over for the one-dayers and the Tests. Since taking over from Ricky Ponting after the World Cup, Clarke has proven himself a thoughtful and innovative captain. His men will be more than a match for South Africa. The only shame is the length of the offering, for another months-long degustation would be welcome. Still, a taste of Heston's snail porridge is better than nothing. Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.The Fourth of July is finally here, and many may be contemplating where to watch fireworks blast into the night sky. Luckily, there are plenty of firework shows planned throughout Colorado to choose from. Check out our handy list of places to help celebrate America’s 241st birthday. And as always, make sure to read up on the firework laws in your area. WHAT: Alamosa 4th of July Celebration WHERE: Alamosa Fairgrounds WHEN: July 4 at dusk WHAT: Celebrate Independence Day in Arvada. WHERE: Lutz Ballfield and Stenger Sports Complex, 11200 West 58th Avenue WHEN: July 4 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHAT: Fourth of July Spectacular WHERE: Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 East Alameda Parkway WHEN: July 4 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHAT: Beaver Creek Independence Day Celebration WHERE: Centennial Park WHEN: July 4 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: 4th of July in Breckenridge WHERE: Near the Gondola lots – making them visible all throughout town. WHEN: July 4 from about 9:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER Thank You Something went wrong. This email will be delivered to your inbox once a day in the morning. Thank You for signing up for the 9NEWSLETTER Please try again later. Submit MAP: Firework displays in Colorado WHAT: Fireworks at Folsom Field WHERE: Folsom Field, 2400 Colorado Avenue WHEN: July 4 at 8 p.m. WHAT: Broomfield Fireworks Display WHERE: Broomfield County Commons Park WHEN: July 4 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: Fireworks in Castle Rock WHERE: The top of the butte above Red Hawk Golf Course, just south of The Meadows on the west side of Town, known as Santa Fe Quarry butte. WHEN: July 4 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: Independence Day celebration WHERE: Memorial Park WHEN: July 4 at about 9 p.m. WHAT: 22nd Annual Colorado Rapids 4thFest WHERE: Dicks Sporting Goods Park WHEN: July 1 and July 4 at about 9:30 p.m. WHAT: Independence Day Parade and Fireworks Extravaganza WHERE: Over Dillon Reservoir WHEN: July 4 WHAT: Cortez Rotary Fireworks Display WHERE: Cortez City Hall WHEN: July 4 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHAT: Independence Eve Fireworks WHERE: Civic Center Park in downtown Denver. WHEN: July 3 at 9 p.m. -- WHAT: Colorado Rockies postgame fireworks show WHERE: Coors Field WHEN: July 3 and July 4 -- WHAT: Fireworks at Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park WHERE: 2000 Elitch Circle WHEN: July 4 at dusk -- WHAT: Fireworks Spectacular WHERE: Green Valley Ranch, 4900 Himalaya Road WHEN: July 4 at 9:35 p.m. -- WHAT: Denver Outlaws Fireworks Show featuring Colorado Symphony WHERE: Sports Authority Field, 1701 Bryant St, Denver, CO 80204 WHEN: After the Outlaws' MLL match against the Atlanta Blaze, July 4, 7 p.m. faceoff WHAT: 4th of July Family Festival & Fireworks WHERE: Belleview Park – near the intersection of West Belleview Avenue and South Windermere Street. WHEN: July 4 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: 4th of July Celebration WHERE: Lake Estes WHEN: July 4 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: Independence Day Celebration WHERE: Front Street WHEN: July 4 WHAT: Frisco’s Fabulous 4th of July WHERE: Main Street and Frisco Bay Arena WHEN: July 4 WHAT: 4th of July Celebration WHERE: City Park over Sheldon Lake WHEN: July 4 at about 9:35 p.m. WHAT: July 4th Golden Lions Park Festival WHERE: Lions Park on 10th Street WHEN: July 4 at dusk WHAT: Glendale Fireworks Show WHERE: Cherry Street and Cherry Creek Drive South WHEN: July 1 at dusk. WHAT: Fireworks at the Granby Rodeo WHERE: Flying Hills Arena WHEN: July 1 after the rodeo performance WHAT: Fireworks over Grand Lake WHERE: Grand Lake WHEN: July 4 around 10 p.m. WHAT: The Greeley Stampede fireworks WHERE: The northwest corner of Island Grove Park. WHEN: July 4 at about 9:30 p.m. WHAT: July 4 Celebration WHERE: Highland Heritage Regional Park WHEN: July 4 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: 4th of July Celebration in Clear Creek County WHERE: Citizens Parks over the Charlie Tayler Waterwheel WHEN: July 4 at 9 p.m. WHAT: Fourth of July Fireworks show WHERE: Lakeside Village WHEN: July 3 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: Kiowa Fireworks Show WHERE: Elbert County Fair Grounds WHEN: July 4 at 9 p.m. WHAT: Celebrate 4th of July 2017 WHERE: Waneka Lake Park, 1600 Caria Drive WHEN: July 4 at dusk WHAT: Family Festival & Fireworks WHERE: Cornerstone Park, 5150 South Windermere Street WHEN: July 4 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.] WHAT: Independence Day Celebration WHERE: Sweetwater Park WHEN: July 4 at 9:15 p.m. WHAT: Fireworks in Longmont WHERE: Boulder County Fairgrounds WHEN: July 4 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: July 4th Celebration WHERE: North Lake Park over Lake Loveland WHEN: July 4 at 9:17 p.m. Show to last about 30 minutes. WHAT: Northglenn July 4th Festival WHERE: E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park, 11701 Community Center Drive WHEN: July 4 starting at 9 p.m. WHAT: Palmer Lake Fireworks WHERE: Limbach Park WHEN: Live music at 7 p.m., with fireworks at dark WHAT: Parker Stars and Stripes Celebration Presented by Fit 36 WHERE: Salisbury Park, 12010 South Motsenbocker Road WHEN: July 4 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHAT: Rollin on the Riverwalk WHERE: Pueblo Riverwalk WHEN: July 4 from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. WHAT: 4th of July Celebration WHERE: Riverside Park in downtown Salida WHEN: July 4 at dusk WHAT: July 4 Celebration WHERE: Near the Shrine of the Mines on Anvil Mountain WHEN: July 4 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: 4th of July in Thornton WHERE: Carpenter Park Fields at 108th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard WHEN: July 4 at 9:30 p.m. WHAT: The annual Vail Fireworks Show WHERE: Golden Peak WHEN: July 4 at dusk WHAT: July 4th Celebration WHERE: Westminster City Park at 10475 Sheridan Boulevard WHEN: July 4 at 9:15 p.m. WHAT: Lance Gutersohn's 4th of July Celebration WHERE: Hideaway Park WHEN: July 4 at dusk Did we miss a place? Email [email protected] to get your location added to our list. Copyright 2017 KUSAPhotographer and blogger Amy Lawson (l), owner of Amy Lynn Photography Studio in Madison, Wis. (Alliance Defending Freedom) Court Sides With Wis. Photographer Who Declines to Cover Same-Sex Weddings A Christian photographer cannot be sued under certain anti-discrimination laws on the grounds she does not run a storefront. CNA/EWTN News MADISON, Wis. — A Christian photographer who declines clients because she does not believe in same-sex “marriage” cannot be sued under certain anti-discrimination laws on the grounds she does not run a storefront, a Wisconsin court has said. “The court’s orders bring this case to a close, and we are pleased that Amy and many other artists in Madison and throughout the state can pursue their work without fear of government censorship,” said Jonathan Scruggs, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom. Scruggs said the judgement has “vital implications” for artistic freedom. The case concerned Amy Larson, sole owner of the Amy Lynn Photography Studio. Due to her evangelical Christian beliefs about marriage, she will not take photographs at same-sex wedding ceremonies. After reports of other photographers being sued for not photographing same-sex couples’ ceremonies, she stopped taking all wedding business out of concern her position would break the law. In March she filed a challenge to a city ordinance and state law, asking a judge to bar enforcement and to declare them violations of the U.S. Constitution. She sought reimbursement for legal fees and attorney expenses, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. She thought it was unfair that the Madison ordinance and state laws giving equal protection for characteristics like sexual orientation made it difficult for her to conduct business according to her faith. A county circuit court judge, together with government officials, agreed on a court order saying that the laws do not apply to Lawson on the grounds she does not operate a storefront; and because she does not have a physical storefront (her photography studio is operated out of her private apartment), her business “is not a public place of accommodation or amusement,” to which the anti-discrimination laws apply. “The court found — and the city and state have now agreed — that creative professionals without storefronts can’t be punished under public-accommodation laws for exercising their artistic freedom because those laws simply don’t apply to them,” said Scruggs, her attorney. “It means that government officials must allow such professionals anywhere in the city and state the freedom to make their own decisions about which ideas they will promote with their artistic expression,” he said. The decision follows years of controversy over the legal implications of recognizing same-sex unions as marriages. Event venues, wedding cake bakers, florists and others have faced lawsuits for declining to serve same-sex wedding ceremonies, while some employers have changed internal policy to recognize same-sex unions as marriages.The name of the game as we know it in Europe (Go) came from the Japanese name of it by cutting off a caracter. :-) Go (English spelling); Japanese: 囲碁 (igo); Chinese Traditional: 圍棋, Chinese Simplified: 围棋 (wéiqí/wei-ch'i); Korean: 바둑 (baduk/paduk); Vietnamese: 碁圍 (cờ vây); Thai: หมากล้อม (mak-lom); Russian: Го or Облавные шашки (Oblavnye shashki / "encircling checkers"). Go is a very ancient abstract territory capturing strategy board game mostly for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent does (and capture more stones if it is possible). :-) (RENGO is the name when they play the game in pairs and two players control the balck and two for the white stones after eachother.) The game was invented in ancient China more than 2,500 years ago, and it is one of the oldest board game continuously played today. It was considered as well to one of the four essential arts of the cultured aristocratic Chinese scholar caste in antiquity. The earliest written reference to the game is generally recognized as the historical annal Zuo Zhuan (4th century BCE). The modern game of Go as we know it was formalized in Japan in the 15th century CE. Despite its relatively simple rules, Go is very complex, even more so than chess, and possesses more possibilities than the total number of atoms in the visible universe. Compared to chess, Go has both a larger board with more scope for play and longer games, and on average, many more alternatives to consider per move. The playing pieces ("figures") are called stones. One player uses the black stones and the other is white. The players take turns placing the stones on the vacant intersections/junctions (named "points") of a board with a 19×19 grid of lines. Black starts first. When the stone was placed it can not be moved but when it loses it's every "lifepoints" it must be removed from the board and placed to the "graveyard". Beginners often play on smaller 9×9 and 13×13 boards, and archaeological evidence shows that the game was once played on a 17×17 grid. However, boards with a 19×19 grid had become standard by the time the game had reached what was then the Imperial Chinese Tributary State of Korea in the 5th century CE and later to what was then the Imperial Chinese Tributary State of Japan in the 7th century CE. Now days the 19x19 board (grid) size is the official one which is used for championships. The game starts with a bow to eachother formaly and wishes good game to the opponenet. Than black starts the game by placing a stone onto the empty board to a desirable intersection (peferably somewhere in on of the corners). The game proceeds until neither of the players wishes to make another move (so they both say "pass"). the game has no set ending conditions beyond this. When a game concludes, the territory is counted along with captured stones and komi (points added to the score of the player with the white stones as compensation for playing second usualy 6.5/six and a half points) to determine the winner. Games may also be terminated by resignation or by time when they using a go clock along the game. When there is a difference between the players strength in playing, balck player gets handicap stones from the stronger white player in a total of 9 on a 19x19 board and at least 2 stones (then there is no komi to add after the game so in the end of it can be even/a tie game.) The end of the game looks somewhat like this: But first we should start at the beginning! :-) Here comes the rules:Harriet Harman’s Paedophile Labour Party Download our May 2015 PDF list here Labour 25 plus 40 total 65. 1. Labour Councillor & School Governor for child welfare Brian Gate. – http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/9976455.Councillor_for_children_quits_after_child_porn_arrest/?ref=mr 2. Labour Lord Mayor School teacher and Nursery School Governor Graham Pearson arrested for possession of child rape images. – http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/2118985.exmayors_child_porn_shame/ 3. Labour Councillor candidate & School Governor Richard Harris. – http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/… 4. Labour Councillor & School teacher Ben Williams making 10 child porn images. – http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk… 5. Labour Party Councillor Candidate & School Governor Paul Diggert. – http://www.manchestereveningne… 6. Labour Councillor and teacher at Cambridge House Boys Home in Rochdale Cyril Smith. ( before he joined Liberals he was Labour councillor ). – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-e… 7. Labour Party organizer to Lord Mayor School teacher helper & Scout Leader Timothy Edmeades child rapist. – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new… 8. Labour Councillor & School Governor John Friary guilty of grooming a child for sex. – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new… 9. Labour Party Councillor & School Governor Keith Rogers making 2,000 child rape images. – http://www.worcesternews.co.uk… 10. Alec Dyer Atkins Labour Councillor & School Governor 2yrs for 42,000 images of child abuse. – http://www.theregister.co.uk/2… 11. Adrian Circet Labour Councillor & School Governor 3yr community order for child porn. – http://www.kentonline.co.uk/ke… 12. Steve Carnell Labour Councillor & School Governor found guilty of child porn. – http://www.walesonline.co.uk/n… 13. Greg Vincent Labour Councillor & School Governor guilty of child pornography. – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/deb… 14. Nelson Bland Labour Councillor & School Teacher guilty of making child porn images. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/eng… 15. Keith Potts Labour Party Councillor & School Governor guilty of Making Child porn images. – http://newportcity.blogspot.co… 16. Labour Party Councillor John Johnson child porn. – http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/local/ex-deputy-mayor-in-court-on-porn-charge-1-4253975 17. Labour MP Candidate Manish Sood offering school children money for sex. – http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Teen-girls-pestered-sex-Leicester-politician/story-15410365-detail/story.html#axzz2PC4mpTAl 18. Labour Party Activist Mark Tann raping 2 little girls who knew the Blair’s. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2669865.stm 19. Labour Party Adviser to Hazel Blears, Peter Tuffley. Kidnapped a child for sex. – http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/labour-high-flyer-kissed-boy-1042545 20. Mark Trotter Labour Activist for Two Labour Council’s Liverpool and Hackney raping kids with AIDS. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/45312.stm 21. Labour Councillor Candidate Ian Rankin Guilty of making horrific child porn movies. – http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-119089999.html 22. Labour Adviser Tim Russo convicted paedophile child abuser. – http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2009/01/07/east_midlands_immigration_s15_w1_feature.shtml 23. Phillip Lyon, Aid to Tony Bair making child pornography. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/3164581.stm 24. Labour Council Leader Willie Smith arrested over a child pornography issue. – http://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/top-stories/no-show-councillor-says-i-quit-1-754934 25. Labour Party Spin Doctor Samuel Gamlin making child pornography. – http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/ex-labour-mans-indecent-photos-haul-1374030 26. Labour representative for London mayor Ken Livingston on the GLA Yusef Azad arrested on child porn charges. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2658067.stm 27. Labour Councillor & School teacher Darren Pedley arrested by police on child porn charges. – http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/ex-school-governor-and-councillor-denies-charges-679999 28. Susan Smith Labour Councillor Lambeth London 18 months in prison for raping a minor in her transvestite lovers flat. – http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/councillor-and-transvestite-lover-jailed-1552839.html 29. Sam Chaudhry Labour Lord Mayor sent to prison for multiple molestation on children as young as 5 yrs old. – http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/lifestyle/lifestyle/2001/12/05/Local+London+Archive/6383411.Guilty_of_sex_abuse/ 30. Nicholas Green Labour Lord Mayor 10 yrs prison for rape and molestation of 3 children aged 6 to 10 yrs old. – http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/archive/1998/12/31/Lancashire+Archive/6136731.The_BEN_review_of_1998/ 31. Alan Prescott Labour Councillor & Senior Magistrate 2 yrs prison for molesting children in care. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2206268.stm 32. Gilbert Benn Labour Councillor 5yrs prison for molesting an 11yr old boy. – http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/environment/five-years-for-paedophile-ex-councillor-1-119214 33. Iestyn Tudor Davies Labour Councillor 7yrs prison for raping a 9yr old girl in South Wales. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1141519.stm 34. Les Sheppard Labour Councillor 10yrs for molesting three young girls in County Durham. – http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/archive/2005/01/24/The+North+East+Archive6964019.Wife_s_anguish_at_sex_attacks_on_girls/ 35. Martyn Locklin Labour Councillor 12 yrs prison for 8 counts of rape and sex assaults on 3 young boys. – http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/archive/2001/07/04/The+North+East+Archive7105351.15_years_prison_for_sex_shame_politician/ 36. David Spooner Labour Councillor 12 months prison for indecency in front of Two children. – http://www.lgcplus.com/lgc-news/jail-sentence-for-spooner/1438647.article 37. Neil Redrup Labour Councillor 4 months for using a spy camera to film a child on his toilet. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/6284812.stm 38. Mark Burton Labour Councillor Molesting a girl and child abuse images on his computer. – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-17143428 39. Liam Temple Labour Lord Mayor guilty of inciting a child into gross indecency for money. – http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-news/local-chester-news/2005/04/14/ex-mayor-guilty-of-sex-offence-59067-15400885/p 40. Stewart Brown Labour Lord Mayor guilty of distributing sickening images of child abuse. – http://www.hebdenbridgetimes.co.uk/news/local/child-porn-charges-ex-mayor-disgraced-1-1814402 41. Toren Smith Labour Party Councillor Guilty of over 90,000 images of children being abused. – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10174999 42. Joseph Shaw Labour Councillor child abuse images. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8003338.stm 43. Johnathan Phillips Labour Councillor found guilty of child porn on his memory stick. – http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2008/10/04/councillor-quits-after-porn-arrest/ 44. Lee Benson Labour Party Councillor found guilty of Child pornography images. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/4257867.stm 45. Labour County Councillor Raymond Coates child abuser. – http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/784887.Sex_predator_gets_14_years/?ref=ar 46. Labour Party Parish Councillor Graham White guilty filming a child doing sick acts. – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/3840641.stm 47. Labour Lord Mayor John Murray sexual assault on a 13 yr old girl. – http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/ex-mayor-of-cork-found-guilty-of-sexually-assaulting-teenager-1.1604549 48. Labour Party Council nominee Michael Tombs School Governor child porn & Grooming. – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1199920/Parents-fury-laughable-sentence-social-worker-downloaded-child-porn.html 49. Homosexual Labour party chairman of Stanley Town council Peter McLaughlin, admitted raping a schoolboy. – http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/carlisle-peter-mclaughlin-coach-driver-sex-abuse-boy-1.1172740 50. Homosexual Labour Party Councillor in Dagenham, London Terry Power arrested and charged with raping homeless children. 51. Labour Councillor & Head teacher for Skelmersdale/West Lancashire district council Malcolm Ford gets 15 years prison for child rape. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/jailed-former-headteacher-who-raped-697008 52. Labour party paedophile election agent Andrew Palmer – http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/latest-news/exclusive-ex-peterborough-labour-party-agent-jailed-for-sex-crimes-1-6588155 53. Marxist Bury Labour Party councillor Simon Carter charged with 16 counts of making rape images of children. – http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/bury-labour-councillor-appears-court-9498824 54. Ex- Labour party councillor Jonathan Burns arrested for molesting a child. – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3144479/Former-Labour-councillor-hanged-arrested-claims-sexually-assaulted-young-girl.html 55. Thurrock Labour councillor Terry Brookes arrested on suspicion of possession of child porn. – http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/13617025.Ex_Labour_councillor_Terry_Brookes_arrested_on_suspicion_of_possession_of_child_porn/ 56. Labour councillor Richard Smith faces prison after confessing to child pornogrophy offenses. – http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/13625663.Former_councillor_faces_prison_after_confessing_to_child_porn_offences/ 57. Manchester Labour Party councillor David Royle arrested on suspicion of child rape. – http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-councillor-david-royle-arrested-10060049 58. Homosexual Labour party member and former chairman of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) Tom O’Carroll was sentenced to two years in jail in 1981 for “conspiracy to corrupt public morals” after police had seized more than a quarter of a ton of child abuse images. Some showed pictures of a man raping a one-year-old boy. In 2006 he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for distributing child rape images. The BBC reported: ‘Children, mainly boys and some as young as six, had been filmed and photographed being raped and tortured.’ 59. LABOUR party councillor DAVID FAGAN
Asset Arrays (DAA). ICONOMI provides DAA managers and their supporters a streamlined experience and an easy way to enter the growing distributed economy. Internal Transaction ICONOMI sold part of its BTC position in March (1000 BTC). Its average selling price was 1,197 USD per BTC. ICONOMI also acquired 8,077 Byteball tokens with minimal costs of 0.0006 BTC (less than 1 USD). Note: these are separate to a further 6400 Byteball tokens which exist within ICNP. ICNP — Managed DAA ICNP was established immediately after the ICN token distribution. Its book value at that time was $4,530,159 and corresponded to all funds raised above a threshold of 10,000 BTC during the initial ICO. Internally ITCONOM assigned 1,000,000 tokens to ICNP in order to follow its price per token more easily. This gave an initial price per ICNP of 4.53 USD. At the end of Q1 2017, the price per ICNP is 9.96 USD. Note that ICNP is a closed-end Digital Asset Array (DAA). 80% of all ICNP profits are reinvested and as such, there is no dilution. The assets under management within ICNP at the end of Q1 measured $9,959,740. This is an increase of 120% since inception — this was largely helped by the appreciation of uninvested assets such as bitcoin and ethereum. ICONOMI made two ICNP portfolio investments within Q1 with Santiment and WeTrust. The company also closed approximately one-third of its Golem position leading to a profit of 5,000 ETH.To commemorate the start of a new calendar year we will be revealing a list of our Top 20 players of 2014 day by day starting from January 1. 2014 was a big year for CS:GO and you were able to follow every last bit of it right here on HLTV.org. To close it out we bring you our big series Top 20 players which will attempt to show you who were the biggest stars of the year. We witnessed new stars rising up, super-teams being formed, different teams winning titles throughout the year and it resulted in a record number of candidates for the ranking – 36. We analyzed even more statistics from all bigger LAN events than before, selected MVP and All-Star team for each of them, and still it was very difficult to determine the final ranking. 2014 also brought us 3 major tournaments - EMS One Katowice, ESL One Cologne and DreamHack Winter - whose top performers earned themselves extra credit beyond the overall yearly stats, and it should be no surprise that all 20 players on our list played in at least two, most of them in all three of these $250,000 events. In the end we also took into account contribution to team success and contribution in big matches such as semi-finals and finals (or the last three matches in a double elimination tournament) and came up with the list that will be revealed over the next 20 days: There will be 9 new names compared to last year, while some known faces despite great performances had to be left out due to the tough competition. It's also important to note that while Hovik "KQLY" Tovmassian's performance would have been a solid candidate for the Top 20, he wasn't considered due to his VAC ban. A few more clues for those trying to guess the ranking: 6 of the 20 players had over 0.10 AWP kills per round, 16 attended at least one of ESEA's three events, 17 were at Gfinity 3 and 14 at FACEIT League Season 2 Finals. This year the ranking will be brought to you by Xtrfy, who decided to partner up with us for the series. We hope you will enjoy the ride for the next 20 days and don't be afraid to post your own Top 20 list or criticize and analyze ours. Happy holidays from HLTV.org!Just days after being sworn in as San Francisco’s newest member of the Recreation and Park Commission, longtime City Hall insider Jason Chan quietly resigned rather than face an embarrassing vote at the Board of Supervisors. Chan, a onetime aide to Mayor Gavin Newsom and former campaign worker for Mayor Ed Lee, also happens to be a housemate of Francis Tsang, the mayor’s commission appointment secretary — who vets candidates for city panels and recommends a winner to Lee. So maybe it wasn’t surprising that Chan landed the coveted appointment. And since the assignment didn’t require Board of Supervisors confirmation, Supervisor Mark Farrell, standing in last week as acting mayor while Lee was out of the country, promptly swore in Chan during a City Hall ceremony. Board President London Breed and the majority of her colleagues, however, weren’t given a heads-up and only learned about the swearing-in from a Facebook posting. They were livid, and they let the mayor’s office know it — particularly since Chan had also neglected to file an economic interest statement with the board clerk as required. Soon the scramble was on for a vote to undue the appointment, which the board has to right do within 30 days. Seeing the humiliating fate that awaited him, Chan bowed out — submitting a face-saving resignation letter that said his busy work schedule would keep him from attending Rec and Park meetings for the next few months. “We get hundreds of emails around issues involving the parks, and we have got to have competent people who understand these issues and can make hard decisions,” Breed said. “I don’t think this (planned rejection vote) was motivated by politics or fighting with the mayor.” The mayor’s office has been silent — including Tsang. And Chan did not return our call seeking comment.In the 19 years since it was published, David Foster Wallace‘s Infinite Jest has gained the sort of cult status that a struggling novelist would kill for. And perhaps because it describes the bottomless black hole of instant, addicting entertainment in late-capitalist America (hello, Netflix bingers), it has enjoyed something like constant low-level virality in that time. But because it’s so long and dense and hipsterish, and was written by a man whose personal struggles have been grossly romanticized all the more following his 2008 suicide, Infinite Jest has also become a headache for people serious about literature. There’s no easier way to make a bookseller roll her eyes than by thumping a copy down at the register and expecting her to be impressed—she knows you’ll never get through it. Those intrepid souls who do digest the entire opus, meanwhile, have a tendency to become obnoxious evangelizers for the text. Should someone ask if you’ve read it, make no mistake: They want you to say “no” so that they can extol its Byzantine style, satirical mastery, and profound insight. They want to be the one who persuades you that Wallace was a genius. Which brings us to jeremy1122. The redditor—who did not respond to request for comment—first popped up in r/books one year ago to offer “An introduction to Infinite Jest.” A trifle presumptuous, you might think: There are plenty of intros to this popular but intimidating book online. Then you read his actual post. I’ve read the book about eleven times, so I just want say a few words and address people who are thinking about reading it or are just beginning. Before you embark on your journey into the mind of a genius, you have to understand a few things that are very important. When we talk about David Foster Wallace, we’re talking about a man whose I.Q. could not be measured. Past 200, I.Q. tests get imprecise. We don’t know whether we’re dealing with a man with an I.Q. of 200 or 300 or what. We can’t measure it. When it comes to Wallace-tier geniuses, the standard tests simply don’t apply. You see, Wallace could have entered any field he wanted. He was a real-life Will Hunting. It went on like this—much to the fury of r/books’ regulars. “You’re the type of reader and writer Wallace detested,” a top-voted comment reads. “You sound like a snob,” sniffs another. In due course, jeremy1122 confronted each of his detractors with (you guessed it) more craven Wallace worship. The gimmick didn’t die in this thread. Ever since this auspicious debut, jeremy1122 has only ever used his Reddit account to wax pretentious about Wallace and his body of work, regularly provoking even more pretentious replies from other readers (the Joseph McElroy name-check above is a prime example). He parodies the most cringeworthy aspects of neckbeard faux-intellectualism by fully inhabiting this very mode, brilliantly enacting Poe’s law: He’s indistinguishable from the people he mocks. His real talent, however, lies in wrenching conversation away from its purported topic. Here he answers a call for suggestions of books on European prehistory and physics, neither of which have much bearing on the plot of Infinite Jest: On sex scenes in fiction: On how to improve r/books: On the greatest book titles: He even told a “joke” at one point: Whether downvoted, dismissed, our simply ignored, jeremy1122 remains a tireless advocate for David Foster Wallace and the author’s most enduring tome. Eventually, he comes to expose the weird insulation and monomania of reading itself—a motif worthy of a Jorge Luis Borges or Enrique Vila-Matas. In his worldview, there is nothing that falls outside the scope of this particular fandom, and nothing that it cannot explain in molecular detail. In other words, he’s like every other Wallace obsessive on the Internet. H/T @bashfulcoward | Photo via Jinxi Caddel/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)Marc Janks/HuffPost Critics of the tax breaks say governments are funding the demise of their own local retailers by subsidizing Amazon’s growth. BALTIMORE, Md. ― Joshua Geathers spent two exhausting years inside an Amazon warehouse complex in Southeast Baltimore. He worked first as a packer, bundling shipments to go out for delivery, and later supervised for quality control, eventually earning $14.70 an hour. The position paid better than his previous job at Staples, but he was often so drained after working that he used his paid time off just to sleep and recover. “I felt tired all the time,” said the 24-year-old Geathers, who lives within walking distance of two adjacent Amazon facilities. He found he sometimes had to run to complete his tasks on time, even though the warehouse had a strict policy against running for safety reasons. “I’m a hardworking person, and I don’t complain about hard work,” Geathers said. “But it’s a very strenuous job.” Cities and states around the country, including Baltimore and Maryland, are now jockeying to become home to Amazon’s next headquarters, branded HQ2. Local government officials have proposed massive tax breaks for the online retailer. And the desperate bids to attract tens of thousands of tech jobs through the subsidies is giving corporate watchdogs heartburn. But Amazon has already been benefiting from public subsidies for years, in exchange for warehouse jobs like Geathers’ that pay far less than headquarter jobs. Geathers’ experience may not be what Baltimore officials had in mind when they put together a juicy package of financial incentives to lure Amazon to the area in 2013. They offered the world’s largest online retailer $43 million in tax credits, a generous public subsidy even by Amazon standards. Then-Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake boasted at the time that “one thousand jobs is nothing to sneeze at.” Tax incentives like those in Maryland have helped fuel Amazon’s rapid growth of its distribution network. In 2015 and 2016 alone, local governments committed roughly a quarter of a billion dollars in subsidies to Amazon facilities, according to Good Jobs First, a progressive nonprofit that tracks subsidy awards. Amazon raked in another $600 million in the decade leading up to 2015, the group found. In many cases, government officials offered the tax breaks with little or no public discussion about wages or working conditions. As the retailer expands to new areas in its effort to dominate same-day delivery, more cities and counties will have to ask themselves: How much public money is an Amazon warehouse job really worth? “The jobs Amazon creates in these warehouses are not good jobs. Even the direct hires are relatively low paid, and the work is grueling,” said Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a nonprofit that’s been critical of tax subsidies for large national retailers. “The notion that investing this kind of money in an Amazon warehouse is a long-term economic development strategy is really incorrect.” Amazon says its contributions to the Maryland economy are well worth the taxpayer investments. The company has put a billion dollars in its operations and now has 5,000 full-time employees in the state, according to data provided by Amazon. It recently inked a deal to open an additional Baltimore area fulfillment center, where it expects to employ another 1,500 people. The first Baltimore facility is emblematic of major shifts in the U.S. economy, as manufacturing jobs have given way to retail and service work. For seven decades the site was home to a General Motors plant, providing good-paying union jobs for the city’s working class. The last van rolled off the assembly line in 2005, when the plant closed and laid off 1,100 workers. City and state officials spent years looking for a company to breathe life into the 2.8-million square-foot site. The jobs Amazon creates in these warehouses are not good jobs. Even the direct hires are relatively low paid, and the work is grueling. Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance With the rise of online retail, fulfillment centers have become a natural fit for post-industrial plants now sitting idle. The typical warehouse occupies a million square feet and employs between 1,000 and 3,000 workers. But the positions don’t necessarily have the same middle-class trappings as a GM manufacturing job. An Amazon spokesman said its fulfillment center workers receive “highly competitive wages” that pay “on average 30 percent more than traditional retail jobs,” a figure consistent with worker interviews. The average retail salesperson in the U.S. earns $10.90 per hour, according to the Labor Department, while low-level Amazon warehouse workers said they earn between $13 and $15 per hour in Maryland, where the minimum wage is $8.75. But the work is far more physically demanding ― after all, these are warehouse jobs, not retail jobs. And in many cases, the positions still don’t pay enough to sustain a family. Of the half-dozen workers HuffPost interviewed who’d cycled through the Baltimore location, all earned wages that equated to annual salaries in the mid- to high-$20,000s. “It’s not a lot of money, but it beats McDonald’s or Wendy’s,” explained Nigel Hammett, who worked in the Baltimore facility last holiday season. Many workers end up at Amazon fulfillment centers as temps whose jobs may end at any moment, employed by outside firms that offer lesser benefits than direct hires receive. Still, local governments find the prospect of Amazon warehouse jobs hard to resist, particularly in down-and-out neighborhoods. In the case of Baltimore, many of the city’s longtime residents have been left behind in the now-booming regional economy. The unemployment rate for African-Americans in the city is three times that of whites, and the median household income for an African-American family is around $34,000, according to one analysis. Only 13 percent of African-American adults in the city have a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Sierra Singleton wound up at the Baltimore Amazon facility in 2015 for the same reason many others do: It was the best job she could find. She was 22 at the time and had no fixed address. She was poor enough to be grateful for the free T-shirt that came with the job. She started out at $13.00 per hour, as opposed to the $8.50 of her previous job, and got 50 cents more per hour for working overnight shifts. She eventually got her own one-bedroom apartment near the fulfillment center. There were some things Singleton didn’t like about the facility. Many of the best supervisory positions seemed to go to people who weren’t from Baltimore, and the job was so taxing that she eventually had to move on after two years. “I was pushing my body past its limits,” she said. Still, she credits the company with keeping a roof over her head, and she left on good terms in November, in case she ever wants to return. Amazon’s arrival, in her estimation, has been a good thing for Southeast Baltimore. “I got a place because of this job. I could afford living somewhere outside of Section 8,” Singleton said, referring to federally subsidized housing. “Being able to pay my bills and stay above water, it was definitely because of Amazon.” Lucas Jackson / Reuters A worker sorts products into bins inside of a large Amazon fulfillment center. Singleton’s experience helps explain why so many cities and counties offer subsidies for Amazon warehouses: They fear much-needed jobs will go somewhere else. But critics of the tax breaks say governments are funding the demise of their own local retailers by subsidizing Amazon’s growth. They also argue that officials are giving away money in exchange for fulfillment centers that would be built in the same regions anyway, regardless of subsidies, given Amazon’s same-day delivery aspirations. Amazon’s goal of delivering to its customers within mere hours requires more and more warehouses, and not just in the more rural, low-cost areas where it built many of its earliest. The company is bringing fulfillment jobs to dense coastal areas like Baltimore because its business plan compels it to. Greg LeRoy, the director of Good Jobs First, the nonprofit that tracks public subsidies, said local and state governments have their strategy backwards. “Amazon should be paying to arrive, not getting paid to arrive,” said LeRoy. “We’re just maddened by it.” Some of the subsidies for Amazon warehouses are less than a million dollars a piece. But in Ohio, the company netted $17 million for two facilities; in Wisconsin, $32 million for one, according to Good Jobs First. A Jacksonville, Fla., warehouse came with a total of $27 million in subsidies. The largest so far was Baltimore. Most of these subsidies come in the form of corporate income tax credits, property tax abatements, infrastructure improvements and tax increment financing. The bulk of Amazon’s subsidies in Baltimore came as state “enterprise zone” credits reserved for investments in struggling areas. The retailer qualified for those funds by using the old GM site. Officials also provided the company with more than $1 million in loans that would be forgiven in 10 years so long as the company maintained certain staffing levels and had at least $175 million invested in the facility. There were no requirements related to wages, and officials said they weren’t especially concerned about reports out of Pennsylvania that Amazon warehouse workers were being hospitalized for heat exhaustion. A spokeswoman for Maryland’s commerce department said Amazon must provide the state with documentation on its job count at the end of each year. So far, the retailer has exceeded its obligations on the employment front, creating more jobs than required. Enrico Moretti, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said communities are playing a “zero sum game” when they compete to lure a fulfillment center to the area, since the facility is going to end up somewhere. “With the subsidies, they are essentially giving away some of the benefits that the fulfillment center would generate for the community,” he said. Still, he noted, tax breaks like the ones for Amazon in Baltimore can seem small when compared to deals for manufacturing plants, for which governments often shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars per job. Being able to pay my bills and stay above water, it was definitely because of Amazon. Sierra Singleton, former warehouse worker That’s because the ancillary benefits of a fulfillment center can seem small, Moretti said. A major manufacturing plant could attract additional suppliers, and Amazon’s next headquarters could attract more tech companies and high-paying jobs. But “there’s not going to be a wave of tech startups because there’s an Amazon fulfillment center,” he added. Many areas have been reluctant to attach strings to their Amazon arrangements related to working conditions. An analysis done of fulfillment center deals by the Business Journals network turned up instances where officials actually waived wage requirements for Amazon that would normally apply to other corporations, just so Amazon could secure the subsidies at stake. “Their rationale, repeated by local officials interviewed by The Business Journals: Any job is better than no job,” the site reported. Even though the subsidies are predicated on jobs, Amazon won’t always need the workers that it does now. Warehouses are becoming increasingly automated, with robots performing tasks that humans were responsible for just months ago. These advancements make warehouse work less tedious and stressful, freeing up workers to supervise machines that do the heavy lifting. But the new efficiencies also translate into fewer jobs, particularly less skilled ones. Joshua Geathers didn’t stick around the Baltimore warehouse long enough to see robots take anybody’s job. He left Amazon last year and now works as a field technician for a data services firm, making around $9 more per hour than he did at the warehouse. He’s grateful not to be in the fulfillment center in the runup to the holidays. He found that trying to build a career there required a certain degree of desperation. “It’s a place where one would work if they were in dire need of money,” he said.Gov. Scott Walker Credit: Associated Press SHARE Poll Do you agree with the judge's decision to halt John Doe probe into Walker recall? Yes No vote View Results Yes: 52% No: 48% Total Responses: 6824 By of the A federal judge ordered a halt Tuesday to the John Doe investigation into campaign spending and fundraising by Gov. Scott Walker's campaign and conservative groups, saying the effort appeared to violate one of the group's free speech rights. In his 26-page decision, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa in Milwaukee told prosecutors to immediately stop the long-running, five-county probe into possible illegal coordination between Walker's campaign, the Wisconsin Club for Growth and a host of others during the 2011 and 2012 recall elections. "The (Wisconsin Club for Growth and its treasurer) have found a way to circumvent campaign finance laws, and that circumvention should not and cannot be condemned or restricted. Instead, it should be recognized as promoting political speech, an activity that is 'ingrained in our culture,'" Randa wrote, quoting from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. He ordered an immediate halt to the investigation, the return of all property seized during it, and the destruction of any information and materials gained in the investigation. He told the Wisconsin Club for Growth it did not need to cooperate with prosecutors in any way. Special prosecutor Francis Schmitz, who was leading the investigation, said late Tuesday he expects to challenge the decision by appealing to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. "I'm virtually assured we will appeal this decision," Schmitz said. "I have to consult with the others and my attorney" before making a final decision. The investigation's focus on Walker and the Wisconsin Club for Growth has been clear for some time, but Randa revealed investigators also were probing candidates for state Senate and that "all or nearly all right-of-center groups and individuals in Wisconsin who engaged in issue advocacy from 2010 to the present are targets of the investigation." Subpoenas have been issued around the country, according to the judge. Specifically, investigators have been scrutinizing the activities of R.J. Johnson, a consultant for both Walker's campaign and the Wisconsin Club for Growth. Prosecutors described him as a "hub" who coordinated activities for Walker's campaign and groups such as Citizens for a Strong America, Wisconsin Right to Life and United Sportsmen of Wisconsin, according to Randa. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, a Democrat, launched the probe in mid-2012, shortly after the conclusion of the recall elections sparked by Act 10, which curbed collective bargaining for public workers. In the most prominent race, Walker became the first governor in the country's history to survive a recall election. John Doe probes are overseen by judges and allow prosecutors to compel people to produce documents and give testimony, as well as bar them from talking publicly about the investigation. Last summer, prosecutors from Columbia, Dane, Dodge and Iowa counties agreed to join the investigation, as did the state Government Accountability Board. Shortly thereafter, Schmitz was appointed special prosecutor in the case, which is being overseen by former Appeals Court Judge Gregory Peterson. "I really have no comment at this time," Peterson said late Tuesday. Wisconsin Club for Growth and one of its directors, Eric O'Keefe, filed their federal suit in February against prosecutors, investigators and Peterson, contending the investigation violates their constitutional rights to free speech and free assembly. In his ruling Tuesday, Randa said prosecutors are using an unconstitutional legal argument in pursuing the investigation. "The plaintiffs have been shut out of the political process merely by association with conservative politicians," wrote Randa, who was appointed to the bench in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush. "This cannot square with the First Amendment and what it was meant to protect." Randa wrote of the urgency of the case, because prosecutors essentially shut down Wisconsin Club for Growth's right to free speech during an election year. Prosecutors contend that the Wisconsin Club for Growth is acting as a subcommittee of Walker's campaign — and thus must report its spending on behalf of Walker and adhere to fundraising limits, Randa wrote. He called that viewpoint "simply wrong." When it comes to political speech, Randa wrote, the government may regulate only "express advocacy" — that is, ads or other communications that explicitly urge people to vote for or against a candidate. But Wisconsin Club for Growth and groups like it engage in "issue advocacy" — communications that promote or denigrate candidates without coming right out and saying how people should vote. The government can regulate express advocacy only because of the danger of "giving government an expanded role in uprooting all forms of perceived corruption which may result in corruption of the First Amendment itself," Randa wrote. "As other histories tell us, attempts to purify the public square lead to places like the Guillotine and the Gulag." Campaign finance laws can be used to prevent tit-for-tat corruption or the appearance of it, but nothing else, Randa wrote. The activities at issue in the investigation don't rise to that level, he found. "O'Keefe and the Club obviously agree with Governor Walker's policies, but coordinated ads in favor of those policies carry no risk of corruption because the Club's interests are already aligned with Walker and other conservative politicians," Randa wrote. "Such ads are meant to educate the electorate, not curry favor with corruptible candidates." Randa's ruling referred frequently to Citizens United, the 2009 U.S. Supreme Court case that found corporations can spend limitless sums in elections, and to a high court ruling last month that eliminated the overall limit on what individuals can give toward congressional races. Randa's decision revealed new details of the probe, including an Oct. 3 raid of the homes of Johnson and Deborah Jordahl, another consultant to the club. Neither could be reached for comment. "Sheriff deputy vehicles used bright floodlights to illuminate the targets' homes," Randa wrote. "Deputies executed the search warrants, seizing business papers, computer equipment, phones, and other devices, while their targets were restrained under police supervision and denied the ability to contact their attorneys." "Among the materials seized were many of the Club's records that were in the possession of Ms. Jordahl and Mr. Johnson," Randa continued. "The warrants indicate that they were executed at the request of GAB investigator Dean Nickel." Johnson's wife, Valerie, posted two notes on her Facebook page shortly after the raid citing the constitutional amendment protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures. "You don't spend a lot of time thinking about this amendment until you realize it is being grossly violated," she wrote on Oct. 11 — eight days after the raid. Randa also wrote that on the same day O'Keefe and others with Wisconsin Club for Growth received subpoenas to turn over the club's records from March 1, 2009, until the present. The subpoenas were subject to a secrecy order. O'Keefe estimates the Wisconsin Club for Growth has lost $2 million in fundraising that would have been committed to issue advocacy, Randa wrote. Randall Crocker, attorney for Schmitz, said in a statement that he "will carefully review the decision of Judge Randa and address with our client his responsibilities pursuant to his appointment and his options." Donald Downs, a professor of political science and law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said he would need to read the ruling before giving full comments. But the news of the ruling stunned him. "Wow," Downs said. "This goes beyond anything I expected." Downs said the case had the potential to lead to important new legal interpretations on questions of free speech and criminal prosecution. "If the Seventh Circuit reverses (Randa), it'll go to the Supreme Court, believe me. And they'll take it because they're hot to trot on these issues right now," Downs said. Bill Glauber and Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.Image copyright Facebook Image caption Facebook has recently faced criticism for allowing fake news to proliferate Facebook users in Bangkok were falsely alerted to an "explosion" in the Thai capital, after the social network activated its Safety Check feature. It allows Facebook users in danger zones to mark themselves as safe, but in this instance was triggered by a protester throwing firecrackers. Facebook said it relied on a "trusted third party to confirm the incident". But the way it was labelled misled many online as people started sharing false news of a blast. Facebook has recently faced criticism for allowing fake news to proliferate. What actually happened in Bangkok On Tuesday, a protester threw small firecrackers at a government building in Bangkok (link in Thai). According to Facebook, this triggered the Safety Check feature at about 21:00 local time which created a page titled "The Explosion in Bangkok, Thailand" and people started marking themselves as safe. The page also pulled in a link from a website called bangkokinformer.com referencing a BBC breaking news video about an explosion in Bangkok, but the video was in fact taken in 2015 in reference to a blast at the Erawan shrine. Image copyright @SaksithCNA/Twitter The safety check feature was later deactivated. How the false story spread: Jonathan Head, BBC News, Bangkok The first I knew something was wrong was a stream of messages asking if I was ok, and spotting friends marking themselves as safe in Bangkok. By the time my colleagues had made efforts to get the erroneous post taken down, it had circulated widely, within minutes. It turned out Facebook was generating an automatic request to people to declare themselves safe, so even experienced journalists, who would have realised the story was not genuine, inadvertently gave it some credence by responding to the Facebook prompt. In a country so dependent on tourism any report of a suspected terrorist attack is a serious matter. The BBC and other reputable media take great care when reporting news of such incidents, stating only what we can already confirm. The latest false post spread quickly partly because people instantly saw the BBC's distinctive news logo, and assumed it was reliable before they checked the real date - 17 August 2015. This is a real problem for a journalist based in a country where we are under close scrutiny, and subject to criticism by government officials and Thai citizens for reporting in what is still a sensitive political climate. How does Safety Check work? When Facebook first introduced the safety feature tool in 2014, it would activate the feature manually. In November, Facebook changed course and said it would now be activated "by our community". Now, a third-party source alerts Facebook when an incident occurs. The social platform then searches to see if users in the area are discussing the incident. If enough users are referencing the incident, those in the area are invited to mark themselves as safe. According to Facebook, the title of the safety check is taken from the alert provided by the third-party source.Narendra Modi Narendra Modi The formation of prime minister-designate Narendra Modi's council of ministers has been the subject of intense speculation with new lists of potential candidates and key players emerging almost every day. So far the man at the centre of it all has given no indication of who will make it to his cabinet; BJP insiders say Modi may spring more than a few surprises when the names of ministers who will take oath with him on May 26 are finally revealed. From all indications, Modi's council of ministers is expected to be compact and lean, with several ministries being either re-organised or merged to form new departments in order to ensure effective governance. Dismissing most of the lists of ministers doing the rounds in New Delhi, BJP sources conceded that Modi's team might include several technocrats in key roles. Younger, first-time MPs too could be roped in as ministers of state to give the team a fresh look, they said. Among the senior BJP leaders being tipped for key ministries are party president Rajnath Singh, Arun Shourie, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Ananth Kumar. Jagar Prakash Nadda, the little-known BJP general secretary, is being tipped for the post of party president in the event of Rajnath being given a key ministry, sources said. Nadda is considered close to Modi and has worked closely with the latter and his aide Amit Shah in the past. Gadkari is being tipped for a post that is being described by some as that of an "infrastructure czar" as he is expected to oversee a ministry that combines the ministries of urban development and road transport and highways. On the other hand, three BJP leaders over the age of 75 - Murli Manohar Joshi, B.C. Khanduri and Shanta Kumar - are unlikely to be given important positions because of their advanced age, sources said. Leaders of allies Telugu Desam Party, Shiv Sena and Lok Janshakti Party are also expected to be given ministries. Over the past few days, the BJP and its allies have held consultations on a formula to calculate the number of ministries to be allocated to its NDA partners. Sources said the number of ministerial slots for each ally would be linked to the number of its MPs. The sources further said several expert groups could also be formed that would report to key members of the council of ministers. While some reports suggested that Modi's Cabinet may initially have only 20 members, the prime minister-designate has given no indication what he has in mind. He has even jokingly dismissed media reports about his Cabinet, saying every news channel and newspaper seemed to have its own list. Sources said Modi has been keeping his cards close to his chest as he has not disclosed his thinking on the allocation of portfolios even to senior BJP leaders. There is also considerable speculation about appointments to key bureaucratic posts like National Security Adviser, Principal Secretary to PM and Cabinet Secretary.Huge numbers of people ended up in psychiatric institutions in Ireland, often due to social causes, writes MARY RAFTERY LINES OF naked people, faeces covering the floors, food served up with pitchforks, people deliberately kept in a state of animal-like existence – not exactly the kind of descriptions one expects to come across in Department of Health files. Nonetheless, all appear in one of the most damning reports on an Irish institution in this country, revealed this evening in Behind the Walls, RTÉ’s documentary series on the history of psychiatric hospitals in Ireland. The report concerned the Clonmel District Mental Hospital, as it was then, still open today and known as St Luke’s psychiatric hospital. It was written in 1958 by the assistant inspector of mental hospitals, Dr Ramsey, and delivered to the Department of Health in September of that year. It was a revealing year in the context of Irish mental institutions. The patient population was close to an all-time high of more than 21,000. For many years, Ireland had led the world in locking up its people in psychiatric hospitals – on a per capita basis, it was even ahead of the old Soviet Union. While for many years there had been anecdotal references to the enormous numbers in psychiatric hospitals, the definitive research establishing the State as a world leader was carried out recently by Dr Damien Brennan of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Trinity College Dublin. In addition to his international comparisons, Dr Brennan looked at figures closer to home, in particular comparing numbers locked up in psychiatric hospitals with those in prisons. This presents a truly remarkable picture of Irish society in the mid-decades of the 20th century, where the number of prisoners rarely exceeded 600. In 1958, the year of Dr Ramsey’s Clonmel report, this number was 369. Compare this with the 900 psychiatric patients locked up in Clonmel alone. Unlike prisoners, they had had no due process, no trial, no hearing, no appeal, and no end to their sentences. Stripped of their basic human rights, they were consigned, often for decades, to conditions so bad that one official in the Department of Health wrote he “was thoroughly shocked at the abysmally low standards in Clonmel”. What makes this even more horrific are the very clear statements in Department of Health files that Clonmel was not unique. With a view to finding out just how bad conditions were in other hospitals, the Department of Health decided in 1959 to circulate all the resident medical supervisors (or chief psychiatrists) of the 20 or so institutions around the country to ask what improvements they felt should be undertaken in their particular hospitals. At an internal meeting in October 1959, it was reported that six did not bother to reply while most of the rest were “defensive in tone”. It should be remembered that these were doctors charged with the treatment and wellbeing of their patients. It is revealing in this context to read a Department of Health official recording the attitude of one resident supervisor to the mentally ill in his hospital. According to this senior psychiatrist, “mental patients are neither happy nor unhappy, they are withdrawn and oblivious of their surroundings, leading little more than a vegetable existence”. Even such a layperson as the departmental official knew better than this, appending his own remark that, “this, I understand, is nonsense as far as the vast majority of patients are concerned, or would be nonsense if they had not been reduced to a vegetable existence by the environment in which they are forced to live”. This attitude to patients might go some way towards explaining the longevity of such risky and dangerous psychiatric treatments as lobotomy and insulin coma therapy. The latter was where patients were injected with enough insulin to put them into a hypoglycaemic coma. This was thought in some mysterious way to be likely to cure them. Of
ARE versus WT littermates. Several taxa were significantly more abundant in TNFdeltaARE mice, including members of the family Bacteroidaceae, which are frequently reported to increase the risk for the development of intestinal inflammation in humans and mice.7,9,23,40–42 Changes in microbial composition induced by antibiotic treatment established a disease course with recurrent inflammation, similar to observations in patients with IBD.43 The clinical efficacy of microbial therapy in CD, including antibiotics, probiotics and FMT is not well established. Meta-analyses show no clear advantage of probiotics in maintenance of remission in patients with CD, but hint towards a beneficial effect of antibiotics.44,45 Interestingly, the development of colitis in TNFdeltaARE mice was only detected in the presence of a variety of mouse-related pathogens in the CONV housing and was not affected by antibiotic treatment, suggesting different mechanisms in the pathogenesis of ileitis and colitis in this model of CD-like inflammation. Embryo transfer of CONV-TNFdeltaARE mice to a barrier-controlled environment led to the progression of extreme ileal phenotypes, that is, approximately half of SPF-TNFdeltaARE mice developed severe ileitis, whereas 20% remained ileitis-free. Disease activity and inflammatory tissue activation, measured at the level of granulocyte infiltration and Tnf-expression, significantly correlated with the reduction in lysozyme-positive or cryptin 2-positive PCs and ileal ANG4 expression. PCs play an important role in mucosal defence and were shown to be functionally impaired in IBD, especially in patients with CD.46–49 Genetic risk variants like autophagy-associated ATG16L1-T300A and endoplasmic reticulum stress responses contribute to PC dysfunction and epithelial cell-specific knockout models, that is, Caspase-8−/− or ATG16L1−/− and XBP-1−/− mice, allowed a mechanistic understanding of CD-like disease phenotypes.50–52 Interestingly, these newly generated mouse models share loss of PC functions as an important mechanism of ileal pathogenesis. However, lineage-specific ablation of PCs showed no specific IBD-associated phenotype, suggesting that loss of PC function alone is not sufficient to initialise the onset of disease, but rather facilitates the loss of complex regulatory circuits in the epithelium.53 Interferon-γ inhibits the release of PC-derived antimicrobial peptides,54 supporting our observation that inflammation-associated mediators abrogate PC functions. Therefore, loss of PC functions associated with reduced production of antimicrobial peptides in the small intestine might act as a disease accelerator. We showed that TNF-driven ileitis severity in TNFdeltaARE mice is linked to reduced PC function rather than numbers using combined lysozyme-UEA-1 and cryptdin-2 staining. Time-series analysis of transfer experiments with disease-conditioning microbiota in GF recipients clearly demonstrated that loss of PC function was subsequent to TNF-driven development of inflammation, suggesting that loss in PC function might contribute to, but seems not to be causal for the divergence of disease-related bacterial communities or development of dysbiosis. SPF-TNFdeltaARE mice with severe ileitis and loss of antimicrobial peptides were characterised by a taxonomically and functionally dysbiotic gut microbiota. Analysis of intestinal communities showed an ileitis-associated increase in the relative abundance of unknown Clostridiales and reduced abundance of Porphyromonadacaeae (order of Bacteroidales). While members of Clostridiales were found in lower abundance in patients with CD, they were increased in TNFdeltaARE ileitis and TM-IEC-C1galt1−/− colitis models, indicating model-specific traits of this very broad taxonomic group.55,56 Consistent with changes in our metaproteome analysis, shotgun metagenomic analysis of microbiota from patients with CD and UC showed functional shifts especially in ileal CD, driven by pathways of carbohydrate transport and mechanism and amino acid biosynthesis.57 Metaproteomics revealed that, among others, the abundance of fucose-utilising enzyme was exclusive for the dysbiotic ecosystem in SPF-TNFdeltaARE mice. Inflammation-driven increase in host-derived fucose was shown to affect metabolic functions of fucosidase-expressing commensal bacteria.58 Together with the fact that loss of function in the human Fut2 gene was shown to be associated with variations in the gut microbiota of patients with CD, we might speculate a role for the fucose metabolising enzymes in generating a disease-associated microbial environment in the gut.59,60 We showed that inflammation is associated with the development of dysbiosis and, most importantly, microbiota transfer experiments confirmed a causal relationship between microbial dysbiosis and disease initiation in TNFdeltaARE mice. We demonstrated for the first time that a compositionally and functionally diverse microbiota, which originates from donors with the same genetic background but different pathologies, transmits ileal inflammation. Garrett et al demonstrated in TRUC mice that a genotype-specific microbiota transferred colitis to RAG2−/− recipient mice. However, WT cagemates were also inflamed, suggesting a rather pathogenic than dysbiotic trait.36,61 Interestingly, Powell et al62 identified Helicobacter typhlonius as a key driver of pathogenesis in TRUC mice. In our experiments, inflammation occurred only after transfer of disease-related microbiota to GF-TNFdeltaARE and not WT recipient mice, supporting the necessity of genetic susceptibility for ileitis development, as well as the non-infectious nature of the dysbiotic microbial communities. Vice versa, the microbiota from NR animals failed to induce CD-like inflammation in GF-TNFdeltaARE mice, clearly demonstrating the disease-related specificity of the dysbiotic microbiota. Again, the overall community structure between recipients of R and NR microbiota were very distinct. OTU-based analysis confirmed that members of the family Porphyromonadacaeae were increased in NRs, but also that the relative abundance of Hungatella spp was significantly different. Of note, phylogeny of the genus Hungatella is not yet well established and ambiguous delineation from neighbouring species (eg, Clostridium clostridioforme, Clostridium aerotolerans, Clostridium bolteae and Clostridium xylanolyticum) calls for taxonomic amendments.63 Hence, different representatives of Hungatella were found in higher abundances in R and NR TNFdeltaARE mice, which hints at dysbiotic conditions characterised by subtle differences in bacterial profiles down to at least the species level. There is rising evidence that protective or deleterious effects of intestinal bacteria are strain-specific or species-specific, for example, PrtP expression in Lactobacillus casei, the presence of polysaccharide A in Bacteroides fragilis, or gelatinase E production by colitogenic Enterococcus faecalis.22,64,65 Some specific pathobionts, for example, Bilophila wadsworthia in IL-10−/− mice, have been selected from the commensal microbiota with the capability to transfer colitis into susceptible GF hosts.66 However, we failed to induce ileitis in monoassociated TNFdeltaARE mice using the CD-related pathobiont E. coli LF82.67,68 All our results point towards a community effect of the complex microbiota and loss of aggressive, or gain of protective mechanisms, rather than the selection of aggressive phylotypes as single agents causing the development of CD-like ileitis in TNFdeltaARE mice. In summary, we report that TNF-driven chronic inflammation with CD-like ileal pathology depends on microbial triggers and that inflammation is transmitted via dysbiotic communities of commensal bacteria. Consistent with previously published data, maternally inherited factors seem not relevant to the initial development of dominant dysbiotic bacterial communities and disease susceptibility later in life.69 Understanding the true nature of a dysbiotic and disease-conditioning microbiota seems of essential importance to judge the risk of relapse in patients with IBD after therapeutic intervention or to achieve best possible clinical efficacy in FMT trials. The transfer of IBD-related microbiota in GF-TNFdeltaARE mice will be an excellent tool to gain translational insights into the role of complex microbial communities in the progression of CD-like inflammation.Wikipedia has banned the Church of Scientology from editing any articles. It's a punishment for repeated and deceptive editing of articles related to the controversial religion. The landmark ruling comes from the inner circle of a site that prides itself on being open and inclusive. In a 10-1 ruling Thursday, the site's arbitration council voted to ban users coming from all IP addresses owned by the Church of Scientology and its associates, and further banned a number of editors by name. The story was first reported by The Register. Self-serving Wikipedia edits are hardly new. Wired.com readers pulled in an award for discovering the most egregious Wikipedia whitewashes by corporation and government agencies, but this is the first time the site has taken such drastic actions to block those edits. And the edits are unlikely to stop, now that the user-created encyclopedia has become one of the net's most popular sites and is often the top result for searches on a subject. Being able to massage an entry about oneself or one's company has proven difficult to resist, even for founder Jimmy Wales — despite Wikipedia's official warnings to the contrary. The Church of Scientology, founded by sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard in 1953, has had a long and bloody history on the net — dating back to Usenet groups, where critics maintain that the organization is a cult that brainwashes its members and sucks them dry financially. The Church, which teaches that humans are reincarnated and lived on other planets, says it is a legitimate religion. The case, which began in December, centers on more than 400 articles about the ultra-secretive Church and its members. Those pages have hosted long-running, fierce edit wars that pitted organized Church of Scientology editors — using multiple accounts — against critics of Scientology who fought those changes by citing their own or one another's self-published material. In fact, this is the fourth Wikipedia arbitration case concerning Scientology in as many years. The committee also banned a number of editors individually, prohibiting them from editing any Scientology-related articles for at least six months. Those privileges can be reinstated afterward if they show they can play nicely by Wikipedia's rules. While most disputes involving the Web and Scientology in the past year have involved anti-Scientology activists who bind together under the name Anonymous, that group is largely not involved in this argument, because only registered accounts are able to edit the articles under dispute. The Church of Scientology did not immediately return a voice message, asking for comment. See Also:Charlie Tilson set the table for Memphis; Chris Jacobs homered for Springfield; and Sandy Alcantara was effectively wild for the Peoria Chiefs, who's roster we'll also take a look at. Chuck Tilson (CF): 3-5, R, 3B, RBI Greg Garcia (SS): 1-3, R, RBI Anthony Garcia (LF): 0-4, RBI, K Nick Martini (RF): 1-2, R, RBI, BB, SB Patrick Wisdom (3B): 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI Thomas Lee (SP): 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K Sam Tuivailala (RP): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K Charlie Tilson has picked up right where he left off last year. His line right now is.286/.348/.452 with 3 stolen bases, and an 8.7% BB-rate and 15.2% K-rate. It is very early and there is a log jam in the outfield ahead of him, but it would be great if he shows the improvements he made in plate discipline and base running last season were real. Harrison Bader (CF): 1-4, 2 K Bruce Caldwell (2B): 0-4, 3 K David Washington (RF): 2-2, R, 2 BB Paul DeJong (3B): 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI, K Chris Jacobs (DH): 1-4, R, HR, RBI, 2 K Carson Kelly (C): 0-4, K Daniel Poncedeleon (SP): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K John Brebbia: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 K Daniel Poncedeleon didn't have it last night he needed 47 pitches to record 5 outs and was lifted after hitting a batter with the bases loaded...David Washington, just doing his thing...SSS, but Carson Kelly is batting.184/.184/.263 with 10 Ks and no BBs. Darren Seferina (2B): 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K Blake Drake (CF): 1-4, R, RBI, 2 K Blake McKnight (SP): 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K Eliezer Alvarez (2B): 1-4, K, SB Edmundo Sosa (SS): 1-3, R, BB, K Magneuris Sierra (CF) 2-4, R, K Sandy Alcantara (SP): 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 8 K MEM - Arturo Reyes SPR - Andrew Morales PB - Jacob Evans PEO - Ryan Helsley With all of the Cardinals prospects assigned and the minor league season underway, we'll try to figure out which names to watch at each level. In this edition, we look at the Peoria Chiefs. 2014 7th rounder Brian O'Keefe was the primary catcher before he was promoted to Palm Beach earlier this week. He hit well in the NY-Penn league his first season as a pro, and at Peoria last season, now he'll get a crack at the Florida State League. Chris Chinea was added to the roster to take his place. Chinea was a 15th round pick last year, and has enough power that he will be worth watching if he can stick behind the plate and make enough contact. Jose Godoy is the exact opposite, he has a lot of patience and rarely strikes out, but has hit only one home run in 600+ minor league plate appearances. As is the case with Palm Beach, the two players who make up the Chiefs double play combo are the most interesting infielders. Edmundo Sosa ranked #3 in the Cards's system by rb. He put up a.300/.369/.455 as a 19 year old in Johnson City last year and made the Panamanian national team for their World Baseball Classic qualifier this spring. This will be his first shot at full-season ball. 2B Eliezer Alvarez is also making his full-season debut after coming off back-to-back impressive seasons in the GCL and Appy League. When the Cardinals signed Leobaldo Pina as an international free agent Albert Pujols was still on the roster. He's still only 21 but he has struggled with the bat at every stateside stop so far. Third baseman Casey Turgeon is opening the season in Peoria to try to get things back on track after a rough season in Palm Beach last year. 2015 39th rounder R.J Dennard kept his head above water in State College last season, but his age (23) and position (1B) are working against him, he is off to a fast start in Peoria though. Magneuris Sierra was named the Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year in 2014 and was given an aggressive promotion to Peoria to start 2015. He struggled badly and returned to extended spring training and finished the season with Johnson City. He really needs to put together a strong year in 2016 to get things back on track. Vaughn Bryan was named to Baseball Prospectus' Cardinals Top 10 Prospects list, mostly on the the strength of his tools. He struggled with injuries last year and could use a bounce back season to regain his prospect status. Craig Aiken and Thomas Spitz appear to be org guys. There are a quite a few interesting names in the Peoria rotation. 19 year old Jake Woodford was a supplemental round pick last year and only made a handful of starts in the Gulf Coast League. rb took a look at him here. Sandy Alcantara and Junior Fernandez both landed on rb's top prospect list, with Fernandez landing at #13. 21 year-old 2013 international signee Derian Gonzalez has put up strong peripherals in the DSL and GCL and will get his first exposure to more advanced hitters. Ryan Helsley was drafted in the 5th round last year, his primary weapon is a high-90s fastball, if the secondary stuff doesn't develop his fastball could move him up the system in a hurry as a reliever. They're joined by 2015 26th rounder Brennan Leitao. It is tough to find true prospects in low minors bullpens, you're like just as likely to find a future big league reliever in the rotation. However, former international signee Steven De La Cruz has put up pretty strong K-rates in his brief exposure to pro ball. That's it. That's all four full-season teams.The Mahoning River. (Photo: Jack Pearce / Flickr)Ben Lupo, owner of D&L Energy and Hardrock Excavating, pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal felony charges under the Clean Water Act. Lupo is accused of ordering the dumping of thousands of gallons of chemical-laced fracking waste into streams in Youngstown, Ohio. On the night of January 31, state investigators acted on an anonymous tip and caught Lupo’s employees dumping oil and gas drilling waste – fluid, mud and oil – into a storm sewer that empties into a tributary of the Mahoning River, according to the Justice Department. Lupo admitted to state authorities that he ordered the initial dumping and later told investigators he ordered employees to dump the contents of a fracking waste storage tank into the storm drain on six occasions. A Hardrock Excavating employee, however, told authorities that he was aware of 20 dumping incidents since November 2012, according to the Justice Department. Lupo’s storage tanks hold about 21,000 gallons of waste. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a controversial drilling technique that is facilitating an oil and gas boom in Ohio and nearby states. Fracking produces large quantities of chemical-laced waste fluids and mud. Lupo’s D&L Energy operated the Northstar 1 fracking wastewater injection well that caused a series of earthquakes in 2011 and early 2012, including one quake that measured 4.0 on the Richter scale. Truthout published an investigative report on the earthquakes last summer. Lupo has been charged with violating the Clean Water Act, a federal offense that carries a maximum penalty of a $250,000 fine and up to three years in prison, said to Steven M. Dettelbach, the US attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. State regulators also revoked operating permits for D&L Energy and Hardrock Excavating, a brine-hauling firm owned by Lupo. Test results released by Ohio regulators on Thursday show the presence of harmful pollutants, including benzene and toluene, in the watersheds contaminated by the waste. The pollutants support the criminal charges against Lupo under the Clean Water Act, regulators said. Brian Cook, chief counsel for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), said on Thursday that ongoing cleanup efforts in the polluted watersheds are expected to continue into next week. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said his office is pursuing its own case against Lupo as the state-level investigation continues. DeWine said during a news conference he is “very happy” that Lupo is facing criminal charges on the federal level because the federal government has “much stronger laws than the state of Ohio does.” “I believe it’s time that Ohio law catches up to where federal law is,” DeWine said. Ohio has become a popular destination for fracking waste disposal, where a majority of the liquid waste is injected into underground wells. The state accepts large volumes of waste from other heavily fracked states, like Pennsylvania, and environmentalists are concerned that Ohio is becoming a fracking waste “dumping ground” due in part to lax regulations. On February 12, a coalition of Ohio residents sent a letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asking him not to lift a moratorium on fracking in his state out of fear that even more waste will end up in Ohio. The letter accuses the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which regulates fracking waste disposal, of approving injection well permits at “alarming rates” and having “a long history of ignoring repeated flagrant violations, not even enforcing its weak rules, ignor[ing] citizens’ concerns and denying evidence of problems.”Recently I was working on a bit of code that would get an item from the Sitecore database by calling the Sitecore.Data.Database.GetItem(...) method using Sitecore 8.0. On the day I wrote the code, everything was working as intended - job done, I thought. Little did I know that the next day would give me more trouble then I asked for, since the call to the Sitecore.Data.Database.GetItem(...) method all the sudden stopped returning my items, which lead me down a path of analyzing and debugging what was going on. In this blog post I'll explain why this happened, how I was able to solve it, and what other things you might look out for if this happens to you. What is causing this odd behaviour? When I did not get any items in return from the Sitecore database, my initial thought was that someone might have deleted the item I was looking for. However, when I looked in the content tree I could see that the item was still there, so something else was going on. While scouring the different Sitecore channels for valuable information on how to solve the issue, one of the things that came up was the fact that the data cache might be corrupted. In fact, other users have experienced data cache clearing issues causing Sitecore to believe an item doesn't exist, because it cleared the data but then didn't reload it into the cache again. If you want to know more about how the different caching layers works in Sitecore, I would recommend that you check out Yogesh Patel's excellent blog post on how Sitecore caching work. So how do we fix this? It happens to turn out that Sitecore has a lot of different admin pages, and one of these allows you to do a full cache refresh (using /sitecore/admin/cache.aspx ), including database prefetch, data cache, item cache, HTML cache, etc. In my case, clearing the cache immediately resolved the issue, and I was now able to retrieve the items I needed from the Sitecore database, using the very same code that failed prior to the cache clearing. But my cache is fine, what else can I do? If you are experiencing the same issue as me, and clearing the cache does not help you, there are other things you can try out in order to solve the problem: Check that your item still exists : This one goes without saying, but if you work on a shared database with your fellow developers, chances are that someone might delete your item by accident. So before you start going down the same path as I did, do remember to verify that the item is still resting safe and sound in the content tree. Check whether you are switching the context database : As a sneak peak to one of my upcoming blog posts, I will say that you should always be a bit careful when accessing the current context database, since it may not always be the database you think it is. Depending on the situation, the current context database may sometimes be the Master database, other times it may be the Core database. This means that if the data is in Master and/or Web database, you want to make sure that you are not switching over to a different context database, like Core, since you won't be able to find your item over there. Check whether you are switching the language: Once you have confirmed that your item is there and you are looking in the right context database, but nothing is coming back, chances are that there is no version of the item in the language you are requesting it from. You should verify whether there is any code switching the context language programmatically, and if so you need to make sure that there is a version of the item in that specific language - if not, then you wont get any results back. If you have other tricks on how you can get your items returned from Sitecore, or perhaps some information on why this issue happens in the first place, please drop me a note in the comment section down below.By Natalia Castro Weeks after Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas and Hurricane Irma wrecked southern Florida, another hurricane, Maria, ravaged Puerto Rico as a Category 5 storm. Since its passing, this small American island has been forced to show resilience as infrastructure and communication challenges continue to pervert efforts. However, the strength of the people of Puerto Rico and efforts by the Trump Administration have made a difference, despite some of the media’s depiction, Puerto Rico with a population of 3.4 million is preparing for a recovery. While currently, the storms death toll rests at 16, officials have been quick to remind the federal government that the local government is unaware of the true scope of the damage to lives. Out of nearly 70 hospitals on the island, less than 20 are even partially operational; meanwhile, a lack of electricity on the entire island has made cell phones obsolete. This has caused many hospitals to wait to announce lives lost until families can be contacted and records can be kept once again. While this has caused many to argue that Puerto Rico is not receiving adequate assistance from the federal government, extensive relief efforts are already underway. This week, President Trump temporarily lifted the Jones Act, a law which required goods shipped between points in the US to be carried by vessels built, owned, and (mostly) operated by Americans. The New York Time’s Niraj Chokshi explains, in 1920 during the law’s passage, this law expedited the creation of a national maritime industry and protected American control over water commerce; but for Puerto Rico during a natural disaster, it slowed the ability for resources to enter the island while ports in Florida and nearby countries were seeking American made ships and crews. President Trump’s temporary waiver of this law has allowed millions of emergency meals, medical supplies, and clean water to enter the territory, drastically improving recovery efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been working closely with the Department of Defense (DoD) to both allow resources to enter the island and get these resources distributed to areas of rural Puerto Rico, unreachable by traditional police units. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) have called upon the Trump Administration to increase the military presence on the island to ensure logistical constraints, which have been preventing aid from reaching remote parts of the island, are overcome and aid is delivered. The Administration has responded to the situation on the ground accordingly with an uptick in DoD assistance. The Department reported on Friday morning, “In Puerto Rico, DoD continues ongoing relief operations and deployment of additional response capacity, expanding airfield and seaport throughput and supporting Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements. The hospital ship USNS Comfort will depart its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, today, bound for Puerto Rico, and NorthCom is sourcing a Role 3 medical capability and additional medical support… The capability includes a self-sufficient deployable medical/surgical treatment facility, including inpatient care with 50 inpatient beds for up to 10 days.” In addition, “Ten of 12 regional staging areas, including 12 Puerto Rico National Guard armories, are open, he said, supporting more than 100 distribution points for meals, water and other commodities. Eight airports are open in Puerto Rico and one remains closed, he said. Five of six FEMA-priority sea ports are open or open with restrictions, he added, and surveys of Ponce and Roosevelt Roads are ongoing. U.S. Transportation Command lifted a replacement generator for San Juan Combined Center/Radar Approach. When installed, the generator will enhance air traffic control capability and increase air traffic capacity.” Puerto Rico’s greatest struggle, which continues to cause the death toll to rise and citizens to distress, is the lack of basic energy on the island. The territory’s electric grid has been destroyed by the twin blows of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico officials say it will likely be four to six months before power is fully restored. Unfortunately, this was an expected problem. The LA Times reports, “The island’s faltering electrical grid…already was struggling to keep the lights on after a history of poor maintenance, poorly trained staff, allegations of corruption and crushing debt. As recently as 2016, the island suffered a three-day, island-wide blackout as a result of a fire. A private energy consultant noted then that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority ‘appears to be running on fumes, and … desperately requires an infusion of capital — monetary, human and intellectual — to restore a functional utility.’ Puerto Ricans in early 2016 were suffering power outages at rates four to five times higher than average U.S. customers.” This should serve as a much-needed warning to the rest of the United States. Our own national electric grid relies on archaic infrastructure and has moved away from resilient energy sources such as coal and nuclear energy. Luckily, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry is working to open coal and nuclear power plants to build resilience in the U.S. electric grid, hopefully, to prevent this type of tragedy from occurring nationwide. Puerto Rico’s energy grid was unprepared for the storm; now leaving the island without the ability to pump clean water, without cellular phone towers, without electricity in most hospitals, and in this sub-tropical climate — without air conditioning. While the situation in Puerto Rico has clearly become catastrophic, it has not gone unaddressed. Federal efforts including military continue to work to bring essential resources to individuals across Puerto Rico. This situation reminds all Americans the importance of disaster preparedness, a message the Trump Administration has not taken lightly. Natalia Castro is a contributing editor for Americans for Limited Government.In what is a rare occurrence, the Buffalo Bills are favored to win a road game against an AFC East opponent. According to VegasInsider.com, the Bills currently sit as 3 point favorites over the Miami Dolphins, up from an opening line of 2 1/2. While the Dolphins did impress with their 30-15 thrashing of the Steelers on Sunday, the Bills’ current winning streak shouldn’t give a whole lot of reason to put much faith in Miami’s chances, especially considering how badly the Bills beat the Dolphins twice last season. Assuming the line holds, it will be the first time the Bills have been favored to win a road game against a divisional foe since Veteran’s Day of 2007, according to Pro Football Reference. The 4-4 Bills headed into Miami to face an 0-8 Dolphins team, but were still only 2 1/2-point favorites. Miami actually held a 10-2 (!) lead going into the fourth quarter, but a Marshawn Lynch touchdown run and two-point conversion tied the game, and a late Rian Lindell field goal gave the Bills a 13-10 win. If the Bills end up heading into New York as road favorites against the Jets on New Year’s Day, it’ll be the first time they’ve been favored in New Jersey against Gang Green since October of 2003. The 3-2 Bills entered as 1-point favorites over the 0-4 Jets, but Vinny Testaverde’s three touchdowns and seven sacks by the Jets defense gave them a very comfortable 30-3 win. As for the Patriots? The last time Vegas expected the Bills to win in New England was also the last time the Bills were a playoff team. The 9-5 Bills were giving 3 points to the 7-7 Patriots on December 26, 1999. Thurman Thomas (yes, it’s been that long) ran for 84 yards, but it was Jonathan Linton who scored the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Steve Christie knocked in the winner in overtime to give the Bills a 13-10 victory, the most recent season where the Bills reached double-digit wins. Hopefully, this idea of being road favorites against division opponents is something to which the Bills can start becoming acclimated. Of course, what Vegas thinks doesn’t matter unless the team validates it on the field.Have you been playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and decided it is time to setup your own server? If your answer is yes, this tutorial is for you. In the next couple of minutes you will learn how to make CS:GO server on Linux VPS. What you’ll need Before you begin this guide, you’ll need the following: Step 1 — Installing Pre-Depends Before we begin the process, we have to install some extra software in order to get things working. Login to your server through SSH with your root details. We recommend using Terminal for Linux and Putty. Now install the lib32gcc1 runtime library with the following command: apt-get install lib32gcc1 Step 2 — Downloading and Installing SteamCMD Downloading and Using SteamCMD with root permissions is not a very good idea, if you want to make a secure game server. In order to prevent such case, we must create a user for our software. To do this you have to use the useradd command: useradd -m steam After creating the user, you have to login to this user to start the installation of the SteamCMD. Use the following command to login: su - steam In order to make a directory structured, it is recommended to create and enter the Steam directory with: mkdir ~/Steam && cd ~/Steam Now we have to download the latest version of SteamCMD from Valve server. It can be done with: wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz Extract SteamCMD and run it using: tar xf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz And run the SH file with: ./steamcmd.sh Step 3 — Using SteamCMD to Download Server Files If the installation was successful, you should see Steam prompt: Steam> Now you need to login to your Steam account. For security reasons, it is recommended to login with the following command: login <username> <password> Using the command below, choose a folder name for your installation folder: force_install_dir./cs_go/ Now it’s time to finally install and validate Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Server files. We can install and validate it with: app_update 740 validate 740 – Game ID, in this case Counter-Strike Global Offensive. Now, simply sit back and relax, this will take a couple of minutes. Now open Steam Page and create a game server account. App ID of the base game – Type 730 as CSGO here. – Type 730 as CSGO here. Memo – Something that you will remember later. Step 4 – Starting your Counter-Strike Global Offensive Server Depending on the game mode, you can start your server in many ways. First, enter the cs_go directory in order to use srcds_run application. Important: Do not forget to replace your GSLT after +sv_setsteamaccount, when you are starting your server. Classic Casual: ./srcds_run -game csgo -console -usercon +game_type 0 +game_mode 0 +mapgroup mg_active +map de_dust2 +sv_setsteamaccount THISGSLTHERE -net_port_try Classic Competitive: ./srcds_run -game csgo -console -usercon +game_type 0 +game_mode 1 +mapgroup mg_active +map de_dust2 +sv_setsteamaccount THISGSLTHERE -net_port_try Deathmatch: ./srcds_run -game csgo -console -usercon +game_type 1 +game_mode 2 +mapgroup mg_allclassic +map de_dust +sv_setsteamaccount THISGSLTHERE -net_port_try Conclusion By finishing this tutorial, you have learned how to make CS: GO Server on Linux VPS. You can read more useful tips on official Valve page.During a May 11, 2017 hearing on his bill to create tougher penalties for college students who disrupt public speakers, Wisconsin state Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, had this exchange with state Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison: Berceau: So, my question is, if a geology student says, "I’m sorry, but the Earth is only 6,000 years old" -- rejecting science that says that the Earth is considerably older than that -- is it not OK for a professor to tell that student that they’re wrong? Kremer: So, this bill stays out of the classroom. Yes, the Earth is 6,000 years old, that’s a fact. But, we can discuss that outside of this room. (He chuckles.) Berceau: You said that it is a fact, you do believe it’s a fact? Kremer: Yeah, I do. While the idea that the Earth is 6,000 years old is an article of faith for some, in this context Kremer presented it as a knowable fact. Let’s take a look. Kremer and his bills Kremer, who represents a rural area northwest of Milwaukee, is known for proposing legislation that is, in his words, "red meat for conservatives". For example, to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy; place gender restrictions on school bathrooms and locker rooms; and allow concealed carry permit-holders to carry guns on public school grounds and college campuses. Kremer introduced the speech bill six days before the hearing, which was held by a state Assembly committee. It would require the state’s Board of Regents to adopt a policy for Wisconsin’s public colleges that includes "a range of disciplinary sanctions for anyone under an institution's jurisdiction who engages in violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, obscene, unreasonably loud, or other disorderly conduct that interferes with the free expression of others." A student violator could face a one-semester suspension or expulsion for a second offense. The bill, which is expected to be taken up by the Assembly in June 2017, comes as free speech issues have grown more contentious on college campuses across the country, fostering concerns among Republicans that conservative speakers aren’t treated equally. The Capital Times reported on Kremer’s 6,000 statement from
while they travel around Europe. Hidden world: Claire Bragg, 25, and Stuart Humphreys, 24, spent £6,000 converting this second-hand van into a mobile home Innocuous: From the outside, the Ford Transit looks like any other van, save for the chimney which leads to a wood burner on the inside Postal worker Ms Bragg has been granted a sabbatical from her job, while chef Mr Humphreys is taking a break from the kitchens. Ms Bragg said: ‘We really like the freedom of it, we can go wherever we like, do whatever we like, whenever we like.’ There are however some drawbacks to their new life. No toilet means the nearest bush will have to suffice and a bath will depend on local rivers and streams. Dreadlocked Mr Humphreys wasn’t fazed though. He said: ‘I’m a stinky hippy, I barely shower anyway!’ Mr Humphreys, who is 6ft 2ins, will also have to contend with the compact space. Room for three: Mr Humphreys, who is 6ft tall, plans to sleep in the foetal position in the tiny bed Compact: The inside of the van, which is 1.7 metres by 1.8 metres, contains a bed, kitchen and wood burner While the van seems to contain all the mod cons, it does not however contain a toilet Mr Humphreys, 24, and and Ms Bragg, 25, from Leeds, plan to travel in the van around Europe The living area measures 1.7 metres wide by 1.8 metres. He said: ‘I have to sleep diagonally in the foetal position.’ Starting from scratch with a Ford Transit T300 that belonged to a window-glazing company, the couple spent two years transforming the 2007 van into their dream home. Mr Humphries said: ‘The hardest part was adding the insulation to the van - that took three months alone.’ Mr Humphreys and Ms Bragg insulated their van before installing the rest of the fittings Stuart Humphreys, 25, pictured inside the van, bought the Ford Transit for £3,500. Two years and £6,020 later he converted it into a dream caravan Next they installed a bed, an oven, and pine cupboards. A wood burner provides heating on cold nights, while a solar panel on the roof powers electronic devices. The van was fitted out with pine before the fittings like the wood burner (right) were installed FROM TRANSIT TO CARAVAN - COST Van - £3,500 Battery - £100 Solar Panel – £350 Battery charger – £100 Power inverter - £100 Garage consumer unit - £30 12v switches – £20 12 LED 50/50 warm white light strips - £50 Thetford Duplex gas oven/grill - £250 Smev hob and sink combo - £300 Water pump – £20 Insulation – £200 Wood – £350 Screws and miscellaneous - £100 Windows – £300 Wood burner - £250 Total - £6,020 Mr Humphries said: ‘We could plug in a 300 watt amp if we wanted and hold our own mini-festival out of the van.’ But the trip will be far from a holiday, as the couple plan to work on local farms and even forage food to save money. Mr Humphries said: ‘We hope to eat as much food as we can catch and do fruit-picking, or any sort of farm work to supplement our adventure.’ The couple, who have been together for three years, will travel by ferry to Holland, continue on to Germany and Scandinavia, then return through Eastern Europe. Ms Bragg said: ‘We’re planning to follow the sun, spending winter in the warm countries and summer in the cooler countries.’ They have registered their vehicle as a camper van to avoid being charged higher costs on ferries and insurance. Mr Humphries said: ‘We were worried the DVLA would not accept the vehicle as a camper van but they were satisfied with the pictures and changed the log book for us.’About two thirds of the participants come from Europe and the rest from North America; one third from politics and government and the rest from other fields. It is the first time in many years that a Belgian Prime Minister has been invited to attend the Bilderberg Conference. This year’s conference will be held between 11 and 14 June in the Austrian town of Telfs-Buchen. A number of Belgian businesspeople are regulars at the Bilderberg meeting. These include Etienne Davignon, who even chaired Bilderberg for 10 years. The chairman of the bank and insurance group KBC Thomas Leysen is part of the selection committee that decided to invite Mr Michel. Mr Michel’s predecessor Elio Di Rupo (Francophone socialist) and Yves Leterme (Flemish Christian democrat) were never invited to attend.Tsuburaya Productions The ultimate superheroine Mother of Ultra is the perfect supermodel for an ad campaign to celebrate the "ultra renewal" of 97 stores in the Amu Plaza Hakata shopping center in Japan. Mother of Ultra, as well as kaiju monsters Alien Baltan, Dada, and Pigumon strut their stuff on the catwalk. In other videos, Mother of Ultra invades the city of Fukuoka itself, modeling the latest fashions most likely found in the newly updated shopping center. While this is only an ad campaign, it would make an amazing monster movie with some of the most iconic "Ultraman" characters turning fashion victims into ultra fashionistas. Here's hoping other kaiju characters follow in their fashionable footsteps. If anyone can rock a Spencer Hart suit, it'd be Godzilla. (Via Kotaku)Abstract How structure relates to function—across spatial scales, from the single molecule to the whole organism—is a central theme in biology. Bioengineers, however, wrestle with the converse question: will function follow form? That is, we struggle to approximate the architecture of living tissues experimentally, hoping that the structure we create will lead to the function we desire. A new means to explore the relationship between form and function in living tissue has arrived with three-dimensional printing, but the technology is not without limitations. Citation: Miller JS (2014) The Billion Cell Construct: Will Three-Dimensional Printing Get Us There? PLoS Biol 12(6): e1001882. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001882 Published: June 17, 2014 Copyright: © 2014 Jordan S. Miller. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: Support was provided by the John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The author declares that no competing interests exist. Introduction In the 1960s field known as Bionics, many human tissue functions were considered analogous to basic mechanical and electrical systems, such as servomechanisms [1]. Researchers made rapid progress recapitulating components of systems found in the body, and forecasts were made as to when human–machine interfaces would become so completely integrated with our anatomy as to be essentially undetectable. This conceptual framework has proven useful in practice, with contemporary work applied to human patients through surgical implants such as knee, hip, and limb prostheses [2]; pacemakers; and cochlear and retinal devices [3]. Although these medical devices significantly improve the quality of life for patients today, there are many functions in living tissues which cannot be addressed with electromechanical systems. Shrewd utilization of our best materials simply cannot replace tissues in the body whose functions are intimately tied to their biochemistry. For example, we don't know how to make a plastic or a metal that can metabolize acetaminophen and alcohol like the liver can. Since cells are the major functional unit responsible for biochemistry in the body, efforts to separate cells from their native environment in vivo and apply them therapeutically in extracorporeal devices have remained steadfast. In extracorporeal liver-assist devices, live cells can be loaded into bioreactor chambers outside the body and then connected in a closed loop with host blood circulation so that the biochemical benefit from cells in the device will positively affect the patient [4],[5]. But these strategies that are external to the body, including dialysis of blood during kidney failure, lead to their own morbidities and are not suitable long-term therapies [6]. Cells loaded into extracorporeal devices or growing at the bottom of a Petri dish bear little resemblance to the exquisite anatomical complexity found in the human body. Organs like the lung, heart, brain, kidney, and liver are pervaded by incredibly elegant yet frighteningly complex vascular networks (carrying air, lymph, blood, urine, and bile), leaving us without a clear path toward physical recapitulation of these tissues in the laboratory (Figure 1). However, we don't need to fully understand tissue organization or all of developmental biology (e.g., spatiotemporal growth factor release) before we can improve the quality of life for patients suffering from damaged or diseased organs. Transplanting whole organs from a human donor into a recipient can provide lifelong benefit when accompanied with immunosuppressive therapy [7],[8]. Moreover, isolated cells have been shown to be able to provide biochemical benefit to the host, even when injected or placed at ectopic sites inside the recipient [9]–[11]. PPT PowerPoint slide PowerPoint slide PNG larger image larger image TIFF original image Download: Figure 1. Anatomical complexity remains unsolved. (A) Leonardo da Vinci famously recognized the interpenetrating networks of lung vasculature and branched airways with his detailed drawings (c. 1500). Image courtesy of the European Union Leonardo Digitale. (B) Whole-lung vasculature can be reconstructed and visualized from computed tomography (CT) scans. Reprinted with permission from [61]. (C) Air sac architecture of adult rat lung (electron micrograph of decellularized resin cast). Image courtesy of Laura Niklason, additional research available via [25], scale bar = 1 mm. (D) Optical projection tomography image of an embryonic day 15 mouse lung undergoing branching morphogenesis. Epithelium (E-Cadherin, magenta), future conducting airways (SOX2, white). Image courtesy of Jichao Chen, additional research available via [62], scale bar = 500 m. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001882.g001 As we look toward the future, the prospect of using a patient's own cells to develop living models of their active biochemistry as well as functional, life-lasting cellular implants offers potentially revolutionary changes to research and healthcare. Stem cell biologists are uncovering exciting new ways to induce pluripotency [12] and direct lineage commitment [13]. But simple questions about cell number and cell types, their spatial arrangement, and local extracellular and microenvironmental considerations remain largely intractable because of difficulties in placing and culturing cells in three-dimensional (3D) space. For example, embryoid body aggregates containing thousands of cells change differentiation trajectory as a function of cell population and microenvironmental characteristics [14], while larger cell populations packed at physiologic densities rapidly die because of lack of adequate oxygen and nutrient transport. Recent advances in 3D printing, a suite of technologies originally developed for plastic and metal manufacturing, are now being adapted to operate within the soft, wet environments where cells function best. Because 3D printing excels at producing heterogeneous physical objects of high complexity, biologists and bioengineers are gaining unprecedented access to a rich landscape of tissue architecture we've always wanted to explore. Size Matters Seminal work in the 1980s by Ioannis Yannas and colleagues [15] demonstrated that scar tissue formation in skin wounds could be blocked by a biocompatible, nontoxic implant made from a special formulation of collagen and glycosaminoglycans [16]. Notably, the implant further supported tissue regeneration such as normal collagen remodeling and ingrowth of functional nerves and blood vessels, yet remained devoid of more localized skin appendages such as hair follicles, sebaceous and sweat glands. Tissue engineering has since evolved to combine cells, a scaffold, and bioactive factors into a construct for study or implantation, with steady progress in the use of other conceptually simple and thin tissues such as cornea [17] and bladder [18], to restore function in human patients. Only one or two cell types are needed pre-implantation, and the body seems able to adequately make up the difference to get desired function. Thin tissues require comparatively few cells. One study implanted a thin construct of hepatocytes subcutaneously in rodents and the cells were observed to proliferate and function normally [9], but such thin constructs cannot compensate for a whole liver. Scaling up tissue constructs is first and foremost a numbers game. Although humans are thousands of times larger than mice, human cells and mouse cells are about the same size. So, to translate thin tissue studies in mice to cellularized solid organ therapies for humans, we are going to need to be able to grow a lot more cells. With the minimum therapeutic threshold for solid organ replacement estimated at 1–10 billion functioning cells (Figure 2), current expertise in the field is still off by several orders of magnitude. PPT PowerPoint slide PowerPoint slide PNG larger image larger image TIFF original image Download: Figure 2. Tissue engineering. Investigations with engineered tissue constructs currently span at least eight orders of magnitude. Yet, the minimum therapeutic threshold for recapitulating solid organ function in humans is estimated at the level of 1–10 billion functioning parenchymal cells. We still have a ways to go. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001882.g002 More subtly, the challenge is also one of cell density. More than 15 years ago, Laura Niklason and Bob Langer observed that "…gels seeded with cells have been limited by the fact that the resultant cell densities per unit volume that can be achieved are much lower than those observed in vivo…'' [19]. Little has changed here because of difficulties in keeping cells alive in culture at high density [20],[21]. Why does cell density matter? We know that many cells require close or direct contact with neighbors in order to function [22], whether during embryonic morphogenesis and development, homeostasis, or wound healing. So, just having 10 billion functioning cells growing across dozens of Petri dishes will not solve the problem. We will need to figure out how to organize cells into structures where their proper phenotype is reinforced. Yet, it's not clear which anatomical components are necessary and sufficient for tissue function and which are superfluous trappings. Do we need microtissues with multiscale vasculature, or are organ-on-a-chip systems [23] adequate? Decellularized organs, which are then recellularized, have demonstrated great potential for tissue engineering applications [24]–[27] but lack a degree of architectural control which may be necessary for the experimentalist. To answer this question, we need tools which can dictate the cellular components, the extracellular matrix, and the interstitial fluidic space of engineered tissues with high precision in all three dimensions. Recent efforts in 3D printing are now providing exactly these capabilities, and automation and reproducibility are intrinsically built in. 3D Printing: Engineering Layer-by-Layer Biologists and bioengineers are experts at adapting technologies developed in other industries for our own research endeavors. Techniques to organize or orient living cells on surfaces, for example, have come from modifying technologies from the microprocessor industry [28]. The arrival of 3D printing for the manufacture of objects of arbitrary complexity promises a sea change in tissue engineering and experimental biology. 3D printing is an iterative, additive technology. Rather than starting with a block of material and removing what is undesirable in a subtractive process (as in sculpting or milling), additive manufacturing starts from nothing and selectively builds, one layer at a time, an object of interest according to computer instructions. A dizzying array of technologies are currently in use, and all are potentially adaptable to engineering living tissues (Figure 3). An additive approach is unique among manufacturing technologies because it gives the user independent access to every (x,y,z) coordinate—termed "voxel'' (a portmanteau of volume and pixel)—within a given volume. Access to each voxel can make 3D printing rather slow: each time print resolution is doubled, the number of required voxels scales by a factor of eight (because ). But the capabilities of 3D printing are best demonstrated in the fabrication of structures that cannot be made in any other way. PPT PowerPoint slide PowerPoint slide PNG larger image larger image TIFF original image Download: Figure 3. Overview of 3D printing. (A) A 3D model can be generated and visualized in a wide range of software packages. 3D model available under Creative Commons license via Thingiverse.com, courtesy of artists Barak Moshe and Faberdashery. (B) The surface topology is simplified to a mesh comprising a series of 3D coordinates (vertices) and the triangles (faces) that connect them. (C) The surface mesh is computationally sliced layer-by-layer to calculate machine instructions suitable for 3D printing. Machine instructions can be visualized en face or in cross-section (inset). (D) 3D printing via melt extrusion (inset) can easily achieve layer heights which surpass the resolution of human fingerprints. Scale bar = 1 mm. (E) A selection of the diverse parameter space of 3D printing technologies. Many dozens of different combinations are in practice today. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001882.g003 One conceptual approach to adapt 3D printing technologies for biology and medicine is a substitution of the commonly used resins (such as acrylates) and plastics (such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) with biocompatible, nontoxic materials like polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL). Recently, this approach was used to successfully treat an infant in respiratory distress. Doctors used noninvasive anatomical scanning to map the tracheal defect, then designed and printed a tracheal splint made entirely from PCL [29]. The patient achieved marked improvement in respiration, and the splint is expected to be fully resorbed within three years. Dental prostheses can be made with 3D printers in a doctor's private medical practice, further highlighting patient-specific customization advantages and broad clinical adoption of the technology [30]. To adapt 3D printing for the manufacture of living tissues, cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) are combined as ink in a process known as bioprinting. Inkjet printing [31], light-projection photolithography [32]–[34], and syringe-based extrusion [35],[36] allow the selective deposition of tissues in reproducible and heterogeneous patterns. Microvascular cells can be inkjet printed in fibrin [37], cellular aggregates made from chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells or fibroblasts can be extruded among a supporting stroma of agarose [38], and primary aortic cells can be printed in the shape of their parent valve based on digitized microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) scans [39]. Besides ink considerations such as viscosity and crosslinking chemistry, cell handling is a major challenge. Some of the cell types most desirable for printing, such as hepatocytes, are actually quite fragile cells in culture; they may not survive the 3D printing process itself [31]. Taking inkjet printing as an example, although droplet ejection frequencies of around 20 kHz have been achieved [40], ejection of cells can induce transient nanopores in printed cells [41], which may explain some of the cell damage observed in this process. Just-in-time cell harvesting, microfluidic culture devices, or automated cell sheet manipulation [42] may improve the scalability and complexity of construct fabrication. In contrast to these additive cellular inks, temporary inks can be printed, encased, and then selectively removed later [43],[44]. A distant relative of lost-wax casting, this sacrificial molding strategy trades most of the precision of specific cell placement for accurately structuring the negative space in tissues. For example, smooth channels and tubes can be patterned and perfused [45] to keep resident cells alive at densities not currently possible with bioprinting [21],[46]. The combination of sacrificial inks with bioprinting approaches may yield a hybrid strategy giving the best characteristics from each technique: heterogeneous cell patterning and perfusable vasculature [47]. Importantly, the ethos of the open-source software movement—making designs and code, like the Linux computer operating system, freely and legally available to anyone—has now bled into hardware designs and the software toolchain for 3D printers. The result is an explosion of more than 75,000 3D printers in operation worldwide by both researchers and hobbyists eager to help with focused scientific exploration [21],[48]. Yet, the most ubiquitous digital file format used for 3D printing—the stereolithography file (STL)—lacks any hierarchy to represent the structure of living tissue. The STL file only describes the surface of a 3D volume and contains no information about its internal space. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a new data bank for 3D printing (http://3dprint.nih.gov/) which may help to address this standardization problem. Protein crystallographers once wrestled with a similar challenge to define an all-inclusive file format for 3D data, resolved by the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics (RCSB) open protein data bank (PDB) file format; nearly 100,000 protein structures have been centrally and publicly archived since 1971. Simplification of the hardware and software tools required for 3D printing mean the technology is becoming accessible even to non-experts. The diversity of interests in 3D printing, coupled with the wide distribution of printers themselves, mean a plethora of opportunities exist for applying 3D printing to biology and medicine (Box 1). Box 1. Choose Your Own Adventure: An Abundance of Opportunities for 3D Printing Cascading Signals The dynamism of biology is exemplified with spatial signaling cascades such as Notch, Wnt, and Hedgehog, and the ability to reconstruct models of their behavior in vitro is progressing steadily, with exquisite genetic control [63]. Applications of 3D printing to position specific cell types in three-dimensional arrangements and dictate their crosstalk may provide the experimental platform on which to test advanced multiscale computational models [64]. Cooperativity and Morphogenesis To understand morphogenesis and cooperativity in large-scale tissues, we need techniques which can pattern cell populations to focus and understand their behavior [65],[66] in all three dimensions [67]. For example, models of angiogenesis, the sprouting of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, are transitioning into 3D [46] and are backed by multiscale models [68]. When coupled with readouts that can measure cellular activity with spatiotemporal perspective, we might be able to better direct cellular motions and tissue deformations and stresses [69]–[71]. Disease Progression Building physiologically relevant models of disease progression [72] is another area ripe for extension to 3D models. For example, in vitro models of tumor biology are providing new opportunities [69],[73]–[75]. In cancer, computational models of mass transport [76] have had difficulties making accurate predictions of chemotherapeutic potential because of the complexities of measuring, verifying, and correlating mass transport directly in patients; every tumor is heterogeneous and unique. Our changing understanding of cancer forces continued revision of conceptual models [77]–[79], which may benefit from 3D printing approaches, rigorous in vitro analysis [80], and correlation to human clinical data [81]. Pharmaceutical Applications The promise of organ-on-a-chip systems [23] is that they physically model key aspects of human physiology with human cells. So it may be possible to bring high-throughput drug testing directly to cultured, vascularized human tissues fabricated with 3D printing. Further, since patient-specific responses to drugs are hard to predict, these technologies may one day make it possible to test drugs on cells cultured from specific patients, thereby helping to predict their best therapeutic cocktail and highest tolerable dose. Plugging It In The inexorable need for a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients to maintain cell viability is a major limiting factor in the engineering of tissues containing living cells. Diffusion alone is sufficient for the growth of human cell aggregates up to several hundred micrometers thick; however, large cell aggregates develop necrotic cores. The challenge remains one of mass transport—how to get oxygen and nutrients in and waste products out of tissue constructs (Figure 4; animation available as supporting information Movie S1). Given the difficulties of mapping interstitial nutrient gradients in vivo, the path toward constructs containing billions of cells remains unclear. PPT PowerPoint slide PowerPoint slide PNG larger image larger image TIFF original image Download: Figure 4. Journey of a molecular nutrient through native tissues. Cellular organization in vascularized tissues is commonly simplified into four regimes, which are rarely recapitulated together in engineered tissue constructs. Soluble blood components vary dramatically in size, concentration, and biochemistry, and each has distinct targets and mechanisms for negotiating tissue architecture. Artwork render and animation (Movie S1) performed with Blender.org open-source software. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001882.g004 Bulk perfusion of sponge-like macroporous tissue constructs in bioreactors can keep resident cells alive. However, seeded cells can secrete their own insoluble protein matrix into the porous void space, eventually restricting all mass transport [49]. Moreover, although parenchymal cells appear to be resilient to dramatic changes in their microenvironment, blood shows no such flexibility [50]. Perpetual difficulties in making simple extracorporeal devices and small-diameter vascular grafts (below 6 mm in diameter) have been hampered by fundamental hemodynamics and blood clotting biochemistry, especially in terms of acute and potentially lethal complications (e.g., stroke, heart attack, and pulmonary embolism). So, it's unclear how porous cellularized foams could be perfused with whole blood in the body. To develop living tissue implants that can survive beyond the diffusion limits of oxygen in the interstitial fluids, we may need to construct new vascular networks that can be plumbed into the host vasculature and permit blood flow. Pre-vascularized implanted tissues can integrate into the host vasculature [51]–[53], but this takes anywhere from days to weeks. We will need to speed up the process for billion-cell constructs because necrosis can occur within hours, whether in engineered tissues or in donor organs for transplantation. Basic anatomy demonstrates that identical organs from different people have unique vascular architectures, yet these organs can still function similarly for each person. While major arteries and veins are genetically encoded and form during embryogenesis [54]–[56], the microvasculature is remodeled based on local forces and needs [57]. Indeed, the vessel architecture of the retina is more distinct among people than their fingerprints. Thus, it is not necessarily the exact x, y, and z coordinates of individual vessels that permit organ function. Rather, the overall transport of blood components that results from vessel architecture is a principal factor defining healthy and diseased tissue (e.g., vessel tortuosity, red blood cell velocity, pO 2, and pH). So, to solve transport questions in engineered tissues, it is likely that more than one architectural solution is possible (Figure 5). PPT PowerPoint slide PowerPoint slide PNG larger image larger image TIFF original image Download: Figure 5. Recapitulating whole organ vasculature. It should be possible to create whole vascularized organoids by merging current anatomical mapping technologies with 3D printing. (A) A tissue or organ of interest is scanned via microcomputed tomography (micro-CT). Source 2D liver scans courtesy of Chris Chen and Sangeeta Bhatia, additional research available via [10]. The resulting voxels (volumetric pixels) can be visualized and converted into a 3D surface topology. (B) Optionally, the 3D surface mesh can be fully parametrized in order to generate, de novo, similar vascular architectures as a new topology. (C) Native or synthetically generated vascular architectures are then computationally sliced and prepared for 3D printing directly (in sacrificial ink) or by boolean volumetric subtraction (in additive ink). After physical cleanup, 3D printing can yield cell-laden hydrogels containing living cells and perfusable vasculature. Shown here for clarity is an architecture with one inlet and zero outlets, but more complete or complex architectures with multiple inlets and outlets could be achieved with this same workflow. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001882.g005 Innervation of native vasculature is important for vasodilation and vasoconstriction and, thus, for regulating blood pressure throughout the body. But the neurovascular junction probably isn't critical for initial attempts to synthesize living tissue. Transplanted human hearts, for example, are not surgically tied to the nerves of the recipient; they beat at their own pace. And proximal sensory nerves can innervate and restore feeling in regenerated skin substitutes. So it may be that such re-innervation will work in other engineered organ systems. Individual neuronal processes running up to several feet in length will not likely be deposited with 3D printing anytime soon, although the concept of 3D printing inside shear-thinning gels [45],[47] provides an intriguing opportunity for neural printing, because long strands are easily deposited. Building the Future Once questions of architecture for a given tissue construct are answered in the laboratory, extending toward human therapy will require addressing a new set of challenges. Constructs made by 3D printing, especially those containing living cells, are subject to an evolving regulatory pathway to the clinic for treatment of human patients. Recent reviews shed light on some of these hurdles, such as how to keep tissue fabrication sterile, quality assurance, and the changing landscape of venture funding for human clinical trials [58],[59]. Designing 3D printing systems with these good manufacturing practice (GMP) considerations already planned or incorporated can only benefit the translational workflow from research to development, albeit at significantly increased cost. In particular, there are immediate opportunities for developers of biomaterial inks and 3D printers to commercialize their work for use in experimental research. We are still at the early stages, with access to 3D printing technologies expanding at rates akin to the personal computer revolution of the 1980s. Standardization and automation of tissue assembly, especially when based on open-source or publicly disclosed standards, will continue to aid in reproducibility across laboratory groups, just as polystyrene Petri dishes have standardized monolayer cell culture. Besides new fabrication technologies, we also need better metrics for measuring engineered tissue function. The size and cell density of engineered tissues is now approaching that of a mouse itself. Consequently, non-invasive imaging and other related methodologies developed primarily for assessing animal models [57],[60] will be applied to tissue engineering research questions with increased attention. So how many different vascular networks will we need to build into engineered tissues for biology and medicine? The answer is that we simply don't know, so let's start with one. Supporting Information Movie S1. Journey of a molecular nutrient through native tissues. Cellular organization in vascularized tissues is commonly simplified into four regimes, which are rarely recapitulated together in engineered tissue constructs. Soluble blood components vary dramatically in size, concentration, and biochemistry, and each has distinct targets and mechanisms for negotiating tissue architecture. Artwork render and animation performed with Blender.org open-source software. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001882.s001 (MP4) Acknowledgments Thanks to the Open Source Hardware Association, RepRap.org, and related projects and companies that support worldwide, open standardization of 3D printing.This essay examines the Zapatista Army of National Liberation and the Landless Workers' Movement and the ways that these movements have been able to persist for decades and surpass frequent limitations of revolutionary action under neoliberalism. These lessons are essential for efforts to build counter-power. Globalization is not really a new phenomenon; we have been living in a globalized economy since at least the rise of European colonialism, which violently extracted raw resources from around the world to fuel industry centered in Europe and North America, and globalization has existed to some extent since the Silk Road. However, the globalization of the neoliberal era has been largely unprecedented. Economic and political structures have been universalized, to an extent that has simply not been seen before in human history. Virtually the entirety of human society is divided into isometric state structures implementing similar projects of austerity, privatization, and market liberalization. This era has facilitated the erosion of gains made by decades of working class struggle around the world, the exponential increase of ecological destruction, levels of concentrated wealth accumulation previously unheard of, and the atomization of society, making resistance to these problems far more difficult. The social movements that historically pushed back against elite interests, although recently seeing resurgence, have for decades been largely marginalized, coopted, and immobilized. It is clear that the challenges to this system have been unable to fundamentally disrupt it and although there have been certain victories in the last few decades, such as the steps forward for LGBTQIA rights and social standing, the end of history narrative peddled by the beneficiaries of this system has largely been proven right, at least for the time being. There have been a variety of strategies proposed to address the failure to fundamentally challenge this system, based in differing conceptions of what is the root cause of this failing. Identity politics has been frequently targeted by often explicitly racist/cis-hetero-patriarchal/xenophobic right wing criticism; however, identity politics (known hereafter as IDPol) has also received criticism from certain sections of the left, which generally focuses on the problems of seeking representation within an oppressive structure. This line of thinking has several variations, which at its worst in authors such as Walter Benn Michaels seeks to replace the focus on marginalized identities with an exclusively class focused approach, viewing politics meant to address white supremacy or patriarchy as divisive and unnecessary (class reductionism). However, this critique can also be put forward in a more nuanced fashion that recognizes the importance of challenging identity based oppression, while also challenging the ways that IDPol has been used to diversify elite control rather than challenge it (Adolph Reed) and the way that it can be manipulated to fuel atomization by pitting marginalized identities against one another, sometimes referred to as “oppression Olympics.” While many in the electoral “left” have conceded that we must abandon the possibility of a radical shift in society and must content ourselves to ameliorating the worst aspects of this system, others posit that the left must reinvent utopia or, at the very least, offer a coherent alternative to the status quo if it will ever be able to challenge this system for power again. Localisms, regionalisms, and nationalisms of various stripes have been put forward by individuals and movements across the political spectrum including varying ethno-nationalisms of both oppressed and dominant groups, agorist right-wing libertarianism, and certain conceptions of communism and anarchism focusing on local grass roots democracy as a potential alternative to neoliberal globalization. Others, such as Slajov Zizek, insist that in a globalized world addressing the contradictions of our society requires new forms of global organization. Almost all of these points are controversial. Identity politics can be mobilized in a variety of ways and even the class centered mobilizations proposed by certain sections of the left as a counter to the perceived problems of IDPol can also be seen as a form of IDPol. IDPol certainly can be used as a reactionary force of co-option but there can also be politically expedient uses of identity that are able to create and organize solidarity from across different identity groups. Certain movements have also been able to articulate a vision for a different society, while not completely abandoning the attempt to influence the governance of this one. Likewise, there have been locally positioned movements able to mobilize global networks. As these political forces have been able to be utilized in a variety of ways that defy simple defenses or criticisms of the whole, it is therefore important to look to specific case studies. This paper will explore movements against neoliberalism that have been able to survive for decades while and because of being able to mobilize beyond these dichotomies. Both the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatista Army of National Liberation, hereafter referred to as EZLN or Zapatistas) in Chiapas, Mexico and the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Terra (Landless Workers’ Movement, hereafter referred to as MST) are movements based around specific identities; Mayan and broader indigenous identity in the case of the EZLN and poor rural workers in the case of MST. However, they have also been able to organize in solidarity beyond these identities including internationally, despite the focus of both on peasant communities. Both of these movements have also served to offer a counter to the status quo, with both rejecting to embrace electoral politics as part of the movement while also seeking specific changes within the current system. These early movements against neoliberalism have been able to sustain themselves through decades of struggle are fittingly able to illustrate ways to surpass the limitations on organizing under neoliberalism. These movements should not, however, be overly idealized and it is also important to analyze their limitations. Neoliberalism, although a relatively recent phenomenon emerging in the 70s starting with the rule of Pinochet in Chile who came to power in a coup supported by the CIA in 1973 and becoming globalized in the 80s and 90s in large part due to the Reagan and Thatcher administrations in the US and UK specifically, marks a revival of classical economic liberalism. This is not liberalism in the sense of American liberalism, which usually refers to social liberalism combined with social democratic economic policy, although American liberalism has been highly neoliberalized, as has center-left social democratic parties and figures around the world. Rather, neoliberalism refers to a reintroduction of laissez-faire capitalism, which constructs the state and state intervention in the economy as diametrically in opposition to economic growth, the maximization of which is held as the objective of society. Neoliberalism advocates principles of the Washington consensus, particularly trade liberalization, privatization of state enterprises, deregulation, and austerity. While economic growth has certainly continued under neoliberalism, despite several setbacks such as the 2007-
不过是暂时的静止了。就把在这里的家伙一个个绑起来吧」 “Then I’ll call the paladins over.” 「那就把圣骑士叫来好了」 “An excellent idea. Unfortunately, I am still radiating a fear aura. Everyone who steps into it will be filled with fear. Therefore, please ask them to take the appropriate measures. I believe priests ought to have 「Lion’s Heart 」 while paladins have… hm, ask them to use 「Under Divine Flag」, how about that?” 「那就太好了,不过我现在,正释放着播撒恐惧的灵气。进入范围内的人都会被恐惧所支配。为此请他们准备好应对手段。神官的话有着<雄狮之心(lions·heart)>,圣骑士的话……就用<在神之御旗下(Under·DaveAin·Flag)>吧?」 “You actually knew about that…” 「您知道的真是清楚……」 The Sorcerer King chuckled, and then walked through the Bafolk, as if to fill the gaps between them. 魔导王留下小小的笑声后,像是要填补山羊人间的空隙般走了出去。这时—— “Gooooohhh!!” 「嘎哦哦哦!」 A strong-looking Bafolk fell from above with a growl, holding a spear. He had probably jumped down from the castle wall. 随着低吼声,持枪的山羊人强者从上方降落了。是从城墙上飞跃而下的吧。 His eyes were red and he was foaming at the mouth. He was clearly not in a normal state of mind. He looked like he had fallen into madness. 眼睛变得通红,嘴边浮起泡沫。不是正常的状态。简直就像是陷入了疯狂。 “I see. Savagery… no, berserking? Certainly, that would negate fear and other mental effects -- oho.” 「原来如此。凶战士化……不,狂乱么。那样确实恐惧等精神效果就——哦吼」 The Sorcerer King dodged the stabbing spear with practiced movements. It was a crisp, efficient movement, one unique to trained individuals. However, the Sorcerer King’s evasion meant that a Bafolk who had become a statue ended up being stabbed by his compatriot’s spear instead, It pierced straight through him, and he collapsed to the ground, spraying blood everywhere. 刺过来的枪被魔导王用洗练的动作闪过了。是受过训练的人所特有的干脆利落。然而因为魔导王的回避,一只化作雕像的山羊人被友军的长枪命中,贯通,鲜红的血液播撒向四周的同时,山羊人倒下了。 The berserk Bafolk no longer seemed to hold the concept of allies in his head. 狂乱的山羊人脑子里似乎已经没有友军这种概念了。 “Give me a break.” 「这可真是」 The Bafolk raised his spear. Was it a sweep? However, Neia could not launch an arrow. 山羊人挥起了枪。是横扫吧。然而涅娅无法射出箭矢。 The Sorcerer King approached the Bafolk, like he wanted to block her shot. 魔导王就像是要挡住射线般上前接近了山羊人。 Certainly, it was wise to close the distance given the spear’s length. However, the Sorcerer King’s next move deviated from common sense. 确实考虑到枪的长度缩短距离是正确的。然而,接下来魔导王的行动却偏离了常识。 With a swift motion, he pressed down on the Bafolk’s head from left and right. 他以迅速的动作左右按住了山羊人的头。 Perhaps it was because the Sorcerer King was surprisingly strong, but the Bafolk could not escape the Sorcerer King’s grasp no matter how it thrashed. Having given up on that, the Bafolk thought of something else; it gripped the front portion of the spear and drove it through the Sorcerer King. No, to be precise, it looked to Neia like he had driven it through him. 是魔导王的力量格外强大吗,不管再怎么闹腾山羊人也无法从魔导王手中挣脱。死心的山羊人另寻他法,握住了枪的前半部,贯穿了魔导王。不,准确的说是在涅娅看来贯穿了。 However, the Sorcerer King remained unmoved. Perhaps a defensive spell had stopped it. 然而魔导王纹丝未动。是用防御魔法挡住了吧。 “You’re not like that Troll, after all.” 「毕竟你和那个食人妖(Troll)不一样啊」 With a sickening crunch, the Bafolk’s eyes flew out of its skull; a clearly lethal injury. No, one could say that this was even worse than a fatal wound. 随着啪叽这讨厌的声音一起,山羊人的两个眼球飞了出去,一目了然的致命伤。不,或者说这副模样要不是致命伤还更可怜。 The Sorcerer King let go, and the Bafolk collapsed on the ground. Its limbs twitched around on the ground, but it was hard to say that those movements were consciously driven. 魔导王松开手,山羊人就那么倒在了地上。它的四肢啪嗒啪嗒地乱动着,但很难从中感受到意志的存在。 “May, may I know what you did?” 「您、您做了什么?」 Neia nervously asked from behind, and the Sorcerer King waggled his hand as he nonchalantly replied: 涅娅战战兢兢地在后面询问,而将双手抖来抖去的魔导王若无其事地回答了。 “I crushed its skull, of course. Sometimes, berserk individuals don’t die when they are killed. Still, if you destroy the brain, it should be fine… Still, it really was weak. Barely harder than an eggshell… are you kidding me?” 「捏碎了它的头盖骨。对狂乱的家伙即使加以致命伤,有时也不会倒下。不过只要破坏了大脑就不会出什么问题了吧……可是还真是脆弱啊。也就比蛋壳硬那么一点——开玩笑的哦?」 Neia’s face twitched. 涅娅表情抽搐着了起来。 His Majesty really doesn’t have any gift for making jokes... (果然这位大人没什么开玩笑的天赋啊……) “Alright, Baraja-san, call the paladins. Tell them to secure this area so I -- we can continue forward together. 「好了,巴拉哈小姐。去把圣骑士们叫来吧。让他们把这里确保下来,我——我们就可以继续前进了」 “Yes!” 「是!」 Neia ran back outside at top speed, to where the paladins were. When she looked there she saw several Bafolk fallen at their feet. 涅娅全速冲回了外面圣骑士所在的位置,到那里一看,几只山羊人倒在了圣骑士们脚边。 Since they could not have run out from the gate, they had probably been Bafolk who, in their attempt to flee the font of fear that was the Sorcerer King, had chosen to jump off the walls, and this was the result. 因为不可能是从城门跑出来的,恐怕是城墙上的山羊人为了逃离魔导王这位恐怖之源,直接跳了下来的结果吧。 After reaching the paladins, Neia hurriedly relayed the Sorcerer King’s instructions. After that, she rushed back at top speed to the Sorcerer King’s side. After Neia returned, the Sorcerer King said, “Then let’s go,” and entered the city streets. 在到达了圣骑士们身边以后,涅娅急忙地传达了魔导王的指示。接着再次全力冲向了魔导王的身边。 涅娅返回以后,魔导王「那么就走吧」的走进了都市的街道。 The question of why no new Bafolk had come after the city gates had been breached immediately faded away. 为什么,明明已经突破了城门却没有新的山羊人过来呢,这种疑问立刻就消解了。 Neia heard groan after groan. It made her think that this unliving city was moaning. 涅娅的耳边传来了一声又一声的悲鸣。让人觉得简直就像是都市这一无机物,在发出悲鸣一样。 “This, this is…” 「这、这究竟是……」 “I ordered the undead I released to spread fear. This is the result. Some hostages might have been trampled in the confusion… well, all you can do is treat it as a sad story. Give up on them.” 「我对放出的不死者们下过播撒恐怖的指示吧,这就是结果。在混乱中也有可能会有人质被踩踏到的可能性……也只能当成令人心痛的事故了、放弃吧」 She cast her eyes outward, and a Bafolk was running towards them with all its might (probably). It looked just like a harried prey animal, and Neia even found it a little pitiful. 放眼望去,有只山羊人正满脸拼命的——大概——表情向着这边跑来。就如同被追赶的小动物般,那模样甚至让人觉得可怜。 It must have been exposed to extraordinary fear. Otherwise, why would it run towards a being who was even more powerful than the undead creature it was fleeing from? 是被暴露在了非同一般的恐惧中吧。不然的话,又怎么会跑向比那不死者还强的存在身边呢。 “Hm… no signs of humans,then? In that case -- 「Maximize Widen Magic Fireball」” 「嗯……没有人类的身影、吧?这样的话——<魔法最强效果范围扩大化火球(Maximize Widen Magic·Fire Ball)>」 The Sorcerer King discharged a fireball into the Bafolk’s midsection, and it erupted into a massive blaze. After that vanished, demihuman body parts rained down everywhere. 魔导王手中放出的火球落到了山羊人中间,瞬间产生了巨大的爆炎。在那消失以后,亚人们的尸体倒得遍地都是。 “While waiting here might be the best thing to do… the enemy seems to have a leader. He’s waiting in a plaza near the center of the city, and he’s resisted the fear of the High Wraiths, so let’s move on… what do you think?” 「虽说在这里等着也许是最好的做法……不过敌人似乎有着首领。正守在都市中央附近的广场,抵抗着上位死灵的恐惧啊,那就继续前进……怎么样?」 “I believe all will go well if we do as Your Majesty wishes.” 「只要按魔导王陛下所想的去做就好」 “Really now. Then let’s go.” 「是嘛。那么走吧」 Every time they took a step forward, soul-chilling cries seemed to echo from everywhere, as though a great slaughter was taking place. Also, due to the demihumans’ lack of hygiene, their rubbish and wastes were everywhere, which made Neia wrinkle her nose. 每前进一步,就有像是灵魂发颤的悲鸣从各处传来,如同在发生一场大屠杀。而且因为亚人们在卫生上不怎么讲究,到处都是垃圾和排泄物,涅娅不由得皱起了脸。 “...Speaking of which, Baraja-san, what should be done about those?” 「……话说巴拉哈小姐,那些要怎么办?」 She looked in the direction where the Sorcerer King was pointing at. There were a group of stark naked people there. 看向魔导王指示的方向,那里有一群赤()身()裸()()体的人。 Regardless of gender, their hands had been nailed to wooden stakes that had been driven into the ground. In their efforts to flee their fear, they had struggled violently, and their arms were coated with fresh blood. 不分男女,他们的手被钉到了木桩上面。这些人为了远离恐惧而拼命地扭动着身体,两臂被鲜血染得通红。 In all likelihood, those were probably fences made out of human beings 大概、是用人类制作的护栏吧。 They were exhausted, bone thin, but their lives did not seem to be in danger. 他们疲惫不堪,瘦骨伶仃,但应该没有危及生命的危险。 She had attacked this city in order to free the people. Even if she continued following the Sorcerer King, Neia would not be of any use. In that case, helping them now and taking them to a safe place was the right thing to do. However, there was one thing which made her uneasy. 我们是为了救助民众才来进攻这座都市的。即使继续跟着魔导王,涅娅也派不上任何的用场。那么现在选择帮助他们,带他们去安全的场所避难才是正确的行动吧。然而,还有着一个不安的因素。 What should she do if the people were attacked by demihumans while they were evacuating? 如果避难中途被亚人袭击了该怎么办啊。 What a joke. What am I hesitating for? The Captain would have chosen to help them without any hesitation. And the reason why I can’t is… is it because of strength… after all? (可笑。在犹豫些什么啊。要是团长就会毫不犹豫地救助他们吧。而我做不到的原因……果然……是力量吗……) “You’re hesitating, hm. Then, just leave them here for now. There shouldn’t be any demihumans nearby. Leaving them here should be safer. Let’s go.” 「犹豫了啊。那么,就这么放着为好。这附近应该已经没有亚人了。放置在这里会比较安全吧。走了」 “Yes!” 「是!」 While she still had her doubts, Neia continued following the Sorcerer King to the city’s plaza. Why was it that the Sorcerer King could advance without the slightest delay? Though she had her doubts, she convinced herself by saying, “he must have cast a spell.” 虽然还有些犹豫,但涅娅还是跟着魔导王走向了这座都市的广场。为什么,魔导王能毫不迟疑地前进呢,这样感到了疑惑,随后又拿“是用了什么魔法吧”这种理由说服了自己。 Soon, the two of them came to a plaza which looked like a market with streets everywhere. 不久后两人到达了道路四通八达的市场一样的广场。 “Mm… as I thought, there was no way this could have been resolved without loss of life.” 「嗯……果然没有牺牲就解决是没可能的吗」 She followed the Sorcerer King’s eyes, and there were human corpses mixed with demihuman corpses. They were probably people who had been trampled to death in the fear-induced chaos. 看向魔导王目光所指的方向,在亚人的尸体中混杂着人类的尸体。大概是在因恐惧产生混乱的时候,被踩踏致死的人吧。 “...It can’t be helped.” 「……这是没办法的事情」 While the Sorcerer King was joking, attacking this city by brute force would probably have caused a matching number of casualties. Going by that, letting the Sorcerer King use his overwhelming might to conquer the city minimized the number of lives that were lost. 虽然魔导王是在开玩笑,但想靠蛮力攻陷这座都市肯定会出现相应的牺牲吧。这么考虑的话,以魔导王的压倒性的力量来攻占都市已经将牺牲者减至最少了。 The Sorcerer King shrugged silently, and then he indicated the center of the plaza with his chin. 魔导王沉默地微微耸起肩,用下巴指向了广场中央。 There was a demihuman there who was larger than all his peers. 那里有一个比正常大一圈的亚人。 His curled horns resembled those of a mountain goat, and he was covered in silver fur. His excellent physique clearly showed that he was not an average demihuman. 卷曲的角像是山羊,浑身银色的体毛。优越的体格看上去就营造出不是一般亚人的氛围。 The tips of his horns were encased in a shell of gold which was socketed with jewels, and he wore a breastplate that had turtle-shell patterns on it. He wore a reddish-brown cape made from worked animal hide. His left hand held a large shield with a topaz socketed into it, while his right hand held a heavy sword whose blade was light yellow. His panoply vividly illustrated the courage and ferocity of a striking warrior. 角的尖端镶嵌着装饰有黄金和宝石的外壳,身上穿着绘有龟甲般纹路的护胸甲。背后披着用动物毛皮加工而成的红褐色披风,左手持着中央嵌有大颗黄宝石的大盾,右手握着拥有浅黄色剑身的重剑,这一身装备,很好地体现了威风堂堂的战士的勇猛。 He was the most fearsome and well-trained of the demihumans. He was probably a Lord or some kind of similarly-ranked special being. 这是在亚人中最为可怕,最为训练有素的亚人了。而且大概是王之类的地位的特殊存在吧。 If Neia were alone, she would have fled this opponent with all her might. 只有涅娅一个人的话,在这对手面前毫无疑问会全力逃开。 “Wonderful. I wonder which of your items stopped the fear.” 「那么好了,真好奇是哪个道具压制住了恐惧感呢」 The Sorcerer King’s words referred to the magic items adorning the demihuman. He had rings on both hands and jewelry hanging from his neck that covered his entire chest. There were things dangling from both sides of its waist, things which might have been a set of three baby skulls strung together. 魔导王这句话,指的是亚人装备的道具,加上两边手指上的戒指和从脖子上垂下的能把胸口完全盖住的项链等物吧。在腰部左右垂下的,像是把人类婴儿的头盖骨三个串在一起的东西说不定也包括在内。 The green-eyed demihuman studied the Sorcerer King as he approached, and then his gaze shifted to Neia. 用绿色的眼睛观察般窥视着魔导王的亚人见到两人接近,一下子瞪向了涅娅。 “Newly-appeared undead… and is that a necromancer in the back?” 「新出现的不死者……后面的是死灵法师吗?」 The demihuman obscured itself behind its large shield, as though wary of a gaze attack like the kind a Medusa would launch. 亚人把身体的一半隐藏着大盾后面,警惕着类似蛇发人[Medusa]的凝视攻击。 “Not bad. You managed to push this city, my tribe to this point… You, who controls the enemy of all life, the user of fearsome magic. State your name.” 「挺能干的啊。能把这座都市,我的部族逼到这种地步……操纵着生者的公敌,骇人魔法的使用者啊。告诉我你的名字」 The Bafolk pointed his sword at Neia. 山羊人用剑指向的是涅娅。 “--No, wait, hang on. You’ve gotten it wrong. It’s not me!” 「——不,不对等一下。你搞错了。并不是我!」 “...What?” 「……什么?」 She looked to the Sorcerer King for help, and he folded his arms and looked to Neia. 看向魔导王求助的话,他正把手放在胸前,看着涅娅这边。 “You do get it. That’s right, it’s her. She’s my master.” 「很明白啊。没错是她、这就是我的主人」 “No, no! Wait, wait!! Your Majesty!!!” 「不、不!等、等一等!魔导王陛下!!」 What on earth was he saying? Truly, he had no talent for making jokes at all. 这个人在说些什么啊。这个人真的是一点开玩笑的天赋都没有。 As he saw how Neia flapped her hands around in panic, the Sorcerer King chuckled. 对着焦虑到啪嗒啪嗒地晃起手来的涅娅,魔导王笑了。 “Mm. Feeling relaxed now?” 「嗯。稍稍放松点了吗?」 “Eh?” 「诶?」 “Ah -- it was a dumb joke.” Flaring his cape with the regal motions of a king, the Sorcerer King turned to regard the demihuman before him. “I am the entity who sent the undead to your side. I am the the undying king who rules a country to the northeast, the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown of the Sorcerous Kingdom. And what is your name?” 「那么——说了个无聊的笑话」用那与王者之身相应的动作掀起披风,魔导王转身面向了亚人「我就是将不死者派遣到你们身边的存在。我乃不死者之王,统治着自此以东北方向的国家、魔导国的安兹·乌尔·恭魔导王。你的名字又是什么?」 “My name is Buser -- the Grand King Buser… O Sorcerer King, how about the woman by your side?” 「我的名字是巴扎——“豪王”巴扎。……魔导王哟,那么你身边的女人是谁?」 “She is my follower. Well then, what do you want to do? Would you rather be killed by me? Or kneel in servitude? Choose as you wish.” 「她是我的侍从。那么、想怎样?想被杀掉吗?还是跪地臣服呢。选你自己喜欢的吧」 “With my name as Lord at stake, kneeling once in subservience will be enough!” 「赌上我的王之名号,跪地臣服一次足以」 Buser raised his shield and advanced, raising his sword into a horizontal position. He looked like a goat about to charge. 巴扎把盾前举,将剑横架。身体缓缓放低,摆出像是要用头突击的山羊的姿势。 “Mm… Then I shall play with you for a while. --Baraja-san, you just sit back and watch. Speaking of which, goat. You’re equipped with all kinds of magic items, but I detect no magic from the item at your waist. Is that some kind of special item?” 「嗯……那就陪你玩玩吧。——巴拉哈小姐看着就好。话说山羊哟。你好像装备着各种各样的魔法道具啊,但在挂在腰上的东西里我没感受到魔力。是什么特别的物品吗?」 “Fuhahaha. They call it fashion. They’re bones.” 「呼哈哈哈。这就是所谓的时尚,骨头哟」 “Mm… that does remind me of my subordinates.” 「嗯……让我想起了我的部下啊」 Neia shuddered from behind as she heard that. So he had such subordinates... 在后面听着的涅娅愣了一下,还有这样的部下啊。 “They’re well-shaped, no? I carefully selected them from this city, you know.” 「相当不错的形状吧。这可是在这都市几经挑选才选出来的逸品哦?」 “...I see. I understand. I sympathize with your feelings. It seems this fashion thing is quite important. The maids have taught me that very well… alright, let’s begin. 「Create Greater Item」.” 「……原来如此。我理解了。你的心情我很能体会。所谓时尚好像是相当重要的东西。女仆们把这一点很好地教给了我……好了,那么开始吧。<上位道具创造(Create·Great·Item)>」 After casting his spell, a jet-black sword appeared in the Sorcerer King’s hand. 使用了魔法后魔导王的手中出现了一把漆黑之剑。 Why is His Majesty using a weapon? (为什么魔导王陛下要用武器?) The Sorcerer King should have been an arcane magic caster. And a top-rate one to boot. 魔导王应该是魔力系的魔法咏唱者才对。而且还是一流的。 In that case, weapons were to be used only after he ran out of mana and options. Arcane magic casters knew that well, which was why they did not touch any weapons. 那么武器之类,应该只会在魔力缺乏后,别无他法时使用吧。会因为很重这种理由而不碰任何武器的正是所谓魔力系魔法咏唱者。 The Sorcerer King must have chosen to fight with a sword for some reason. 魔导王是因为某种理由才选择用剑战斗的吧。 --Could it be that he’s expended a great deal of mana? That would be bad… His Majesty came here to do battle with Jaldabaoth... (——是因为至今为止已经耗费了大量魔力吗?那就不妙了……明明陛下是为了与亚达巴沃战斗才来到这里的……) After the repeated casts of 「Fireball」, the spell which had immobilized a large group of the enemy, and then -- his mass summonings of the undead -- she could understand if his mana had been heavily depleted. 数发<火球>,还有封住大群敌人动作的魔法,再就是——召唤众多不死者的魔法,魔力减少了许多也可以理解。 The spell to summon those undead must have been of quite a high tier... (召唤那些不死者的魔法,应该也是相当高位的吧……) While she did not know how powerful High Wraiths were, they were most definitely stronger than Wraiths. Therefore, summoning so many High Wraiths would have required a great deal of power. 虽然不知道上位死灵到底有多强,但比死灵强是肯定的。那样的话召唤这么多上位死灵应该会使用非常多的力量。 Under normal circumstances, every time a priest cast a spell to summon angels, he would only be able to summon one at once. If they were willing to summon weaker angels, they could call forth multiple entities. By that logic, he must have used a very high-tier spell -- possibly a unimaginably potent spell of the sixth tier. 通常来讲,神官们召唤的天使之类每用一次魔法基本只能召唤一只。要是弱小的天使就可以复数召唤。按这道理可能是用了相当高位的——说不定是第六位阶魔法这种难以置信的力量。...The sixth tier... (……第六位阶……) Neia gulped. 涅娅咽下一口口水。 The sixth tier was a realm where none had explored before. According to legend, the Holy Queen could use spells of the fourth tier. This was two tiers above her. 第六位阶魔法是前无古人的领域。传说圣王女能使用的是第四位阶。比那还要高两位。 It might have been a realm beyond common knowledge, but the Sorcerer King might have been able to make it a reality. 虽是超出常识的领域,但魔导王的话也许就能将其变为可能。 Maybe, if he used a sixth-tier spell for his summons, that huge expenditure of mana would be understandable. But in that case, wouldn’t it be better for me to help the Sorcerer King? (如果,是用了第六位阶魔法进行的召唤,魔力的大量消耗就可以理解。但那样的话由我来帮助魔导王陛下才更好吧?) Neia looked at the Sorcerer King’s back as he squared off against the demihuman. The demihuman she could see over the Sorcerer King’s shoulder was very strong, and even several Neias would not be useful. However, the Sorcerer King carried himself with a forthright and open attitude, with no sign that he was picking a fight he could not win. 涅娅看向与亚人对峙着的魔导王的后背。越过魔导王肩头看见的亚人似乎非常的强,有几个涅娅都很难派上用场。然而魔导王摆出了一副与王者相称的堂堂正正的态度,完全没有在挑战毫无胜算的战斗的感觉。 Could it be that His Majesty is a mystic knight of some sort? (难道说魔导王陛下是魔法剑士型的魔力系魔法咏唱者吗?) There were benefits and drawbacks to improving one’s swordsmanship and spellcasting. The benefits included being able to use many fighting methods, but the drawbacks were that it was hard to achieve true excellence in both. 同时提高剑与魔法两方面本领既有优点又有缺点。优点是能使用多样的战斗方式,缺点是两方面都难以做到专精。 Then what was the Sorcerer King like? 那么魔导王又是如何呢。 The two of them studied each other, and then they slowly began. 两者互相观察着慢慢开始行动。 They closed the gap between them, until they were in sword range. Buser was the first to make a move. 两者间的距离随之变窄,用剑交手已经足够。先动起来的是巴扎这边 “「Shield Bash」.” 「<盾突击>」 A sudden charge, made with a shield held in front of himself. And the Sorcerer King took it head on with his sword. 将盾架在正前方然后就那么突进。而魔导王用剑将其正面接下了了。 As expected, there was no way to take the force of that massive body suddenly charging forward. The Sorcerer King sent flying. No, his feet were still firmly planted on the ground when he landed, so that did not quite fit. Rather, he had been knocked back. 果然好像没办法将那巨大身躯的全力突进完全承受住,魔导王向后方远远飞了出去。不,因为两脚还完美地着地了所以很难懂,应该是被吹飞了吧。 While the fact that the Sorcerer King -- who could crush a Bafolk’s skull with his bare hands -- had been knocked back was quite surprising, surely a body of bones would not be able to completely defend against that attack. From what Neia knew, there was an advanced martial art called 「Fortress」 that could completely nullify the force of an impact, but that was a technique only a veteran warrior could use. 虽然能空手捏碎山羊人头盖骨的魔导王被吹飞让涅娅很吃惊,但骨头的身躯到底是无法完全地防御下来吧。就涅娅所知,有种名为<要塞>的上位武技能将冲击力完全抵消,但那是只有相当老练的战士才能使用的。 The two of them stepped forward, and both swords collided. 二人同时踏步上前,两把剑互相碰撞起来。 Their back and forth was too fast for Neia’s eyes to follow. The only thing she could see was the brief moment when their blades hit each other and froze in place. 因为两者的攻防太过于迅速,涅娅的眼睛无法完全捕捉。能确认的就只有两把剑碰撞时那一瞬的硬直。 If Neia joined this battle, she would surely be hacked to death. 如果,涅娅参加了这场战斗,那毫无疑问会被一刀砍死吧。 Steel clashed with steel at high speeds, and the ear-piercing sound of metal echoed all around. 钢铁与钢铁高速碰撞,刺耳的金属声响彻四周。 Both of them had equivalent arm-strength, so when they crossed blades, their attacks and defenses took place simultaneously. 两者的臂力不相上下,所以两者在用剑交锋时,攻击和防御是同时进行的。 Should she be impressed by how Buser could swing such a heavy blade with one hand, or show respect to the Sorcerer King for wielding a two-handed sword while being a magic caster? 是该为单手挥动重剑的巴扎感到惊愕呢,还是该为身为魔法咏唱者却挥舞着双手大剑的魔导王致以敬意呢。 This was a high-level battle of the sort she had never seen before, and Neia was certain that she could not possibly interfere. 至今从未见过的,超高等级的战斗,涅娅确信了自己毫无插手的余地。 In order not to get in the way of their fight, Neia slowly shifted behind a piece of cover and hid herself. 为了不妨碍两人的战斗,涅娅慢慢移动到障碍物后面躲了起来。 They’re swinging at each other like that, but neither of them is hurt… speaking of which, the Sorcerer King seems a little too strong... (剑都已经挥舞成那个样子了,两方却谁都没有受伤……话说魔导王陛下、有点强过头了吧……) Neia’s brain could no longer react to a magic caster who could fight with a sword to this extent. 面对一个能用剑战斗到如此地步的魔法咏唱者,涅娅的脑袋已经反应不过来了。 Did he use some kind of amazing spell? (是用了什么厉害的魔法吗?) All Neia could do was attribute it to some super-powered spell she had never heard of before. 只能当做是用了什么涅娅不知道的超强魔法了。 Even so-- 即便如此—— If this keeps up, there’s no doubt that the Sorcerer King will win. No, was he planning to draw out the battle for that aim? (这样下去无疑会是魔导王陛下的胜利。不,是瞄准了这点打算拖入长期战吗?) The undead did not feel fatigue and they would not be shaken in combat. All of these were unfavorable to Buser. Buser seemed to realise this, because his face started to contort. 不死者不会感到疲劳。在战斗中也不会有什么动摇之类的东西吧。全都是对巴扎不利的因素。而巴扎似乎也明白了这一点,表情慢慢扭曲了。 If he had some sort of trump card-- (要是有杀手锏的话差——) Neia was shocked. The Sorcerer King had suddenly thrown his huge sword at Buser. 涅娅震惊了。突然,魔导王把手中大剑投向了巴扎。 After that, a hemisphere of light appeared around Buser and blocked the thrown sword. 接着以巴扎为中心出现了半球状的光罩,挡下了投来的大剑。 The bubble of light vanished, and the thrown sword had only slightly scratched Buser. 光罩立刻就消失了,而投出的大剑也只伤到了巴扎一点点。 This is bad! (不好了!) Ne
the executive who spearheaded its talent booking department following accusations of inappropriate conduct with multiple women. Matt Zimmerman, senior VP of booking, news and entertainment, had been with NBC News since at least 2004. He was promoted in 2014 to head a unit designed to handle guest bookings for “Today” and other NBC News programs. “We have recently learned that Matt Zimmerman engaged in inappropriate conduct with more than one woman at NBCU, which violated company policy. As a result he has been dismissed,” NBC News said in a statement. Zimmerman is the latest entertainment figure to fall from grace due to a sexual harassment scandal. More women have begun speaking about their experiences with harassment in the entertainment industry following the bombshell news reports against film producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of harassment, assault and rape over a thirty-year period. 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When you don't accomplish what you set out to do, you feel like you haven't done a good enough job. It's simple." After the Red Sox fell to 69-87 with a 4-2 loss to the Rays on Wednesday night, in their final home game of the season, Valentine was asked about his team's play at home this season.Story highlights King predicted the GOP would stay unified and get through all of Trump's Cabinet choices "I don't know if it (sexism) was directly the cause, but you can't avoid the conclusion," King said Washington (CNN) Republicans made a "terrible" mistake in shutting down Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the Senate floor, Sen. Angus King said Wednesday night, adding that the decision gave the appearance of sexism. The Maine senator who caucuses with Democrats told CNN's Erin Burnett on "OutFront" that his colleagues had made an unfair and ill-conceived decision to invoke a rarely used Senate rule barring Warren from debate over President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, Jeff Sessions. As for the question of whether or not Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, was right to try reading a letter from Coretta Scott King criticizing Sessions, he called it a "close call." King said the incident would likely lead to a fundraising bonanza for Democrats, saying he thought it was "a terrible mistake" by Republicans. He also said he understood accusations of sexism over the incident. "I don't know if it (sexism) was directly the cause, but you can't avoid the conclusion," King said. Read More1916, 100 Years of Irish Independence By Tim Pat Coogan 3 You were not responsible for the 2008 banking collapse in Ireland, although the Irish government, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank all conspired carefully to give you -- and every other Irish person -- that exact impression. It wasn’t your debt, but you and millions of your friends and neighbors were left to carry the can through a series of bone deep social cuts, raised taxes and then the much-hated austerity measures. It began on the night September 29, 2008 at a meeting in Government Buildings in Dublin the Fianna Fail cabinet learned not only that the emperors of Irish finance “had no clothes, but that the Irish people would have to buy them a whole new wardrobe.” It was a turning point in our recent history and for journalist and historian Tim Pat Coogan it’s also one of the best ways to assess the legacy of 1916, by underlining just how far from it our political leadership have strayed. Coogan has spent a lifetime grappling with the politics and culture of Ireland, and though he clearly loves the place (because he writes with great insight into its complexities and contradictions) he also sees and describes the challenges ahead by learning from the ones that have preceded them, an all too rare skill on the island. For too long the principal law governing the business and professional arena in Ireland is what Coogan scathingly calls the Old Pals Act. It thrives because the Public Accounts Committee doesn’t have the powers to police the Irish political and economic landscape, making the boom and bust cycles that led to the 2008 debacle inevitable. So, from the earliest moments that paved the way to the Rising, through independence and the treaty saga, the paralysis of the Eamon de Valera era, through The Troubles to the Celtic Tiger and the banking collapse, Coogan charts it all with unmatched insight and clarity, becoming an ideal guide to the just passed centenary and its lessons. Thomas Dunne Books, $26.99. The Soul Exceeds Its Circumstances, The Later Poetry of Seamus Heaney Edited by Eugene O’Brien 3 Seamus Heaney’s tenure as “a smiling public man” of letters (and a Nobel laureate) was all too brief. In this vivid new collection 16 eminent scholars examine his later poetry from a fascinatingly diverse range of critical and theoretical perspectives. It’s been three years since Heaney’s death, since the world -- and Ireland -- lost one of the most revered literary figures of our lifetime. Nothing about his rise had been inevitable, making it more remarkable. This collection focuses on the poet’s late works, reminding us that his gift, like Yeats’, operated at its highest pitch to the very last, with his final collecting echoing the depth and philosophical range of his first and middle works. But the late poems also often radically break with the themes of Heaney’s earlier work, addressing issues that are wholly different to the earlier collections. The dialogues that he has – his original translations and language work proved to be a two-way street – with the classical and modern world receive careful examination, acknowledging his debts and antecedents in the process. Virgil, Petrarch, Milosz, Wordsworth, Keats, Rilke and others influenced Heaney, and their voltage in turn has influenced his contemporaries though his works. Editor O’Brien’s decision to devote a collection to the poet’s later works is inspired, addressing a gap in critical studies that acknowledges that they have been less widely read and studied, and seeking to redress that. O’Brien’s selected critics set to work reconsidering and heralding the later poems, opening up a new world whilst also seeing it as part of a thematically connected set of writings with his earlier collections Seeing Things (1991) The Spirit Level (1996) Electric Light (2001) District and Circle (2006) and his last collection Human Chain (2010). Each publication was an event in Ireland (and in world culture), and this timely collection contextualizes and celebrates them. Restless and searching until the last moments of his life, Heaney’s genius was matched only by his humility and generosity, which was celebrated in the enclosed world of the academies and on the high street. This is an important addition to Heaney studies and carves out new directions in the appreciation and appraisal of his later works. Notre Dame, $50. Read more about Irish books on IrishCentral hereRaw content SECRET PAGE 01 PARIS 02949 01 OF 03 271423Z ACTION NODS-00 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 /001 W ------------------093629 271430Z /41 Z 271303Z JAN 79 ZFF 4 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO SECSTATE WASHDC FLASH 4021 S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 02949 NODIS CHEROKEE STADIS//////////////// E.O. 12065: RDS-2 L/27/99 (CHAPMAN, CHRISTIAN A.) OR-P TAGS: PINT, IR SUBJECT: MESSAGE TO USG FROM KHOMEINI REF: STATE 022215 1. (S - ENTIRE TEXT) 2. YAZDI GAVE ZIMMERMANN AT 1015 AM PARIS TIME JANUARY 27 A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM KHOMEINI TO THE USG. IT IS THE FIRST FIRST-PERSON MESSAGE FROM KHOMEINI PASSED IN THE YAZDI-ZIMMERMANN CHANNEL. ZIMMERMANN HAD PROPOSED A MEETING WITH YAZDI ON THE BASIS OF REFTEL (WE REPORT YAZDI'S REACTION TO REFTEL IN SEPTEL); WHILE ZIMMERMANN WAS DRIVING OUT TO MEETING PLACE, YAZDI WENT TO SEE KHOMEINI; WHEN ZIMMERMANN ARRIVED, YAZDI GAVE HIM THE MESSAGE. YAZDI HAD APPARENTLY TAKEN IT DOWN VERBATIM IN FARSI FROM KHOMEINI; HE TRANSLATED IT WHILE READING IT TO ZIMMERMANN. KHOMEINI MESSAGE IS QUOTED BELOW; INTERPOLATIONS IN - ARE YAZDI'S RESPONSES TO ZIMMERMANN'S REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION. SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 PARIS 02949 01 OF 03 271423Z 3. BEGIN TEXT OF KHOMEINI MESSAGE. THE ACTIVITIES AND WORKS OF BAKHTIAR AND THE PRESENT LEADERS OF THE ARMY ARE NOT ONLY HARMFUL FOR IRANIANS BUT ALSO ARE VERY HARMFUL FOR THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT, AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE FUTURE OF THE AMERICANS (YAZDI: THAT MEANS THE AMERICANS IN IRAN). THOSE ACTIVITIES MAY FORCE ME TO ISSUE NEW ORDERS IN IRAN. IT IS ADVISABLE THAT Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 YOU RECOMMEND TO THE ARMY (YAZDI: THE ARMY AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST THE LEADERSHIP; WE DRAW A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE TWO) NOT TO FOLLOW BAKHTIAR AND TO CEASE THESE ACTIVITIES. THE CONTINUATION OF THESE ACTIVITIES BY BAKHTIAR AND THE ARMY LEADERSHIP MAY BRING A GREAT DISASTER. IF BAKHTIAR AND THE PRESENT ARMY LEADERSHIP STOP INTERVENING IN THE AFFAIRS (YAZDI: OF IRANIANS), WE WILL QUIET DOWN THE PEOPLE, AND THIS WILL NOT CREATE ANY HARM FOR THE AMERICANS. THESE KINDS OF ACTIVITIES AND BEHAVIOR (YAZDI: BY BAKHTIAR AND THE ARMY LEADERSHIP) WILL NOT BRING CALM OR STABILITY TO THE REGION. THE NATION WILL LISTEN TO ME AND, THROUGH MY COMMAND AND IMPLEMENTATION OF MY PLAN, STABILITY WILL COME. WHEN I ANNOUNCE THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT, YOU WILL SEE THAT MANY OF THE POINTS WHICH ARE VAGUE WILL DISAPPEAR (YAZDI: KHOMEINI MEANS AREAS WHICH ARE FUZZY TO THE USG) AND YOU WILL SEE THAT WE ARE NOT REPEAT NOT IN ANY PARTICULAR ANIMOSITY WITH THE AMERICANS, AND YOU WILL SEE THAT THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC, WHICH IS BASED ON ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY AND LAWS, IS NOTHING BUT A HUMANITARIAN ONE WHICH WILL BENEFIT THE CAUSE OF PEACE AND TRANQUILITY FOR ALL MANKIND. CLOSING DOWN THE AIRPORTS AND PREVENTING ME FROM GOING BACK TO IRAN WILL DISTURB FURTHER THE STABILITY, NOT ONLY FAILING TO STABLIZE THE SITUATION BUT EVEN DESTABILIZING IT FURTHER. I SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 PARIS 02949 01 OF 03 271423Z HAVE BEEN ASKED BY FORCES FOLLOWING ME TO GIVE THEM PERMISSION TO GO AND OPEN THE AIRPORTS FOR MY RETURN (YAZDI: BY FORCE). HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT GIVEN SUCH PERMISSION. ALSO, ARMED FORCES FROM WITHIN THE MILITARY, AS WELL AS NON-MILITARY ARMED FORCES (YAZDI: FOR EXAMPLE, MILITIAS AND UNDERGROUND ARMED FORCES, ALL OF THEM WITHIN THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT), INCLUDING THE TRIBES, HAVE REQUESTED PERMISSION TO ACT AND END THE PRESENT SITUATION (YAZDI: THAT IS, TO FORCE BAKHTIAR AND THE MILITARY LEADERS OUT OF POWER). HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT GIVEN THEM THE PERMISSION YET. I PREFER THAT THE PROBLEM BE SOLVED IN PEACE AND WITHOUT VIOLENCE OR BLOODSHED AND THAT THE DESTINY OF THE COUNTRY BE GIVEN TO THE NATION TO SECRET Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 NNN SECRET PAGE 01 PARIS 02949 02 OF 03 271422Z ACTION NODS-00 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 /001 W ------------------093624 271427Z /44 Z 271303Z JAN 79 ZFF 4 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO SECSTATE WASHDC FLASH 4022 S E C R E T SECTION 02 OF 03 PARIS 02949 NODIS CHEROKEE STADIS//////////////////// DECIDE. END TEXT OF KHOMEINI MESSAGE. 4. ZIMMERMANN REQUESTED FURTHER CLARIFICATIONS. WHAT DID KHOMEINI MEAN BY THE "ACTIVITIES AND WORKS" OF BAKHTIAR AND THE ARMY LEADERSHIP? YAZDI SAID THAT THEY HAD CLOSED DOWN THE AIRPORTS FOR THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS. YESTERDAY THEY OPENED FIRE ON THE PEOPLE; AT LEAST 16 WERE KILLED IN TEHRAN, AND IN SANANDASH (PHONETIC) IN KURDISTAN, POLICE FORCES AND TROOPS HAVE ATTACKED CIVILIANS AND BURNED DOWN MANY HOUSES AND SHOPS. ALSO YESTERDAY AT LEAST A DOZEN DAILY PRESS JOURNALISTS WERE ARRESTED. THESE, SAID YAZDI, ARE EXAMPLES OF THE "ACTIVITIES AND WORKS" REFERRED TO. 5. ZIMMERMANN ASKED ABOUT THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE ARMY LEADERSHIP AND THE ARMY AS A WHOLE. YAZDI SAID THAT THE PRESENT ARMY LEADERSHIP IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHAH AND RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY OF THE MASSACRES, WHILE THE REST OF THE ARMY IS DIFFERENT AND IS EVEN SYMPATHETIC TO THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT. 6. ZIMMERMANN ASKED ABOUT THE REFERENCE TO THE APPOINTMENT OF THE "PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT"; WHAT "VAGUE" POINTS WOULD BE CLEARED UP? YAZDI SAID THAT, WHEN KHOMEINI ANNOUNCES THE MEMBERS OF THE PROVISIONAL SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 PARIS 02949 02 OF 03 271422Z GOVERNMENT, "YOU WILL KNOW WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE YOU ARE DEALING WITH AND CAN TALK TO THEM IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY." YAZDI WENT ON: "IF KHOMEINI ANNOUNCES THAT ENGINEER BAZARGAN IS HEAD OF THE GOVERNMENT, YOU CAN TALK TO HIM OFFICIALLY AND BAZARGAN WOULD MAKE Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 CLEAR WHAT IS VAGUE TO YOU. YOU HAVE IN MIND THAT COMMUNISTS OR SOME OTHERS WILL TAKE OVER THE COUNTRY. WHEN THE GOVERNMENT IS ANNOUNCED, YOU WILL SEE THAT NONE OF THIS IS CORRECT. YOU WILL SEE THAT THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT IS CAPABLE OF BRINGING STABILITY. " 7. YAZDI THEN SAID THAT THE CLOSING DOWN OF THE AIRPORTS REPRESENTED A VERY SENSITIVE SITUATION. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE COME TO TEHRAN TO WELCOME THE AYATOLLAH. SINCE BAKHTIAR HAS SAID IN THE PAST THAT THE AYATOLLAH CAN COME TO IRAN ANYTIME HE WISHES AND SINCE THERE ARE PROBLEMS INSIDE WHICH COULD BE SOLVED ONLY IF HE GOES BACK, PREVENTING HIS RETURN TO IRAN HAS CREATED A "VERY EXPLOSIVE SITUATION; WE MAY HAVE A PROBLEM IN CONTROLLING THE TEMPER OF THE MILLIONS WHO HAVE POURED INTO TEHRAN." 8. ZIMMERMANN WKED YAZDI ABOUT KHOMEINI'S TRAVEL PLANS. YAZDI SAID THAT THE THREE-DAY AIRPORT CLOSURE ENDS SATURDAY AT MIDNIGHT, AND KHOMEINI HAD PLANNED TO DEPART PARIS AT 11:00 PM PARIS TIME SATURDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER, THE IRANIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE REFUSED LANDING PERMISSION SUNDAY MORNINGFOR THE AIR FRANCE CHARTER FLIGHT; APPARENTLY THEY WANT TO EXTEND THE CLOSING DOWN OF THE AIRPORTS. "WE WILL THEREFORE SUSPEND OUR PLAN. I DON'T KNOW YET WHAT THE AYATOLLAH WILL DECIDE. IF THE GOVERNMENT SAYS THAT THE AIRPORTS SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 PARIS 02949 02 OF 03 271422Z ARE CLOSED FOR ANOTHER THREE DAYS WE WILL WAIT FOR ANOTHER THREE DAYS." (COMMENT: ZIMMERMANN WAS STRUCK BY THE CONTRAST BETWEEN YAZDI'S RELATIVELY RELAXED TONE HERE AND THE MORE OMINOUS TONE OF THE KHOMEINI SECRET NNN SECRET PAGE 01 PARIS 02949 03 OF 03 271424Z ACTION NODS-00 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 /001 W ------------------093634 271430Z /44 Z 271303Z JAN 79 ZFF 4 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO SECSTATE WASHDC FLASH 4023 S E C R E T SECTION 03 OF 03 PARIS 02949 NODIS CHEROKEE STADIS//////////////////// MESSAGE.) 9. YAZDI THEN VOLUNTEERED THAT KHOMEINI'S PEOPLE ARE IN CONTACT WITH BAKHTIAR AND THE ARMY LEADERSHIP. BAKHTIAR SENT A LETTER WITH HIS ENVOY TO PARIS; THE AYATOLLAH DID NOT ACCEPT THE ENVOY BUT DID RECEIVE THE LETTER. IT DOES NOT CONTAIN ANYTHING NEW, ASKING ONLY THAT THE AYATOLLAH DELAY HIS RETURN TO IRAN. ZIMMERMAN ASKED: HOW LONG A DELAY? YAZDI SAID THE DELAY WAS UNSPECIFIED. 10. YAZDI THEN WENT ON THAT "OUR PEOPLE" HAVE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN THE PRESENT CRISIS AND HAVE SUGGESTED A FORMULA TO BAKHTIAR. THIS FORMULA IS THAT BAKHTIAR EITHER COME TO PARIS OR BE PRESENT AT AIRPORT WHEN KOHEMEINI RETURNS AND SUBMIT HIS RESIGNATION TO KOHMEINI. KOMEINI WILL THEN AGREE TO RE-APPOINT HIM AS A MEMBER OF THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT IMMEDIATELY. "THIS, WE BELIEVE, WILL BE OF BENEFIT TO ALL PARTIES INVOLVED AND WILL ALSO GIVE A CHANCE TO BAKHTIAR TO GAIN BACK HIS POPULARITY AND POLITICAL DIGNITY AND BRING ALSO THE UNITY NECESSARY FOR THE FUTURE STABILITY OF IRAN. WE THINK THAT THIS IS A TREMENDOUS CONCESSION THAT OUR PEOPLE IN IRAN HAVE MADE." YAZDI ADDED THAT BAZARGAN SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 PARIS 02949 03 OF 03 271424Z AND BEHESHTI HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE NEGOTIATIONS AND ARE KHOMEINI'S AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES TO CONDUCT THE NEGOTIATIONS. 11. BEFORE YAZDI GAVE THE KHOMEINI MESSAGE TO ZIMMERMANN, ZIMMERMANN GAVE YAZDI A TEXT OF PRESIDENT CARTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE STATEMENT JANUARY 26 THAT POLITICAL CHANGE SHOULD BE CONDUCTED IN AN ORDERLY FASHION AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE IRANIAN CONSTITUTION. YAZDI ASKED IF WE COULD CONFIRM THAT 200,000 BARRELS OF OIL WERE BEING SHIPPED TO IRAN. ZIMMERMANN CONFIRMED IT, THEN NOTED THAT PRESIDENT CARTER HAD MADE CLEAR THAT THE SHIPMENT WAS INTENDED TO ENSURE ENERGY Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 SUPPLIES FOR THE IRANIAN PEOPLE. CHAPMAN SECRET NNN Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014It’s the big things: Mariah Carey hammering god-tier high notes while insisting that “I’m not used to doing this.” LL Cool J steamrolling through “Mama Said Knock You Out” for a frenzied audience of fist-pumpers and shadow-boxers. Eric Clapton converting “Layla” from a desperate rager to a graceful shuffle and walking off with an armload of Grammys. A teary-eyed Lauryn Hill reclaiming her time and radically transforming her career. It’s the little things: Kurt Cobain’s last ragged breath before he finishes howling through “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.” The two teenage girls standing behind Dashboard Confessional who high-five immediately after screaming, “SO WE CAN GET SOME!” Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez scrawling “Friends don’t let friends get Friends haircuts” on his acoustic bass in a gleeful jab at Metallica. The guy in the animal mask who delicately plays piano as Korn and Evanescence singer Amy Lee turn “Freak on a Leash” into something freakishly beautiful. “Remember: The word unplugged was not in the lexicon. You played acoustic.” —Alex Coletti, ‘MTV Unplugged’ producer and showrunner MTV Unplugged, one of the channel’s most prestigious franchises, helped launch a few careers and revitalized quite a few more. Hatched in 1989 with a deceptively simple premise—big stars play their big hits, stripped down and acoustic—the show was a massive ’90s phenomenon that, unlike many other ’90s phenomenons, has modestly endured since. It generated unlikely radio hits (see 10,000 Maniacs covering “Because the Night”). It inspired breakthrough moments for everyone from Pearl Jam (see Eddie Vedder scrawling “PRO CHOICE” on his arm during a manic “Porch”) to Maxwell (whose harp-driven version of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” is an all-universe highlight). And it scored mid-period Album of the Year Grammys for both Clapton and, why not, Tony Bennett. The show never quite disappeared, popping up sporadically in the past decade or so to showcase the likes of Florence + the Machine or Miley Cyrus. But Friday night marks the debut of a more official Unplugged reboot, turning over its first installment to Vine phenomenon turned semi-legit pop star Shawn Mendes. It’s MTV’s latest attempt to turn its storied past into its vibrant future. But the producers and directors of the original series will tell you that Unplugged is not quite as simple as handing rock stars acoustic guitars and pointing a camera at them. They’ll also tell you lots of stories about how much fun it was to do that. Here’s where it all began, sort of. The industry lore is that Unplugged was inspired by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora’s appearance at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, howling through “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” while strumming not-at-all-gaudy acoustic guitars. But as recounted in Rob Tannenbaum and Craig Marks’s excellent 2011 oral history I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution, the show, originally created by Jim Burns and Bob Small, was already in production by then, as a more modest acoustic hootenanny with more modest stars. Nothing about this project, of course, would stay modest for long. As Burns puts it in I Want My MTV, “It’s a simple idea, which is why a lot of people take credit for it.” As for Bon Jovi, “Someone very smartly at MTV used that as a way to promote Unplugged, which was only a month from taping,” says Alex Coletti, one of the show’s longest-tenured producers and showrunners. “Saying, ‘Oh, that acoustic performance was so great, we’re creating a show about it.’ So for many years, Jon Bon Jovi walked around thinking, ‘Hey, I created MTV Unplugged.’ He certainly helped us, made it shorthand: ‘Hey, that thing Bon Jovi just did? We’re doing a whole show of that.’ And people went, ‘Oh.’ Because remember: The word unplugged was not in the lexicon. You played acoustic.” “The show wasn’t meant to be a thing that went on to win Grammys and sell albums,” Coletti adds. “That all happened. But it was meant to be a Sunday morning, cup of coffee, just something different than the Milli Vanilli world that we were living in. You remember, 1989, people didn’t have amazing-sounding speakers built into their TVs. But something acoustic actually cut through, and it sounded good. And again, with that Milli Vanilli kind of backdrop, getting people who can actually sing and play—there’s no hiding it, you’re doing it in front of me—was very special.” It is certainly true that Bon Jovi inspired the show to think bigger. “A sort of light bulb went off: ‘Well, that's what Unplugged should be,’” says Joel Gallen, the show’s executive producer for the first three years. “And that was not intentional. It was a sort of coincidence. As opposed to getting young, up-and-coming artists to do their songs acoustically, the real big win for Unplugged is we got the big, stadium, electric-arena-type acts to strip down and go acoustic. That’s the big win.” The show’s first episode, taped on Halloween 1989, was a grab bag headlined by the wry English rockers Squeeze. But Unplugged’s first breakthrough came with its fifth show, featuring Joe Walsh, who threw in a cover of the Eagles’ “Desperado”—only to have Eagles frontman Don Henley refuse permission to air it. “We got a fax that said, ‘If you want Don Henley to perform ‘Desperado,’ then book Don Henley,’” Coletti recalls. “So we were like, ‘Yes, please!’ Don booked himself on the show.” Early on, Unplugged often stacked up tapings in groups of three. “We did Crowded House, we did the Damn Yankees, and we did Don Henley all in one day,” Gallen says. “Don Henley went last. And Don Henley was the first legitimate superstar that we had on the show, and I felt like that really got the momentum going for others to follow.” “We got a fax that said, ‘If you want Don Henley to perform ‘Desperado,’ then book Don Henley.’ So we were like, ‘Yes, please!’” —Coletti Early Unplugged worked like this: A relatively minor performance would inadvertently trigger a major one. Gallen has 20 solid minutes of material on Paul McCartney’s 1991 appearance, starting with the fact that Sir Paul was inspired by randomly catching a rerun of the Hall & Oates Unplugged and really digging it. Soon Gallen was sitting on a couch on McCartney’s London farm, watching his idol run through the whole 22-song set list, forgetting lyrics, and forgetting which album “Her Majesty” was on. (“He goes, ‘What was that, the White Album?’” Gallen recalls. “It was very endearing.”) To produce a London installment was a pricey gambit back then, especially amid the myriad corporate travel bans inspired by the Gulf War, so Gallen squeezed in a performance by the Cure, too. For longtime Unplugged stage manager and director Joe Perota, the 1990 Elton John episode was another big thrill, especially when Elton called him over near the end of the taping to say that he was having a great time and wanted to play a little more. “Elton John was asking my permission to play,” Perota says now, still incredulous. The show’s primary benefit in the early years was to repackage veteran megastars for MTV’s young audience, a nifty cross-generational trick that peaked in 1992 with Eric Clapton’s show and resulting album, a massive hit both commercially and critically. It was laid back without going slack, classically elegant without sounding old, and deftly bluesy without sounding “bluesy.” “Once we sold a few records on one, the record companies saw that and said, ‘MTV is paying for this, and they’re gonna air it round the clock, and it’s a free commercial for an album that cost us zero dollars—let’s get all our artists to do it,’” Coletti says. “It’s a gold mine, and a great way to reinvigorate an artist’s catalog. And it changed tours. Bands all of a sudden realized, ‘Hey, we don’t need to bring a ton of shit on the road. We can go do an unplugged theater gig and make a lot of money.’ And people really—it just caught a certain wave at a certain time. For a moment there, it was really something.” “It’s impossible for me to look into the future and say I'm going to be able to play Nirvana songs in 10 years,” Kurt Cobain told Rolling Stone in a lengthy interview published in January 1994. “There's no way. I don't want to have to resort to doing the Eric Clapton thing. Not to put him down whatsoever; I have immense respect for him. But I don't want to have to change the songs to fit my age.” As it happens, Nirvana taped their own Unplugged in November ’93. It aired later that year, and by the time the album version was released in November ’94, Cobain was dead, and copious reruns had given the show perhaps its single biggest and most poignant zeitgeist moment. With covers of David Bowie, the Vaselines, and Lead Belly—plus an eerie and gorgeous three-song interlude with the Meat Puppets, long cited as one of Cobain’s biggest influences—Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York may be the purest distillation of the 1990s’ purest rock star, a eulogy and a canonization. It has few of the band’s MTV-saturating megahits—no “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” no “Heart-Shaped Box”—and you never miss them for a second. It winds up constituting a greatest-hits package of its own. “There are things I remember,” Coletti says. “Like Kurt saying, ‘I don’t smile enough. Courtney says I don’t smile enough. So make sure you get a closeup of me smiling.’ And I remember Beth [McCarthy-Miller, who directed that show] taking a close-up, and he just grins, and we were like high-fiving in the control room, because we were so excited that we got that shot. I remember Frances Bean was [a year old], walking around with one of those shooting-range headsets at soundcheck.” The Lead Belly cover, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” was the show’s big closer: “That was the moment I knew where we caught magic,” Coletti says. “With his eyes, there’s that thing that happens just before that last line, where he just breathes in, and the size of his pupils change. That was something. Just amazing.” “The last cigarette I ever smoked was with Adele on a fire escape of this building in Gramercy Park.” —Matthew C. Mills, producer of six ‘Unplugged’ episodes At its height, Unplugged turned classic rockers into current hitmakers, and turned current hitmakers into classic rockers. It made crabby ’90s teenagers give old-people superstars another shot, and convinced MTV-averse parents that the channel really could be All About the Music. It was the perfect marriage of slacker vibes and consummate professionalism. Gallen remembers another hectic day: “We did Boyz II Men at like 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and then we did Mariah Carey around 8 o'clock at night, and then at midnight, literally at midnight, we did a little-known band named Pearl Jam.” That was Gallen’s first show as the director, and he cast the band in, quite literally, the best possible light: somber, reverent, almost womblike. Pearl Jam, in turn, brought far more intensity and ferocity than Unplugged viewers were used to, and another superstar band of the alt-rock era was well on its way. Released in 1996, the Alice in Chains Unplugged had a far more funereal effect—it was one of the grunge band’s last major public appearances with frontman Layne Staley, who struggled publicly with heroin addiction and died in 2002. “The great thing about Layne, and kind of the tragic thing, was that once the show got going, the voice that came out of this scrawny little sick kid was unbelievable to me,” remembers Perota, who directed that episode. At its best, the show vacillated between heaviness and lightness. Unplugged was less prominent in the early 2000s, but still caught plenty of magic. Lauryn Hill’s 2002 installment is a raw, painfully intimate, and polarizing reinvention: It’s spiritually intense, and almost hypnotic, given the mostly unfamiliar songs’ plainspoken repetition. It might also feature the best banter in the Unplugged universe, or at least the most unguarded: “All right, you guys cool?” Hill asks early on, pausing for effect before adding that she’s talking to the “people in my head, too.” Conversely, emo god Dashboard Confessional’s appearance that same year is delightfully joyous and goofy and hormonal, with frontman Chris Carrabba literally surrounded by adoring teenage fans. “We had names for all of them, just by what they were wearing,” Coletti recalls. “They were having the time of their lives.” Collectively, they sing every last word of songs literally titled “The Sharp Hint of New Tears” and “Again I Go Unnoticed.” Even this late in the game, Unplugged rarely took a chance on an artist this niche, but the payoff, with everyone in the room insanely happy to be there, was deliriously great. It managed to recapture much of the zeitgeist-defining power of a show that had
of 2015 by generating nearly 0.6 requests for background checks per resident. States lagging far behind included Alabama and Indiana (0.1 requests per resident); Tennessee, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio (less than 0.1 requests per resident) and Texas and Florida (0.04 requests per resident). We found California ranking last in this subgroup (0.03 requests per resident). Guns purchased without background checks A wrinkle: Any estimate of gun purchases by state is hindered by the unknown number of private purchases or gifts of guns not preceded by background checks. A 1997 study occasionally is invoked to suggest 40 percent of gun sales don’t involve background checks. That’s not a correct reading of the study, PolitiFact has noted. Also, one of the researchers has since said it’s not known how many purchases occur without background checks. We asked Abbott’s office about his claim and didn’t hear back. Our ruling Abbott said: "Texas #2 in nation for new gun purchases, behind CALIFORNIA." Hold fire: The FBI counsels against using requests for instant background checks to estimate gun purchases, which was Abbott’s basis for his statement. Besides that, Texas ranked third behind Kentucky and California in the number of checks requested for gun purchases through the first 10 months of 2015. Adjust for population and among the 10 states with the most requested background checks, Texas tied with Florida for 8th place with both states and seven others accounting for more per-capita requests for background checks than California. We rate this claim False. FALSE – The statement is not accurate. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.[Content note: sexual harassment] The skeptic/secular community is blowing up with the sadly-unsurprising news that at least one Big-Name Skeptic has been sexually harassing women. More accusations keep pouring out, though some of them have been stifled with legal threats. I expect (and hope) that this is something we’re going to keep talking about for quite some time. I’m already noticing several familiar themes in the reactions to these stories. For instance, one common response to demands that a known perpetrator of sexual harassment (or even assault) be removed from an organization, group, or community is to claim that the perp needs this “learning opportunity” and should therefore be allowed to stay. Ze will learn from zir mistakes and not do this again. We should show mercy, thereby encouraging zir to change. This claim plays to some of our strongest desires as activists. We want people to learn and change. We want people who do wrong but properly atone for it to be reintegrated into their communities; otherwise, they’ll just keep offending. There are, however, a number of fatal flaws in this claim. First of all, removing a harasser from your group and giving that harasser a learning opportunity are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Losing a valued job, volunteer position, leadership role, or group of friends can be a very poignant wake-up call and an indicator that you need to change your behavior. It doesn’t mean you’re screwed forever. It means you need to understand what you did wrong, become a better, more ethical person, and try again. Second, sexual harassment and assault are common partially because they are so unlikely to be reported, and even if they are reported, they are unlikely to lead to any serious consequences for the perpetrator. People who harass and assault others know this. That’s why, if they do get caught, they get teary and claim that there were just “miscommunications” and this won’t happen again and they totally understand. Then they harass or assault again, perhaps while bullying the victim who dared report them. Knowing that nothing serious will happen to them if they get caught ensures that they’re going to keep doing it. Third, the only reason harassers would need a “learning opportunity” to understand that harassment is wrong is if they don’t know that it’s wrong already. But they do. Often, sexual harassment takes place behind closed doors or at crowded social gatherings where nobody can hear. Harassers purposefully harass such that others won’t notice, or that those who do notice won’t be the people who would care. Why hide your behavior if you honestly don’t see anything wrong with it? Fourth, and most importantly, when you say that a harasser deserves a “learning opportunity” that allows zir to remain where ze is, what you’re implying is that it’s acceptable for zir victims to have to keep working with zir, probably while continuing to be harassed, if it means that the harasser gets zir “learning opportunity.” You’re implying that it’s acceptable for these victims to be the guinea pigs on which the harasser practices not being a terrible human being until ze finally learns how. You’re implying that if a victim of harassment can’t keep working with someone who harassed them, either because they feel violated and unsafe or because the harasser is continuing to harass them, it’s the victim’s job to leave. You’re implying that it’s more important to give the harasser this “learning opportunity” than it is to support victims and create a welcoming, productive, and safe environment at work, at school, or in your social group. A system that prioritizes perpetrators over victims is a morally bankrupt system. We do absolutely need to get harassers to stop harassing. However, the goal shouldn’t be to teach them that harassment is wrong (this they already know), but why it’s wrong. Giving a known harasser a slap on the wrist by making them take a sexual harassment training isn’t going to cut it, except perhaps for the small minority of harassers who are genuinely clueless enough about basic human interaction to think that making crude sexual comments to a coworker is okay. Giving them a stern talking-to isn’t going to cut it either. Teaching a harasser why harassment is wrong is a whole other ballgame, because it requires teaching them to understand power dynamics, sexism, microaggression, sexualization, and a bunch of other complicated things that aren’t as simple as “yo don’t tell your employee they have a nice ass (or at least don’t do it where anyone will hear you and make sure they don’t feel comfortable telling on you).” This is not a job for the harasser’s workplace or school or organization or group of friends. This is a job for a professional educator. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that we really have an infrastructure right now for mandating and facilitating this type of education effectively. We don’t even have that much research on how it can be done. Creating real consequences for harassment does not mean ostracizing people forever. It doesn’t mean that punishments have to be extremely severe and vengeful. It doesn’t mean that we can’t be compassionate. It doesn’t mean that harassers are inhuman monsters who can’t get better. Regardless, letting harassers remain where they are without facing any consequences is not the answer. Privileging their need to “learn” over their victims’ need to be able to work, learn, or hang out safely is unjust. A system that prioritizes perpetrators over victims is a morally bankrupt system.LOS ALTOS — The Los Altos History Museum sits smack in the middle of a red-hot Silicon Valley neighborhood. The median sale price of a single family home in ZIP code 94022 is $3,525,000. How ironic, then, that the museum’s latest exhibition focuses on a time when Santa Clara Valley land could be had for a relative pittance and a developer with a vision could build thousands of affordable, custom-designed homes. We are talking about Joseph Eichler, whose open and airy, light-filled houses sold half a century ago for around $40,000 and are the subject of “Eichler Homes: Modernism for the Masses,” which runs through Oct. 8. Related Articles Bay Area real estate: One square foot is worth a month’s rent In the land of the Eichler, a growing Bay Area real estate battle Those living in Eichler homes totally get the growing interest in preserving the unique houses “Eichler, he had a vision, he had an ideal, and he was able to execute on that ideal,” said Elisabeth Ward, the museum’s executive director. “He was about more than `slap ‘em up, get ‘em done, move on,’” said Steven Eichler, the developer’s grandson, who lives in Menlo Park and curated the exhibit. An accountant before he became a developer — he once worked for a butter-and-eggs wholesale firm in San Francisco, the exhibit points out — Joseph Eichler wanted to improve the quality of housing across the region. He built attractive homes and priced them right for middle-class families. Alas, his egalitarian dreams have been upended. One Eichler home in Los Altos — a tricked-out, five-bedroom version from the late ’60s, covering 3,100 square feet — recently sold for $3.5 million. Other Eichler homes, smaller ones, typically sell for $1.7 million or $1.8 million, which may fit the sweet spot of some buyers in today’s distorted market. Still, seeing his grandfather’s middle-class aesthetic upended is a “sad thing,” Steven Eichler said. “The definition of affordability has changed.” The new exhibit explores that aesthetic and the period in which it emerged. Between 1949 and 1974, Eichler Homes — first headquartered in Palo Alto, later in San Francisco — built 10,500 homes across the Bay Area, mostly concentrated in all-Eichler neighborhoods that still dot the region, from Concord in the East Bay to Willow Glen in San Jose. Reading this on your phone? Stay up to date with our free mobile app. Get it from the Apple app store or the Google Play store. Remarkably, Eichler engaged top-shelf architects to design his houses. Three of those architects were Claude Oakland, A. Quincy Jones and Robert Anshen, who spun ingenious variations on what came to be known as the Eichler style. Inspired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, it features clean-lined post-and-beam construction, vaulted ceilings, open floor plans where one room flows into the next — and entire walls of windows. Walk through the front door of an Eichler home and one often sees clear through to the backyard. The design has a way of “bringing the outside in,” as Eichler homeowners like to say. The museum’s 1,200-square-foot gallery — a bit smaller than a modest Eichler home — captures the spirit of its subject. It has a glass wall of windows looking out over a shady courtyard. Airy and bright, the gallery is painted in white, cream and apricot tones selected by Judi Eichler, Steven’s wife. She designed the exhibit, which is filled with furniture and artifacts that exude the flavor of the period. Standing in front of a photo of his grandfather — “Steven, you have his chin,” Ward commented — Steven Eichler showed a visitor around. Mid-century modern furnishings dominate: a large reclining chair and Ottoman by designers Charles and Ray Eames, made in 1950; a pair of swoopy La Fonda armchairs by the same design team, from 1954. Over by the windows, there’s a children’s corner with play tables and tiny iron-frame chairs, including one with a blue seat that belonged to young Steven while growing up in an Eichler home in Atherton. Beneath it, an Atomic Age play rug is straight out of “The Jetsons,” adorned with images of spinning protons and electrons. In the display cases, one finds more objects of the era: a martini decanter and glasses, which might have come off the set of “Mad Men”; a Danish fondue fork set; a Japanese geisha sculpture; a glazed cigarette box. There’s a box of Eichler Homes matches, an Eichler Homes stock certificate (the corporation was publicly traded for years) and architectural drawings from various Eichler models. Like our Facebook page for more conversation and news coverage from the Bay Area and beyond. Steven Eichler, who manages design and construction projects in under-served neighborhoods, remembers his grandfather as an outspoken, cigar-smoking man — “a large presence in a room.” Active in the Democratic Party, Joseph Eichler had a way of turning dinner-table conversation toward politics and was famous for his anti-discrimination position on housing. He sold houses to anyone regardless of race or religion, and, in 1958, he resigned from the National Association of Home Builders when it failed to support a non-discrimination policy. The exhibit includes testimonies from longtime Eichler homeowners — “Breaking up with your Eichler is hard to do,” is how one begins — and has become a magnet for the local Eichler crowd. Ward said the number of visitors to the museum has doubled since the exhibit opened a few weeks ago, and she is struck by their responses as they wander through the collection: “All you have to say is, `Have you ever lived in an Eichler?’ And all of a sudden, you start getting all these life stories.” The connection the visitors feel is in part explained by the fact that Eichler strove “to engineer a sense of community,” Ward continued. “I think he succeeded. You look at the neighborhoods that he built — the circular streets, the community center, the swimming pool. He was designing neighborhoods. The whole neighborhood has integrity to it, so the idea of tearing down an Eichler” — it has happened repeatedly on the Peninsula in recent years, creating angry divisions between neighbors — “is seen as detrimental to the vision of the whole neighborhood.” Then, she addressed Eichler, the grandson: “Steven,” she said, “it seems to me your grandfather was more motivated by the aesthetics than by the business side of what he did.” Steven Eichler wasn’t so sure: “Yes,” he said, hesitating, “but he really thought about the availability of materials … and about labor costs. He was an accountant by trade, so I have to think the numbers mattered.” But then he mentioned his grandfather’s relationship with A. Quincy Jones, the architect. They worked together for years “and never had a contract. It was all done on a handshake,” he said. “It was a different era.” “Eichler Homes: Modernism for the Masses” Where: Los Altos History Museum, 51 S. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos Hours: Thursday-Sunday, noon-4 p.m. Admission to museum and exhibit: Free Exhibit ends: Oct. 8 Reading this on your iPhone or iPad? Check out our new Apple News app channel here and click the + at the top of the page to save to your Apple News favorites.I welcome James Jackson‘s courage in pointing out the fact that Africa’s chronic dysfunction is the result of, not white European rule in the past, but black Africans rule in the present”€”that, rather than its being the result of European colonialism and post-imperial indifference, as is the Left’s contention, chronic dysfunction in the region is the result of European post-colonialism and post-imperial aid programs. I will not accuse him of Leftism, but Mr. Jackson still commits the fallacy”€” characteristic of the Left”€”of judging sub-Saharan Africa by European standards, and still seems to assume that Africa would develop into a European-style civilization if only Africans stopped playing victim and got their act together, for once and for all. This latter assumption stems from the belief, held by the Left, that black Africans are Europeans with black skin. Said belief is linked to another belief, one that values progress and measures it in terms of convergence with Europe’s present techno-industrial society”€”a type of society characterized by complex social organization, high technology, industrial production, scientific discovery, capitalism, rule of law, private property, citizen’s rights, modernity, and secular rationalism. The abnormality of these beliefs in relation to some non-European societies is not obvious to us, because we take them for granted. But taking cognizance of it is important, for the consequences are catastrophic: they underpin the entire aid and white guilt enterprise, which have fuelled a population explosion in the Dark Continent and the consequent tide of hungry and resentful immigrants into Europe and North America. I have argued for some time that if stability is ever to visit the Dark Continent, we must allow black Africans to diverge from Europe and to reorganize in a manner harmonious with their temperament, proclivities, and endowments. I have also argued that we must not intervene, even if the end result is disturbing to us. What Africa needs is not more money and development, but none. Black Africans are different from Europeans. We may not wish to speak of African cultures, because in relation to ours they seem primitive, but we must accept that culture means something different for them than it does to us, and, while me may well have an opinion, our opinion is irrelevant if what they understand as culture is what works for them. Progress, as important as it may be for us presently, is out of place there. Africa has gone to hell because it must. Read Why Africa is Hell by James Jackson on Takimag.com. This is not to say that the present situation in sub-Saharan Africa (and I stress sub-Saharan, because we must not tarnish Morocco and Egypt with the same brush) is normal by African standards. It is not normal. It is the result of a period of transition “€“ from white society to black society”€”that Western Leftists have been obstructing ever since the end of empire with their well-meaning (but all the same doomed) aid and development programs. Traditional sub-Saharan societies are tribal; their spiritualities animistic; their medicine witchcraft; their sanitation poor; their farming subsistence or non-existent. J.R. Baker (Race, 1974) paints a picture of uncivilization: the aborigines were naked or semi-naked; they practiced self-mutilation; they resided in small settlements, in simple, single-story dwellings; they sailed on crude canoes carved out of tree trunks; they had not invented the wheel; they rarely domesticated animals or used them for labor or transportation; they had no written script or recorded history; they had no use of money, no numbering system, no calendar; they had no roads; and they had no administration or code of law. Chiefs were despotic, capricious, and cruel; slaughter was frequent; cannibalism was sometimes practiced. Dialects were simple, with limited vocabularies to express abstract thought. The average tribesman lived for the moment and lacked foresight. Any bright ideas usually perished with its inventor. Such a picture efficiently explains Africa in the 21st century. It also explains why aid and development funds have achieved nothing except amplify the horrors in the continent: after all, once you introduce money in the above context, the spear gives way to the AK-47. Bono and Geldof and their fellow Live8 participants, the ageing, self-righteous, self-indulgent, cosmetically-enhanced rock stars that we know and loathe, have blood on their hands. So do the Western charities and media for supporting such efforts. “€œBono and Geldof and their fellow Live8 participants, the ageing, self-righteous, self-indulgent, cosmetically-enhanced rock stars that we know and loathe, have blood on their hands.”€ This why I think Mr. Jackson is right to want “€œthe demolition of every road, college, and hospital we ever built”€ in black Africa. This ought to have been concomitant with de-colonization. If the European powers no longer saw it feasible to maintain an empire, they ought to have dismantled the colonial infrastructure and left the region as it was first found by the early explorers. Outsiders ought to have been forbidden, by an international covenant modeled after the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, from upsetting the sub-Saharan habitat by declaring the region a nature preserve. Of course, this was politically impossible at the time, and the European conscience, already afflicted by post-imperial guilt, would have been doubly troubled by the ensuing famines (without industrialized farms, you cannot feed millions of people). But the famines have, nevertheless, still visited the region, and not only have they not been averted, but they have been multiplied and magnified by the Western efforts to avert them. The initial post-imperial famines might have been inevitable, but the end result would have been a smaller, re-tribalized, pre-historical population, able to feed itself through the traditional methods of subsistence farming, hunting, and gathering. After a few generations, sub-Saharan Africa would have no longer looked at the West with a mixture of envy, frustration, and hatred, because it would have forgotten about its existence, except through orally transmitted fables and legends. The white man would have been remembered as a god (or a demon)”€”as an alien being from another world, who built cities of gold and had magical powers beyond imagination. After a few generations, sub-Sahara African would have reverted to its pre-colonial ways, and completed its transition from a collection of failed states to a living record of humanity’s past. Pay to Play - Put your money where your mouth is and subscribe for an ad-free experience and to join the world famous Takimag comment board.W. Earl Brown Twitter: @WEarlBrown Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/W.Earl.Brown Sacred Cowboys: http://www.sacredcowboys.com/ Welcome, W. Earl Brown! Earl scoops us on the Deadwood movie, the script, and the impact of the loss of Powers Boothe. Plus: David Milch, Deadwood stories, and we learn all about that infamous fight scene with him and the Captain in season 3. Beyond Deadwood Earl discusses His season on American Crime, what he's in town shooting now, working with Bill Paxton, Preacher, In Dying Up Here, his character Bill in the highly acclaimed video game “The Last of Us”, and when he's coming back to. Atlanta! Earl knows music: from country to metal to Kiss (he's very impressed with Tim’s Paul Stanley) and even some Merle, hanging with Robin Williams and telling us what show he's love to be on right now. Can you guess? Check out BurgaBox! 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Please help out by buying a subscription and keeping LWN on the net. At the end of April, Lennart Poettering announced the initial availability of systemd, a new system initialization and session management daemon. This announcement caused a bit of surprise and concern for those who didn't know it was coming. Lennart's work with PulseAudio remains a bit of a difficult memory for some users (though it seems to be working well for most people now), and some people had thought that the initialization problem was solved with the growing adoption of upstart. Systemd is a different approach, though, which may yet prove sufficiently compelling to motivate another big change. There are many new features in systemd, but the core change is a concept stolen from the MacOS launchd daemon - and from others that came before launchd. There are (at least) two ways to ensure that a service is available when it is needed: (1) try to keep track of all other services which may need it and be sure to start things in the right order, or (2) just wait until somebody tries to connect to the service and start it on demand. Traditional Linux init systems - and upstart too - use the first approach. Systemd, instead, goes for the second. Rather than concern itself with dependencies, it simply creates the sockets that system daemons will use to communicate with their clients. When a connection request arrives on a specific socket, the associated daemon will be started. This approach simplifies the system configuration process because there is no longer any need to worry about dependencies between services. It holds out the promise of a faster bootstrap process because nothing is started before it is actually needed (plus a fair amount of other work has been done to improve boot time). The systemd approach to managing daemons allows a fair amount of boilerplate code to be removed, at least under the difficult assumption that the daemon no longer needs to work with other initialization systems. Lennart clearly thinks that it is a better way to manage system processes, and a number of others seem to agree. That said, there are some obstacles to the widespread adoption of systemd by distributors. To begin with, a number of them are just now beginning to use upstart in its native mode; the idea of jumping into another transition is not necessarily all that appealing. Daemons must be patched to work optimally with systemd; otherwise the socket-based activation scheme is not available. The patching is a relatively simple task, but it must be done with a number of daemons and the result accepted back upstream. There are also concerns about how well some types of services (CUPS was mentioned) will work under systemd, but Lennart seems to think there will not be troubles there. Another area of concern, strangely enough, is the use of control groups (cgroups) by systemd. Cgroups are a Linux-specific feature initially created for use with containers; they allow the grouping of processes under the control of one or more modules which can restrict their behavior. Systemd uses cgroups to track daemon processes that it has created; they allow these processes to be monitored even if they use the familiar daemon tricks for detaching themselves from their parents. So if systemd is told to shut down Apache, it can do a thorough job of it - even to the point of cleaning up leftovers of rogue CGI scripts and such. Cgroups would also make it easy for system administrators to set up specialized sandboxes for daemons to run in. The problem there is that there is no easy way for systemd to pick up a cgroup setup already created by somebody else; there is no transparent inheritance for cgroups now. So Lennart is asking for that type of inheritance to be added. Beyond that, though, some people have concerns about the use of cgroups in the first place. Peter Zijlstra worries about adding yet another feature which must be built into the kernel for the system to even boot. The Debian community does not like the use of the "debug" group, which is not currently configured into its kernels. Systemd may eventually get a more appropriately-named cgroup subsystem for its use, but it is not going to work without the cgroup feature at all. So people wanting to boot systems with systemd will need to have cgroups built in. Lennart has this message for people who don't like that: Next time something is added to the kernel please mark it as "Hey, please don't use it, this is only here so that you don't use it. Thanks!" Maybe then dumb-ass folks like me will notice and refrain from using it. There are also claims that work on systemd is primarily motivated by antipathy toward Ubuntu and, especially, its copyright assignment policies. There can only be a bit of truth in some of that; hearing early talk about the work which became systemd is part of what inspired this article on assignment policies back in October. That said, Lennart insists that the motivations behind systemd are technical, and he asks that it be judged on its technical merits. So where do things stand with regard to adoption of systemd? There is an intent to package bug filed for Debian ; the packager plans to make it easy to switch between sysvinit and systemd at boot time. ; the packager plans to make it easy to switch between sysvinit and systemd at boot time. Lennart plans to have a systemd package ready for Fedora 14, saying " whether we can have it as default is to be seen ". Given that the Fedora 14 cycle has already begun, even thinking about adding a change that fundamental as the default seems ambitious. So it may be a hard sell, but Lennart would like to see it: " It would certainly be a shame though if other distros would ship systemd by default before we do. " 14, saying " ". Given that the Fedora 14 cycle has already begun, even thinking about adding a change that fundamental as the default seems ambitious. So it may be a hard sell, but Lennart would like to see it: " " Gentoo has an experimental systemd package available, but it has not found its way into the main distribution yet. has an experimental systemd package available, but it has not found its way into the main distribution yet. openSUSE is apparently (according to Lennart's original announcement) discussing it internally, but, as is often the case with openSUSE, there is no public indication that it is being considered. is apparently (according to Lennart's original announcement) discussing it internally, but, as is often the case with openSUSE, there is no public indication that it is being considered. Ubuntu seems unlikely to consider a change anytime soon.The Long Run: The Science Of Sweating Scott Jurek / May 7, 2014 Staying hydrated while running in the heat is crucial. Photo: www.shutterstock.com Learn how to perform a sweat test and ensure that you’re always properly hydrated. It was July 2005, and temperatures hovered in the mid-120s during the infamous 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon. I ran through the blowtorch heat of Death Valley feeling like an ant burning under a magnifying glass. It was a challenge to find the balance between being slightly and severely dehydrated as I drank 60 ounces (three average water bottles) of water per hour while running at a 9:00 to 10:00 pace per mile. To monitor my hydration levels, my crew weighed me every hour or two to determine how much water weight I was losing and if I was drinking enough fluids to replace the loss. A race like Badwater enables runners to monitor their hydration, but the typical half-marathoner, marathoner, or ultramarathoner doesn’t have access to a scale during a race. Knowing how to perform a sweat test is an effective and reliable method for determining how much you should drink to stay appropriately hydrated. Here’s how you do it: RELATED: Sports Drinks Vs. Water 1. Take a naked body weight before a training run. 2. Follow with a very easy, five- to 10-minute warm-up. Then run at your average race pace effort for one hour in the conditions you expect on race day. Keep track of any water you drink (measure in ounces) and avoid urinating, or any other fluid loss, if possible. 3. After one hour, remove your clothes, wipe off all the sweat from your body and hair. and take another naked body weight. 4. Subtract your post-run weight from your pre-run weight and convert to ounces. (1 pound = 1 pint or 16 oz. of water). Add the number of ounces of fluid you drank if applicable. 5. This number will be the amount of ounces you should drink per hour to stay fully hydrated in similar conditions. Since the human body can be 1 to 2.5 percent of our bodyweight dehydrated before blood volume and performance is affected, you can find the minimum amount of fluid you should drink with one more calculation. RELATED: Water, The First Nutrient 1. Multiply your pre-run naked body weight by 0.025. 2. Convert to ounces by multiplying by 16. 3. Subtract this number from your “fully” hydrated ounces in No. 5 and you will have your minimum ounces per hour. Practice drinking this range of fluids while training, and be sure to drink at regular intervals of 10 to 15 minutes. The stomach empties quicker when you take gulps every 10 to 15 minutes versus sips every five minutes. To prepare for alternate race conditions, including heat, humidity or altitude, repeat the test during your training in the altered conditions. You can also use this test while training for different race paces and when your fitness level changes. Keep in mind medications and certain foods (i.e. caffeine) affect hydration, so note what might be circulating in your body when performing the test. Your numbers are only as accurate as your most recent sweat test and the setting in which it was performed. **** About The Author: Based in Boulder, Colo., Scott Jurek is a seven-time winner of the Western States 100-mile trail run and the author of Eat and Run: My Journey To Ultramarathon Greatness.The birth of a particular cocktail is a lot more than following an impulse to mix liquor “X” with juice “Y” and garnish “Z.” The most revered libations grow out of a sense of place, where local ingredients, resources, current events, regional appetites, and bartenders native to the terra firma meld together to create something memorable. Of course, given the murky history of drinking, which is replete with the ghosts of Prohibition and less-than-complete documentation, some places have simply become synonymous with a particular drink—which is also part of the fun. The Sazerac is New Orleans. Ditto the Manhattan and New York City. Here are 10 of the best cocktails associated with a particular city. Input on this list was provided by bartenders and co-owners at Room 11 and Mockingbird Hill, two DC-area drinking establishments. The Rickey / Washington, D.C. Photo via Allcocktails.net Though the more well-known and popular version of the Rickey is served with gin, the first Rickey, poured in the Washington, D.C., establishment the Shoemaker, was made in the 1880s with bourbon as the key spirit, along with ice, soda water, and the juice of half a lime. The Rickey went worldwide about a decade later when gin became the keynote alcohol, and more than a century later the drink has made a resurgence across the country. For that, you can thank a cadre of D.C.-area bartenders who dubbed July “Rickey Month,” a reason for everyone across the city to celebrate the drink’s heritage and attend events where variations on the classics are served as the perfect antidote to the infamous humidity of the nation’s capital. Piña Colada / San Juan, Puerto Rico Though Puerto Rico may qualify as mostly within the United States, its capital city deserves the honor of inclusion on this list because it created one of the quintessential tropical cocktails. Crafted in 1963 by Ramon Portas Mingot at Barrachina Restaurant in Old San Juan, the piña colada would later suffer the indignities of the cruise ship scene. But nothing compliments the Caribbean sun—and beats the equatorial heat—better than the heady mixture of ice, rum, and fresh pineapple. Sazerac / New Orleans, La. Photo via Colony Wine Market Originally named after Sazerac de Forge et Fils, the brand of Cognac brandy used as the central ingredient, this New Orleans staple has blossomed from its pre-Civil War days to become one of the more riffed-upon American cocktails (and include variations with rum to whisky to bourbon to rye)—fitting for one of the first cocktails made in the United States. We say go with a nice micro-distilled rye whisky with a swirl of absinthe, along the requisite Peychaud’s bitters, simple sugar, and an orange peel. Mint Julep / Louisville, Ky. Photo via Foodrepublic.com The city of Louisville may not have created the mint julep, but thanks to the drinking traditions established by the Kentucky Derby, it pretty much owns it outright today. Origins of this bourbon-based sprint and summer favorite are murky, stretching back as far as the early 1800s when Virginians sipped on a dram of the stuff, mixed with mint leaves, in the morning. It became the signature drink of Churchill Downs in 1938, and today they serve more than 80,000 during the two-day event surrounding the derby. Last Word / Detroit, Mich. Photo via Seaofshoes.com Like old world fashion trends, cocktail recipes can get washed away in the forever-rising tide of the latest-and-greatest. Such was the fate of the Last Word, a gin-based Prohibition-era cocktail mixed with green Chartreuse, marachino liquour, and fresh lime juice that was first made at the Detroit Athletic Club. Until, that is, crate-digging Detroit bartender Murray Stenson found the ancient recipe and brought it back, triggering a riff on the refreshing cocktail among mixologists across the country. Ward 8 / Boston, Mass. Photo via Chow.com Almost any city with a robust urban population likely has a Ward 8, but when it comes to the cocktail, there’s only one: the Ward 8 from Boston. Dating back to 1898, this play on the whisky sour—a mixture of rye, lemon, and orange juice, sweetened with teaspoon of grenadine—was introduced at the a celebratory dinner for one of Bean Town’s old city politicians. Lore dictates that it also became a type of currency during Prohibition, used to pay off locals for votes in Ward 8 speakeasies. Pisco Punch / San Francisco, Calif. Though less well-known than its sister drink the pisco sour, the punch variety is actually older, dating back to 1853 when it was crafted in San Francisco’s Bank Exchange and Billiard Saloon. Made with Peruvian pisco (a grape brandy that traces back to the 16th century), the punch includes a combination of lime juice, pineapple, distilled water, sugar, and gum arabic. Fans like Mark Twain and New Yorker founder Harold Ross helped promote it to the masses beyond the Golden Gate. Manhattan / New York, NY Though the exact place within
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Charred crafted in Campfire requires Rabbit Rabbit Grilled crafted in Campfire requires Rabbit Rabbit Stew crafted in Campfire requires Bottled Water Corn Potato Rabbit Railing Old Wood requires Stick (x4) Rebar Frame requires Short Metal Pipe (x8) used in Wall Oven Rebar Ramp Frame requires Short Metal Pipe (x6) Red Wood Pillar requires Planks4 (x3) Reinforced Metal Siding requires Scrap Iron (x4) Reloading Weekly Book used in Paper Rock Small requires Stone used in Arrow Blunderbuss Ammo Campfire Concrete Trim Concrete Trim2 Crossbow Bolt Flagstone Forge Gravel Stone Axe Stone Shovel Rock01 used in Stone Rock05 used in Stone Roof Asphalt requires Asphalt Concrete used in Wedge60 End Asphalt Rug01 requires Cloth (x2) Leather Strips (x2) Wood Frame used in Rug01 Drywall Rug01 Drywall requires Drywall Rug01 SMG Schematics - Magazine explains Mp5 Sand used in Adobe Tan Awning2 Brick Decayed Tan Crushed Sand Sand Stone Sandbags Tile Floor3 Sand Stone requires Bottled Water (x5) Sand (x4) 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Reinforced Metal Siding Scrap Boots Scrap Chest Armor Scrap Gloves Scrap Helmet Scrap Iron Frame Scrap Iron Inside Corner Frame Scrap Iron Outside Corner Frame Scrap Iron Ramp Frame Scrap Leg Armor Scrap Metal Wall Sign Spillway Lake Signcampfish Signcamping Signinfocenter Signnohazardouswaste Signstop Signstreetprivate Tile Industrial Trash Can01 Scrap Iron Frame requires Scrap Iron (x8) used in Desk02 Scrap Iron Inside Corner Frame requires Scrap Iron (x11) Scrap Iron Outside Corner Frame requires Scrap Iron (x3) Scrap Iron Ramp Frame requires Scrap Iron (x6) Scrap Lead used in Air Conditioner Scrap Leg Armor learn in Mac Dyvers Guide To Scrap Metal Crafting - Magazine requires Leather (x5) Scrap Iron (x7) Scrap Metal Wall requires Scrap Iron (x9) used in Smokestack Red Cube Smokestack White Cube Sectional Arm requires Cloth (x2) Wood Plank Sectional Arm2 requires Leather (x2) Wood Plank Sectional Corner requires Cloth (x5) Wood Plank (x7) Sectional Corner2 requires Leather (x5) Wood Plank (x7) Sectional Middle requires Cloth (x5) Wood Plank (x7) Sectional Middle2 requires Leather (x5) Wood Plank (x7) Secure Door Wooden requires Wood Plank (x8) Secure Gun Safe requires Ingot Iron (x15) Secure Storage Chest requires Wood Plank (x6) Shingles Wood requires Wood Plank (x4) used in Inside Corner Wedge Shingles Wood Wedge Brick Modern01 Shingles Wedge Cabin Shingles Short Metal Pipe requires Forged Iron used in Air Conditioner Bed01 Bed01 Frame Blunderbuss Cooking Grill Curtain Top1 Forge Iron Bars Ladder Metal Metal Strips Metal Trussing Pipe Bomb Pipe Red Valve Porch Light04 Porch Light04 Brass Rebar Frame Rebar Ramp Frame School Desk Sign Spillway Lake Signcampfish Signcamping Signinfocenter Signnohazardouswaste Signstop Signstreetprivate Toilet02 Wrench Shotgun Mold Schematics - Magazine explains Pump Shotgun Barrel Mold Pump Shotgun Parts Pump Shotgun Receiver Mold Pump Shotgun Short Barrel Pump Shotgun Short Barrel Mold Pump Shotgun Short Stock Shotgun Shell learn in Buckshot Weekly - Magazine requires Buckshot Gun Powder Paper Shovel requires Ingot Iron (x4) Stick (x3) Sidewalk Curb requires Sidewalk Half Sidewalk Full requires Cobblestones (x8) Stone used in Sidewalk Half Sidewalk Wedge60 Sidewalk Half requires Sidewalk Full used in Sidewalk Curb Sidewalk Wedge60 requires Sidewalk Full (x3) Siding Blue Old Wood requires Blueberries Old Wood Siding Green Old Wood requires Brown Grass Diagonal Old Wood Siding Tan Old Wood requires Fertile Dirt Old Wood Siding White Old Wood requires Old Wood Potassium Nitrate Powder used in Wood Painted1 Siding Yellow Old Wood requires Goldenrod Old Wood Sign National Park requires Concrete (x3) Goldenrod (x3) Old Wood (x6) Sign Spillway Lake requires Fertile Dirt (x2) Scrap Iron (x5) Short Metal Pipe (x4) Signcampfish requires Scrap Iron (x5) Short Metal Pipe (x4) Signcamping requires Scrap Iron (x5) Short Metal Pipe (x4) Signinfocenter requires Scrap Iron (x5) Short Metal Pipe (x4) Signnohazardouswaste requires Goldenrod (x2) Scrap Iron (x5) Short Metal Pipe (x4) Signstop requires Scrap Iron (x5) Short Metal Pipe (x2) Signstreetprivate requires Scrap Iron (x3) Short Metal Pipe (x3) Sledgehammer learn in Home Maintenance Volume II - Magazine requires Ingot Iron (x3) Stick (x3) Small Engine used in Auger Smg Mold Schematics - Magazine explains Mp5 Barrel Mold Mp5 Receiver Mold Mp5 Stock Mold Smokestack Red requires Smokestack Red Cube (x3) Smokestack Red Cube requires Plant Chrysanthemum Scrap Metal Wall used in Smokestack Red Smokestack Red Wedge Smokestack Red Wedge requires Smokestack Red Cube (x3) Smokestack White requires Smokestack White Cube (x3) Smokestack White Cube requires Potassium Nitrate Powder Scrap Metal Wall used in Smokestack White Smokestack White Wedge Smokestack White Wedge requires Smokestack White Cube (x3) Sniper Rifle learn in Hunters Handbook - Magazine requires Sniper Rifle Barrel Sniper Rifle Parts Sniper Rifle Stock Sniper Rifle Trigger Housing Sniper Rifle Barrel requires Sniper Rifle Barrel 1 Mold used in Sniper Rifle Sniper Rifle Barrel 1 Mold Sniper Rifle Barrel 1 Mold learn in Sniper Rifle Mold Schematics - Magazine requires Clay Lump (x5) Sniper Rifle Barrel used in Sniper Rifle Barrel Sniper Rifle Barrel 2 requires Sniper Rifle Barrel 2 Mold used in Sniper Rifle Barrel 2 Mold Sniper Rifle Barrel 2 Mold learn in Sniper Rifle Mold Schematics - Magazine requires Clay Lump (x5) Sniper Rifle Barrel 2 used in Sniper Rifle Barrel 2 Sniper Rifle Mold Schematics - Magazine explains Sniper Rifle Barrel 1 Mold Sniper Rifle Barrel 2 Mold Sniper Rifle Scope Frame Mold Sniper Rifle Stock Mold Sniper Rifle Trigger Housing Mold Sniper Rifle Parts used in Sniper Rifle Sniper Rifle Scope Frame requires Sniper Rifle Scope Frame Mold used in Sniper Rifle Scope Frame Mold Sniper Rifle Scope Frame Mold learn in Sniper Rifle Mold Schematics - Magazine requires Clay Lump (x5) Sniper Rifle Scope Frame used in Sniper Rifle Scope Frame Sniper Rifle Stock requires Sniper Rifle Stock Mold used in Sniper Rifle Sniper Rifle Stock Mold Sniper Rifle Stock Mold learn in Sniper Rifle Mold Schematics - Magazine requires Clay Lump (x5) Sniper Rifle Stock used in Sniper Rifle Stock Sniper Rifle Trigger Housing requires Sniper Rifle Trigger Housing Mold used in Sniper Rifle Sniper Rifle Trigger Housing Mold Sniper Rifle Trigger Housing Mold learn in Sniper Rifle Mold Schematics - Magazine requires Clay Lump (x5) Sniper Rifle Trigger Housing used in Sniper Rifle Trigger Housing Snow used in Bottled River Water Fridge Top Ice Sod requires Fertile Dirt Yucca Fibers Splint requires Cloth (x2) Stick (x2) Stairs Carpet1 requires Carpet2 (x4) Stairs Carpet2 requires Carpet1 (x4) Stairs Concrete requires Concrete (x4) Stairs Metal Rivet requires Metal Rivet (x4) Stairs Pavers requires Brick Paver (x4) Stairs Small Richwood requires Planks4 (x4) Stairs Stone requires Cobblestones (x4) Stairs Tile Floor3 requires Tile Floor3 (x4) Stairs Tile Floor5 requires Tile Floor5 (x4) Stairs Wood Painted1 requires Wood Painted1 (x4) Stairstile Floor4 requires Tile Floor4 (x4) Steel Door1 V1 requires Forged Iron (x8) Stick requires Wood Plank used in Adobe Peach Drywall Baseboard Adobe White Drywall Baseboard Arrow Barbed Fence Bush1 Club Barbed Club Iron Club Spiked Club Wood Cobblestone Frame Cobblestone Ramp Frame Creme Drywall Baseboard Crossbow Crossbow Bolt Drywall Trim Fireaxe Hammer Hoe Hunting Knife Ladder Old Chair Pickaxe Iron Railing Old Wood Shovel Sledgehammer Splint Stone Axe Stone Shovel Torch Trap Spikes01 Tube Drywall Baseboard Window01 Wooden Bow Stone requires Rock01 Rock05 used in Cobblestones Rock Small Sidewalk Full Storage Building Stone Axe requires Rock Small Stick Yucca Fibers Stone Shovel requires Rock Small (x3) Stick (x3) Storage Ammo requires Bullet Casing Wood Plank (x8) Storage Building requires Stone Wood Plank (x8) Storage Explosives requires Gun Powder Wood Plank (x8) Storage Food requires Can Empty Wood Plank (x8) Storage Health requires Bandage Wood Plank (x8) Storage Weapons requires Crossbow Bolt Wood Plank (x8) Tallow crafted in Campfire requires Animal Fat used in Bio Fuel Candle Torch The Enforcer Magazine used in Paper The Enforcer Magazine - Magazine explains 44 Mag Bullet 44 Magnum The Pistol Handguide - Magazine explains Pistol The Urban Combat Guide - Magazine explains Pump Shotgun Sawed Off Pump Shotgun Tile Floor3 requires Concrete Sand (x4) used in Stairs Tile Floor3 Tile Floor4 requires Concrete Potassium Nitrate Powder (x4) used in Stairstile Floor4 Tile Floor5 requires Concrete Plant Chrysanthemum (x4) used in Stairs Tile Floor5 Tile Industrial requires Concrete Scrap Iron (x4) Tnt requires Gun Powder Charge (x7) Paper (x13) Yucca Fibers Toilet02 requires Cobblestones (x7) Pipe Red Pipe Red Curve Plate Old Wood Short Metal Pipe Wood Plank (x2) Torch requires Cloth Coal Stick (x3) Tallow (x2) Yucca Fibers used in Barrel Smoke Test Trap Spikes01 requires Stick (x9) Trash Can01 requires Scrap Iron (x7) Trunk Pine used in Log Cabin Trunk Pine Tip Wood Plank Trunk Pine Tip requires Trunk Pine (x4) used in Wood Plank Tube Concrete requires Concrete (x3) Tube Drywall requires Drywall (x3) used in Tube Drywall Baseboard Tube Drywall Baseboard requires Stick Tube Drywall Urban Combat Book used in Paper Vegetable Stew crafted in Campfire requires Bottled Water Corn Potato Venison used in Venison Boiled Venison Charred Venison Grilled Venison Stew Venison Boiled crafted in Campfire requires Bottled Water Venison Venison Charred crafted in Campfire requires Venison Venison Grilled crafted in Campfire requires Venison Venison Stew crafted in Campfire requires Bottled Water Corn Potato Venison Vent Duct Block requires Forged Iron (x4) Metal Trussing used in Vent Duct Wedge Vent Duct Wedge requires Vent Duct Block (x3) Vitamins used in Pill Case Wall Oven requires Cooking Grill Forged Iron (x4) Glass Ingot Iron (x3) Rebar Frame Wall Safe requires Ingot Iron (x9) Weapon Repair Kit requires Cloth Metal Strips Oil Wedge Awning1 requires Awning1 (x3) Wedge Awning2 requires Awning2 (x3) Wedge Awning3 requires Awning3 (x3) Wedge Brick requires Brick (x3) Wedge Brick Modern01 Shingles requires Brick Modern (x2) Shingles Wood Wedge Cabin Flagstone requires Flagstone (x6) Wedge Cabin Shingles requires Shingles Wood (x3) used in Pyramid Shingles Wood Wood Shingles Corner Wedge Drywall Ceiling requires Drywall Ceiling (x3) Wedge Green Metal Roof requires Green Metal Roof (x3) Wedge House Wood White requires Wood Painted1 (x3) Wedge Metal Rivet requires Metal Rivet (x3) Wedge Orange Metal Roof requires Orange Metal Roof (x3) Wedge Tan Drywall requires Drywall (x3) Wedge60 End Asphalt requires Roof Asphalt used in Wedge60 Tip Asphalt Wedge60 End Concrete requires Concrete Slope Half Block Concrete used in Wedge60 Tip Concrete Wedge60 Tip Asphalt requires Wedge60 End Asphalt Wedge60 Tip Concrete requires Wedge60 End Concrete Window01 requires Stick (x8) Wood Fence requires Wood Plank (x9) Wood Fence Old Farm requires Wood Plank (x9) Wood Frame requires Wood Plank (x8) used in Carpet1 Carpet2 Creme Drywall Drywall Orange Drywall Rug01 Wood Inside Corner Frame requires Wood Plank (x11) Wood Outside Corner Frame requires Wood Plank (x3) Wood Painted1 requires Potassium Nitrate Powder Siding White Old Wood used in Stairs Wood Painted1 Wedge House Wood White Wood Plank requires Driftwood2 Trunk Pine Trunk Pine Tip used in Barn Wood Blunderbuss Hunting Rifle Stock Nightstand Old Chair Old Wood Old Wood Pillar Planks4 Pole Block Old Wood Pump Shotgun Parts Pump Shotgun Short Stock Pump Shotgun Stock Sectional Arm Sectional Arm2 Sectional Corner Sectional Corner2 Sectional Middle Sectional Middle2 Secure Door Wooden Secure Storage Chest Shingles Wood Stick Storage Ammo Storage Building Storage Explosives Storage Food Storage Health Storage Weapons Toilet02 Wood Fence Wood Fence Old Farm Wood Frame Wood Inside Corner Frame Wood Outside Corner Frame Wood Ramp Frame Wooden Hatch1 V1 Wooden Stairs Wood Ramp Frame requires Wood Plank (x6) Wood Shingles Corner requires Wedge Cabin Shingles (x2) used in Gable Wood Shingles Wood Wooden Bow requires Stick (x6) Yucca Fibers (x3) Wooden Hatch1 V1 requires Wood Plank (x4) Wooden Stairs requires Wood Plank (x4) Wrench learn in Home Maintenance - Magazine requires Short Metal Pipe (x7) Yucca Fibers requires Brown Grass Diagonal Plant Yucca used in Awning3 Camo Net Candle Cobblestone Frame Cobblestone Ramp Frame Hay Bale Pipe Bomb Plant Fiber Pants Plant02 Sod Stone Axe Tnt Torch Wooden Bow RAW Paste Data Alpha 11.4: Ingredients 10mm Bullet learn in Ammunition Nation - Magazine requires Bullet Casing Bullet Tip Gun Powder (x2) 44 Mag Bullet learn in The Enforcer Magazine - Magazine requires Bullet Casing Bullet Tip Gun Powder (x2) 44 Magnum learn in The Enforcer Magazine - Magazine requires 44 Magnum Cylinder 44 Magnum Frame 44 Magnum Grip 44 Magnum Parts 44 Magnum Cylinder used in 44 Magnum 44 Magnum Frame used in 44 Magnum 44 Magnum Grip used in 44 Magnum 44 Magnum Parts used in 44 Magnum 762mm Bullet learn in Ammunition Nation - Magazine requires Bullet Casing Bullet Tip Gun Powder (x3) 9mm Bullet learn in Ammunition Nation - Magazine requires Bullet Casing Bullet Tip Gun Powder A Sharper Cut - Magazine explains Hunting Knife Adobe Peach requires Clay Sand Stone used in Adobe Peach Drywall Adobe Peach Pole Adobe Peach Drywall requires Adobe Peach Drywall used in Adobe Peach Drywall Baseboard Adobe Peach Drywall Baseboard requires Adobe Peach Drywall Stick Adobe Peach Pole requires Adobe Peach Adobe Tan requires Cement (x2) Sand Sand Stone used in Adobe Tan Ramp Adobe Tan Ramp requires Adobe Tan (x3) Adobe White requires Potassium Nitrate Powder Sand Stone used in Adobe White Drywall Adobe White Inside Trim Corner Adobe White Pole Adobe White Ramp Adobe White Ramp Trim Adobe White Drywall requires Adobe White Drywall used in Adobe White Drywall Baseboard Adobe White Drywall Baseboard requires Adobe White Drywall Stick Adobe White Inside Trim Corner requires Adobe White (x3) Adobe White Pole requires Adobe White Adobe White Ramp requires Adobe White (x3) Adobe White Ramp Trim requires Adobe White (x3) used in Adobe White Trim Corner Adobe White Trim Corner requires Adobe White Ramp Trim (x2) Air Conditioner requires Bucket Forged Iron (x4) Metal Trussing Scrap Brass Scrap Iron (x2) Scrap Lead Short Metal Pipe Air Filter used in Mine Air Filter Aloe Cream requires Empty Jar Plant Aloe (x4) used in First Aid Bandage Ammunition Nation - Magazine explains 10mm Bullet 762mm Bullet 9mm Bullet Bullet Casing Mold Bullet Tip Mold Ammunition Nation Book used in Paper Angled Old Wood Support requires Old Wood Pillar (x3) Animal Fat used in Oil Tallow Animal Hide used in Leather Antibiotics crafted in Campfire requires Moldy Bread Potassium Nitrate Powder used in Pill Case Arrow requires Feather (x2) Femur Rock Small (x2) Stick Asphalt crafted in Campfire requires Coal Destroyed Stone Gravel used in Brick Asphalt Brick Decayed Asphalt Roof Asphalt Auger requires Auger Blade Handlebars Small Engine Auger Blade used in Auger Awning1 requires Cloth (x9) used in Awning1 Wedged Inner Awning1corner Full Wedge Wedge Awning1 Awning1 Wedged Inner requires Awning1 (x3) Awning1corner Full Wedge requires Awning1 used in Gable Awning1 Awning2 requires Cloth (x8) Sand used in Awning2 Wedged Inner Awning2corner Full Wedge Wedge Awning2 Awning2 Wedged Inner requires Awning2 (x3) Awning2corner Full Wedge requires Awning2 used in Gable Awning2 Awning3 requires Cloth (x8) Yucca Fibers used in Awning3 Wedged Inner Awning3corner Full Wedge Wedge Awning3 Awning3 Wedged Inner requires Awning3 (x3) Awning3corner Full Wedge requires Awning3 used in Gable Awning3 Bacon And Eggs crafted in Campfire requires Egg (x2) Pork Baked Potato crafted in Campfire requires Potato Bandage requires Cloth used in First Aid Kit Storage Health Barbed Fence requires Barbed Wire Crafted Stick (x2) Barbed Wire Crafted requires Forged Iron (x3) used in Barbed Fence Barn Wood requires Plant Chrysanthemum Wood Plank (x8) Barrel Smoke Test requires Oil Barrel Torch Bed Roll01 1 requires Cloth (x6) Bed01 requires Cloth (x5) Short Metal Pipe (x5) Bed01 Frame requires Short Metal Pipe (x7) Beer used in Cold Beer Beer Cooler requires Forged Iron (x8) Glass Bin requires Scrap Iron (x3) Bio Fuel crafted in Campfire requires Tallow used in Gas Can Blood Bag used in First Aid Kit Blueberries used in Blueberry Pie Blueberry Seed Mail Box02 Siding Blue Old Wood Blueberry Pie crafted in Campfire requires Blueberries Bottled Water Corn Meal Egg Blueberry Seed requires Blueberries Blunderbuss requires Short Metal Pipe (x2) Wood Plank Blunderbuss Ammo requires Gun Powder (x3) Iron Fragment Paper (x3) Rock Small Scrap Iron Bone Shiv requires Femur Book requires Paper (x64) used in Bookcase Paper Bookcase requires Book (x3) Plate Old Wood (x6) Bottled River Water requires Empty Jar Snow used in Bottled Water Bottled Water crafted in Campfire requires Bottled River Water used in Blueberry Pie Clay Lump Coffee Corn Bread Corn On The Cob Eggboiled Golden Rod Tea Grain Alcohol Pork Boiled Rabbit Boiled Rabbit Stew Sand Stone Vegetable Stew Venison Boiled Venison Stew Bowl requires Clay Lump (x3) used in Plant02 Brick requires Clay (x9) used in Brick Asphalt Brick Decayed Brick Decayed Tan Brick Modern Brickpainted Wedge Brick Brick Asphalt requires Asphalt Brick Brick Decayed requires Brick Fertile Dirt used in Brick Decayed Asphalt Brick Decayed Slope Brick Decayed Asphalt requires Asphalt Brick Decayed Brick Decayed Slope requires Brick Decayed (x3) Brick Decayed Tan requires Brick Sand used in Brick Decayed Tan Slope Brick Decayed Tan Slope requires Brick Decayed Tan (x3) Brick Modern requires Brick Clay used in Brick Modern Orange Drywall Brick Modern Tan Drywall Wedge Brick Modern01 Shingles Brick Modern Orange Drywall requires Brick Modern Orange Drywall Brick Modern Tan Drywall requires Brick Modern Drywall Brick Painted Slope requires Brickpainted (x3) Brick Paver requires Clay (x4) used in Stairs Pavers Brickpainted requires Brick Potassium Nitrate Powder used in Brick Painted Slope Brown Grass Diagonal used in Bush1 Carpet2 Concrete Tile Green Green Metal Roof Siding Green Old Wood Yucca Fibers Bucket requires Forged Iron (x7) used in Air Conditioner Buckshot learn in Buckshot Weekly - Magazine requires Ingot Lead used in Shotgun Shell Buckshot Weekly - Magazine explains Buckshot Shotgun Shell Bullet Casing requires Bullet Casing Mold used in 10mm Bullet 44 Mag Bullet 762mm Bullet 9mm Bullet Bullet Casing Mold Storage Ammo Bullet Casing Mold learn in Ammunition Nation - Magazine requires Bullet Casing Clay Lump (x5) used in Bullet Casing Bullet Tip requires Bullet Tip Mold used in 10mm Bullet 44 Mag Bullet 762mm Bullet 9mm Bullet Bullet Tip Mold Bullet Tip Mold learn in Ammunition Nation - Magazine requires Bullet Tip Clay Lump (x5) used in Bullet Tip Bush1 requires Brown Grass Diagonal (x3) Fertile Dirt Stick Cabinet requires Cabinet Top Cobblestones used in Granite Sink Cabinet Filler requires Cabinet Top Plate Planks4 Cabinet Top requires Planks4 used in Cabinet Cabinet Top Plate requires Cobblestones (x3) used in Cabinet Filler Camo Net requires Yucca Fibers (x4) used in Camo Net Full Wedge Camo Net Wedge Camo Net Full Wedge requires Camo Net Camo Net Wedge requires Camo Net (x3) Campfire crafts Antibiotics Asphalt Bacon And Eggs Baked Potato Bio Fuel Blueberry Pie Bottled Water Can Boiled Water Coffee Corn Bread Corn On The Cob Eggboiled Golden Rod Tea Grain Alcohol Oil Pork Boiled Pork Charred Pork Grilled Rabbit Boiled Rabbit Charred Rabbit Grilled Rabbit Stew Tallow Vegetable Stew Venison Boiled Venison Charred Venison Grilled Venison Stew requires Rock Small (x8) Can Boiled Water crafted in Campfire requires Can Murky Water Can Empty used in Storage Food Can Murky Water used in Can Boiled Water Candle requires Tallow Yucca Fibers used in Porch Light04 Porch Light04 Brass Candy Tin used in Mine Candy Tin Cardboard Box requires Paper (x16) Carpet1 requires Cloth (x6) Plant Chrysanthemum (x2) Wood Frame used in Stairs Carpet2 Carpet2 requires Brown Grass Diagonal (x2) Cloth (x6) Wood Frame used in Stairs Carpet1 Cement requires Cement Mold used in Adobe Tan Cobblestones Concrete Mix Flagstone Cement Mold requires Clay Lump (x8) used in Cement Chaulkboard requires Plate Old Wood Scrap Iron (x4) Cinder Blocks01 used in Gravel Clay used in Adobe Peach Brick Brick Modern Brick Paver Clay Lump Clay Roof Clay Lump requires Bottled Water Clay Corn Meal used in Bowl Bullet Casing Mold Bullet Tip Mold Cement Mold Clay Roof Empty Jar Mold Glass Window Mold Hunting Rifle Barrel Mold Hunting Rifle Bolt Mold Ingot Mold Brass Ingot Mold Iron Ingot Mold Lead Ingot Mold Tungsten Mp5 Barrel Mold Mp5 Receiver Mold Mp5 Stock Mold Nail Mold Pistol Barrel Mold Pistol Parts Mold Pistol Receiver Mold Pump Shotgun Barrel Mold Pump Shotgun Receiver Mold Pump Shotgun Short Barrel Mold Sniper Rifle Barrel 1 Mold Sniper Rifle Barrel 2 Mold Sniper Rifle Scope Frame Mold Sniper Rifle Stock Mold Sniper Rifle Trigger Housing Mold Clay Roof requires Clay (x8) Clay Lump used in Clay Roof Corner Clay Roof Wedge Inside Corner Wedge Clay Roof Clay Roof Corner requires Clay Roof Clay Roof Wedge requires Clay Roof (x3) Cloth requires Cotton (x2) used in Awning1 Awning2 Awning3 Bandage Bed Roll01 1 Bed01 Carpet1 Carpet2 Cloth Boots Cloth Gloves Cloth Hat Cloth Jacket Cloth Pants Creme Drywall Curtain Bottom1 Curtain Top1 Drywall First Aid Bandage Mattress Flat Orange Drywall Pillow Rug01 Sandbags Sectional Arm Sectional Corner Sectional Middle Splint Torch Weapon Repair Kit Cloth Boots requires Cloth (x3) Cloth Gloves requires Cloth (x2) Cloth Hat requires Cloth (x4) Cloth Jacket requires Cloth (x8) Cloth Pants requires Cloth (x12) Club Barbed requires Forged Iron (x4) Stick (x4) Club Iron requires Scrap Iron (x4) Stick (x4) Club Spiked requires Ingot Iron (x4) Stick (x4) Club Wood requires Stick (x6) Coal requires Coal Ore used in Asphalt Gun Powder Torch Coal Ore used in Coal Cobblestone Frame requires Stick (x5) Yucca Fibers Cobblestone Ramp Frame requires Stick (x3) Yucca Fibers Cobblestones requires Cement (x2) Destroyed Stone Stone used in Cabinet Cabinet Top Plate Flagstone Sidewalk Full Stairs Stone Toilet02 Coffee crafted in Campfire requires Bottled Water Coffee Beans Coffee Beans used in Coffee Cold Beer requires Beer Plate Old Wood Concrete requires Concrete Mix used in Concrete Slope Concrete Tan Drywall Concrete Tile Brown Concrete Tile Green Concrete Trim Concrete Trim2 Half Block Concrete Roof Asphalt Sign National Park Stairs Concrete Tile Floor3 Tile Floor4 Tile Floor5 Tile Industrial Tube Concrete Concrete Barrier requires Half Block Concrete (x3) Concrete Mix requires Cement Gravel used in Concrete Concrete Slope requires Concrete (x3) used in Pyramid Concrete Wedge60 End Concrete Concrete Tan Drywall requires Concrete Drywall Concrete Tile Brown requires Concrete Fertile Dirt (x2) Concrete Tile Green requires Brown Grass Diagonal (x2) Concrete Concrete Trim requires Concrete Fertile Dirt Rock Small Concrete Trim2 requires Concrete Rock Small used in Concrete Trim2 Wedge Concrete Trim2 Wedge requires Concrete Trim2 (x3) Cooking Grill requires Short Metal Pipe (x9) used in Wall Oven Cooking Pot requires Forged Iron (x5) used in Granite Sink Corn used in Corn Meal Corn On The Cob Corn Seed Rabbit Stew Vegetable Stew Venison Stew Corn Bread crafted in Campfire requires Bottled Water Corn Meal Corn Meal requires Corn (x2) used in Blueberry Pie Clay Lump Corn Bread Grain Alcohol Corn On The Cob crafted in Campfire requires Bottled Water Corn Corn Seed requires Corn used in Oil Cotton used in Cloth Cotton Seed Cotton Seed requires Cotton Creme Drywall requires Cloth (x6) Potassium Nitrate Powder (x2) Wood Frame used in Creme Drywall Baseboard Drywall Ceiling Creme Drywall Baseboard requires Creme Drywall Stick Crossbow requires Forged Iron Leather Strips (x2) Stick (x7) Crossbow Bolt requires Feather (x2) Femur Rock Small (x2) Stick used in Storage Weapons Crushed Sand requires Sand Sand Stone Curtain Bottom1 requires Cloth (x9) Curtain Top1 requires Cloth (x9) Short Metal Pipe (x3) Desk Safe requires Ingot Iron (x4) Desk01 requires Planks4 (x13) Desk02 requires Forged Iron (x9) Scrap Iron Frame (x4) Destroyed Stone used in Asphalt Cobblestones Gravel Do Not Use requires Plant Chrysanthemum Scrap Iron (x4) Driftwood2 used in Wood Plank Drywall requires Cloth (x8) Wood Frame used in Adobe Peach Drywall Adobe White Drywall Brick Modern Tan Drywall Concrete Tan Drywall Drywall Trim Rug01 Drywall Tube Drywall Wedge Tan Drywall Drywall Ceiling requires Creme Drywall Potassium Nitrate Powder used in Wedge Drywall Ceiling Drywall Trim requires Drywall Stick Egg used in Bacon And Eggs Blueberry Pie Eggboiled Eggboiled crafted in Campfire requires Bottled Water Egg Eighth Block requires Quarter Block Empty Jar requires Empty Jar Mold used in Aloe Cream Bottled River Water Empty Jar Mold Food Yucca Juice Empty Jar Mold requires Clay Lump (x
local markets by bringing farmers and customers together. Take strawberries, for example, Smith said. As a summer crop, local strawberries are rarely available for school lunches. "Yet the schools are sitting here screaming, 'My goodness, we would love to have local strawberries here.' Well, they're not in school when the strawberries come out," Smith said. "So, there's an example of infrastructure that's missing, abandoned or needs to be repurposed." The answer, he said, is more freezers so excess summer strawberries can stay in the region and show up as frozen strawberries or in smoothies. But that would take a purchase of more freezers or repurposing old ones and a financial incentive to justify turning them on. Serving thousands of schoolchildren, plus a general preference among consumers and institutions to buy local, could be enough to attain the critical mass necessary, Smith said. Cherry Capital Foods thinks of itself as a facilitator of regional collaboration. For example, Smith said, a tiny company in Traverse City sells Li'l Terror Hot Sauce. Owner Lori Fletcher was doing so well that she had outgrown her habanero pepper supplier. Cherry Capital Foods hooked her up with more local farmers. Sweeter Song Farms in Cedar is starting to produce more than its customers can take. Cherry Capital helps the farm find new markets. The early adopters of the local-food movement were restaurant chefs looking for a competitive, creative edge. Next came specialty markets like Oryana Natural Foods in Traverse City, whose customers are more in tune with the movement. Next come institutions and larger commercial buyers. The farther away decisions are made, the longer it takes to get on board. But the change is happening now, with the hospitality industry getting involved. Previously, little thought was given to where food came from, said Luciani of the Traverse City chamber. Allison Beers, owner of Events North, a Traverse City event planning business, said about 40 to 50 hospitality businesses have signed up for the 20 percent program, agreeing to use local food, wine, transportation, photographers, flowers and other goods and services. Luciani said everybody involved, from farmers to consumers, is more aware of how food is central to a booming regional economy. "People know what it means to keep a dollar in the economy; how it affects our schools, our roads, our infrastructure, job creation," he said. Smith at Cherry Capital Foods has a more personal motive. "What motivated me more than anything on this is watching all the college graduates leave. I have a son in Seattle and I have one in Chicago. I'd love to see them back here."Hi everyone! Today I have a very special post, because I have an interview with none other than the LEGO YouTuber just2good! Huge thanks to him for allowing me to interview him! 1. How long have you been an AFOL for? just2good: I’ve loved LEGO my whole life – so I’ve been a fan of LEGO forever! How long have I been an adult? Well, I’d rather not reveal my age. 😛 Ooh, haha, another mysterious element about you 2. What’s your favorite LEGO theme? j2g: The Simpsons, Toy Story, Minifigures, Adventurers, and Studios! Certainly a big variety! 3. You run a YouTube channel of the same name (which I’m a fan of!) Do you mind sharing some hardships you’ve encountered running a major LEGO YouTube channel? j2g: Two of my biggest problems: time and copyright restrictions. For time, when I’m in a filming mood, I can get a lot done – but I have a busy life, thus it’s a hardship to make time and get motivation. Sometimes I can knock out a bunch of videos in a week, other times it’s slow. For copyright, well, my first few years were rocky because I was still learning about what is in my rights to do and what isn’t when it comes to covering LEGO news and uploading on YouTube. I guess I grasped that at this point. I’m lucky to still be around on the site and I’ve learned from my mistakes. Ah I see, well you’re certainly a YouTube veteran now! 🙂 4. Do you like to MOC? If so, which MOC are you most proud of? j2g: I rarely MOC because those take a lot of time. But, my favorite MOC of mine is probably the Weird Al performance stage I posted on LEGO Ideas a couple years back. 5. What’s your favorite LEGO set of all time? j2g: Definitely the 2014 Simpsons House set. Never have I been so hyped for a set and been so satisfied post hype. Hmm, I don’t own that unfortunately, but it does seem like a great official LEGO house. 6. What is the reason you chose the name ‘just2good’? j2g: just2good = Justin (my name) – in + 2 (my favorite number) + good (I love puns, so I sorta made the name into a pun) Ah I see, that’s just2cool! 😛 7. Is there a theme you’ve secretly liked for a long time but never bought? j2g: Cars, but now I bought it! Oh, and I wanna get some Speed Racer, but those are pricey. Haha, you must like cars! 8. If you could say one thing to us just2fans (is that a thing?) what would it be? j2g: I would say, thanks for all the support throughout the years – even when I fumble you guys are still loyal and supportive. I really appreciate such. 🙂 We’ll always be by your side 🙂 9. What’s your favorite video that you’ve made? j2g: I have a playlist of those: It’d hard to name just one off the top of my head. Ah I see, I noticed you tend to like your “Top 10”-type videos 🙂 10. What’s currently your most-wanted set? j2g: Hmm, maybe the old Airport Shuttle LEGO Town set or the LEGO Paradisa Poolside Paradise. 11. If you could change one thing about LEGO, what would it be? j2g: I would remove their “no adult franchise” golden rule. Hehe, not at all related to the fact that we’re AFOLs I do understand why they do it, though for AFOLs it definitely can be frustrating. Thanks for allowing me to interview you! One last question from us just2fans… 12. Do you have any plans for a face reveal? Perhaps saving for something momentous like 500K subs? 😉 j2g: I might be doing one soon, actually. Maybe 200/250/300K? 🙂 Wow that is awesome!! Can’t wait 😀 HUGE thanks to just2good for giving me the pleasure of interviewing him! Go check out his YouTube page and his Eurobricks account! VaderFan2187 out! 🙂 AdvertisementsCadillac Racing will head into this weekend’s Pirelli World Challenge round at Road America with some extra horsepower, following the latest round of Balance of Performance adjustments from the SRO and PWC. The Cadillac ATS.V-R has returned to similar boost levels the car had prior to last month’s round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, where both Johnny O’Connell and teammate Michael Cooper struggled, in track Category C configuration. The changes only affect the car’s top-end RPM range, which will likely benefit the pair of ATS.V-Rs on the high-speed track. Road America sees a switch back to SRO’s Category B BoP, the same configuration used at Circuit of The Americas, but with some notable changes to other cars since the season-opener as well. Among them are weight adjustments for the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 (+40kg), McLaren 650S GT3 (+5kg), Porsche 911 GT3 R (-10kg), although the Porsche also receives a 3mm x2 reduction in air restrictor, compared to its configuration at COTA. Road America and COTA are the only Category B tracks in the PWC season. O’Connell and Cooper have slipped to third and fourth in the GT championship, following disappointing results at CTMP and Lime Rock under the previous BoP. Official track action at Road America kicks off on Friday, although there is a promoter test day scheduled for Thursday.When I first began publicly writing about games, I wrote about sexism in Heavy Rain. I shared that I found the treatment of Madison’s character problematic, how running around in her underwear for a useless dream sequence and nearly being drilled in the genitals was problematic. People responded, “She was a tough journalist. You’re looking for reasons to be offended.” Later, I co-wrote an article with Cracked about sexist tropes in games. I mentioned the tired father/daughter trope and included The Last of Us as an example. People responded, “Ellie was a kid! She was also really useful! God, it’s like you love being offended.” I’m tired of this response as a way to derail the conversation. There are very little things that actually offend me on a personal and social level. When I analyze problematic tropes, it’s not because I am offended as a women or as a person of colour or as a queer lady. My intelligence is the only part that is actually offended. We can always discuss the troubling issues of sexism, racism, rape, violence, and ableism. We can always represent them in artistic works. I’ve never been interested in censorship or shutting creative ideas down. It’s not about offense. I am not offended. I am not fucking offended. I just want you to think, write, and act better. Smarter. You and I are sound enough to be able to at least give that a shot.1981 TSR ‘Gateway to Adventure’ Catalog You can thumb through a PDF of the whole catalog at Recycled Thoughts from a Retro Gamer. You can also see the complete catalog at Mikey Walters’ Flickr. The images above are from eBay, where you can usually find a copy for $5 – $10. The shirts are very cool, but apparently not very well-made. Here they are, courtesy of Grognardia. The D&D Basic Set advertised in the catalog is the just released 1981 edition, written by Tom Moldvay with cover art by Erol Otus. The images on the t-shirts on the top left are from Sutherland’s cover to the original Basic Set—written by M.D. and fantasy writer-promoter John Eric Holmes—from 1977. I found the Grognardia post via the Original D&D Discussion forums. Zenopus, who writes a terrific blog “exploring the underworld of Holmes Basic,” posted a number of different photos showing the famous Sutherland red dragon, including this beauty:Students who attend St. John’s — it has a sister campus in Santa Fe, N.M., with the same curriculum and philosophies — know that their college experience will be like no other. There are no majors; every student takes the same 16 yearlong courses, which generally feature about 15 students discussing Sophocles or Homer, and the professor acting more as catalyst than connoisseur. Photo What they may not know is that their professor — or tutor in the St. John’s vernacular — might have no background in the subject. This is often the case for the courses that freshmen take. For example, Hannah Hintze, who has degrees in philosophy and woodwind performance, and whose dissertation concerned Plato’s “Republic,” is currently leading classes on observational biology and Greek. “Some might not find that acceptable, but we explore things together,” said Ryan Fleming, a freshman in Ms. Benson’s Euclid class. “We don’t have someone saying, ‘I have all the answers.’ They’re open-minded and go along with us to see what answers there can be.” Like all new tutors, Ms. Benson, 42, went through a one-week orientation in August to reacquaint herself with Euclid, and to learn the St. John’s way of teaching. She attends weekly conferences with more seasoned tutors. Her plywood-floor classroom in McDowell Hall is as almost as dim and sparse as the ones Francis Scott Key (valedictorian of the class of 1796) studied in before the college’s original building burned down in 1909. Eight underpowered ceiling lights barely illuminated three walls of chalkboards. While even kindergarten classrooms now feature interactive white boards and Wi-Fi connected iPads, not one laptop or cellphone was visible; the only evidence of contemporary life was the occasional plastic foam coffee cup. The discussion centered not on examples and exercises, but on the disciplined narrative of Euclid’s assertions, the aesthetic economy of mathematical argument. When talk turned to Proposition 34 of Book One, which states that a parallelogram’s diagonal divides it into equal areas, not one digit was used or even mentioned. Instead, the students debated whether Propositions 4 and 26 were necessary for Euclid’s proof. When a student punctuated a blackboard analysis with, “The self-evident truth that these triangles will be equal,” the subliminal reference to the Declaration of Independence hinted at the eventual braiding of the disciplines by both students and tutors here. So, too, did a subsequent discussion of how “halves of equals are equals themselves,” evoking the United States Supreme Court’s logic in endorsing segregation 2,200 years after Euclid died. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Earlier in the day, in a junior-level class taught by a longtime tutor about a portion of Newton’s seminal physics text “Principia,” science and philosophy became as intertwined as a candy cane’s swirls. Students discussed Newton’s shrinking parabolic areas as if they were voting districts, and the limits of curves as social ideals. Photo One student remarked, “In Euclid before, he talked a lot about what is equal and what isn’t. It seems here that equality is more of a continuum — we can get as close as we want, but never actually get there.” A harmony of Tocqueville was being laid over Newton’s melody. The tutor, Michael Dink, graduated from St. John’s in 1975 and earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in philosophy from the Catholic University of America. Like most professors here, he long ago traded the traditional three-course academic career — writing journal articles, attending conferences and teaching a specific subject — for the intellectual buffet at St. John’s. His first year included teaching Ptolemy’s “Almagest,” a treatise on planetary movements, and atomic theory. He since has taught 15 of the school’s 16 courses, the exception being sophomore music. “You have to not try to control things,” Mr. Dink said, “and not think that what’s learned has to come from you.” This ancient teaching method could be making a comeback well beyond St. John’s two campuses. Some education reformers assert that teachers as early as elementary school should lecture less at the blackboard while students silently take notes — the sage-on-the-stage model, as some call it — and foster more discussion and collaboration among smaller groups. It is a strategy that is particularly popular among schools that use technology to allow students to learn at their own pace. Still, not even the most rabid reformer has suggested that biology be taught by social theorists, or Marx by mathematicians. That philosophy will continue to belong to a school whose president has joyfully declared, “We don’t have departmental politics — we don’t have departments!” Anthony T. Grafton, a professor of history at Princeton and president of the American Historical Association, said he appreciated the approach. “There’s no question that people are becoming more specialized — it’s natural for scholars to cover a narrow field in great depth rather than many at the same time,” he said. “I admire how St. John’s does it. It sounds both fun and scary.”It all started before the Union had even a single player. Manager Peter Nowak was knee deep in scouting and strategizing for the upcoming MLS Expansion Draft, but he also had something else cooking. PPL Park was eight months away from completion, yet Nowak couldn’t help but think ahead. The former Bundesliga star had an idea, but couldn’t execute it alone. For something like this, he needed backing. And who better to come to than the ravenous supporters club that helped Philadelphia secure a team in the first place. That’s where the Sons of Ben come into the story. Two weeks before the Expansion Draft, Nowak called SoB President Bryan James and Matchday Coordinator/Capo Corey Furlan into his office. This was a brainstorming session in preparation for the first season in club history, the first of 4-5 such meetings including one larger one at the Dark Horse Pub. Prior to the first gathering, the Union’s head man had already put a lot of thought into a particular goal celebration song. “The idea was to find a song that fit with what we were doing before,” said Nowak. “We worked with the Sons of Ben to find something that would translate to what we’ve been trying to do as a club and something that connected with the SoBs. If you were in attendance at PPL Park’s first ever match, you may have already heard it. If not, just wait until it picks up a little more steam. Still wondering what song Nowak had in mind? Call it the DOOP song and have a listen. “I think it’s a unique blending of cultures for American sports fans,” said James. “First of all, it’s not a song you’d normally listen to on your own, it’s more like cheesy Euro pop. Coach saw or heard it at (Bundesliga side) Borussia Mönchengladbach and said ‘this is fantastic’ and he asked if we could do it. It’s not too often as a sports fan that a coach of a team comes to you with an idea and says ‘can you make it happen?’ Not surprisingly, make it happen they did. “He asked us if we could do it and after two weeks, Corey and I got it around via email and on BigSoccer.com,” added James. “We tried it out, working on it during Meet the Team events. Now it’s become a whole thing inside the Sons of Ben. One guy who I don’t remember being part of us in 2009 was holding a yellow DOOP sign (during a match). You don’t have to learn a lot of words, it’s just one syllable. Don’t be surprised if you start hearing the DOOP song in your head or find yourself singing it on non-match days. At PPL Park, however, it’s fast becoming a marker of success. “First and foremost, it’s the perfect song to go with the pandemonium that comes along with a Union goal,” explained Furlan. “People are already bouncing off the walls and screaming their heads off. It just throws fuel on the fire so to speak. “We introduced it to the masses and it has taken off. It is a simple enough song and is truly catchy, so it spreads like wildfire throughout the River End." It’s only a matter of time before the entire stadium picks up on it too. Especially since it’ll be played over the loud speakers after every goal. “The fact that the team has decided to play the song after goals has made it even more of a epidemic,” said Furlan. “Hopefully in the near future, it will help us to have the rest of the stadium join in with the Pan-DOOP-monium!" You can bet the Sons of Ben will do their part. They’ve yet to give anyone a reason to doubt them and they’re not about to start now. “Being an SoB comes with a lot of responsibility,” said SoB member Tiffany Grooms. “We are solely in charge of keeping our team going, win or lose. A quiet stadium is a losing stadium. We sing, chant, even create the occasional jig to motivate our team! 90 (minutes) plus stoppage time of non-stop energy. “As for the DOOP song, we DOOP when we're happy. DOOP is our anthem, our battle cry, our victory cheer. Our aim is to eventually get all of PPL Park DOOP-ing! DOOP DOOP DOOP da da DOOP DOOP DOOP!" The concept of a goal celebration song isn’t innovative unto itself. Clubs and their supporters all around the world have them. The key is embracing one and making it your own. Along the Chester Waterfront, that process is well underway. “Around the world, most clubs have what’s called a Torhymne or a goal celebration song," added Furlan. "I for one will say that we believe we have the best one in the world!" Nowak would agree. It’s his vision to see the entire stadium ‘DOOP-ing’ after every Union goal. But great ideas die hard without proper support. That’s why it was critical that the Sons of Ben were involved in the planning from the very beginning. “The most important thing is that we came to it together,” Nowak said emphatically. The DOOP song -- and the story behind it -- is just another extension of the close-knit relationship developing between Union fans and their club. It’s representative of the type of culture Nowak is trying to foster, and so far so good. It couldn’t be more obvious that his players are buying into the philosophy when you see them jumping into the stands and into the waiting arms of supporters following home matches. So if you haven’t joined in on the Union’s new goal scoring tradition yet, why not start DOOP-ing this Saturday when the Union take on the Earthquakes at PPL Park. Nowak wants you to. The Sons of Ben want you to. Your signal? The ball in the back of the opposition’s net. In the words of Furlan, one of the most passionate Union fans around, “Welcome to Doop-Doop-Doop-A-Delphia!”After a meeting on Monday, the German Football League (DFL) announced that the spray would be introduced at the earliest opportunity in both the top-flight of the Bundesliga and the second division. Used during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the spray was seen as an inexpensive and effective way to ensure defensive walls did not encroach on the individual taking the free kick by coming within 10 yards (9 meters) of the ball. The DFL voted unanimously for the use of the canned spray foam, which disappears within two minutes of being sprayed. "After the experiences in Brazil the league board has decided to introduce the vanishing for the Bundesliga and the second Bundesliga as early as possible," the DFL announced in a statement. "The DFB [German Football Association] will solve any pending details so as to fix the specific date for its introduction," according to the league. First used in the professional game in Brazil in 2000, the spray is now also authorized for use in the English, French and Spanish leagues. The DFL also announced that it would launch a goal-line technology tender, with the result to be presented in December. Until now, most football clubs in the upper echelons of the Bundesliga had opposed the technology on cost grounds. rc/mkg (dpa, Reuters)Want to get bigger and stronger? Well you can’t go wrong with these basic old school exercises. Add these to your workout to change things up and hit new muscle fibers. 1. WIDE-GRIP CHINS The wide grip chin up is a fantastic exercise that hits the entire back but more specifically, the upper and outer back. This exercise builds width. Wide-grip chin ups are a tough exercise to perform because your pulling up your own body weight. If you are new to chin ups, start with a couple of repetitions and work your way up. “You don’t see too many people doing wide grip chins anymore. Everyone does lat pulldowns, but they seem to have forgotten about chins in recent years. Back in the day all of us—Franco, Ken Waller, Reg Park—we all used to do them religiously.” 2. T-BAR ROWS Like barbell bent over rows, the T bar row is a pure mass builder. This variation of the bent over row adds new angles and dimensions to this traditional movement making it an exciting and challenging exercise. Most modern gyms will have T bar rowing stations. However, if you don’t have one, try sticking one end of your bar into a corner and use a close grip chin up bar under the actual bar. “The T-bar rows done this way are great for giving you a big stretch in your lats—more so than doing straight barbell rows.” 3. ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW The one arm dumbbell row is a great exercise for the mid back. It’s also a great substitute for the bent over barbell row – For those of you who can’t perform this exercise. The important point to remember about this exercise is to keep your back straight – Don’t hunch your back. Slightly bend your knees and pull into a straight line. “This is an exercise you can really feel if you do it right. You get that deep stretch at the bottom and the nice contraction in the lat at the top. But if your focus is on going super-heavy you’re not going get the full effectiveness out of this movement.” 4. PUSH-UPS The push-up is a compound movement for the chest. It is a mass builder and pure strength builder that can produce tremendous results in a short period of time. The push-up is a great chest builder for beginners but also, a tremendous shoulders and triceps builder as secondary muscles. As you grow stronger a great thing to do is superset pushups with bench press, this will result in a mind blowing pump. “This is a killer—really pumps up the pecs. Four sets of 8-12 reps done this way burns your chest out pretty well.” 5. CROSS BENCH PULLOVER The pullover is one of those exercises that demands perfect form. That is, in order for this exercise to be effective, your form and technique must be spot on. The key to this exercise is breathing. Breathe in as you are lowering the weight and breathe out as you bring the weight up. “Everyone did these back in the day. It’s where you lie across a bench with your middle back to shoulders supported by it and pull a dumbbell from the floor over your head in a big sweeping, arcing movement. We did these to expand our ribcages but they work the pecs, lats and even the triceps.”Perceptions of the web are changing. People are advocating that we treat the web like another application framework. An open, cross-platform, multi-device rival to Flash and Cocoa and everything else. I’m all for making the web richer, and exposing new functionality, but I value what makes the web weblike much, much more. The last few days have been tough for web evangelism. Or at least, tough for those of us who like to be regarded as level-headed. First, HP purchased Palm, and immediately declared their commitment and belief in WebOS. A great move for both companies for sure, but cue comments like that of @bgalbs on Twitter: “The biggest tech company just bet its mobile strategy on the web”. Similarly, Joe Hewitt proffered “Hopefully we’ll look back on today as the day the mobile web began to eclipse proprietary mobile platforms.”. Meanwhile, the feuding between Apple and Adobe regarding Flash on iPad took an unexpectedly public twist, with Steve Jobs writing at length everything that John Gruber had already described about defending his platform from third-party influence, but also that Apple are choosing to invest in native running open standards. Jobs incorrectly brands this ‘HTML5’. He also criticises Flash for being proprietary whilst evangelising the H.264 video codec (licensing for H.264 is not ‘open’, either.) Adobe hustled a number of responses. Rapidly, a live interview with CEO Shantanu Narayen. Whilst everyone mentioned so far is guilty of muddying terminology, not saying exactly what they think they mean, and/or some general platform and framework-related confusion that I’ll elaborate on below, Mr Narayen is the first to throw some incomprehensible bullshit into the day. He refers to “open content”. What is that? Content wrapped inside an impenetrable, proprietary, single-vendor container format? Flash, by design, locks content away (in exchange for other supposed benefits.) Comments like “Flash is an open specification” is unhelpful too: The page hosting the Flash specification doesn’t specify a license, the document itself just exerts copyright and disclaimers on behalf of Adobe. Furthermore there are no native or competing implementations of Flash, nor is the development of Flash open to participation. Adobe has for years relied on bullshit merchandise to remain relevant in the ‘future of the web’ debate. Three years since the launch of the iPhone visibly snubbed them, they have not shipped an acceptable, functional version of Flash on any other handset. If the upcoming Android release doesn’t perform well, there will be no reprieve. Web Evangelism got hard. When Zeldman wrote Designing With Web Standards, there were two standards that mattered: HTML and CSS. They were the path to cross-browser compatibility, and thus they were the route to a brighter future (both for design, and for information publishing.) 12 years later, holy shit. JavaScript joined the standards party, and then became quickly obfuscated by frameworks. CSS3 stablised, Webkit extended CSS further (and it’s still called CSS3), a plethora of new standards on the server and client: OAuth, OpenID, Contacts, Connect, Geolocation, microformats, widgets, AJAX, HTML5, local storage, SPDY, ‘The Cloud’… All of these things are vying for attention and evangelism. Some of them are great, some of them are stupid, but they’re all clubbed together under this vague banner of ‘The Open Web’. It sets expectations and demands from developers, who are all the while being wowed by the efficiency and quality of proprietary application frameworks like Flash and Cocoa. There exists on the web a collective memory problem. It’s a famous fault in software engineers to instinctively favour reinvention over reuse, not just because they are unfamiliar with what came before, but because they misunderstand why it came before. This is a rule that is important to understand, so that it can be broken. It is not well understood, yet it is regularly broken. Besides memory, the half-life of most things on the internet is short. Frustratingly, terminology is no exception. From the coinage, we lose meaning and specificity within a few years, sometimes only a matter of months. ‘ HTML5 ’ now refers to a collection of related client-side technologies, branded together as a product. It is no-longer just a hypertext specification document, and everything that concerns document semantics is being ignored anyway. This is usage that Steve Jobs employed this week. ‘ Open ’ is lost. • The H.264 video codec is not open. It is patent encumbered, and there is a financial obstacle to license those patents. Yet, despite this, H.264 is bundled in with discussion of an open web stack. In practice it may be ‘open enough’ to function on the web. Operating Systems and Browsers will license it for playback, and the authority that grants the licenses is continuing to allow free (as in beer) usage of the codec by web publishers. But a change to those terms, and eventual enforcement of fees on big publishers is possible. • Adobe are certainly full of shit here, though. Absolutely full of it that it makes me angry. ‘Open content’?! Locked up inside Flash containers? That’s as closed as can be. At least if you uploaded it as a flat image you could run content through OCR it and recover the text! Let’s not get stated on their open screen project. To Adobe, ‘open’ means ‘cross platform, on platforms that Adobe provides support for, for as long as Adobe chooses to support them.’ That’s very different. Their use of ‘open’ is an outright lie. Then, there’s ‘web’. On this word rests most of our understanding (and misunderstanding) of what can and can’t be reasonably achieved with applications in the browser, over HTTP. What does it mean to be a ‘web application’? What are the expectations of a web application? Or of any web content, for that matter? Off the back of the Apple verses Adobe mudslinging, Joe Hewitt went on a very, very long rant about the state of ‘the web’ as an application platform. In parts, I agree, certainly with regard to the process of standardisation. Standards are supposed to be derived from implementation, and standardised technologies will be better for real-world iteration. Heck, our entire microformats process is based around codifying examples in the wild. The failure of CSS to define a layout syntax (choose from three) illustrates the need for implementations to lead. However, the suggestion that Microsoft were bullied out of innovating the web, or that developers should pursue whizz-bang APIs to the point of single-browser dependency leaves me sour. This is the short, perhaps selective memory that the internet suffers from. It is not acceptable to me that 21st century knowledge retention has become so short and shallow as to be overwritten by influential ranting on Twitter. A greater tool for the dissemination of misinformation has never been known. For those too young to remember, IE was innovating like crazy from 4.0–6.0, right up until the DOJ and web standards commies intervened. Microsoft Internet Explorer did not stop innovating because of ‘standards commies’. That’s offensive and wrong. Web standards advocates went after Microsoft because they failed to adequately support basic, foundational web standards like CSS, necessary to publish an interoperable web of information in which Firefox and KHTML and everyone else could even compete, let alone succeed. That early CSS push was also a vital, huge step in making web content universally accessible beyond visual media. Microsoft’s development of enhancements like ActiveX, and XMLHttpRequest were not being prepared to be standardised for the web with W3C participation, they were invented in such a way as to inject proprietary, Windows-only code into the web. Tools not to make to web better, but to make it dependent on Microsoft. Chris Wilson has since written more accurately about the plateau in IE development on his blog. Contrast Microsoft’s method in the 90’s to the more recent CSS efforts coming out of Webkit: Extensions to CSS are followed promptly by proposed specifications (such as CSS Animations). Microsoft, from the top down were trying to ‘own’ the web. (More recently, to their immense credit, they’re in the right game. The aforementioned CSS Grid Layout module is from Microsoft engineers.) Meanwhile, Sachin Agarwal is writing that The Web Sucks, again talking about the web as an application platform: Web applications don’t have threading, GPU acceleration, drag and drop, copy and paste of rich media, true offline access, or persistence. Are you kidding me? There, in that quote, is where I want to pull all of this together. Sachin’s complaint has absolutely nothing to do with the web. Think about that word; ‘web’. Think about why it was so named. It’s nothing to do with rich applications. Everything about web architecture; HTTP, HTML, CSS, is designed to serve and render content, but most importantly the web is formed where all of that content is linked together. That is what makes it amazing, and that is what defines it. This purpose and killer application of the web is not even comparable to the application frameworks of any particular operating system. That’s the kicker. We talk about ‘web applications’, the ‘open web stack’. People are citing HP’s purchase of Palm and investment in WebOS as a victory for the web. We talk about applications built using HTML, CSS and JavaScript in the same breath as content published using HTML semantics. Want to know if your ‘HTML application’ is part of the web? Link me into it. Not just link me to it; link me into it. Not just to the black-box frontpage. Link me to a piece of content. Show me that it can be crawled, show me that we can draw strands of silk between the resources presented in your app. That is the web: The beautiful interconnection of navigable content. If your website locks content away in a container, outside the reach of hyperlinks, you’re not building any kind of ‘web’ app. You’re doing something else. Palm WebOS applications are awesome, but they are not part of the web. An app might interact with data on the web, and they are built with similar HTML, CSS and JavaScript technologies. That’s great, but they are not a connected, interlinked part of the web. We’re talking about two very different things: The web of information and content, and a desire for a free, cross-platform Cocoa or.NET quality application framework that runs in the browsers people already use. The latter cause is louder, and risks stomping over the more valuable, more important, more culturally indispensable part of the web. I’m not saying that better, more abstracted JavaScript APIs are unwelcome. I’m not saying that APIs to access devices like webcams and microphones aren’t useful or even important. Even WebGL, as far out of my field of interest as it is, would be a great thing. But, the open publishing nature of the web, and the requirement that information be accessible, will inherently cause it to lag behind other platforms. The success of the web, the success of this impossibly huge network of information is because of the open, universally accessible, cross-platform, cross-device nature of web content. Cross-platform user interface sucks. It’s a nightmare of inconsistency and wrong, momentarily obsoleted assumptions. But cross-platform content? Well that is content. It’s articles and poems and pictures and movies and music, everywhere! How brilliant is that! Calling for browsers to make massive proprietary advances (even with the caveat of standardising later), suggesting that users should tolerate swapping between browsers, or even devices, to access particular content because you’ve obscured it behind a bespoke API is an absurd throwback to days we’ve left long behind; a proposition that would result in information and culture being locked away. Nothing is worth that, especially not ‘web applications’. If you reach the point of building a browser-based application that you depend on so many proprietary enhancements that your users can only access it using Google Chrome, I think you’ve picked the wrong platform. If you want to built the most amazing user interface, you will need to use native platforms. A single vendor’s benevolent curation of their framework will always outpace the collaborative, interoperable developments of the web, whether it’s locked in a standards process or not. When they do a good job (like Apple have with CocoaTouch) their platform will succeed. But the web will always be the canonical source of information and relationships. That’s what it was built for. Blogging at length about how much the device APIs suck won’t ever undo that, nor change the fact that turning HTML in a rich application dialect is still a very new idea. Personally
review of ​why the animals are being shipped to begin with." Pauline Verheij, an environmental lawyer and the founder of EcoJust, which advises conservation organizations on legal matters, criticizes the CITES treaty in the context of the alleged Zimbabwe export for omitting any reference to ethical considerations. "You can have a really dry legal standpoint on this trade in baby elephants captured from the wild," Verheij says. "But the question is more than that. The question is: Is this trade actually ethical?" View Images This elephant calf was taken from Botswana's Tuli Block game reserve. Calves separated from their mothers suffer emotional trauma. Photograph courtesy of National Council of SPCA Scheme Revealed by Holiday Travelers The Asia for Animals Coalition—a coalition of animal protection groups—is preparing to send high officials in China, the UAE (and Emirates Airline), and Zimbabwe, separate letters protesting the reported export of Zimbabwe's baby elephants, lions, and sable antelopes. The letters have been signed by various combinations of 189 organizations around the world. The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force's Rodrigues says he was tipped off about the reported export scheme by tourists and local Zimbabweans on holiday in Hwange National Park. He said the group saw a helicopter and heard shots being fired that separated mother elephants from their calves. "The babies can't keep up," Rodrigues says, "and then they're captured." Rodrigues dispatched an investigator to the scene, who "witnessed the baby elephants and interviewed people in the area and managed to get all the information we needed." The investigator was told that the animals would be taken by truck to Mozambique and then put on a livestock sea freighter bound for China. According to Rodrigues, one of the babies has died in its enclosure, and its meat "was shared by the people who captured it." Rodrigues says that another young elephant was seized from the park to replace the one that died. Follow Christina Russo on Twitter.END USER AGREEMENT THIS END USER AGREEMENT ("AGREEMENT") DESCRIBES THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT, PLEASE CLICK ON THE "I DO NOT AGREE" BUTTON OR PROMPTLY EXIT THIS PAGE. 1. TERMS OF AGREEMENT (a) Terms of Agreement.Ngames (THE "Company") offers to allow you to play its multi-player online computer games ("Ngames Games") which so far include Fairy Story condi-tioned upon your agreement to all of the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement. Your use of Ngames Games constitute your agreement to all such terms and conditions. To confirm your agreement, you should click on the "I Agree" button at the end of this Agreement. If you do not so agree, you should click on the "I Do Not Agree" button at the end of this Agreement, in which case you reject the offered terms of use and will not be permitted to play Ngames Games. If you have any questions regarding these terms and conditions or the Rules of Conduct, please contact our Company customer service by visiting the following link:Ngames (b) Amendments. The Company may amend, update, modify or correct this Agreement, or modify the Rules of Conduct at any time in its sole discretion without any obligation to inform the User of the amendment or changes by posting the amended Agreement or modified Rules of Conduct at Ngames. Amendments or changes to the Agreement will be effective immediately after the amended Agreement is posted. Modifications to the Rules of Conduct will be effective immediately upon posting. Your use of Ngames Games after the effective date of any amendments to this Agreement constitutes your agreement to the amendments. You agree to check this Agreement and the Rules of Conduct periodically so you will be familiar with their content as amended or modified from time to time. 2. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE The Company offers Ngames Games as online role-playing games services (the "Services") accessible through the Internet at " Ngames " (the "Web Site"). The Company reserves the right to change the URL address of the Web Site at any time and from time to time without prior notice. To use the Services, you will need to install software, which The Company makes available from the Web Site (the "Software"). Anyone desiring to use the Services is required to establish an account with The Company (the "Passport"). The Company does not provide Internet access, and you are responsible for all fees and costs associated with your Internet connection. The Web Site located at Ngames is an active part of the Services and any use of the web Site is governed by the same Terms of Agreement and Rules of Conduct. 3. LICENSE TO USE Subject to the terms of this Agreement, The Company grants to you a non-exclusive license to use the Services, and a non-exclusive license to use the Software in connection with the Services. You may not sublicense, rent, lease, loan or otherwise transfer the Software for profit, modify, adapt, reverse engineer or recompile the Software, or create any derivative works in respect of the Software or the Services, or otherwise use the Software except as expressly provided in this Agreement. 4. ACCOUNT (a) Eligibility. Passports are available only to adult individuals eighteen (18) years of age or older. If you are less than 18 years of age and wish to use the Services, your parent(s) or guardian(s) must complete the registration process, open an Passport in their name(s), and accept full responsibility for all obligations under this Agreement. Those who have completed these steps and who maintain their Passport in good standing are sometimes referred to in this Agreement as "Member(s)", "User(s), or "Player(s)". By clicking the "I Agree" button you represent that you are an adult 18 years of age or older. Only one person may use an Passport. The registered User of an Passport may use the Passport or may choose instead to permit a minor child of the registered User to use the Passport. You are liable for all activities conducted through your Passport, and parents or guardians are liable for all activities of their minor child conducted through the Passport. (b) Passport ID. At the time your Passport is opened, you must choose a name to identify yourself to The Company staff (your "Passport ID"). You may not select as your Passport ID the name of another person, or a name which violates any third party's trademark right, copyright, or other proprietary right, or which may mislead other Members to believe you to be an employee of The Company, or which The Company deems in its discretion to be vulgar or otherwise offensive. The Company reserves the right to delete, or to change, any vulgar or otherwise offensive Passport ID. You have sole liability for all activities conducted through your Passport or under your Passport ID. (c) Passport. By agreeing to the User Agreement you agree that you do not own the Passport you use to access the Services, the characters The Company stores on The Company servers, the game items in the Passport, or any other data which the servers and accounts are comprised of. The Passport, characters, game items, and any other data which the servers and accounts are comprised of, are properties of The Company. (d) Character Name. In order to use the Services, you must create a character in anyone of The Games and choose a name for your character to identify your character to other Members (your "Character Name"). You may not select as your Character Name the name of another person, or a name which violates any third party's trademark right, copyright, or other proprietary right, or which may mislead other Members to believe you to be an employee of The Company, or which The Company deems at its sole discretion to be vulgar or otherwise offensive. The Company reserves the right to delete, or alter any vulgar or otherwise offensive Character Name. Only ASCII characters are allowed for any character names in the Game. No Unicode is allowed. (e)Pledge Names, Pledge Titles, House Signs, Individual Titles, NPC Names. While accessing the Services, it is possible to name your pledge, grant titles to individual members, grant a title to your own character, name NPCs, or name a guild. You may not give a name to a pledge, another character, grant your own character a title, or name an NPC (non-player character) that is the name of another person, or a name which violates any third party's trademark right, copyright, or other proprietary right, or which may mislead other Members to believe you to be an employee of The Company, or which The Company deems at its sole discretion to be vulgar or otherwise offensive. The Company reserves the right to delete, change, or require you to change, any vulgar or otherwise offensive Name. Only ASCII characters are allowed for any names in the Game. No Unicode is allowed. (f) Passwords. At the time your Passport is opened, you must select a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and you are responsible for any harm resulting from your disclosure or allowing the disclosure of your password or from use by any person of your password to gain access to your Passport and Passport ID. At no time should you respond to an online request for a password. The Company will never ask for your password offline or online, except that you will be required to enter your password as part of the log-on process, or when you are requesting the company to perform certain service that requires your password authentication, in which case you will only send your password to designated company email address or company website. (g) Registration Obligations. You agree to provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Service's registration form ("Registration Data"), and maintain and promptly update the Registration Data to keep it true, accurate, current and complete. If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, or The Company has reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, The Company has the right to suspend or terminate your Passport and refuse any and all current or future use of the Service. (h) Former Members. Members whose Passports have been terminated by The Company may not access the Service in any manner or for any reason, including through any other Passport, without the express written permission of The Company. (i) Related Passports. If The Company terminates an Passport, The Company may terminate any other Passports that share the same member name, phone number, email address, postal address, Internet Protocol address, or credit card number with the terminated Passport. (j) Multiple Passports. Currently, each Player, User, or Member is permitted to register more than one account. However, The Company reserves the right to limit the number of Passports each Player may register. (k) Right To Monitor and Remove Unacceptable Contents. The Company has the right, but not the duty, to review and monitor all content submitted for or included on the Services, and in its sole discretion to remove any content that the Company finds objectionable for any reason, without any prior notice to the Member. 5. SERVICE FEE For the Games which are free to play. You do not need to pay any service fee to play unless you want to buy the Game Items. However, the Company is not responsible for any other fees or costs you paid or may have to pay in order to play the Games, including, but not limited to, fees to access the internet; fees charged by a location such as a cyber cafe, arcade, or other location; or costs of computer hardware or software. For the Games which are not free to play, you will be required to pay a certain amount of monthly fee to play (In the mode, all Game Items are available in game). The Company is also not responsible for any other fees or costs you paid or may have to pay in order to play the Games, including, but not limited to, fees to access the internet; fees charged by a location such as a cyber cafe, arcade, or other location; or costs of computer hardware or software. 6. SALES OF POINTS CARD (a) Purchase of Points Card. The Company may offer to sell to you on the Web Site, from time to time, Ngames Points Card (The “Points Card”). Each Points Card represent certain amount of Ngames Points which can be exchanged to Game Points. Game Points are game-specific points that can be used to acquire virtual items (The "Game Items") in Ngames free to play Games. If you select to acquire a Game Item, you agree that you have understood how the Game Item is used in the Games and are fully responsible for all the consequences related to the use or transfer of such Game Item. You agree that any out-of-game transfer of Game Item is not permitted.. You also agree that the Game Items you have acquired are properties of The Company and not refundable, and what you obtained is merely the right to use such Game Items in the Game. The Company also reserves the right to not sell Points Card to certain players. (b) Return Policy. Electronic goods (including Ngames Points Card) purchased on Ngames.com and all its related sub-domains, require acceptance of End User Agreements prior to their use. The act of downloading, viewing, or using electronic purchases constitutes acceptance of these Agreements. Upon installation or use of any electronically purchased product, you agree that the electronic product is no longer eligible for return. Ngames Points Card, once purchased, is not refundable, in whole or in part. If any payment is disputed or charged back, the associated Ngames account(s) may be suspended, or terminated if any fraudulent activity is detected. (c) Security and Anti - Fraud. For security and anti-fraud purpose, the Company may require the purchaser of the Game Items to provide personal information such as name, address, phone number, social security number, and copy of picture ID. Purchasers may also be required to write and sign a statement certifying that their purchases are authorized and legitimate. Failure to do so may result in suspension of the purchaser's Passport. 7. TRADING AMONG PLAYERS Trading of Game Items or in game money between Players on the same server is permitted. All other trading or transfers, including without limitations, trading of Passport ID, Passport Names, and all out-of-game transfers, are strictly prohibited. The Company is not responsible for any losses occurred related to any permitted or prohibited trading activities. ANY AND ALL PROHIBITED CONDUCTS MAY RESULT IN IMMEDIATE TERMINATION OF THE ACCOUNTS INVOLVED IN SUCH TRADING. 8. CONTENT AND MEMBER CONDUCT (a) Content. You acknowledge that: (i) by using the Software and the Service you will have access to graphics, sound effects, music, animation-style video and text (collectively, "Content"), and (ii) Content may be provided under license by independent content providers, including text contributions from other Members (all such independent content providers shall hereinafter be referred to as "Content Providers"). The Company does not pre-screen Content as a matter of policy. The Company has the right, but not the obligation, to remove Content at any time which it deems to be harmful, offensive, or otherwise in violation of this Agreement. (b) Rights in Content. You acknowledge that The Company and Content Providers have rights in their respective Content under copyright and other applicable laws, and that you accept full responsibility and liability for your use of any Content in violation of any such rights. You agree that you will not use any Content other than in connection with playing Ngames Games. (c) Member Content. Members can upload Content to our servers in various forms, such as in selections you make for Ngames Games and in bulletin boards and similar user-to-user areas. Unless specified otherwise in your transmission, by submitting your Content to any area on the Service, you automatically grant (or you warrant that the owner of such Content has expressly granted) to The Company the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such Content worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed. (d) Member Conduct. You agree not to use the Service to: (i) upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content that infringes any third party rights; (ii) impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, The Company's employee, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity; (iii) upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content that violates any law or regulation; (iv) upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content as determined by The Company at its sole discretion that is harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortuous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable; or contains any viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, cancelbots or other computer programming routines that are intended to damage, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or personal information; (v) upload, post, email or otherwise transmit any Content that you do not have a right to transmit under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships (such as inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements); (vi) upload, post, email or otherwise transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation; (vii) interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers or networks connected to the Service, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Services; or (viii) "stalk" or otherwise harass another member. (e) Cheating Programs. To ensure fair play, The Company does not allow the use of any cheating programs such as macros, bots, or mouse simulators etc., to play Ngames Games. If you use these cheating programs, you may suffer severe consequences including, but not limited, to the followings: (i) The Company may suspend your Passport for an indefinite period time; (ii) The Company may terminate your Passport; and (iii) The Company reserves the right to seek further legal remedies against you. (f) Modification of the Client Program. All Members must use the client programs provided by the Company. The Company periodically updates the client program as well, and all players are required to use the latest version of the Games. Modification of the client programs of the Games is strictly prohibited. Any violations may result the termination of your Passport. (g) Exploitation of Program Bug. Members are prohibited from exploiting any programming bugs in Games, on the Web Site, and/or within The Company's system. Any violations may result the termination of Passport. 9. OFFICIAL SERVICE The Company has designed Ngames Games for play only as offered by The Company at the Web Site. You agree to play Ngames Games only as offered by The Company at the Web Site and not through any other means. You further agree not to create or provide any other means through which Ngames Games may be played by others, as through server simulators. You acknowledge that you do not have the right to create, publish, distribute, create derivative works from or use any software programs, utilities, applications, simulators or tools derived from or created for Ngames Games, except that you may use the Software to the extent expressly permitted by this Agreement. You may not take any action which imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure. You may not sell or auction any Ngames Games accounts, characters, items, coin or copyrighted material. 10. PRIVACY (a) The personal information you provide us during registration is used for our internal purposes only. The Company uses the information The Company collected to learn what you like in order to improve the Service. Except as otherwise expressly permitted by this Agreement or as otherwise authorized by you, The Company will not give any of your personal information to any third party without your express approval. The Company does not guarantee the security of any of your private transmissions against unauthorized or unlawful interception or access by third parties. If you request any technical support, you consent to our remote accessing and review of the computer you load the Software onto for purposes of support and debugging. You agree that The Company may communicate with you via email and any similar technology for any purposes relating to the Services, the Software, and any services or software which may in the future be provided by us or on our behalf. (b) The Company can (and you authorize us to) disclose any information about you to private entities, law enforcement agencies, or government officials, as The Company, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to investigate or resolve possible problems or inquiries, or as otherwise required by law. 11. PARENTAL GUIDANCE While The Company may choose to monitor and take action upon inappropriate Game play, chat or links to the Service, it is possible that at any time there may be language or other material accessible on or through the Services that may be inappropriate for children or offensive to some users of any age. The Company cannot ensure that other players will not provide content or access to content that parents or guardians may find inappropriate or that any User may find objectionable. The Company does not as a matter of policy pre-screen the Content of the materials or communications transmitted by each player. 12. INTERRUPTION OF SERVICES (a) The Company reserves the right to interrupt the Services from time to time on a regularly scheduled basis or otherwise with or without prior notice in order to perform maintenance. (b) You acknowledge that the Services may be interrupted for reasons beyond the control of The Company, and The Company cannot guarantee that you will be able to access the Services or your Passport whenever you may wish to do so. The Company shall not be liable for any interruption of the Services, delay or failure to perform resulting from any causes beyond its reasonable control. (c) The Company shall not be obligated to refund any and all portion of any Game Item Purchases or Passport fees (if any) by reason of any interruption of the Services and by reason of any of the circumstances described in paragraph (a) or (b) of this provision. 13. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES THE COMPANY PROVIDES THE SERVICES, THE SOFTWARE, THE ACCOUNT, THE Ngames GAMES AND ALL OTHER SERVICES ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, WRITTEN OR ORAL, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF TITLE, NONINFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, THE COMPANY DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES, YOUR ACCOUNT, OR Ngames GAMES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SERVICES, YOUR ACCOUNT, OR Ngames GAMES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, CONTINUOUS, SECURE, VIRUS-FREE, OR THAT THE DEFECTS IN THE SERVICES, YOUR ACCOUNT, OR Ngames GAMES WILL BE CORRECTED.THE COMPANY DOES NOT WARRANT OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION REGARDING THE USE OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE SERVICE OR RELATED DOCUMENTATION IN TERMS OF THEIR CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, QUALITY, RELIABILITY, APPROPRIATENESS FOR A PARTICULARLY TASK OR APPLICATION, OR OTHERWISE.NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY THE COMPANY OR ITS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY.YOU ARE ENTIRELY RESPONSIBLE FOR AND ASSUME ALL RISK FOR USE OF THE SERVICES, YOUR ACCOUNT, AND Ngames GAMES.YOU SHOULD NOT USE THE SERVICES IN HIGH-RISK ACTIVITIES WHERE SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE COULD RESULT IF AN ERROR OCCURRED.THE COMPANY DOES NOT WARRANT OR REPRESENT THAT ITS SECURITY PROCEDURES WILL PREVENT THE LOSS OR IMPROPER ACCESS TO YOUR DATA.THE COMPANY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TRANSMISSION ERRORS OR CORRUPTION OR SECURITY OF INFORMATION CARRIED OVER TELECOMMUNICATION LINES. Some states do not allow the disclaimer of implied warranties, so the foregoing disclaimer may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other legal rights that vary from state to state. 14. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY (a) THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT AND THE TOTAL LIABILITY OF THE COMPANY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, AND CAUSES OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR OTHERWISE) SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL FEES PAID BY YOU TO THE COMPANY FOR THE TOTAL PURCHASE OF GAME ITEMS IN AND WITHIN THE SAME MONTH OF THE EVENT CAUSING LIABILITY.IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY, OR ANY OF ITS SHAREHOLDERS, PARTNERS, AFFILIATES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR SUPPLIERS, BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATIONS, ANY DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, ARISING (WHETHER OR IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE) OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICES, THE SOFTWARE, YOUR ACCOUNT OR THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER OR NOT THE COMPANY MAY HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT ANY SUCH DAMAGES MIGHT OR COULD OCCUR. Some states do not allow the foregoing limitations of liability, so they may not apply to you. (b) If you purchased a Game Item, you agree to release any and all liabilities of The Company related to your purchase and use of the Game Item, except that the Company is responsible for providing such Game Item to your Passport in Ngames Games. (c) You agree to release any and all liabilities of the Company related to any computer virus infection to your computer, whether it is though The Company's server or third party activities. (d) You agree that The Company will not be held responsible or liable for anything that occurs or results from accessing or subscribing to the Ngames Games services. 15. UNCENSORED INFORMATION YOU UNDERSTAND THAT CONTENT AND MATERIALS ON THE INTERNET MAY BE CREATED AND MAINTAINED BY THIRD PARTIES (SUCH AS USER MESSAGE BOARD) AND THAT PORTIONS OF SUCH MATERIALS MAY BE SEXUALLY EXPLICIT, OBSCENE, OFFENSIVE, OR ILLEGAL.IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY BE LIABLE TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, WITH RESPECT TO ANY MATERIALS FROM THIRD PARTIES ACCESSED THOUGH THE SERVICE.YOU ASSUME TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND RISK FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES AND INTERNET GENERALLY.THE COMPANY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONTENT CONTAINED IN ANY THIRD PARTY MATERIALS PROVIDED THOUGH HYPERLINKS OR IN ANY OTHER FORMS. 16. INDEMNIFICATION AT THE COMPANY'S REQUEST, YOU AGREE TO DEFEND, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE COMPANY, ITS SHAREHOLDERS, PARTNERS, AFFILIATES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR SUPPLIERS, ITS LICENSEES, DISTRIBUTORS, CONTENT PROVIDERS, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE, FROM ALL DAMAGES, LIABILITIES, LOSSES, DAMAGES, JUDGMENTS, CLAIMS, CAUSES OF ACTION, CLAIMS, AND EXPENSES, INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES AND COSTS, WHICH THE COMPANY MAY HEREAFTER INCUR, SUFFER, OR BE REQUIRED TO PAY, DEFEND, SETTLE (SUBJECT TO ANY LIMITATIONS SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT), OR SATISFY AS A RESULT OR ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES OR ANY BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT BY YOU. 17. TERMINATION (a) The Company may terminate this Agreement (including your Software license and Passport) immediately and without notice if you breached this Agreement or willfully infringe any third party intellectual property rights, or if The Company are unable to verify or authenticate any information you provide to us, or upon Game play, chat or any player activity whatsoever which is, in our sole discretion, inappropriate and/or in violation of the spirit of Ngames Games. If The Company terminates this Agreement under any circumstances, you will lose access to your Passport without refund of any fees paid for the purchases of any Game Items or unused access time. (b) You agree that if the Services or your Passport is terminated or cancelled for any reasons or length of time, you are not entitled to any reimbursement or refund of any fees paid for the purchases of any Game Items or unused access time. 18. CHOICE OF LAW AND VENUE. This Agreement is governed by and shall be construed and enforced under the laws of the State of California, without applying any conflicts of law principles that would require application of the law of any other jurisdiction. You agree that all actions or proceedings arising in connection with this Agreement shall be tried and litigated exclusively in the state or federal (if permitted by law and a party elects to file an action in federal court) courts located in Los Angeles, State of California. 19. GENERAL PROVISIONS Except as provided in this Agreement, any changes to this Agreement must be in writing and signed by The Company and you. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be struck and the remaining provisions shall remain in force. The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is expressly disclaimed. Our failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive our right to act with respect to subsequent or similar breaches. You may not assign or transfer this Agreement or your rights hereunder, and any attempt to the contrary is void, without written permission of The Company. This Agreement sets forth the entire understanding and agreement between The Company and you with respect to the Company, the Services and Ngames Games, and this Agreement supersedes all prior agreements (oral or written, if any) between the parties. Notwithstanding anything else in this Agreement, no default, delay or failure to perform on the part of The Company shall be considered a breach of this Agreement if such default, delay or failure to perform is shown to be due to causes beyond the reasonable control of The Company. All notice given by you or required under this Agreement shall be faxed to (909) 612-0679, Attention: Customer Support, and are effective on the date received. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND ACCEPT THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS BY PRESSING THE "I AGREE" BUTTON BELOW AND AGREED TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, YOU MAY CHOOSE NOT TO BECOME A USER OF THE SERVICE BY PRESSING THE "I DO NOT AGREE" BUTTON BELOW AND YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO PLAY Ngames GAMES. Copyright © 2010-2019 NGames Interactive Limited All rights reserved.Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world A transgender woman in Surrey has described how staff at a Sainsbury’s supermarket told her to use the disabled toilets instead of the women’s facility. Stephanie Collins, 55, told the Surrey Herald that she used the women’s toilets but as she came out, a staff member stopped her and told her she should not use them. Miss Collins, who began transition two years ago, said: “I told the lady I was not disabled and suggested it would be inappropriate. She said ‘I can see that’ but told me to use the disabled toilet. “She became defensive. I was left feeling quite embarrassed and rather awkward, but I’m not angry but I feel sorry for Sainsbury’s if they cannot train up their staff to deal tactfully with people.” The Sainsbury’s store, in The Heart, has not commented. Last month, another trans woman was told not to use female toilets at Poole Stadium. Victoria Saxe-Coburg, 55, was watching a speedway event between Poole Pirates and Wolverhampton Wolves on June 8th when security staff told her in front of other fans that there had been a complaint about her. Ms Saxe-Coburg told the Bournemouth Echo she was so humiliated, she burst into tears.Resident Evil 6 Review: The Best Use of Established Characters Ever Page 1 | Page 2 Resident Evil has evolved over the years. The first portion of this franchise is revered for being a pioneer in the survival horror genre. The recent end of it has been criticized, beloved, and hated. If anything, the evolution of Resident Evil can be viewed as a one a half decade long journey that Capcom has taken. Starting in 1996, Resident Evil broke out on the scene as a horrific tale of survival in a lab disguised by a mansion. Since then, the key characters have been through terrible situations and an increasingly deadly string of viruses that manages to get worse and worse every number on the front case of the game. Now in 2012, over 16 years later, the viral outbreak has reached a terrifying peak and is a global phenomenon. I recently touched on the fan-fueled conflict between the direction of the franchise and its survival horror roots. The thing is, Resident Evil is no longer the isolated cases we saw back in Raccoon City. In fact, the evolution of this game series began with Code Veronica. When Capcom changed from pre-rendered backgrounds to 3D, it gave the player more of an advantage to move about, retaliate, and counter-attack. From there, the series kept adding new gameplay enhancements until we finally reached the realm of freedom and action we see in Resident Evil 6. Is this your old school Resident Evil? Hell no. Does that mean it isn’t good? Of course not. Those who keep pining for a return to the survival horror front will easily see flaws in this game. Those who enter Resident Evil 6 looking to continue the story of the franchise will have plenty to make them happy. Raccoon City was just the beginning. The story of these infectious viruses is now a global threat and the only way to contain this kind of outbreak and story progression is to have a four campaign-long game. Resident Evil 6 is a huge game and we’re going to review every aspect of it. However, let’s first talk about the threat we’re handling in this latest game in the franchise. We’ve come a long way from the outskirts of Raccoon City. In what chronologically started in a facility near the Arklay Mountains and involving the Raccoon City STARS Bravo team, the original outbreak began as a weaponized version of the Progenitor virus strain called the T-Virus. The T-Virus is what caused the “zombie” outbreak in Raccoon City. Since then, the virus has mutated and evolved into new strains such as the G-Virus, the Las Plagas parasite, the Uroboros virus, the T-Abyss virus, and most recently the C-Virus. Each virus and parasite has unique properties to them and have given the games each a distinct feel to their gameplay and enemy types. This time around, we are dealing mainly with the C-Virus and even the return of the T-Virus, or at least something that acts like the T-Virus. The “zombie”-like enemies that the T-Virus normally creates are back and featured mainly in Leon’s campaign while C-Virus enemies can be found in the other three campaigns. Because of this new virus’ effects, an infected can mutate in any area that is inflicted with pain. If you strike an enemy in the legs, a mutation will form to protect that area. The same goes for arms, torso, and head. This really allows for Resident Evil 6’s enemies to be effective no matter what strategy you use. The best way to take out enemies quickly seems to be the brand new melee system. Every character has the ability to combo together melee maneuvers to stagger enemies, trip them up, interrupt them, or decapitate them. It saves on ammo but you’ll have to take into consideration your character’s stamina bar. When you are severely injured or melee too much, you will run out and your character will not be able to harm anything with melee until a set amount of time has passed. The melee system is great for low ammo moments or those who find the perfect balance between weapon uses and melee combos. If you get a good mix down, you’ll find yourself high on ammo almost all of the time which can be a lifesaver during the points of the game where shooting is just the only viable option. You are going to find that each campaign will allow you to tackle enemies in different ways. Some campaigns let melee be more of an option due to tight quarters or even some characters’ abilities. Chris’ campaign, for instance, features many tight quarters in which you’ll be surrounded or find the shotgun-melee combo very effective. Jake, on the other hand, has the best melee option out of every playable character. We’ll touch on that in Jake’s section. Aside from the melee system, movement in Resident Evil 6 is as free as it ever has been in the franchise. Since Resident Evil 4 the series has set aside the old school turn movement in favor of a more over-the-shoulder pivot system. Since RE4, Capcom has been slowly making this better and better. In fact, both Revelations and RE6 seem to show the apex of this movement system for the franchise. Resident Evil 6 itself is the quickest game in the franchise in terms of movement, dodging, and countering. Every character jogs as their normal movement will is just as fast as Chris was back in RE5 except the turning and camera movements are much better. Sprinting is back and sliding is now in. Over all, Resident Evil 6’s main gameplay systems feature everything Capcom has worked towards since 1996 and although the game itself may not hit the survival horror levels some fans want, there is no denying that this is the most fluid system that the franchise has ever had and it feels great. Even the partner AI is greatly enhanced since we last had an adventure with Chris and Sheva. Everything from the shooting to moving to rummaging through the menus is smooth and you’ll rarely come across issues that could get you killed. This is Resident Evil at its technical peak. It is quite hard for me to see where Capcom can improve the experience from here. Before we continue I think the following information is very important for you to know: my play order. You are able to switch between campaigns after every completed chapter. This is how I played: My Play Order: Chris Chapter 1 & 2 Jake Chapter 1 Leon Chapter 1 & 2 Jake Chapter 2 Leon Chapter 3 Chris Chapter 3 Jake Chapter 3 & 4 Chris Chapter 4 Leon Chapter 4 & 5 Jake Chapter 5 Chris Chapter 5 Ada Chapter 1-5 I feel the story flows the best with this method. While an upcoming title update for the game will allow players to go through Ada’s campaign without beating the original three, I feel it is still best going through last. I’ll explain in her section of the review. Starting out I feel it’s best to talk about our old friend Leon. While Chris was the first male hero of the series, Leon seems to be the fan favorite and as such, Capcom felt it necessary to give his campaign the closest feeling to the franchise’s old school roots. We start this campaign in a town, much like Raccoon City, in which a T-Virus outbreak has been set loose and has
directory (e.g. by default in our archive based builds). The long term plan is currently to switch to an update process that first downloads the update file and during the next start applies the update in-place. This approach would work on Windows and should avoid all potentials for user profile corruptions. Another huge problem of the automatic updater is how to handle the case that the user can not write to the installation directory (e.g. installed as a normal application on Windows). Mozilla handles this case on Windows through an additional updater service that elevates the privileges of the updater process. Currently my plan is to use the same concept for LibreOffice and the code for the updater service already compiles successfully on Windows. Using such a service requires us to make sure that the service can not be used by any executable that is not produced by the LibreOffice team which requires signatures checks during each step. As I could not find a way to reliably sign executables and libraries on Linux there is currently no supported planned for this feature outside of Windows. The updater seems to work reliably on Linux already and many of the basic features that I have on my list are already implemented. Currently the one remaining feature that I still need to implement for all platforms is some form of an UI. The larger task is to get the updater working well on Windows, including the updater service and the MSI integration through MSP updates. In addition, I would like to implement some automatic tests that make sure that updates work and that updated builds and freshly installed builds are identical. If you want to help with the work on improving the automatic updater and making it available in our next major release please talk to me. A good starting point might be tdf#108563, a simple easy hack in the online updater code. As always I have to thank all developers working on LibreOffice, the TDF infrastructure team which provides all the services that are used to produce the builds and especially the Mozilla team for providing an awesome solution as open source that we can easily integrate. AdvertisementsLululemon to open at Montgomery Village in Santa Rosa Lululemon Athletica, which has made a name for itself by selling premium gym apparel including much-loved women’s yoga pants, will open a store in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village Shopping Center this month. The store, to be housed in the 2,030-square-foot space that formerly housed Pendleton, will open April 18. Montgomery Village owner David Codding has had his heart set on attracting a Lululemon store to the mall for awhile, he said. His interest sprang largely from conversations he had with fellow gym-goers at the Airport Health Club, where he’s been working out for about 25 years, he said. “I started asking them where they like to shop, what’s their favorite store — just to get ideas for stores to contact for Montgomery Village,” he said. “I kept hearing from these women who said you ought to try getting a Lululemon store. And I said, ‘What the heck is a Lululemon?’” The Canada-based company was founded in Vancouver in 1998 and its athletic wear for both sexes quickly soared in popularity. Codding contacted them about bringing an outpost to Montgomery Village, only to be told that they were already doing research on the area. Until then, fans had to head to Corte Madera to get their Lululemon fix. Their first shot at a Santa Rosa store was in 2014, when the company briefly opened a temporary showroom near Railroad Square to test the market. After closing that, representatives contacted Codding about a year ago to see if there was any space available at Montgomery Village. For updates on the Montgomery Village location, head to their Facebook page: facebook.com/lululemonsantarosa. You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or [email protected]. On Twitter @SeaWarren.(CNN) Two police officers were fatally shot and a third one injured while responding to a family disturbance call Saturday in Palm Springs, California. The two victims were identified as Jose Gilbert Vega, a 35-year veteran of the department, and Lesley Zerebny, who is the mother of a 4-month-old. A third officer was wounded and is being treated at a local hospital, Police Chief Bryan Reyes said. The suspect has not been captured, Reyes said, but police have surrounded a house and "they're going to treat the house as if he's still in it." #BreakingNews : Three officers shot near Cypress and Del Lago Rd in Palm Springs. Unknown condition of officers. Suspect remains at large. pic.twitter.com/xcVfWnMDQu Officers went to a residence about 12:15 p.m. (3:15 p.m. ET) after a woman called to say her adult son was causing a disturbance, Reyes said. The suspect refused to open the front door and threatened to shoot the officers, Reyes said. "The officers, from what I understand, were at the front (door) trying to negotiate with the suspect to just comply," Reyes said. "It was a simple family disturbance and he elected to open fire on... guardians of this city." A veteran and a young mother Vega, a 63-year-old father of eight, had submitted paperwork to retire in December and was working an overtime shift on Saturday, Reyes said. "Here he is, 35 years in, still pushing a patrol car for our community to make it better," said a visibly emotional Reyes. "On a day he wasn't even designed to work" Zerebny, 27, had recently returned to duty from maternity leave, Reyes said. She had worked about a year and a half with the department and was married to a deputy with the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. The wounded officer's name and condition was not released but Reyes said the officer was alert and providing information to investigators. House surrounded No motive was provided for the shooting. Officers from Palm Springs and nearby law enforcement agencies converged on the neighborhood and surrounded a house where the shooter may have holed up, Reyes said. A four-block perimeter has been set up and people in the neighborhood have been told to stay inside. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office has taken over the investigation. Deputy Armando Munoz, a spokesman for the agency, said investigators are trying to contact the suspect but they're not certain he's inside the building. At a news conference, Reyes asked the public not to use social media to live-stream movements of officers who surrounded the house. "Understand we are looking for a cop murderer," he said. "Do not do that for (the officers') own safety." More than eight hours after police first arrived, CNN affiliate KMIR reported that a robot on wheels rolled past a group of reporters toward the scene. 'My employees are broken' This is the latest shooting of multiple police officers in the United States. Reyes said officers are grieving the two slain officers. "My employees are broken," he said. "The time to pray for the Palm Springs PD is now." The public responded by leaving flowers in front of the police station. The city of 45,000 residents is 100 miles east of Los Angeles. "Today Palm Springs lost two brave officers," Reyes said. "They go out every day and put their boots on the ground for everybody in this community. They gave it all for you." Later Saturday night. Palm Springs police officers started a procession for both officers that led from the Desert Regional Medical Center to the Riverside County Sheriff Coroner's Office in Indio, California. Onlookers gathered at the Interstate 10 overpass as squad cars with flashing lights passed underneath them. California Gov. Jerry Brown, offering his condolences to the officers' families, ordered the flags at the state capitol to be flown at half-staff. "Officers Vega and Zerebny were killed today doing what they do every day -- protecting their community," he said in a statement. "We grieve with the family members, friends and fellow officers coping with this senseless tragedy."It's not as if we weren't warned about the CIA. Some 50 years before the Senate Intelligence Committee issued its 500-page report on torture, former President Harry Truman published an opinion piece in the Washington Post asserting that the CIA was out of control and calling for it to be broken up. Truman's column appeared on December 22, 1963, a month to the day following US President John F Kennedy's assassination and 11 years after he himself moved out of the White House. Truman argued, as the president who authorised its establishment in 1947, that the CIA had strayed from the mission he had intended for it. He had favoured creation of the CIA so that a president would have one agency providing him with objective foreign intelligence, rather than having to rely upon the often conflicting information being served up by the Departments of State, Defense, and others who "slanted to conform to established positions of a given department". CIA's job description "I wanted and needed the information in its 'natural raw' state and in as comprehensive a volume as it was practical for me to make full use of it. But the most important thing about this move was to guard against the chance of intelligence being used to influence or to lead the president into unwise decisions..." Viewing intelligence gathering as its sole mission, Truman was disturbed "by the way the CIA has been diverted from its original assignment. It has become an operational and at times a policy-making arm of the government." He said he had "never had any thought" that the CIA would involve itself in "cloak and dagger operations". But it had which "has led to trouble and may have compounded our difficulties in several explosive areas". Viewing intelligence gathering as its sole mission, Truman was disturbed 'by the way the CIA has been diverted from its original assignment'. It is clearly of some significance that Truman published his piece just one month after Kennedy's assassination. Although there is no evidence that Truman was suggesting CIA involvement in the assassination, it is impossible to believe that the late president's difficulties with the CIA were far from Truman's mind. As a former president who the Kennedy White House regularly briefed on foreign policy issues and decisions, Truman knew how the CIA essentially steamrolled Kennedy into the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba (and other anti-Castro actions), leading Kennedy to tell a friend that he wanted "to splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds". Kennedy never had the chance to follow up on that idea but it was essentially what Truman suggested a month after Kennedy's death. "I, therefore, would like to see the CIA be restored to its original assignment as the intelligence arm of the president, and that whatever else it can properly perform in that special field - and that its operational duties be terminated or properly used elsewhere." Obviously, Truman's recommendation had no effect. In fact, the Washington establishment apparently took action to see that Truman's piece disappeared almost without a trace (easier in those pre-internet days). According to former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, the Washington Post only published the piece in its morning edition, pulling it from view after that (a peculiar way to treat an opinion piece by a former president, especially on such a weighty issue). McGovern also reports that former CIA Director Allen Dulles, who Kennedy fired after the Bay of Pigs debacle, actually flew down to Truman's home in Independence, Missouri to get the former president to retract. Place of'strange activities' Although Dulles reported back to his friends that Truman had indeed recanted, he clearly never did. In fact, six months after publishing the column in the Post, Truman wrote to the managing editor of Look Magazine that he intended the CIA as an intelligence gathering agency only and not a place where "strange activities" would be launched. No doubt, the Bay of Pigs and Cuba, in general, were not the only examples of CIA interventions that disturbed Truman. In the years between the end of Truman's administration and his Washington Post column, the CIA had orchestrated the overthrow of governments in Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Congo (1960), Dominican Republic (1961), South Vietnam (1963), Brazil (1964). Within a year following Truman's death, the CIA successfully brought down the Allende government in Chile (1973). As for its activities since, its intelligence activities have clearly continued to be a low priority (it has gotten Iraq wrong from the start, culminating most recently in its failure to predict the rise of ISIL) while, what Truman called its "cloak and dagger" operations, have proliferated. According to historian William Blum, writing in Foreign Policy Journal, in the last 69 years, the CIA has (often in conjunction with the military) "(1) attempted to overthrow more than 50 governments, most of which were democratically-elected, (2) attempted to suppress a populist or nationalist movement in 20 countries, (3) grossly interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries, (4) dropped bombs on the people of more than 30 countries, (5) attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders." And now there are the horrific reports of torture and, equally appalling, the defense of CIA torture by former CIA driectors, other top CIA officials and, most enthusiastically, former Vice President Dick Cheney who famously told NBC five days after 9/11 that it was now time for US intelligence agencies to operate on the "dark side". That is the context of the torture debate. As Truman understood, the CIA was dangerous and should be broken up or, in Kennedy's words, "splinter[ed] into a thousand pieces and scatter[ed] to the winds". That was 50 years and nine presidents ago and since John F Kennedy, no president has challenged the CIA. Perhaps each of them have understood there are battles that not even a president could win. MJ Rosenberg has worked on Capitol Hill for various Democratic members of the House and Senate for 15 years. He was also a Clinton political appointee at USAID.The FBI said Tuesday it will turn over to the State Department thousands of work-related secret emails it recovered from Hillary Clinton’s email server, which the former secretary failed to turn into the government when she left office. In a letter, FBI General Counsel James A. Baker said now that they’ve closed their investigation, the emails will be shipped back to the State Department to be handled according to federal law. That means they could also be released under the Freedom of Information Act. The State Department will be under pressure to quickly process those messages, with Mrs. Clinton about to claim Democrats’ presidential nomination later this month, and voters going to the polls in November to decide whether to install her back in the White House. Some 30,000 messages from Mrs. Clinton’s secret server were already released between May 2015 and February 2016, as the department processed the emails Mrs. Clinton printed and turned back over in 2014 — nearly two years after she left office. But the FBI said it found thousands of other messages Mrs. Clinton failed to turn over, but which involved government business. Last week, prodded by a federal court case, the State Department asked the FBI to turn over whatever documents it came across. The FBI responded Tuesday. Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.It appears news of Matt Harvey's controversial innings limit has made it all the way to the West Coast. Los Angeles Angels closer Houston Street referenced Harvey's situation on Saturday by walking into his clubhouse and making an important announcement, according to the Los Angeles Times: "I don't know if I told you guys, but I have a 55-inning limit," Street said. When told he had already thrown 53 2/3 innings with about a month left to play, the 32-year-old veteran said, "Then you better use those last six outs wisely." While Street was having fun, he acknowledged that Harvey is in a tricky spot. The Mets ace has thrown 166 1/3 innings in his first season back from Tommy John surgery and confirmed Saturday that his surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, has recommended that he cap his workload at 180 this season, meaning his availability for the playoffs is in doubt. PLUS: Is Matt Harvey about to turn his back on Mets? Despite never having undergone the procedure himself, Street had some advice for Harvey. "I'd take the chance," Street said, via the report. "It's a complicated question. If someone is worth $300 million and they blow out and they never earn $300 million, that's one thing. The other side is, can you live with yourself knowing you could have helped your team win a World Series? "You can pretend you'll always have more chances to win, but I've been in the league 11 years, and this is my fifth real chance to win. As an older player, you understand how precious winning is." Maria Guardado may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @mi_guardado. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Vision switching centre in Broadcasting House, during the 1952 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Phil Fearnley hopes that the Olympics will do for digital and connected TV what the coronation did for analogue TV. In August last year, Roger Mosey, the BBC’s Director for 2012, and I set out our editorial and digital ambitions for the BBC’s coverage of the Games at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival. We have come a long way since then, and over the past year, my team has been bringing those digital ambitions to life. One of the key elements of that strategy is to bring our audiences over 2,500 hours of live sport online via 24 High Definition streams - every sport, from every venue on every day – across four screens: PC, mobile, tablet and connected TV. Today, we have announced plans which allow cable and satellite providers to deliver the same 24 streams that will be available on the BBC Sport website, via the BBC Red Button service and corresponding EPG channels. Roger Mosey has blogged about this, and I wanted to outline how this will work technically in a little more detail. Using these brand new red button services and via the standard EPG platform listings, viewers will be able to switch seamlessly between 24 SD or HD channels. Pressing red on any BBC TV channel will enable audiences to find and watch the events they like, when they like, through simple five button navigation (up, down, left, right, OK). The channels on each red button service will only show the Olympics sports as they are taking place, as well as highlighting what is coming up later. We want our audiences to intrinsically feel that they are part of a family of BBC digital Olympics products, no matter what platform they are on – PC, mobile, tablet or TV. The design of these new red button services reflects that, and adapts around the capabilities of the various platforms and their set top boxes. The red button services will be built by the platform operators themselves in line with BBC product, technical and UX designs, to ensure that consistency, standardisation and ease of use. Our Digital Olympic services for TV extend beyond the satellite and cable platform plans we have announced today, and we intend to go into more detail on this in the coming weeks. While it is significantly more complex to design and deliver standard services for connected TV, we are working hard to make sure our audiences have as much choice and access as possible on all platforms, alongside our core digital offer on the BBC Sport website. Our vision for BBC Online is as a single service, made up of ten products (including News, Sport, Weather, iPlayer) across four screens (PC, mobile, tablet and connected TV) - our 1-10-4 strategy. Our announcement today is clearly focussed on the TV platform. However, over time the lines are starting to blur between IP and broadcast channels, and between platform boundaries. Today's announcement ensures that 24 channels are available on all BBC online platforms in the UK, but also on traditional TV platforms, and as red button services. We have already started to deliver aspects of the digital Olympics. Our portal for the games showcases the best video, news, and content from the BBC and forms the main digital gateway into the BBC's 2012 and Olympic coverage. The Olympic pages on the newly re-launched BBC Sports site are already proving extremely popular as the number of Olympic sport test events happen. We are also hugely excited by what we are testing in our "labs" at the moment and look forward to sharing more of this with you very soon. Broadcast television’s first big moment was the coronation in 1953, which brought the nation together around the TV screen for the first time. Our aspiration is that 2012 will do for digital and connected televisions what the coronation did for TV. I hope and believe when the dust has settled on the Olympic Games you will agree with me. Phil Fearnley is the General Manager, News and Knowlege, BBC Future MediaThe pop game is built for the solo star, but we still need Paramore to teach us how to get along. Paramore’s last album arrived in April 2013 -- a self-titled, 17-track effort forged from the exodus of longtime band members. Fast-forward to the present and the band finds itself in a similar situation. Frontwoman Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and… collaborators (we’ll get to that) are in the studio working on Paramore album number five, following up the album cycle that saw the band’s biggest Hot 100 hit yet. Back in March -- on the eve of the second Parahoy! Cruise -- news broke that longtime bassist Jeremy Davis (who departed three months earlier) was not only quitting, but involved in a legal dispute with Paramore. Paramore arrived after the departure of charter members Josh and Zac Farro, but wait -- is Zac back for another go-around? “This past year has been a year that for me, I never want to relive again.” That was Williams onstage at Parahoy! still the band’s most recent public performance. Triumphing with the self-titled record in the wake of the Farro dispute seemed like a resolution to Paramore’s midlife crisis; instead, here we go again -- Davis left the band over dissatisfaction with his earnings (Williams is the only member signed to Paramore's label, Atlantic Records). But what is it they say about doors closing and windows opening? Williams and York have been hanging with Zac Farro lately, and though there’s absolutely no confirmation the old drummer is playing on the record, these things are usually shared on a band’s official social media accounts for a reason. Yes. It's being recorded..... Right after we eat this meal. https://t.co/RYfvhjrNEx — hayley from Paramore (@yelyahwilliams) July 2, 2016 Eating with people not doing anything special at all pic.twitter.com/5mc9cjsCXN — Paramore (@paramore) June 6, 2016 The reason could just be showing off some solid Chinese takeout, so we’ll have to wait and see. Session superstar Ilan Rubin drummed on Paramore and though Underoath’s Aaron Gillespie has been their live drummer for several years, he’s clarified that it’s only a live gig. If Zac is back with Paramore in some capacity, it’s a sharp left turn from the conditions in which Farros departed, with Josh calling the band a “manufactured product of a major label” in 2010. Worth noting: the guitarist told Billboard last November that “everything is cool” with his former bandmates, following a healing process that had taken significant time. And while we’re at it with familiar faces, the long-haired fellow is Justin Meldal-Johnsen; he co-produced Paramore alongside York. Parahoy! Cruise 2016: Top 10 Things Seen and Heard From Paramore and Beyond Paramore’s evolved but it’s never reinvented itself, something that figures to hold steady if Meldal-Johnsen is indeed producing. Now three years old, Paramore holds strong as the band’s strongest album, and it’s not because of its singles. The choruses of “Still Into You” and “Now” smack you upside the head, but this is nothing Paramore hadn’t already perfected. The lasting greatness of this album lies in its moody nuances -- “Part II” launching into an icy, skyward solo just when you think it’s going to flicker away, the luminous two minutes “Last Hope” spends painting a guitar-synth sunset before its first chorus, the simplicity of Williams singing about drinking coffee and reading the paper while strumming a ukulele. Every song -- every studio song -- Paramore released before that album clocked in between three and four-and-a-half minutes. Good as it was, Paramore was a band that needed some loosening up, and a 17-track album with three bite-sized ukulele interludes and an eight-minute closer with a fake-out ending was just what it needed. That being said, so much has changed with Paramore in the past few years that we don’t need complete sonic upheaval. Back to their biggest hit, “Ain’t It Fun” -- it's not quite the guitar-fueled frenzy most of their best known songs are, with its playful xylophone riff and Killers-indebted gospel choir. Look around the Top 40 and alternative radio -- the two formats that've supported Paramore the most -- and you'll see this as part of a larger, obvious trend. Alternative (and the alternative that manages to jump into the mainstream) relies less and less on electric guitar and more on keys, synths, group chants and acoustic, folksy hoedown throwdowns. You can probably find room for xylophones and choirs on that spectrum, too. But unlike the myriad flash-in-the-pans, Paramore has decade-long staying power. They're one of the few artists that can push a crowd-pleasing rock song like "Still Into You" or "Misery Business" into the Top 40. It doesn't have to be about holding onto tradition or being a dreaded "rockist"; Paramore is one of increasingly few artists that can inject pop with this kind of variety. CHVRCHES Recruit Paramore's Hayley Williams for Thunderous Version of 'Bury It' The self-titled album opened with one of those crowd-pleasing rockers. In the first stanza of "Fast In My Car," Williams proclaims she and her two friends -- Davis and York -- "went through the ringer a couple times" but came out tougher and wiser. That trio's down to two, and Paramore fans will again look to Williams as a source of strength. She'd be smart to speak frankly about her stormy year, especially in lyrics with the same starkness as her past accounts of coffee drinking and newspaper reading. Paramore fans have been eager to point out that duos are still bands since the Davis departure, and Williams' career-long struggle to keep the family together is one that a lot of frontpeople could learn from. The pop game is built for the solo star, but we still need Paramore to teach us how to get along.A classmate shared this with me… Her husband’s brother-in-law was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on 11 April 2017, predicted to have 5 weeks left to live. His daughter is a devoted Pure Land practitioner and started support-chanting by his side on 16 April in hospital and later at home after discharge. The family, patient’s wife, son, daughter-in-law, daughter etc. took shifts to do Nianfo Practice (i.e. be sincerely mindful of Amitabha Buddha’s name – ‘Amituofo’ – with the right Faith and Aspiration) by his side non-stop. Meanwhile, his daughter offered guidance (once a while), telling him not to be afraid, and to go with Amituofo when he comes to guide him to his Pure Land. Most of the time, his eyes were closed. The night before he left, the family saw a glow of light emitting from his body. They checked to see if it was the flashlight from his phone. It was not. The next morning, on 22 May, he suddenly opened his eyes, and the wife, son, and daughter-in-law saw a shaft of white light from his eyes shoot straight ahead towards the Amituofo picture in front of his bed. He then passed away. The daughter was not there to witness this. The family observed Nianfo for the next 8 hours, without crying or touching the body. My classmate was there to Nianfo too, and said his face was peaceful and serene. I asked her if she is a believer now, and she said she will Nianfo from now on! Namo Amituofo: Ping (Name changed for privacy) Notes: This is a wonderfully clear case of the effects of [1] offering right guidance with support-chanting in time, along with [2] taking of shifts to continually motivate the dying with Nianfo, and [3] ensuring the deceased is neither physically nor emotionally disturbed even after death. These 3 factors happen to be ‘The Three Great Essentials When Approaching Death’, as reminded by the Pure Land Tradition’s 13th Patriarch Great Master Yinguang. The bodily glow could be due to the body being protected by the energy of Nianfo, in terms of resonance with Amituofo’s blessings. As it was near death, it could also be the consciousness as energy about to depart from the body, but from no clear area then, until later. Light from the eyes going towards the Amituofo image probably represents his consciousness going towards the actual Amituofo. Perhaps due to their inadequate affinity then, the family did not see Amituofo manifest in person. Yet, what they assuringly saw should stand for his arrival. Consciousness departing from the eyes usually means rebirth in a heavenly plane due to positive karma. However, the dying seemed to be swiftly guided by Amituofo to reach his Pure Land. The consciousness was probably also naturally directed through the eyes due to active and attentive seeing then. Once the dying is ready with the Three Provisions (of Faith, Aspiration and Practice), Amituofo’s deliverance is always swift. That the Pure Land practising daughter was not there to witness it, while several others did, this actually makes the above testimonial even more convincing, to be less likely to be due to personal hopeful bias creating any false perceptions. This wonderful experience also served to inspire the witnesses to give rise to the Three Provisions to practise Nianfo. May it inspire you too!ES News Email Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in or register with your social account Women and middle-aged voters are punishing Theresa May following controversies over the “dementia tax” and school meals, an exclusive poll reveals today. The Ipsos MORI research for the Evening Standard reveals significant shifts to Labour among women and the 35-54 age group — the “pinched generation” juggling caring for ageing parents and their own children. Today’s survey, the first full Ipsos MORI telephone poll since just before the manifesto launch, shows the Tories still suffering from their wobble as Labour narrow the gap to just five points — a quarter of the lead Mrs May enjoyed before campaigning began. Moreover Mrs May’s personal ratings have fallen to their lowest yet. The standing of the parties, with six days to go before June 8, is Conservatives down four to 45 per cent, Labour up six to 40 and the Liberal Democrats marooned on seven. But the most striking feature is Labour’s improvement among the voters most affected by the social care and school meals rows. Before the Tory manifesto raised care costs and scrapped free meals for infants, women were dividing 49-35 for the Conservatives over Labour. Now that gap has closed to 45-44. Among people aged 35-54 there has been an even more dramatic switch. Before the social care row they split 52-34 for the Conservatives. Now they divide 36 for the Conservatives and 46 for Labour. In other words, they have switched sides. Among older voters, aged 55+, satisfaction with May has dropped from 70 to 57, though she is still positive on balance. As the race tightens for No 10 three in four voters have definitely decided how they will vote. But among Lib Dem voters, nearly half think they might defect to another party. Satisfaction with Mrs May among all voters is down from 55 to 43 per cent, her lowest ratings to date. Gideon Skinner of Ipsos MORI said: “Here’s more evidence of the Conservatives’ wobbly week, with Labour improving again and the last two weeks of campaigning seeing a big hit to the Prime Minister’s personal ratings. But remember this is just a snapshot of a period of time, not a prediction – the Conservative vote share remains high, May is still seen as the most capable PM, and they still have the support of older people.” Political flak from the elderly care row continued to hit the Tories today. Former Cabinet minister Lady Stowell said there was “a lot that we can learn from the uproar over social care”. The Liberal Democrats erected a mock estate agents outside Tory HQ to symbolise elderly people having to sell their homes. Today’s research found Lib Dem leader Tim Farron and Ukip’s Paul Nuttall are struggling to break through to voters. Only 25% are satisfied with Farron and 18% with Nuttall. Asked who would be most capable Prime Minister, Mrs May has a clear lead, by 50% to 35%, although the gap has narrowed from 56% to 29% last month.It's the Depression, and everyone needs to hold onto a dream to get them through the bad times. Car maker Charles Howard is no different, he who is trying to rebuild his life after the tragic death of his only child and the resulting end of his first marriage. With second wife Marcela at his side, Charles wants to get into horse racing and ends up with a team of underdogs who are also chasing their own dream. The first is trainer Tom Smith, who has a natural instinct to spot the capabilities of horses. The second is the horse Tom chooses for Charles, Seabiscuit, an unconventional choice as despite his pedigreed lineage, Seabiscuit is small at fifteen and a half hands tall with a slight limp. But Tom can see something in Seabiscuit's nature to make him a winner, if only Seabiscuit can be retrained from his inbred losing ways. And third is the jockey they decide to hire, Johnny "Red" Pollard, so nicknamed because of his hair color. Like Tom, Red has always shown a natural way with... Written by HuggoIf you own one of them 90’s film cameras and stopped using it because digital is so hip right now, you’re gonna dust it off once you’re done reading this tutorial. In this tutorial photographer Richard Hill is going to explain how to convert your old film camera combined with a strobe into a background generator (which pros also like to call Cookie Projector or a gobo projector). We featured a strobe based background generator before, which was based on a box and Fresnel lenses. This time around the shades can be way more delicate. Here comes Richard: When I set about making my DIY 35mm Cookie projector it was very much an experiment. However the process really is very simple and should be easy enough to follow. Unlike most things to do with a camera I also found that the brute force approach worked best! The specific steps or methods required will also depend on the camera you’ve managed to source. (Please don’t harm any living cameras) 1) Source an old 35mm film camera. I was given an old legendary Canon T70 which wasn’t working so I used that. You ideally want a lens with a large aperture so the final projector is efficient with the light you shine through it. Too slow a lens will eat the power of your flash. Prime lenses are best for this and were a lot more common back in the day so are relatively cheap. I used a 50mm lens but am on the lookout for a wider lens to give a bigger projection. 2) Remove the back door of the camera. As mentioned above there’s no need to be shy about this. Simple get hold of the door and snap it off. Once removed a pair of pliers can be used to snap off any hinges. You might be lucky and find a donor camera with some screws you can remove to get the door off. 3) Next you need to remove the shutter curtain and mirror. I found it best to do this with the lens off. That way you can get to it from both sides. This is one step that might be best to be done by taking the camera apart as you need to make sure the “window” you are left with doesn’t have any pieces of curtain protruding from edges. I used a pair of pliers and simply ripped the mirror and curtain out. Not pretty but it worked. 4) You should now have a camera body with no back and a big hole in the middle. 5) Reattaching the lens you can look through the back and see the world upside down. 6) The next step is to create your slide. The first time I used a piece of tracing paper which I carefully drew a grid on using a soft black pencil. Remember your drawing is going to be magnified hugely so any mistakes WILL show up. Ideally you want to be printing your slides on overhead transparency film. Create yourself a file in Photoshop which contains lots of rectangles on it, within which you can draw your images that you want to project. A film negative is 36x24mm in size. To be on the safe size I created the rectangles 34x22mm in dimension. 7) Once you have printed your transparency you need to cut the slides out. Leave a border around the rectangle which is beg enough so you can attach it over the shutter window with tape but small enough so it lies flush to the back of the camera. 8) Finally to finish construction, you need to attach your strobe to the back of the camera. By twisting the head so it is 90 degrees to the body this is simple enough to do with a couple of ball bungees. 9) The great thing is you can mount your camera projector onto a tripod or light stand using the tripod mount on the bottom of the camera. I used a Manfrotto 026 umbrella adapter on the top of a light stand. 10) Ensuring the widest aperture aim your camera at a wall and attach your flash triggers. Take a test shot of the wall and see your slide magnified and projected onto the wall. Here is a short video that shows how it looks like on the set (it’s the camera looking thing behind the umbrella. Why an umbrella you ask? Read on after the clip) A note on focusing. With the slides I was using a bit of blur was actually beneficial in the effect I wanted to create, but you might want to ensure your projection is nice and crisp by focusing your projector on
, for in his swaggering he sets himself before the rest” (Gregory I, Letters; tr. NPNF 2 ser.XII. i. 75-76; ii. 170, 171, 179, 166, 169, 222, 225). Nevertheless, building on the claims of Roman bishops Leo I and Galsius in the 5th century, later bishops of Rome did claim precisely this “proud address.” Declaring themselves Christ’s replacement on earth, they claimed sovereignty (“plenitude of power”) over the world “to govern the earthly and heavenly kingdoms.” At the Council of Reims (1049) the Latin Church claimed for the pope the title “pontifex universalis“—precisely the title identified by Gregory as identifying one who “in his self-exaltation [is] Antichrist’s precursor….” Is Pope Gregory the Great correct, or are his successors? Papal pretensions contributed to the Great Schism in 1054, when the churches of the East formally excommunicated the Church of Rome, and the pope reacted in kind. The Avignon Papacy (1309-76) relocated the throne to France and was followed by the Western Schism (1378-1417), with three rival popes excommunicating each other and their sees. No less than the current Pope wrote, before his enthronement, “For nearly half a century, the Church was split into two or three obediences that excommunicated one another, so that every Catholic lived under excommunication by one pope or another, and, in the last analysis, no one could say with certainty which of the contenders had right on his side. The Church no longer offered certainty of salvation; she had become questionable in her whole objective form–the true Church, the true pledge of salvation, had to be sought outside the institution” (Principles of Catholic Theology, 196). Medieval debates erupted over whether Scripture, popes or councils had the final say. Great theologians like Duns Scotus and Pierre D’Ailly favored sola scriptura. Papalists argued that councils had often erred and contradicted themselves, so you have to have a single voice to arbitrate the infallible truth. Conciliarists had no trouble pointing out historical examples of popes contradicting each other, leading various schisms, and not even troubling to keep their unbelief and reckless immorality private. Only at the Council of Trent was the papalist party officially affirmed in this dispute. Papal claims were only strengthened in reaction to the Reformation, all the way to the promulgation of papal infallibility at the First Vatican Council in 1870. At that Council, Pope Pius IX could even respond to modern challenges to his authority by declaring, “I am tradition.” Though inspired by God, Scripture cannot be sufficient. It is a dark, obscure, and mysterious book (rendered more so by Rome’s allegorizing exegesis). An infallible canon needs an infallible interpreter. This has been Rome’s argument. The insufficiency of Scripture rests on its lack of clarity. True it is that the Bible is a collection of texts spread across many centuries, brimming with a variety of histories, poetry, doctrines, apocalyptic, and laws. However, wherever it has been translated in the vernacular and disseminated widely, barely literate people have been able to understand its central message. Contrast this with the libraries full of decreetals and encyclicals, councilor decisions and counter-decisions, bulls and promulgations. Any student of church history recognizes that in this case the teacher is often far more obscure than the text. It’s no wonder that Rome defines faith as fides implicita: taking the church’s word for it. For Rome, faith is not trust in Jesus Christ according to the gospel, but yielding assent and obedience unreservedly simply to everything the church teaches as necessary to salvation. There are many hazards associated with embracing an infallible text without an infallible interpreter. However, the alternative is not greater certainty and clarity about the subject matter, but a sacrifice of the intellect and an abandonment of one’s personal responsibility for one’s commitments to the decisions and acts of others. Those of us who remain Reformed must examine the Scriptures and the relevant arguments before concluding that Rome’s claims are not justified and its teaching is at variance with crucial biblical doctrines. A Protestant friend in the midst of being swayed by Rome’s arguments exclaims, “That’s exactly why I can’t be a Protestant anymore. Without an infallible magisterium everyone believes whatever he chooses.” At this point, it’s important to distinguish between a radical individualism (believing whatever one chooses) and a personal commitment in view of one’s ultimate authority. My friend may be under the illusion that his or her decision is different from that, but it’s not. In the very act of making the decision to transfer ultimate authority from Scripture to the magisterium, he or she is weighing various biblical passages and theological arguments. The goal (shifting the burden of responsibility from oneself to the church) is contradicted by the method. At this point, one cannot simply surrender to a Reformed church or a Roman church; they must make a decision after careful personal study. We’re both in the same shoes. Most crucially, Rome’s ambitious claims are tested by its faithfulness to the gospel. If an apostle could pronounce his anathema on anyone—including himself or an angel from heaven—who taught a gospel different from the one he brought to them (Gal 1:8-9), then surely any minister or church body after the apostles is under that threat. First, Paul was not assuming that the true church is beyond the possibility of error. Second, he placed himself under the authority of that Word. Just read the condemnations from the Council of Trent below. Do they square with the clear and obvious teaching of Scripture? If they do not, then the choice to be made is between the infallible writings of the apostles and those after the apostles and since who claim to be the church’s infallible teachers. As I have pointed out in previous posts, the frustration with the state of contemporary Protestantism is understandable. I feel it every day. Yet those who imagine that they will escape the struggle between the “already” and the “not yet,” the certainty of a promise and the certainty of possession, the infallibility of God’s Word and the fallibility of its appointed teachers, are bound to be disappointed wherever they land. As Calvin counseled on the matter, Scripture alone is sufficient; “better to limp along this path than to dash with all speed outside it.” Share this with your friends: CategoriesARTHUR: In honor of Awards Night, I just wanted to give my thoughts on The Ted Lindsay Award. I'll admit that I have no idea why it was called the Lester B. Pearson award. Pearson won a Nobel Peace Prize in his time in office, and I'm sure, as a Canadian, spent some time in some level of hockey. But if you're going to have an NHLPA MVP, it should be named for someone at least loosely connected with the organization. Though, I guess I should be happy it isn't called the Alan Eagleson award. During the 90s Lockout, there was a book published called "Net Worth: Exploding the Myths of Pro Hockey," and it opened on the dreary condition of the NHLPA after the players discovered that Alan Eagleson was skimming the players' pension and colluding with owners. The book then went back and traced the origins of unionization in hockey back to Ted Lindsay. That chapter was even turned into a TV movie. Lindsay was courageous at a time when hockey players were treated like circus animals. He was the first to point out the striking similarity in his own compensation and that of Gordie Howe, who had re-signed for a Red Wings jacket at one point. And he suffered for his efforts; he was traded, and his union dismantled. What would become the current NHLPA was started by Alan Eagleson, and while hockey came out of the Dark Ages under his watch, he would also put his crooked touch on the association's business dealings for a quarter century. This contributed to the weak union that was forced to create 31 year-old RFA's to hold off the salary cap in the 90s, a union that was locked out on two successive CBA's and a union that is terribly suspicious of its head, which may have lead to the dismissal of Paul Kelly. While Eagleson ensured that more money flowed into the sport of hockey, he declined to gave players a fair shake or their fair share of it, which is what Lindsay wanted as a leader and as a player himself. And so, to the first winner of the Ted Lindsay Award, I say, lift it proudly. Your fellow players have associated you with a great man.The Blue Jackets can ill afford to lose another forward. Already without versatile center Lukas Sedlak, they're thin at forward and essentially used only three lines in back-to-back games this weekend. So that makes a potential injury to Cam Atkinson even more problematic. FOX Sports Ohio's Jody Shelley mentioned during the second period that Atkinson had left the bench with head athletic trainer Mike Vogt, but did return and played part of the third period. A few minutes later, Atkinson was gone from the bench again and did not return. The broadcast initially showed Atkinson taking a puck to the helmet, but Aaron Portzline of The Athletic believes a lower body injury is what caused Atkinson to exit the game. #CBJ Atkinson likely done for the night. Lower body. Has been replaced by Pierre-Luc Dubois on a line w Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky. — Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 29, 2017 John Tortorella did not have an update on Atkinson following the game. The Blue Jackets are off Sunday and will hold a morning skate Monday in advance of their game against the Boston Bruins. Follow 1st Ohio BatteryFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTubeToday is my last day as the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Rumblings. That is not nearly as difficult a thing for me to admit as I thought it would be - not just two weeks ago, when I announced that the end of my time here was near, but in the several months that preceded that day, when agonizing over this eventuality was a daily item on my to-do list. After I hit publish on this post, I’ll be done blogging about the Buffalo Bills - if not forever, then at least for a good, long while. While it’s not difficult to say it anymore, it’s definitely weird. Buffalo Rumblings has been my obsession for over nine years - and they were critically important years, too, I hear, ranging from ages 21 to 30. It’s the little corner of the internet that I founded, along with SB Nation (while it was still a startup, years before it was known as the powerhouse that is Vox Media), and that I oversaw as it grew into one of the biggest team-oriented sports sites in the world. I have edited or outright published over 11,700 posts and 39,000 comments on this website. Bits of my very soul live in these pages, tapped out through my fingertips throughout the past 3,353 days. It’s basically my most prized Horcrux (if those were real, and they required countless hours of labor rather than a murder-by-wand). Something this important to me needed to be left to the right person. That’s why I’m so glad to know that Buffalo Rumblings will be entrusted to incredibly capable hands moving forward. My successor has been chosen, and will make their introductions later on today. I promise, y’all are in great hands. As a matter of fact, I have a feeling that new heights are in store for Buffalo Rumblings. I’m excited to see where [IDENTITY SNEAKILY REDACTED] takes this community. Right now, however, I have a few final paragraphs to impart upon you, should you choose to read them. I hope you don’t mind one last post with my self-indulgent rambling; I will try my hardest to make it worth your while. When I started blogging back in 2006, while still a college student, I was carrying a full course load and working an IT job 20 hours per week. It was at said IT job that I was pointed in the direction of a blogger named Merlin Mann, who is best known for his site 43folders.com, and for his writing and speaking on making time for creative endeavors. (If you’re in any way feeling disorganized or creatively adrift, I cannot recommend his work enough; it’s a bit dated now, but the wisdom of it holds up exceptionally well.) It was Mann’s words on "how to blog" that caught my attention early on; they became my unofficial credo, and they should be carefully considered not just by bloggers, but by the readers and commenters who make those blogs their online homes. Those words: Find your obsession. Every day, explain it to one person you respect. Edit everything, skip shortcuts, and try not to be a dick. Get better. At different points throughout my blogging career, different aspects of that genius statement have been points of emphasis for me. "Get better" was the first among those; starting a site from scratch requires that your work grow from bad to passable, and from passable to fairly respectable, as quickly as possible. Apparently, I was able to pull that off well enough, even though I typically cringe today when I read some of my posts from the early days. I’ll never be completely satisfied with anything I write, but I am sincerely humbled by the fact that you all stopped by here every day to read what we had to say - even if you were just here to yell at me. "Try not to be a dick" came next; that’s not an easy thing to do when you’re a naive 20-something in charge of a growing website. I consider this to be the single most difficult thing for anyone involved in covering or consuming sports to do these days. Managing an editorial team pumping out high volume, plus tens of thousands of readers and several hundred active commenters, is a hard thing to do. It’s made exponentially harder when you’re nearly constantly trying to minimize the impact that people who succumb to the pull of being a dick can have on the community. I have said too many stupid things to too many people I respect while fighting that fight; even though that has been reciprocated a hundredfold, I'm still not proud of it. Mercifully, there is still mutual respect between a lot of the people I have wronged, mostly because those people are awesome. My only regrets from my time running a sports website fall under the "try not to be a dick" umbrella. If I would ask anything of the members of this community - and of the Bills’ fan base as a whole, quite frankly - as the next chapter of Buffalo Rumblings begins, it would be this: try not to be a dick. It’s okay if we occasionally slip into dick territory; we’re human beings. Just try. Hard. It makes talking about sports with our fellow fan far more enjoyable, for all parties involved, if we’re enjoying our common interests together, and not just yelling at each other all the time. My original goal for Buffalo Rumblings was to create a community of Bills fans that respected and even occasionally liked each other. I think we’re doing okay in that regard, but the work is never done. So let’s keep trying, shall we? As Buffalo Rumblings continued to grow, "edit everything" and "skip shortcuts" came into play. I needed a team. Quality volunteers helped in the early days; Dock Ellis started that ball rolling in the blog’s infancy, which led to "The Triumvirate" of Kurupt, sireric, and jri111, who are all stellar dudes who helped stabilize the site early on. Eventually, I stumbled across some dude with a Homer Simpson avatar named Matt Warren, who has been the Dwight Schrute to my Michael Scott (or maybe the Jesse Pinkman to my Walter White) for over six years now. He is fantastic in nearly every respect, although he could stand to use more commas. Jason Pieri is a great writer, and a pleasure to edit. Jon Ramsey (you might know him as @YardsPerPass on Twitter) was a former real-life coworker that ended up being one of the brightest amateur football minds I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I’ve been luckiest for the past year, when our staff has expanded to include smart, dedicated writers like Dan Lavoie, Tom Mitchell, Jeff Hunter, Anthony Marino, and Kent Dickerson. There are many others that have provided work for the masses on the pages of Buffalo Rumblings, almost exclusively pro bono, that I haven’t explicitly named here. I’m not trying to be a dick; I’m just trying to wrap this sucker up this century. To everyone who has helped me make this place what it is: you are awesome in your own unique way, and I can’t thank you enough. If you ever run into me in a bar, the beer will be very free for you. "Every day, explain it to one person you respect." In this case, "it" is "the Buffalo Bills," and as you know only too well, the Buffalo Bills can be exceedingly difficult to explain. After tens of thousands of posts and comments on my chosen blogging subject, I can unequivocally share with you that I still haven’t quite figured them out. But that holds true for the members of this fan base, as well, which is why trying to figure this team out alongside you has been a unique joy in my life. I respect the hell out of Bills fans. This fan base is truly great. It has its flaws, but we are millions of brothers and sisters riding the same crazy roller coaster; things were always going to be a little bumpy. No matter what, we'll always share a bond: the love for the charging buffalo (and/or the standing buffalo, depending on your preference). My biggest comfort in retiring from blogging is knowing that I’ll still belong to a large, insane group of people who all want the same thing: for their favorite football team to win, and win big. The 2016 season will be my family’s 23rd straight in which we’ve owned season tickets at Ralph Wilson Stadium. I’m leaving, but I’m also not going anywhere. For the vast majority of my first 30 years, the Bills were my obsession. It started because of my dad, and kicked into high gear during The Comeback, which I watched as a seven-year-old - vertically, while my infected ear was pressed to a heating pad. Tears were shed after playoff losses thereafter; my mom correctly diagnosed an illness as made-up after a particularly grueling postseason loss in Miami during my middle school years. (She was right to make me go to school while "sick" the next day.) Then came the piles of notebooks and spreadsheets during the high school years, followed by the journalism degree in college. Voila: that’s how the obsession of my formative years manifested itself into Buffalo Rumblings, and the site only kicked the obsession into overdrive. When push comes to shove, I’m calling it a career because of one predominant reason: these nine years of growing up have (so, so incredibly slowly) taught me the difference between obsession and passion. I am, and will forever be, a passionate Bills fan. But I am, quite honestly, no longer obsessed with the team or the sport. Depth charts, snap counts, 40 times, signing bonuses, and press conference quotes no longer dominate my thoughts during every waking moment; a while ago, they became frivolous mosquitos darting around my to-do list, while I tried to take care of more important matters. Those include, but certainly are not limited to: my incredible fiancée, and a grown-up job that I am lucky enough to enjoy. For you, these may be common life developments; for me, they have helped to put the Bills, and the sport of football, into a proportionally proper place in my life. The Bills are no longer my obsession; they are simply one of the many things I am passionate about. It took me a long time to realize that. It took me longer to realize that I am going to be much better off for it. Until I find my next obsession and start a blog about it, I am ready to assume my place as a passionate Bills fan, alongside the rest of the masses, and to let Buffalo Rumblings enter its next phase of existence as I enter my own. It has been a great decade; I wouldn’t trade this time for anything, and I’ll cherish the memories forever. Thank you for being a part of that journey. Go Bills! - BrianThe Houston Rockets gave up 64 first-half points to the Utah Jazz, and though they did wake up a bit after the halftime break, it was too little, too late in falling to the Jazz 115-108. James Harden finished with 35 points and 6 assists, though he was 0-8 from beyond the arc on an overall poor shooting night from Houston. They were just 8-32 from deep for the game, and we all know that if the Rockets aren’t shooting well or defending well, they are in big trouble. The Rockets allowed Utah to shoot 54 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc and as is often the case when matching up against the Jazz, were taken to task by the Rudy Gobert, Gordon Hayward, Rodney Hood triumvirate. Gobert had 23 points and 10 boards while shooting 7-8 from the field, Hayward had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while Rocket-killer Hood finished with 19 points for the Jazz. The Rockets struggled from the very start against Utah, and showed a concerning lack of urgency on the defensive end in the the first half. They were lucky to be down just 11 points headed into the break. The intensity picked up in the third quarter, and as the Rockets began to get stops, they slowly chipped away at the Utah lead heading into the final frame. Six straight points by Montrezl Harrell brought Houston to within 4 points in the fourth quarter, and they stayed close with less than a minute left. Down 110-106, Patrick Beverley had a clean steal and a fast break, but the flubbed the ensuing layup, and the Rockets would unfortunately get no closer. Bev finished with 3 steals on the night, but was bad offensively, making just 1-7 from the floor and finishing with 3 points. In addition to Harden, the Rockets were also led by Clint Capela, who finihsed with 19 points and 12 rebounds. But despite the robust stat line, Capela was often pushed around inside by Gobert. We all love us some Swiss Roll, but he’s got to improve his strength and defense. The Rockets also got 14 points from Eric Gordon, who started in place of the injured Ryan Anderson, and they also got 12 points apiece from Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams. Williams is still struggling with his shot, going just 2-10, but he did become more of a creator tonight once he realized his touch wasn’t there, racking up 5 dimes, the second most on the team. He may be finding his groove a bit despite the rough shooting. But man, that defense. Sweet Lou was roasted tonight on more than one occasion. The loss is the second in a row for the Rockets, and they now drop to 44-21 on the year. They’re also now just three games up on the Jazz in the Western Conference hierarchy, as Utah has won four straight. Houston also has lost the season series to the Jazz, so Utah owns the tiebreak should the teams finish with identical records. The Rockets hope to get back on track Friday night, as they head to Chicago to take on the Bulls.The Balearic Islands, which include Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera, have been declared a containment area while authorities try to stop the spread of the blight, which first attacks leaves, then the stem, and finally kills the roots. There are more than 20,000 hectares of almond trees, 10,000 hectares of olive trees and 2,000 hectares of grapevines. These plots are much smaller than they are in mainland Spain, where agriculture is a primary sector, but some of the trees are a key part of the islands’ landscape, including some centuries-old olive trees. One year ago, the bacteria devastated olive plantations in the Italian province of Lecce. In the end, more than a million specimens were destroyed, either by the disease itself or by the authorities in the attempt to prevent the bacteria from spreading. The authorities are trying to contain the plague by only killing infected trees Alarm bells first rang in the Balearics in October, when the official laboratory of plant health detected the first case of Xylella fastidiosa in a cherry tree in Porto Cristo, Mallorca. The office immediately applied the protocol of prevention established by the European Union, which obliges authorities to destroy any at-risk species that are located within 100 meters of the infected plant and to take samples of trees located within 10 kilometers. They pulled out more than 1,900 trees. Despite the containment measures, on January 12 three new cases were detected in Ibiza, along with others in Inca and Algaida, Mallorca. Eventually authorities found hundreds of infected trees. For now the Balearic government has decided to apply a containment protocol in which only infected trees will be destroyed. Andreu Joan, head of agricultural services for the Balearic regional government’s environment department, says activating the EU’s protocol throughout the islands “would practically provoke the destruction of the primary sector.” The plague has devastated olive plantations in Italy The Balearic regional government is now waiting for Brussels to authorize the contamination protocol by which only infected trees are destroyed. Meanwhile, police are controlling the movement of trees and plants throughout the islands to contain the further spread of the bacteria. But the measures taken so far have not satisfied the Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA), which has called on the authorities to combat the mosquito that spreads the bacteria. “I can’t imagine a situation similar to what happened in Italy because it would be extremely serious,” said ASAJA President Joan Simonet, who thinks that a program of “massive elimination” of trees “would be even worse than the bacterial infection.” Apart from the value of fruit trees to the agricultural sector, says Simonet, “one shouldn’t forget about the consequences for the landscape,” adding that the majority of infections have occurred in old trees, which are less resistant to the bacteria than younger specimens. English version by Alyssa McMurtryWith the release of all new Android M in the Android clan, Enpass is also ready to receive this newbie with open arms. In Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Google has added many features including Fingerprint support, permission control, improved performance, user interface and lot more. In correspondence to this we have also updated Enpass to version 4.6.4 to incorporate new features supporting fingerprint unlock with improvements in user interface. Fingerprint Unlock Android M has been released worldwide with new Nexus devices supporting the most fascinating Nexus Imprint. Fingerprint support is so tightly integrated now that you can buy stuff from the Google Play Store or use Android Pay just with a touch. Furthermore you can use fingerprints to unlock Enpass too without typing long master password everytime. So on a device with Fingerprint sensor, you will see a setting to enable unlock using fingerprints under Enpass settings. Just enable that and you’re ready. Although the same feature was already there in Enpass for Samsung devices like Note 4 but that was using OEM provided APIs. This time its by native Android APIs on Android 6.0 devices. More on Fingerprints But there’s one thing you need to keep in mind that unlike iOS you have to type the master password every time when Enpass is freshly started or restarted, either by you or OS. Soon by end of this month we will update Enpass to remember unlocking by Fingerprint always using the Android keystore (introduced in Android 6.0). Just stay connected with us as there is more to come on this. All new User Interface Meet the whole new Avatar of Enpass. Its more refreshing with material theme, colorful with rounded icons just like desktop version. Feel it! We believe that you will definitely like new update. As always we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave your comment here and on Twitter or on Facebook.C# 8’s new proposed enhancements In C# 8 following language enhancements are proposed: Nullable Reference Types Async streams Default interface implementations Extension everything In this article, we will look into one of the proposed enhancement: Nullable Reference Types Nullable Reference Types We already have syntax to specify nullable value-types that can be assigned the value of null. T? where T is a value type. 1 T? where T is a value type. In C# 8’s proposed language enhancements, it is planned to extend that to reference-types as well. T? where T is a reference type. 1 T? where T is a reference type. So, now with C# 8’s proposed changes, we can specify whether the reference-types is intended to be null or not. reference-types not intended to be null: string address; // specifies that address is not intended to be null. address = null; // this will give warning. 1 2 string address ; // specifies that address is not intended to be null. address = null ; // this will give warning. reference-types intended to be null: string? address; // specifies that address can be null. address = GetAddress(); 1 2 string? address ; // specifies that address can be null. address = GetAddress ( ) ; Now, if we try to get length of “address”, without any check for null: int length = address.Length; 1 int length = address. Length ; compiler will give warning, if flow analysis cannot establish a non-null situation. To fix that we need to place a check for null before accessing the Length property. int length = address?.Length?? 0; 1 int length = address?. Length?? 0 ; Places where developer is sure that the value can not be null but compiler (flow analysis) was not able to figure it out & still gives warning, he can use the “dammit” operator (x!). int length = address!.Lenght; 1 int length = address!. Lenght ; for telling compiler that “address” will not be null. Will share full working sample codes in my future posts on above enhancement once C# 8 enhancement are released. I am looking forward to see Nullable Reference Types in action. Happy Coding!!!Posted on by paulgarver byRoseAnn DeMoro Noting his issues “align with nurses from top to bottom,” National Nurses United, the nation’s largest organization of nurses, endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President in August, 2015. (Photo: NNU/flickr/cc) Let’s make history. The 2016 election offers a rare moment to crack a barrier that can truly transform our nation – the opportunity to shatter the Class Ceiling. As an organization of nurses, 90 percent of them women, we’d love to break the glass ceiling as well. But with declining social mobility, our children for the first time in history facing less opportunity and a lower standard of living than their parents, and a rapidly shrinking promise of the American dream, smashing the Class Ceiling is our most pressing priority. Sen. Bernie Sanders presents our best opportunity to bust through that bar. He offers the most comprehensive solutions – and understands it will take all of us, a “political revolution,” to stand up to the power of Wall Street, big corporations and the billionaires who have corrupted our political and economic system. Here’s a few reasons why lifting the Class Ceiling must be our first target. The wealth and income gap. As Sen. Sanders notes, since 1985, the share of wealth owned by the bottom 90 percent in the U.S. has plummeted from 36 percent to 23 percent, a loss that equates to over $10 trillion, nearly all of it going to a tiny sliver of the wealthiest. Over the last 30 years, the top one-tenth of one percent have seen its share of our nation’s wealth more than double from 10 percent to 22 percent. Meanwhile real median family income is almost $5,000 less than in 1999. Wages have flat lined for many workers; since 1973, worker productivity has climbed 72 percent but hourly compensation increased just 9 percent. Poverty. Today, 46.7 million Americans live in poverty, according to the Census Bureau. The U.S. has far greater childhood poverty than any major industrialized country. Nearly 50 million Americans live in food insecurity households. Some 11 million tenants spend half their income on rent and as many as 39 percent of households have housing insecurity. Health care. Even with gains made under the Affordable Care Act, 33 million Americans remain without health coverage. Last year, 35 million Americans could not get their prescriptions filled because they could not afford it. A Commonwealth Fund study documented that the U.S. ranks last among 11 developed countries on the quality of our health system, including shorter life spans than comparable countries. Education. Students who live in wealthier communities had lower-student teacher ratios, more up to date computer and science equipment, better libraries, more current textbooks, and more guidance counselors. A result, affluent students have higher high school graduation rates, higher test scores, and more job opportunities when out of school. College student debt totals more than $1.2 trillion leaving many in debt for much of their life. Racial disparities. African-Americans and Latinos have higher rates of unemployment, infant mortality, chronic illnesses, shorter lifespans, and are far more likely to be turned down for home loans than whites. African-Americans and Latinos, one-fourth of the population, comprise 58 percent of those incarcerated, and the loss of life of unarmed African-Americans in police shootings and while in custody has become a national scandal. Women’s equality. The gender gap bridges the economic and social landscape. Women earn less than men, and female-headed households experience a poverty rate 6.9 percentage points higher than men. The U.S. is among the very few industrialized countries that fails to offer paid maternity leave, spends far less on child care, and provides less sick time or flexible work schedules which affect women in greater numbers. Pollution and climate change. Due in part to where power plants and refineries are placed, environmental pollution has more exposure in low-income communities and among people of color. One study found people of color breathe air with 38 percent more nitrogen dioxide, one reason for a growing asthma epidemic. The climate crisis in the form of droughts, which cut crop yields and add to hunger, and extreme weather events also have a more deadly impact on low income communities in the U.S. and globally. Reversing these disastrous trends is a tall order, but Sen. Sanders’ program is a good place to start. His agenda includes boosting the minimum wage to $15 an hour, pay equity for women, a $1 trillion jobs program to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure that would create millions of jobs, sweeping criminal justice reform, expanding Medicare to cover everyone, free tuition at public colleges and universities, and robust action on climate change. Needed revenue would come by putting people to work, improving health outcomes, making the wealthy pay their fair share, and taxing Wall Street speculation. For our children and our future, there’s no time to waste. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License RoseAnn DeMoro is executive director of the 185,000-member National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union and professional association of nurses, and a national vice president of the AFL-CIO. Follow Rose Ann DeMoro on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NationalNurses Advertisements Share this: Twitter Email Facebook Reddit LinkedIn Print Google Tumblr Like this: Like Loading... Related Filed under: Politics, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged: Bernie, Labor for Bernie, National Nurses United |We’re excited to reveal the stats, items and abilities for the community-designed Tier 6 Jupiter Class Carrier. As one would expect, this new carrier comes equipped with a new console and can unlock a new Starship Trait. Below are the stats for this new Tier 6 starship and its fleet variant that will be released at the same time as the standard Tier 6 version. Developing the Jupiter Class Carrier When we initially sat down and began talking about a ship that would be heavily influenced by the community, we discussed many options. We knew we wanted to make a ship that would generate a very high level of interest amongst the community. We also knew that the ship should probably be something new altogether, so a Tier 6 retrofit was not a valid option. After some discussion, we finally settled on making a Carrier. Starfleet players have access to plenty of Escort and Cruiser options, but not very many Science ships and even fewer Carriers. This gave us a perfect opportunity to fill that gap. Very early on, we were pretty sure this ship could potentially replace the Jupiter class Dreadnought. It later occurred to us that the ship could truly do so by assuming the Jupiter class name. It was our intention to have this ship be massive since it would be both a carrier and taking on the Jupiter-class namesake. The new Jupiter class Carrier would serve as a mobile fighter launching support platform, and it was for this reason we decided to give it a universal console with a team support ability. We knew we wanted the Jupiter’s starship trait to interact with its hangar pets. Many options were considered; ultimately one came out on top. The Insult to Injury trait was decided to be a clear winner and would allow for some interesting gameplay options. Carrier [T6] – Jupiter Class The Jupiter Class Carrier is the first of its kind to be built by Starfleet Engineering. It was designed to serve as a mobile fighter launching platform with durability and fleet support in mind. The Jupiter Class Carrier features a Lieutenant Commander Engineering/Intel bridge officer seat. The Carrier [T6] has a pair of hangar bays equipped with Peregrine Fighters. These light craft are equipped with Phaser Pulse Cannons and Micro Photon Torpedoes. Ship Details Tier: 6 Availability: C-Store Faction: Starfleet Required Rank: Vice Admiral Hull Strength: 44,200 at level 50 and 52,000 at level 60 Shield Modifier: 1.25 Crew: 2200 Weapons: 3 Fore, 3 Aft Device Slots: 4 Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Lieutenant Tactical, 1 Lieutenant
.This doesn't mean that AM won't happen if we only get part of the way to feature complete funding. No, it just means we'll have to restructure how we're releasing AM. Probably have to break it up etc... everyone who backs us will get a Season Pass of sorts. Eventually everything we release will lump together to form AM... but it really is a weird way to do things.More later...====================================================UPDATE #2====================================================This shot is actually NOT in Kickstarter right now. Tim, our art director, might beat the crap out of me for posting it but to be very very clear this a WORK IN PROGRESS. It'll probably change a bunch in the next few days. None of the artist's are here so I Thief'ed this picture right off Shelley's computer. Ninja++. But yeah, this is a concept for Dust Rider 2.0. Hotness.As I mentioned before, we're doing our KS a little differently. Our goal is $100,000 and that'll get us to finishing the AI Director for co-op functionality. Think games like Left4Dead. That kind of awesome. We'll need to earn quite a bit more to get Adventure Mode feature completely so again, we really need your help getting the word out.The numbers we estimated aren't just things we're throwing around willy-nilly. This is money that we'll need to get us working. It's a really big undertaking and we're super excited about it and we're hoping we can reach out to you guys again for help. Better getting funded by you ladies and gents, who are extremely passionate about the game and world, rather than going to publishers. We were hurt by a publisher in the past before GoIO was released and we don't want to go through that again.====================================================UPDATE #3====================================================Some of you wanted clarification on some of the items in the spreadsheet. We're looking to get black Moleskine Volant notebooks embossed with the Guns Of Icarus Online logo. They measure 5x8.25, the perfect size for notes and sketching. The Volant notebooks are softcover with the same silky smooth Moleskine cover we're all familiar with. Blank pages.Merchant Guild, Order of Chaladon, and Anglean Republic Cultural DressThe most important aspect of Adventure Mode is that this world is alive. You may have seen these concept sketches before on our FB but without the proper context. Each faction is like a country but their controlled territory is ever shifting based on what the players in each faction are doing. And being like a country, each has its own distinct cultural characteristics. Some of the costumes in Skirmish right now are closely associated with factions.The Yesha are expansionists, their fashion and culture with heavy Asian influences.====================================================UPDATE #4====================================================I'd like to talk about one of our major milestones, the World Building Tools. As you can see from the map above, each of those lines connecting the dots are routes you can travel on. We hope we can reach this level of complexity with that number of towns (dots). However, this will rely heavily on if we can get the proper tools in place to speed up our asset generation, terrain generation, and set-dressing efforts.Each tileset, like Anglea (the snow stuff, Raiders and Fjords), takes 1 month of 1-2 artist' time to create all the assets. A few more days to find the proper terrain we can to use (gathered from actual terrain in Utah), and then given back to artists to set-dress. So we have 1 month for the tileset and 2-3 weeks for each map for set-dressing (not including playtesting). This means Raiders and Fjords took about 2 months to complete. If we keep reusing tilesets then we just need to setdressing.We'll eventually run out of interesting Utah terrain though. It'll probably be easier to create a tool to generate terrain and dynamically set-dress it with assets from a certain tileset. This is the aim. While we can't cut too much time out of tileset creation, we don't have too many biomes (snow, forest, greenland, desert, etc...)... but we have many routes (maps that use a specific tileset). Let's say we have 6 biomes = 6 months and all those routes on the map to generate.... adds up quickly!We want to take that 2-3 weeks for each map setdressing down to a few days at most.It's a really important step for us to put the time into this R&D.====================================================UPDATE #5====================================================The grand marketplace in Chang-ning, the capital of the Yesha Empire, and its shoppers.A couple of you have started talking about how the world works, its towns, economy, and traveling between place to place. I'd like to talk about that now but preface everything again with the story of Muse Games: we're a small studio and with our limited resources we need to be smart and provide the most meaningful interactions with the least amount of work because there's always a ton of work for the people we have. I know, I've been personally hammering this message into everyone's heads and it must be annoying but it's a very important reality that we're operating in.So what does this mean? Someone mentioned a seamless world and economy like EVE Online. We can't feasibly do seamless for a bunch of reasons, a lot of them have to do with server and your computer performance. Our ships are very heavy assets, already 8 ships on Flayed Hills can get very problematic. We're actually pushing a lot of performance boundaries with that the reason being you actually walk around these ships in first/third person. They need to be very high detail. So that's one thing. Taking missions to travel between towns means instanced routes. For example, if I'm in Chang-ning and I take a trade mission to deliver some goods to Anvala then an opposing mission will pop up in Anvala to raid my ship. We're thinking if a human player accepts the raid mission in Anvala, you'll be basically playing Skirmish otherwise we'll populate it with AI. That's the idea for now. We'll have to gauge how we can due this since we don't know what our player numbers are going to be like (you can help us with that). Again, traveling between towns means taking on a specific mission (trade, raid, defend town, attack town, escort, resource hunt, lots of options are floating around nothing set in stone) and it's possible for an opposing mission to appear in the town you're traveling to. PvP or PvE depending on if anyone accepts the opposing mission. All travel will affect the economy.Now, we want a very robust economy. Something that is easily accessible and understandable where when you interact and poke at it you can predict and see the effects of your actions. This means we're trying to avoid EVE Online at all costs. That economy is extremely complex with thousands of different agent actors working in tandem. It's a real life economy just like the one we live in. That's not the particular kind of fun we want. We still want things to be a little quicker so we're simplifying things down. At first, we will limit the economy to trade goods locked to towns. Players will not have owned goods other than their costumes, and maybe ships and its accompanying equipment. Player economies are vastly complex. Again, simplicity and accessibility first.We don't think this will be boring though because town actors will require a wide variety of resources that are only available in certain regions or towns in the world. Each town will require different things based on its current needs to survive and faction influence. Each town will also serve as a platform for crafting resources into more valuable ones that may turn into equipment that the player can equip on a ship.One sticking point is that ship ownership and how that all works is still being worked through. Maybe it's loaned to you by a faction... maybe you need to perform some special missions in order to maintain your Captain's license. Again, we're aiming for building an economy where you can easily understand why a town is failing and do something about it with a handful of missions.====================================================UPDATE #6====================================================This update is about us, Muse GamesNot everyone who has worked at Muse Games is in the picture but for the most part, those are the people who are in the office. Some of us are fulltime, some of us contractors, some of us interns. I won't go into specifics but I would like to let everyone know what all of us do here and what we will be doing in Adventure Mode.====================================================UPDATE #7====================================================Guess what this is?Remember, you MUST have Skirmish Mode to play Adventure ModeThis is Collector's Edition Skirmish Mode that is available on Steam (Skirmish Mode, Captain's Costume Pack, and Skirmish Mode Soundtrack) as well as the original Dust Rider costume for Kickstarter backers only.Available In:First Flight (EB)First FlightCaptain & Crew (EB)Captain & CrewAnd above...Just Adventure mode.Available In:First Flight (EB)First FlightCaptain & Crew (EB)Captain & CrewThis is Adventure Mode and a Kickstarter exclusive costume, Dust RIder 2.0 for your character in Adventure Mode.Available In:Back to the SkiesCrew UnitedThis is the Collector's Edition content of Adventure mode—high-res poster/wallpaper pack, three Costume Sets (Costume + Hat + Goggle of your choice in our in-game store), Adventure Mode Soundtrack, Making-Of Documentary—and the Kickstarter exclusive costume Dust Rider 2.0Available In:Adventure KCE (EB)Adventure KCEBells & BaublesAnd above...====================================================UPDATE #8====================================================We finally arrived at PAX East 2013 as a part of the Indie MEGABOOTH. Conrad, Howard, Emily, Jess, and myself are all here representing the Muse Team. Come drop by booth #782 and say hi! If you have a laptop, we'll hook you right into our router and we can have an impromptu LAN party!For the most up to date information, followNow for the most important piece of information. WE WILL BE LAUNCHING OUR KICKSTARTER SOME TIME AROUND 8-10AM EST TIME... that's if we wrangle the Kickstarter rep here and get approval. Things should go smoothly but we'll see. That's our target so get ready to steal those Early Bird discounts!Furthermore, if you back us while we're here at PAX East, show us your receipt or tell us your email and we'll give you a free original Guns Online t-shirt!!!Good hunting.Posted on July 10 2017 By Phong Nguyen, BSDH, RDH What’s So Important? An overlooked issue with electronic cigarettes or vaping is the impact they can pose to the oral health. While working in the dental field, I am thrilled to hear my patients make the switch to vaping as a healthier alternative and witness the improvements on their overall systemic and oral health. Research does indicate that vaping is vastly healthier in upwards of 98%, but does this mean vaping is completely safe for your teeth? Few things really are. The truth is, many vapers either haven’t given it much thought or overlook it because they’re content with knowing the many health benefits of making the switch. Disclaimer: The purpose of this article is for educational purposes. If you’re like me and choose to vape as a healthier alternative, it’s worth knowing the potential risks and necessary preventative measures that can be taken to help minimize any health impacts. Choosing electronic cigarettes as an alternative has many positive health outcomes on both the systemic and oral health, but the long-term effects are still somewhat inconclusive. Nevertheless, the health risks of vaping are still there, whether substantial or minimal. After all, you only get one set of natural teeth, and it’s worth knowing the pros and cons. Before we dive into the effects of vaping and the oral cavity, lets have a look at two of the most prevalent conditions: gum disease and cavities. What is Gum Disease? Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease that causes the gums to turn red, swell, and bleed. There is little to no pain during this initial stage and is usually reversible with a combination of professional treatment and good oral hygiene. If left untreated, gingivitis can lead to periodontal disease. Plaque and bacteria can grow below the gum line and lead to detachment of gums from the tooth and the destruction of periodontal ligaments and supporting bone structure. Regular dental visits are a must to prevent this condition. Your dentist has the ability to check for gum disease with X-Rays and by measuring your gums. Why Should I be so Concerned with Periodontal Disease? Chronic periodontitis is the most common disease in the world -- even more so than diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The onset is slow, usually painless and is the number one cause for tooth loss. The advanced stage of gum disease is also irreversible. Once you start losing bone, there’s no getting it back. At most, a periodontist may be able to add bone to create a more consistent horizontal level but never restore it to its original height. What Causes Gum Disease? The bacteria contained within plaque are responsible for gingivitis. Contributing factors include inadequate oral hygiene, smoking, nutrition, stress, and systemic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. What are Cavities? Cavities or caries are commonly referred to as tooth decay, and the beginning stages may not present with any symptoms. It can affect the outer enamel layer, inner dentin layer, and even kill the nerve. As the cavity gets larger, symptoms include sensitivity, mild or sharp pain to sweet, hot, or cold, and pain during eating. If left untreated, cavities may spread to surrounding teeth and even lead to tooth loss. What Causes Cavities? Bacteria feed on the food and sugar you eat and produce acid as a byproduct that erodes your tooth. Contributing factors to tooth decay include poor oral hygiene, smoking, diet, stress, and systemic diseases. The Effects of Vaping and Teeth What We Do Know: Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, which constricts the arteries and reduces the amount of nutrient and oxygenated blood flow to the gums. The blood also contains white blood cells that are responsible for fighting off infection or harmful foreign substances. The three primary gram-negative bacteria responsible for gum disease include terponema denticola, porphyromonas gingivalis, and tannerella forsythia or otherwise known as the Red Complex Bacteria. These bacteria thrive in a de-oxygenated environment and are found in plaque, tartar, and periodontal pockets. The pathogens are responsible for gingivitis and can even lead to the destruction of periodontal ligaments and supporting alveolar bone. The vasoconstriction of your blood vessels can reduce your body’s ability to fight off the Red Complex Bacteria and lead to a greater risk of gum disease. Without sufficient blood flow, your gums do not receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to stay healthy. Vaping can cause tooth sensitivity. The nicotine or heat from the vapor increases the risk of gum recession and exposes the underlying root structure. Unlike the crown, the root is composed of cementum, which is much softer and more sensitive to heat or cold. It is important to note there are many other contributing factors to recession such as gum disease, brushing too hard, or occlusion. Both the heat from vapor and vasoconstrictive properties of nicotine can lead to xerostomia (dry mouth). This is perhaps the most common side effect of vaping and can be combatted with plenty of hydration. A hydrated mouth and healthy saliva plays an important role in neutralizing the pH in your mouth. Your saliva contains enzyme lysozymes that are responsible for killing bacteria and the cleansing and flushing underneath the gums. Manufacturers are constantly designing box mods and sub ohm tanks that push the limits by outputting as much wattage and vapor as possible, so it wouldn’t hurt to turn down the power. Using a sub ohm tank instead of an RBA would also lower the nicotine delivery levels. Evidence suggests that nicotine is a muscle stimulant, which can lead to increased bruxism (grinding of teeth). Side effects of bruxism include flattening of the tooth, pain in the jaw, sensitivity, and headaches. Nicotine Stomatitis is a lesion of the upper palate commonly seen in vapers and cigarette smokers. The extreme heat leads to hyperkeratosis or thickening of the tissue similar to a skin callus and is not regarded as being premalignant. Symptoms include redness, whitening or cracking of the tissue, and slight irritation. One of the main signs of gum disease is the inflammation and bleeding of gums. The extreme heat can necrotize the blood vessels or the vasocontrictive properties of nicotine can mask these symptoms to the untrained eye by inhibiting the tissues' ability to bleed or swell. Leaving this condition untreated will eventually lead to periodontitis and even tooth loss. The Good Many of these harmful effects are a direct result of nicotine. Vapers who are concerned about these issues can use e-juice with zero nicotine content. However, it is still important to see your dentist regularly to check for any vascular effects on your gums or other issues. Whether vaping causes teeth stains is up for debate. Unlike tar from cigarettes, nicotine is water-soluble and does not stain teeth. The yellowing or darkening of e-liquids are caused by the oxidation of nicotine and can be easily washed or brushed off. However, any food coloring contained in the e-juice has the potential to cause stains but unlike tar, is much easier to remove with good oral hygiene. Vaping contains up to 98% less carcinogenic toxins as compared to traditional cigarettes. The long-term effects of vaping and its' correlation to oral cancer have yet to be concluded, but users can be rest assured that vaping is still significantly less harmful than smoking. There are many other factors that contribute to gum disease and dry mouth besides nicotine. Even though vaping does have and effect on gum disease, the degree of impact has yet to be completely studied. What we do know is vapor contains significantly less pathogens and serves as a much better alternative. Tobacco cigarettes have over 7,000 chemicals, 400 toxins, and at least 69 cancer-causing compounds. Oral cancer does not become the only concern, as does lung cancer, heart disease, and a whole list of other medical conditions. Nicotine delivery from vaping is significantly less than cigarettes. The particles contained in vapor are much larger than cigarettes, do not penetrate as deeply in the lungs, and are absorbed at a much lower rate. It is estimated 1 mL of 18 mg e-liquid is equivalent to roughly one cigarette. Common Questions: Vaping is causing tooth sensitivity. What can I do? The heat from vapor or nicotine can cause tooth sensitivity and even gum recession. Gum recession is generally the most common cause of sensitivity and vaping may not be the only culprit. Lower the wattage, vape zero or lower nicotine, or try Sensodyne toothpaste. If the problem still persists, visit your dentist to see if a bond filling or even gum graft is possible. Tip: I prefer using smaller drip tips in order roll my lips and block my front teeth during inhaling. This helps decrease sensitivity by preventing the hot vapor from contacting my teeth first. Can the sweeteners in e-liquid cause cavities? Current research only shows that nicotine delivery and dry mouth from vaping can increase the chances of cavities. Cavity causing bacteria feed on the glucose and carbohydrates from food and not the sucralose – an artificial sweetener used in e-juices. For now, it’s also safe to assume you can still vape after brushing your teeth. Vaping is making my mouth dry. What should I do? Again, heat and nicotine can cause dry mouth. Lower the wattage and nicotine levels. Drink plenty of water and even use Biotene mouth rinse. I just had a crown or a filling. Can I still vape? If the procedure you had with your dentist is minimally invasive and involves little to no bleeding -- you can vape. However, you should still consult with your dentist just to be safe. Is it okay to vape after a tooth extraction? You should not be vaping for at least the first three days following an extraction. One of the most critical healing factors after an extraction is the blood clot. The nicotine and heat can greatly reduce the clotting and slow the healing time. In addition, the negative pressure from sucking on the vape can potentially dislodge the clot, causing an extremely painful dry socket or even infection. Your dentist should explain the post-operative procedures after the extraction. If you decide you want to vape anyways, here’s what you can do: * Vape at your own risk * Turn the wattage level down. Open the airflow holes completely. Vape lower or zero nicotine levels. Try not to create negative pressure and inhale very slowly. Carefully place a wet piece of gauze over the extraction site to protect it from the heat and chemicals. Do not use dry gauze as the clot could adhere to it and rip off during removal. For vapers, early detection is the main priority. Visiting the dentist regularly for oral screenings and exams are a must. You should have optimum oral hygiene habits including brushing and flossing regularly. Check your mouth regularly and be aware for any signs of complications, bleeding, or gum disease.RELATIVES of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden are among the four people who died when a private jet crash-landed at a car auction site in Hampshire. The Saudi-registered Phenom 300 jet was attempting to land at Blackbushe Airport when it crashed on to dozens of cars and burst into flames on Friday afternoon. Saudi ambassador to the UK, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, offered his condolences to the Bin Laden family, who own a construction company in Saudi Arabia. The statement said: “His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud has paid his condolences to the family and relatives of Mohammed bin Laden at Blackbushe Airport in Britain for the great loss they have suffered as a result of the crash of the plane that was carrying the family.” A further statement said the embassy would work with the British authorities to ensure a quick repatriation of the bodies for burial. Sources said the jet had flown in from Milan. Acting Chief Inspector Olga Venner, of Hampshire Police, said: “We can confirm that there were four people on board, including the pilot. Sadly there were no survivors. No-one on the ground has been injured and we would urge anyone with any information, including pictures or videos, to contact 101.” It flipped, landed on top of the cars and exploded NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN She said police had launched a joint investigation with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. In the aftermath of the crash at the Hampshire airport, a dark plume of black smoke could be seen twisting into the sky from a car auction site near the end of the airport runway, while an orange-red ball of fire raged below. The fire appeared to be in the middle of the car auction site, where vehicles were lined up for inspection. Debris from the jet could be seen strewn among the dozens of severely damaged cars. No-one on the ground was injured. Robert Belcher, a local aviation enthusiast, said he was driving home when he saw a plume of black smoke coming from the site. He said: “I was passing the airport and there was a big column of smoke in the air. The fire service had closed the road behind me. “I could see the plume of smoke waving from about five miles away and was hoping it was just a car fire rather than an aircraft accident.” Belcher said he was “shocked” when he discovered that a jet had crashed, but added that the plane, which could hold up to six people, had been a “regular visitor” to the airport for a few months. The official Saudi Press Agency earlier identified the plane as Saudi-owned without mentioning the bin Ladens. It said a Saudi official would work with British authorities in investigating the crash. The bin Laden family disowned Osama in 1994 when Saudi Arabia stripped him of his citizenship. The al-Qaida leader was killed in 2011. The family is a large and wealthy one. Osama bin Laden’s billionaire father Mohammed, who died in 1967, had more than 50 children and founded the Binladen Group, a sprawling construction conglomerate awarded many major building contracts in the Sunni kingdom. His eldest son, Salem Bin Laden, died in a plane crash in Texas in 1988 In a statement yesterday, Blackbushe Airport, which is currently closed, said the jet had crashed near the end of the runway while attempting to make a landing. Phil Giles, a former air accident investigator, said: “It suggests that the plane either landed too late or tried to take off again when the pilot realised it wasn’t going to make the end of the runway. “Or it may have been a problem with the brakes.” A group of people, believed to be the family of the victims, were escorted to the site by police officers. The scorched remains of the jet could be seen lying beside charred hulks of cars in the middle of the auction storage area.Following the sacking of Peter Moore, the merry-go-round of the ECB has started up again with the search for a new head coach. There are plenty of English coaches who would like to have their names put in the hat for the job this summer, with series against New Zealand and Australia to come. However, as England try to win back the urn from the old enemy, it’s two men who tried for years to make sure that they didn’t that are at the front of the running pack for the job. Does an Australian Hold the Key to England’s Ashes Success? Jason Gillespie and Justin Langer both have been picked as favourites to take the role, mainly because of their achievements in the past few years, but also because of their many playing credentials too. Both men have been retired for some time now and have used their talents and experiences in order to help other develop in their respective fields. Langer has been coaching in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the last few years, leading his Perth Scorchers side to two consecutive titles in 2013 and 2014. Before this, however, he was appointed Australia’s batting coach under Tim Nielsen in 2009, as well as Nielsen’s second in command. Langer has vast experience facing Australia playing in numerous Ashes series for them. He opened the batting alongside Matthew Hayden for many years and was known for his efficient run making and prolific shot selection at the top of the order. Langer does have experience of the English game, representing Middlesex and then Somerset in the latter stages of his career, before eventually announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket soon after his last season at the latter in 2009, a few months before being handed the Australian batting coach position. Langer is still contracted to the Perth Scorchers until the end of the 2015-16 season; another eight months away. England will be unwilling to wait that long for one man, so will he want to leave his winning Perth team for a shot at making his mark on the international management stage? He did, however, play alongside the now ECB director of cricket, Andrew Strauss back in his early days at Middlesex in which they had a good working relationship on and off the field. Jason Gillespie is another player who had an illustrious career for the Aussies, but as a bowler rather than a batsman. Gillespie was a member of what some people think was one of the best bowling attacks in the world. Alongside Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Brett Lee, Gillespie was part of a side that dominated world cricket at that time and won almost everything possible including three back-to-back World Cups. Gillespie currently finds himself at the head of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, with six of his players being represented by England in the recent Test squad in the West Indies. His hard work and strong mental ethos led to his side winning the County Championship in 2014. He already holds good contact with the ECB regarding his players’ international commitments. Pundits have praised the way he has built his side at Yorkshire by combining youth with the experience already there, as well as bringing in players to bolster his side when others are away. Some pundits have gone as far to say that they feel the England team should be modelled on the way Yorkshire are set-up currently. Gillespie has recently moved his family over to England full-time and this is a sign of his happiness and stability within his current job. Whether he would want to leave and follow this England side around the world for a vast majority of the year would be something he would have to discuss personally and decide upon. If he did get offered the job and decided to take it, then he would already have a tremendous working relationship with most of the squad either through experience of playing against them (Ian Bell and James Anderson) or coaching at Yorkshire. Both men have tremendous records and would understand the work ethic of the Australian team currently and would certainly have ideas as to how to bring the urn home once again. The issue is whether or not the Barmy Army want an Australian at the helm of the ship, or even if an Australian wants to be there himself.There's also some additional information regarding traveling in the 2011-12 NBA Rulebook: Section XIII—Traveling a. A player who receives the ball while standing still may pivot, using either foot as the pivot foot. b. A player who receives the ball while he is progressing or upon completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball. A player who receives the ball while he is progressing must release the ball to start his dribble before his second step. The first step occurs when a foot, or both feet, touch the floor after gaining control of the ball. The second step occurs after the first step when the other foot touches the floor, or both feet touch the floor simultaneously. A player who comes to a stop on step one when both feet are on the floor or touch the floor simultaneously may pivot using either foot as his pivot. If he jumps with both feet he must release the ball before either foot touches the floor. A player who lands with one foot first may only pivot using that foot. A progressing player who jumps off one foot on the first step may land with both feet simultaneously for the second step. In this situation, the player may not pivot with either foot and if one or both feet leave the floor the ball must be released before either returns to the floor.GNOME 3.24 will be out in a few weeks and with it will come Games 3.24. This new version will offer a few new features and many refinements, some of which have been implemented by new contributors theawless and Radhika Dua, kudos to them! Find how to get the latest nightly and (soon) stable Flatpak versions of Games on its web page. A Libretro Core Descriptor Specification In its version 3.22, Games stopped using a hardcoded list of well known Libretro cores and instead looked for the right one to run a game by parsing files describing their corresponding Libretro core's capabilities. These files came from the libretro-super repository and were slightly modified to better suit Games' needs. The concept was great but the format of these files proved to be not very well suited for the job: many information were not useful to Games, some information it needed were lacking, the syntax wasn't specified, complex cases like firmwares were implemented in a messy way, some useful information were present as comments and hence were not reliable… a better designed format fixing these problems was needed. Taking the desktop entry specification as a model, the Libretro core descriptor specification was born. In order to use them, Games requires cores to come with a descriptor valid according to this specification — packagers, please remember to ship the needed.libretro files with your Libretro cores, you can find the ones used with the Flatpak version here. Smooth and Sharp Video Output So far, the video output of retro games in Games was smoothed out using bilinear filtering. It's a safe default, but you may prefer to see your retro games in all their pixely glory; head over to Games' preferences and you'll find the Filter option in the new Video page, letting you to choose between the familliar smooth video output and a new sharp one! Smooth and sharp video filtering Collection Loading Indicator So far you had no way to know when Games finished loading the games collection. In 3.24, a small popup will appear while the games list is being loaded, letting you know when all the games are found. Loading the games collection… Smooth Collection Alignment The game thumbnails spread evenly horizontally instead of packing themselves at the beginning of the line, making the games collection look more elegant. Remembering the Window's State Games remembers the size of your window and whether it is maximized or not, and restore the window's state when you start the application. Not only that, it also remembers whether your games should be displayed in fullscreen! Improved Error Messages Should a game fail to run, starting from 3.24 Games displays an error message in the error page explaining the failure in a non-technical way. Games gives you some hint why a game failed to run Supporting More Games Famicom Disk System games are listed, and with the right firmware (see later) Games is even capable of running them! Games is also capable of listing and running standalone Libretro games — games distributed as Libretro cores — provided they ship a correct Libretro core descriptor. Notable examples are 2048, Dinothawr and Mr. Boom. The Flatpak Version The Flapak version of Games already shipped Libretro cores allowing you to play Super NES, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and PlayStation games; Games comes with a few more Libretro cores: Beetle NeoPop, allowing you to play Neo Geo Pocket and Neo Geo Pocket Color games; Beetle PCE Fast, allowing you to play TurboGrafx-16/PC-Engine and TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM² games; and Nestopia UE, allowing you to play NES, Famicom and Famicom Disk System games. If you want to install the latest nightly — and soon the latest stable — Flatpak version of Games, head over to the documentation. Firmwares In most of the situations, no external firmware (BIOS) file is required to play retro games, but some Libretro cores may require an external firmware file to do so; these firmwares are described in the.libretro descriptor of the core. Usually, neither the Libretro cores nor Games can ship these firmwares for copyright reasons, so the user have to provide them in order to run these games. Games 3.24 lets the Libretro cores look for external firmwares in the ~/.config/gnome-games/platforms/PLATFORM/system directory, where PLATFORM is the platform of the game as defined in the.libretro descriptor and in the known platforms of the Libretro core descriptor specification. Games checks whether the required firmware files with the expected fingerprints are present and will fail to run the game otherwise. For example, in order to run Famicom Disk System games in Games with the Nestopia UE Libretro core, you will need the ~/.config/gnome-games/platforms/FamicomDiskSystem/system/disksys.rom file with the right fingerprint, and in order to run TurboGrafx-CD and CD-ROM² games with the Beetle PCE Fast Libretro core, you will need the ~/.config/gnome-games/platforms/TurboGrafxCD/system/syscard3.pce file with the right fingerprint. This is obviously not desirable to rely on such proprietary and globally illegal to distribute firmwares; become a video game preservation hero by writing a free implementation of these! Various Fixes In Games 3.24, all of the following bugs are fixed: if the configuration move the application menu into the application's header bar, a menu bar was present in addition to the appmenu button; an empty button was sometime present on the error page's headerbar; keyboard shortcuts to make the game fullscreen made the application fullscreen even when the games doesn't support it; keyboard navigation in the games collection was buggy. Refactoring retro-gtk retro-gtk is the library allowing Games to handle libretro cores, so it's one of its most important foundations. Unfortunately, the library's design has been rushed out in the first versions of Games which resulted in an overly complex library: it was harder to use than it should and making it evolve wasn't easy either. A big refactoring of retro-gtk started this cycle: the retro-gobject and retro-gtk libraries were merged into retro-gtk; the Retro and RetroGtk namespaces were merged into Retro; many unused types where removed — they can be added back when they will actually be needed; and some parts of the code like the video and audio outputs have been simplified. All of these simplifications will allow us to refactor the library even more, for example it would help us decoupling the process running the Libretro cores from the one running the UI, in a similar fashion to what WebKitGTK+ does with web pages; this would help resolving several problems with Libretro core support and would prevent the application from crashing because of a Libretro core. As a reminder, retro-gtk's API is still extremely unstable.Even the headline was positive. Despite losing 200,000 jobs temporarily due to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the American economy’s growth elsewhere all but made up for them. The Labor Department reported a net 33,000 jobs loss in September, the first negative number since 2010. Other signs of economic strength were revealed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2 percent, the lowest in 16 years, and wages rose year-over-year by nearly three percent (way ahead of inflation). The big news came in the number of Americans employed during September — 154.3 million — the sixth record since January. That left the number of officially unemployed at 6.8 million, the lowest since May of 2007. What makes that last number even more remarkable is that in 2007 the U.S. population was much smaller than it is now. In 2007, it was just over 300 million while today it is more than 325 million. And the economy is looking more and more attractive to those not in the labor force. In December 2016 (the last full month of the Obama administration), there were 96.1 million Americans outside the workforce looking in. In September, said the BLS, there were 94.4 million. Translation: Since January this year 631,000 of those who were without jobs have found work. And that doesn’t reflect new entrants, noted Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase
Shake with ice. Strain, up, into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the oils of a lemon peel, expressed over the cocktail. Discard the peel. Hori Smoku By Tyler Fry 1.0 oz Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum 1.0 oz Yamazaki 12yr Japanese Whisky 1.0 oz Lapsang Souchong-infused Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth +.25 oz Zucca RabarbaroToxic Byproduct of Fertilizer Plants Dumped Into Our Water Supply Studies by the U.S. government, Harvard University and many other prestigious organizations show that fluoride in water may reduce intelligence and cause other health problems. Moreover, the type of fluoride used in 90% of U.S. fluoridated water supplies has never been tested for safety. Dartmouth University wrote in 2001: In a recent article in the journal NeuroToxicology, a research team led by Roger D. Masters, Dartmouth College Research Professor and Nelson A. Rockefeller Professor of Government Emeritus, reports evidence that public drinking water treated with sodium silicofluoride or fluosilicic acid, known as silicofluorides (SiFs), is linked to higher uptake of lead in children. Sodium fluoride, first added to public drinking water in 1945, is now used in less than 10% of fluoridation systems nationwide, according to the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) 1992 Fluoridation Census. Instead, SiF’s are now used to treat drinking water delivered to 140 million people. While sodium fluoride was tested on animals and approved for human consumption, the same cannot be said for SiFs. Masters and his collaborator Myron J. Coplan, a consulting chemical engineer, formerly Vice President of Albany International Corporation, led the team that has now studied the blood lead levels in over 400,000 children in three different samples. In each case, they found a significant link between SiF-treated water and elevated blood lead levels. “We should stop using silicofluorides in our public water supply until we know what they do,” said Masters. Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency have told Masters and Coplan that the EPA has no information on health effects of chronic ingestion of SiF-treated water. *** Also requiring further examination is German research that shows SiFs inhibit cholinesterase, an enzyme that plays an important role in regulating neurotransmitters. “If SiFs are cholinesterase inhibitors, this means that SiFs have effects like the chemical agents linked to Gulf War Syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome and other puzzling conditions that plague millions of Americans,” said Masters. “We need a better understanding of how SiFs behave chemically and physiologically.” Here is Masters’ scientific paper on SiFs (also called “fluosilicic acid” and “fluorosilicic acid“). Several years later, Dr. Masters pointed out that SiFs also increase crime: Lead, a toxin that lowers dopamine function, has been associated with violent behavior as well as learning deficits. Hydrofluosilicic acid and sodium silicofluoride, which were substituted for sodium fluoride without testing as chemicals for public water treatment, increase absorption of lead from the environment and are associated with violent behavior. Given the costs of incarcerating violent criminals, these side-effects justify a moratorium on using silicofluorides for water treatment until they are shown to be safe. *** My work with Myron Coplan on hydrofluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) and sodium silicofluoride (Na2SiF6) has provided epidemiological evidence that these silicofluorides — now used for over 90% of water fluoridation — increase absorption of lead from the environment into children’s blood (UNLIKE sodium fluoride, which doesn’t have this effect). Given the evidence associating lead with loss of impulse control and violence, we’ve also studied and published evidence on the association between silicofluoride use and violent crime rates. *** And see this and this. The Sierra Club notes: If fluoride is added to municipal water supplies, sodium fluoride rather than flourosilicate compounds should be used because the latter has a greater risk of being contaminated with such heavy metals as lead and arsenic. Where does this compound come from? As ABC News’ medical and scientific journalist Nicholas Regush writes Fluoride is a by-product of aluminum and fertilizer manufacturing and contains heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and chromium. Fluoride is not a high-purity pharmaceutical, to put it conservatively. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Toxicology Program, reported in 2001: Sodium hexafluorosilicate is produced by treating fluorosilicic acid with sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, or sodium chloride; alkalinity is adjusted to avoid the release of the fluoride. Fluorosilicic acid is mainly produced as a byproduct of the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers where phosphate rock is treated with sulfuric acid. *** The major use of sodium hexafluorosilicate and fluorosilicic acid is as fluoridation agents for drinking water. According to the U.S. Geological Survey: Fluorosilicic acid is a byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer industry and is not manufactured for itself alone … The USGS also notes: An estimated 40,000 tons of fluorosilicic acid (equivalent to about 70,000 tons of 92% fluorspar) was recovered from phosphoric acid plants processing phosphate rock. Fluorosilicic acid was used primarily in water fluoridation, either directly or after processing into sodium silicofluoride. As Edward Urbansky from the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, National Risk management Research Laboratory, Water Supply and Water Resources Division wrote in 2002: The most common fluoridating agents used by American waterworks are sodium fluoride (NaF), hexafluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6), and sodium hexafluorosilicate (Na2SiF6) as shown in Figure 1.14 Although 25% of the utilities reported using NaF, this corresponds to only 9.2% of the U.S. population drinking fluoride-supplemented tap water. … The cost savings in using fluorosilicates result in large systems using those additives instead.*** In the United States, the primary sources of fluoridating agents are rocky mineral deposits containing mixtures of fluorite and apatite; the fluoridating agent itself is produced as a byproduct of phosphate fertilizer manufacture. *** The EPA is aware of papers positing links between fluoridation agents and lead in the bloodstream or challenging the accepted chemistry. To truly investigate such hypotheses, better chemical knowledge of the speciation is required. In other words, even though neither the EPA or any other government agency has studied the effects of long-term ingestion of fluorosilicic acid, it is being used instead of sodium fluoride because it gets rids of a toxic disposal problem for fertilizer plants, and it is slightly cheaper for cities. And yet the EPA hasn’t done any testing of the health problems – or crime increase – caused by fluorosilicic acid. And watch this must-see 9-minute Congressional testimony by PhD chemist William Hirzy, Senior Vice-President of the union representing EPA toxicologists, biologists, chemists, engineer and lawyers:We collect and process Personal Data for a variety of purposes, including: The processing of your name and contact information to provide you with information about our products, manage your registration for and attendance at our events and webinars or for office visits, manage your registration for contests or promotions, provide you with customer support or otherwise communicate with you; The processing of device and usage data to develop, improve, manage and customize our websites and services, to assess and improve the related user experience, to identify customer opportunities and to guarantee our websites’ and services' security and continued proper functioning; The processing of your billing information to complete transactions with you when you purchase our products or services; To provide you with the necessary functionalities required during your use of our websites and services, and to review capacity requirements and compliance with the applicable usage terms; To display personalized advertisements to you and to send to you marketing communications about us, our products and our services; and To comply with our legal obligations under applicable laws and cooperate with public and government authorities. For the full list of purposes for which we Process your Personal Data, please see the full Privacy Statement We only collect and process your Personal Data to the extent it is necessary for fulfilling these purposes and where we can rely on a legal basis for such processing as set out in our full Privacy Statement. Where required, we will ask you for your prior consent to processing. Please review the "What Personal Data do we collect?" and "Purposes for which we process Personal Data and the legal bases on which we rely" sections in our full Privacy Statement for further details. Also, please review the "How long do we keep your Personal Data?" section to learn how long we store your Personal Data.Add games to your site | Game not loading? GAME OBJECTIVES Bro Team Ur stuck on Island Meep. A terrible place by any measure. It is a place where the Derps dare not go, yet it is the place where Brutus, Ryu and Ocelot find themselves. It is their objective in this strategy-tactics-puzzle game to reach the top of the island... alive. If they fail to do this then all is lost the world as u know it will suddenly implode. If u have any hope of succeeding in this game, u must use the strength of Brutus, The stealth of Ryu and the accuracy of Ocelot. Do this well and ur Bro Team will live to see another day. Good luck and think before you move! ***HUGE GAME, WILL TAKE A WHILE TO LOAD, PLEASE BE PATIENT*** Updated: August 17, 2015 7:41 AM MY GAME Community GAME INSTRUCTIONS Click any “BRO” to select them: Brutus Can: Destroy Craked walls, Walk between air ducts, Push Objects. Ryu Can: Walk behind enemies, Kill enemies, teleport to orbs, Swap position with dummies. Ocelot can: Make TNT barrels explode, Grab ammo, snipe enemies (if he has ammo). -$- EARN Fr00k$ if u COMMENT -$- Successful Alert!!!All hail Crysis, the "Maximum Game". How odd it feels to revisit this legendary mass-melter of motherboards, this bane of frame rates and comparison threads, on what passes for a budget gaming laptop 10 years down the line. The intro especially rouses much the same sense of everlasting absurdity and pathos you might get from Hadrian's Wall or a Microsoft Zune, an orgiastic showreel in which bullets flatten themselves against quivering artificial muscles, and North Korean troopers gape at all the high-octane graphicsability coruscating around them as they're hurled headlong into their friends. Once upon a time, you think to yourself, we called this the future. Alas, futures seldom age that gracefully. Crytek owes its existence to its knack for such glitzy spectacle - the company's breakthrough project was a dinosaur wilderness sim named X-Isle in 2000, a piece of graphics card benchmarking software that became the basis for the original Far Cry. Nowhere is that inheritance more evident than in Crysis, a moderately open cybernetic shooter whose omni-capable Nanosuit armour is a bulging, flexing metaphor for its own technical achievement. At a time when browser and mobile games were the fashion and blockbuster PC exclusives were on the wane, Crysis was a bastion of hope for custom hardware junkies. To run it back in 2007 was to join a proud club of macho super-consumers, to straddle the cutting edge with cowboy hat in hand while filthy casuals and the less affluent made do with caveman fare like Call of Duty 4. The Warhead expansion leans into this crude stratification of player culture by purchasing power explicitly, with graphics options that range from "Mainstream" to "Gamer" - no prizes for guessing which is the higher setting. To play Crysis today is to remember that selling your art on the strength of its supporting tech is essentially writing the epitaph on the back of the box, though the game is still very handsome, with sprawling draw distances and sun rays fizzling through restless foliage. Beyond the odd smeary rock texture or, say, the absence of an animated transition when you collar a guard, it's that addled fixation with Operating at the Max that dates it the most. There are still plenty of technophiles around and lest I sound too much like the sneering hipster I undoubtedly am, there's nothing wrong with preferring a higher resolution or a faster frame rate, but PC gaming has come to be celebrated for its diversity and conceptual ambition rather than brute power. The idea of sticking it to the PlayStationistas with some hardcore anti-aliasing now seems deeply comic, like trying to restart the War of the Roses by egging a chipshop in Manchester. Why, then, return to Crysis? One answer is that while many sandbox shooters echo its flexible balance of stealth, resilience and rapid movement, few manage this balance as elegantly and entertainingly. For all the spittle-frothed talk of adaptive polymers and hydrothrusters, the game's smartest touch is a homely energy bar, shared by all of your Nanosuit's abilities. The bar drains quickly - three or four super-jumps or a few seconds at warp-speed will empty it out - but refills almost as fast, and the result is a brisk little feedback loop of risk and reward, as you work out how much you can pull off in that window versus some pleasantly responsive soldier AI. You might speed through tall grass to a house, pause for a couple of seconds to catch your breath, jump onto the roof, cloak, line up a couple of headshots, then use the last 20 per cent of suit juice to zip sideways into the cover of a boulder, even as grenades fly towards the house, killing everybody inside. The Nanosuit is sold to you as the wrath of god, a hulking embodiment of the hardware required to run the game, but that ferocity belies the extent to which you'll be exposed and vulnerable if you push it too far, and the interplay is handled with a flair that is genuinely a thrill to rediscover. You can't buy Nanosuit performance like you can a faster GPU - it's all about what you do with what you're given. The game's choice of North Korea as an antagonist feels like Crytek skimming the headlines for the villain du jour - in practice, you could swap it out for, say, Nazi Germany without much consequence. There's an interesting wrinkle, though - on higher difficulties, enemy barks are voiced in Korean rather than English. The Nanosuit is also eerie and unsettling in ways I'm not sure Crytek itself ever appreciated. While creeping around the game's fictitious South Pacific archipelago, I was struck by the thought that I was playing a horror story from the perspective of the monster. Imagine being one of the grunts unlucky enough to see service on Lingshan Island - gazing out over a lush stretch of rainforest and glimpsing far off, in amongst the sun shafts and palm fronds, an oily metal silhouette that immediately vanishes. You raise your rifle and step forward, calling out to your team, but it is already too late, as a shimmer at your elbow solidifies into something coiled and merciless and not quite of this world. It cuts down the men to your left and right and slithers back into the scenery, only to reappear seconds later, striking at the rear. The specific horror parallel is 1987's Predator, another tacit Vietnam War story in which a group of American alpha warriors are plunged into a no-win scenario featuring aliens, active camo and infra-red vision. Predator is a useful comparison because it illustrates what a powerful, troubling work of emergent drama Crytek might have woven had it treated the Nanosuit not as a sleek gizmo, but a psychological construct against which technology offers little defence. Nowadays, of course, the Predator itself isn't exactly an object of mystery: as with the Xenomorph, the creature has been swaddled in backstory to the point that it feels positively staid, its capabilities grounded in a discourse of future-science. But think about how it first appears in the film, a menacing watchfulness dispersed through wide shots of hanging vegetation or palls of smoke that is exactly as ghastly as you imagine it to be. Long before you lay eyes on the Predator you're shown the world through its eyes, a depthless tangle of blue shadows in which the musclebound cast are reduced to leaky, meandering blotches of yellow and red, given away by their own vital systems, helpless for all their explosive hardware. Far from suggesting a hunter's precision, as with the Crysis equivalent, the Predator's thermal scope is a means of estrangement and confusion, making the crowded, cloying jungle feel still more oppressive. As per well-established monster movie practice, it assumes a more definite form as the story unfolds, but even after it enters the realm of the visible, there's the sense that the creature is only mirroring its prey, developing exaggerated masculine traits in response to their over-compensatory virility. It's the male gaze made flesh and turned against itself. Perhaps the film's finest sequence shows the Predator descending into the fiery wreckage of a camp after Arnie and co's departure, playing back tinny recordings that slowly clarify into soldier's voices, before reaching across the view with a shockingly human hand. The game's island is based on a trip to Tahiti, where Crytek broke conservation laws by cutting plants to take samples for the artists (as detailed in a Making Of video) - one more tiny display of entitlement inflicted on an island that has weathered hundreds of years of European meddling. At times, the same shock is palpable on the faces of soldiers in Crysis, that pop-eyed revulsion as the forest comes alive and wraps its fingers around their throats, but for the most part enemies react to your presence, visible or invisible, only with anger. They have Nanosuits of their own, after all, and bigger problems in the shape of a mountain full of centuries-old, murderous alien squid. Finally unleashed in the campaign's second half, the Ceph are worth battling for their ability to alter the climate - beating a retreat through areas that have been frozen solid is a great lategame payoff, and another show of Crytek's technical chops - but they're otherwise a conventional species of monstrosity, the kind of tentacular bogeymen we've been fighting in video games for decades. It doesn't help that their arrival also marks the point when Crysis stops being a sandbox and starts being a shooter about escort missions and chase sequences. The annoying thing about the Nanosuit is that Crytek latched onto some of its latent dramatic potential in hindsight. In Crysis 2 the suit is revealed to be the product of Ceph science, and the plot sees your protagonist slowly merging with the device as it physically grows into his injuries, a queasy prospect that sets a few worthwhile trains of thought in motion - what precisely constitutes the human or selfhood in the age of cyborgs, and whether there is two-way traffic between player and avatar in video games, the extent to which we are changed by the virtual entities under our control. The premise never really comes to anything save a few heartfelt soliloquies, however, and was overshadowed by Crytek's efforts to court the "mainstream" consumers it had previously disdained, much to the ire of its existing fanbase. A stripped-back city adventure aimed at players with shorter attention spans, Crysis 2 was arguably the series' death knell - the threequel found a little more favour but in the wake of Titanfall, Destiny and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, each larded to the gills with cyborg appliances, the Maximum Game has been forgotten. All things considered, I'm happy to let it lie.'We want more visitors coming here,' President Obama said. Obama: SOTU will focus on economy President Barack Obama offered a glimpse into his State of the Union speech in his weekly address released Saturday, making clear that – as expected – his focus will be on the economy. “I’ll lay out my blueprint for actions we need to take together – not just me, or Congress, but every American – to rebuild an economy where hard work and responsibility are rewarded. An economy that’s built to last,” Obama said. Story Continued Below The White House has been reluctant to reveal too many details of the president’s Tuesday night speech. Press secretary Jay Carney said Friday that “our preference is really for the news to be fresh when the president gives a speech” and that “there will be new ideas” in the president’s remarks. Obama did not make any major revelations in his weekly address, though he did make clear that he intends to forge ahead with parts of his “We Can’t Wait” initiative in recent months — actions that he can take without congressional approval. “Too often over the last few months, we’ve seen Congress drag its feet and refuse to take steps we know will help strengthen our economy,” he said. “That’s why this is the latest in a series of actions I’ve taken on my own to help our economy keep growing, creating jobs, and restoring security for middle-class families.” Obama listed several steps he’s taken since the summer — including the creation of No Child Left Behind waivers for states, the boosting of programs to help veterans find jobs and the recess appointment of Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – but said that while “[t]hese are good steps, now we need to do more.” Doing more, he said, will be at the core of his State of the Union address. Obama also touched briefly on the trip he made Thursday to Disney World in Orlando, describing his executive actions to attract international tourists to U.S. destinations a way to let “the world … know that America is open for business.” “We want more visitors coming here. We want them spending money here. It’s good for our economy, and it will help provide the boost more businesses need to grow and hire. And we can’t wait to make it happen,” he said. And, as he did while speaking from the Magic Kingdom on Thursday, Obama couldn’t help but make a joke. “To Sasha and Malia’s great disappointment, I was not there to hang out with Mickey or ride Space Mountain,” he said. “Instead, I was there to talk about steps we’re taking to boost tourism and create jobs.”ENGLISH music promoter and owner of the Warrington Wolves Simon Moran - worth $350 million - has personally written to eight NRL clubs wanting to introduce a revolutionary rugby league World Series. The Daily Telegraph has obtained the letter Moran wrote to Canterbury, Souths, Manly, Brisbane, Melbourne, Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra and Newcastle seeking approval for the historic concept involving the top NRL and Super League sides. Moran asks clubs for a straw poll "as to the level of interest" in having a three-game weekend in England where the two premiers play - still for the World Club Challenge - with sides running second and third in both competitions to also do battle. The nation with the most wins would claim the trophy. It would be a spectacular weekend - to be played after this year's World Cup - for English rugby league. Moran's email was copied to chief executives at Leeds, Wigan and St Helens. "We believe this would be a very exciting proposition for the sport and really elevate the present World Club Challenge," Moran wrote. "Timing would work very well following on from the 2013 World Cup in the UK. As per the World Club Challenge the costs of the NRL clubs taking part would be guaranteed. "There would also be some level (to be agreed) of prizemoney for the winners of the World Cup Challenge and the World Series." But the feedback from NRL clubs was only lukewarm last night. Although it could prove highly lucrative, clubs spoke about the physical burnout on players and whether a pre-season Nines tournament would add to an already hectic schedule.So you want to get into video, do ya? Well, I’m so glad to hear that because I think YouTube and vlogging are two of the greatest things ever! About 7 years I got my first camcorder right before setting out on a backpacking trip to Argentina. I had never held a camcorder before, I had never edited a video, and I had never been in front of a camera…but I wanted to make videos. I was travelling with one of my best friends, Rebecca, and I decided we were going to document our two weeks across the country; easier said than done! When we weren’t laughing our heads off as we tried to recount the days events, we were ranting about one thing or another. Looking back, I both cringe at our amateur style yet love that footage because it’s what first got me hooked on vlogging. Our footage was raw, shaky, and it had a slight air of lunacy, but it so fun filming it. It would take another 4 years before I met Sam and decided to start a YouTube channel with him (it’s kind of funny to look back and think that we started making videos together just 1 month after we started dating!), but I couldn’t imagine travelling now and not filming as I go. We’ve now been making videos for over 3 years and while I wouldn’t consider myself a professional videographer by any means (our style is much more casual and laid back), I have learned a thing or two about vlogging and using YouTube during that time, so today I thought I’d share 10 YouTube tips for anyone thinking of getting into video. Let’s get started! 1. Be consistent about posting videos The best tip I can give you is to get your stuff out there! Making good videos takes practice and you’ll only get better if you keep at it. If you tell yourself “this video is not good enough”, “it still needs more editing”, “it doesn’t look like what I envisioned”, then you’ll never publish anything! I can’t watch the videos Sam and I filmed 3 years ago because they look pretty bad – the outdated transitions, the zooming in and out, the awkwardness of being in front of the camera for the first time – but we shared those videos online, kept making some more, and I like to think we slowly improved along the way. If you want to get into video you need to have a goal. That may be publishing 1 video a month or publishing 2 videos a week. Set a goal that you know you’ll be able to accomplish, and do your best to stick to it. You may not always feel 100% satisfied with the result, but it’s important that you get your video out there and get started on the next project. 2. Learn to press the delete button What you take out is just as important as what you leave in. Once of the things that can kill a potentially good video is too much of the same thing. Just because you shot 10 clips of the Eiffel Tower from slightly different vantage points doesn’t mean you have to include every single piece of footage in your video. Choose the best shots and then delete the rest. If you show too much of the same and the footage starts to feel a bit repetitive, viewers will lose interest and move on to something else. Your job is to keep the viewer engaged, even if it means parting with some of your files. 3. Stop comparing yourself to others There are always going to be channels that are more popular, more experienced, or more skilled than yours. You can either look at these channels for inspiration on how you want to film and what you want to achieve, or you can let it immobilize you with self-doubt and not publish anything, ever. Obviously the latter isn’t what you want to have happen. Just remember that every channel out there started in the very same place as you: no subscribers, no views, no audience. Yes, even the channels who have over 1 million subscribers and now make their living exclusively off of YouTube – they too were right were you are today. 4. Study movies, tv shows, and videos you enjoy You can learn a lot of technique by watching videos and studying them. Whenever you see a cool shot or an unusual angle, ask yourself, “How did they do that?” and then rewind, go watch it again, and pay attention to the way the camera is moving. One of my favourite travel shows is ‘Departures’ and I fell in love with it from the first episode because of the cinematography. The show chronicles 2 friends, Scott and Justin, as they travel around the world with their incredibly talented cameraman, Andre. If you haven’t watched the show yet, you need to get yourself on Netflix right away because not only are Scott and Justin really entertaining, but Andre is able to work some serious magic with the camera. The sweeping landscapes, the dramatic pans – sometimes it feels like he’s frozen time. 5. Don’t forget to do SEO on your videos If you want your videos to actually rank on YouTube (which allows viewers to find you), you need to do a bit more than just upload your content. I know so many YouTubers who shoot really great videos, but they don’t help their content rank on YouTube. Filming and editing may be 90% of the work, but it’s the final 10% that’s going to allow people to find you. What does this mean? 1) Give your video a descriptive title. You want something that explains exactly what your video is about and gets keywords in the title. “VLOG #1: Alohaaaaaa!!!!!” is not so great, but “Driving the road to Hana in Maui” might actually get you somewhere. 2) Use tags. Tags are keywords that will help people find your video. Since we’re rolling with the example of “Driving the road to Hana in Maui”, you could use keywords like: Hana highway, road trip, scenic drive, coastal drive, Maui, Hawaii, travel. Get the picture? 3) Write a description. Tell me what your video is about. Better yet, tell YouTube what your video is about. That little description box under your video gives you plenty of room to write a search engine-friendly description, so don’t be sparse with your words. 6. Don’t worry about having the fanciest camera out there It’s not about the camera you have, it’s about what you do with your camera to tell a story. That being said, two main considerations when choosing a camcorder or camera should be audio and image stabilization. Audio is really important because you want your viewers to be able to hear what you’re saying clearly rather than picking up muffled background noises, and image stabilization is also important because no one enjoys watching jerky filming that makes you dizzy. These days Sam and I shoot with a camcorder because it suits our on-the-go style (it’s the Panasonic HC-X920 in case you’re interested), but don’t go off and get that just because it’s what we use. You really need to think about your filming style, the video quality you want, and the final result that you’re looking to achieve. For us that means shooting with a camcorder, but I know a lot of YouTubers who prefer the glossy / saturated footage you get with a dSLR. 7. Don’t neglect audio Now that I’ve told you that you don’t need a fancy camera, I’m going to tell you to actually think about audio, because if there’s one thing that can completely ruin a video, it’s not being able to hear what you are saying. Biggest pet peeve! Here are some pointers: 1) If you’ve just climbed to the top of some mountain and it’s really windy, don’t bother breaking into a monologue of how accomplished you feel because I won’t be able to hear it. What I will hear is that deafening wind that’s whipping you in the face, and it’s especially horrible when I’m wearing headphones. Be mindful of audio anytime you’re shooting somewhere windy so that your footage doesn’t go to waste. 2) If you’re shooting with an old GoPro, take it out of its case. It may keep the camera safe while you’re out surfing or jumping off cliffs, but if you’re going to talk, it sounds very muffled, and again, I can’t make out a word you’re saying. 3) If you’re shooting with your phone, make sure you’re not placing your finger over the microphone. Maybe this doesn’t apply so much to video (unless you’re filming with your phone), but it happens all the time with Snapchat. Of course, this isn’t an issue if you’re just filming mood videos and then laying down a track, but if you’re going to be speaking into the camera, it’s something you really need to think about. 8. Use simple editing software Since these YouTube tips are geared at people who are just starting out, I’m going to say choose a simple editing software that isn’t going to cause you a mental breakdown every time you try to edit a video. You don’t need to go out and buy Final Cut Pro; if this is your first time editing video, it’ll likely slow you down, confuse you, and leave you in a puddle of tears. Guess what? Windows Movie Maker will do the trick! Yes, that’s the program that likely already came installed in your laptop, and if it didn’t, you can download it for FREE! I think there’s a place for advanced video editing software, but it’s probably best to keep it simple if you are just starting out and have no prior editing experience. 9. Be social, share, and collaborate YouTube is a very community driven platform so go out there and make some friends. Find channels you like and leave a comment – but not spammy comments like ‘Cool video!’ or ‘Awesome stuff, man’. Take a genuine interest in people and the content they are producing, and others will take an interest in you too. Also, don’t forget to share your videos. If you hit the share tab underneath a video, you’ll notice that it can be shared across 13 different social platforms – that certainly gives you a lot of options! And let’s not forget the embed tab that allows you to share your video (perhaps on your blog) in custom sizes. If you want to get more views on your videos, don’t just upload them and then forget about them – get social! Lastly, this is a community where people love to collaborate, so if you find a channel that has a similar niche, you could potentially reach out and see if you can work on a video together and cross-promote each other (once you get to know them a bit better, of course). Don’t just spring that on YouTubers the first time you visit someone’s channel; that’s like saying ‘I love you’ on a first date. 10. Try not to let negative comments affect you too much The thing about social media is that anyone can say whatever they feel like saying and just hide behind a nameless gravatar. Creating videos and sharing them with the world puts you in a vulnerable position. You are basically opening yourself up to an audience of complete strangers and giving them a glimpse of your life. It can be a bit scary because you never know who’s watching or what their reactions are going to be, but that’s a chance you take when creating video. All you can do is create content you are proud of, focus on the positive words you get from viewers, and ignore anything that isn’t constructive. And those are just a few of the things I’ve learned about making videos and sharing content on YouTube. Now I’d love to hear from you guys and what you think about video. Do you enjoy making videos? Have you encountered any specific challenges? Do you have any YouTube tips you’d like to share? You might also enjoy: How to start a travel blog in 10 easy steps!Marine debris is a growing problem for wildlife, and has been documented to affect more than 267 species worldwide. We investigated the prevalence of marine debris ingestion in 115 sea turtles stranded in Queensland between 2006–2011, and assessed how the ingestion rates differ between species (Eretmochelys imbricata vs. Chelonia mydas) and by turtle size class (smaller oceanic feeders vs. larger benthic feeders). Concurrently, we conducted 25 beach surveys to estimate the composition of the debris present in the marine environment. Based on this proxy measurement of debris availability, we modeled turtles’ debris preferences (color and type) using a resource selection function, a method traditionally used for habitat and food selection. We found no significant difference in the overall probability of ingesting debris between the two species studied, both of which have similar life histories. Curved carapace length, however, was inversely correlated with the probability of ingesting debris; 54.5% of pelagic sized turtles had ingested debris, whereas only 25% of benthic feeding turtles were found with debris in their gastrointestinal system. Benthic and pelagic sized turtles also exhibited different selectivity ratios for debris ingestion. Benthic phase turtles had a strong selectivity for soft, clear plastic, lending support to the hypothesis that sea turtles ingest debris because it resembles natural prey items such as jellyfish. Pelagic turtles were much less selective in their feeding, though they showed a trend towards selectivity for rubber items such as balloons. Most ingested items were plastic and were positively buoyant. This study highlights the need to address increasing amounts of plastic in the marine environment, and provides evidence for the disproportionate ingestion of balloons by marine turtles. Our aims were to 1) investigate whether the incidence of debris ingestion varies between turtle species and between life history stages, 2) determine whether turtles preferentially ingest particular types and colors of debris by comparing the ingested debris to what is available in the environment, and 3) analyze whether selectivity varies between life history stages and between species. With this diversity in feeding habitat and style between pelagic and benthic stage turtles, we predict that exposure to marine debris would differ between the two groups. These differences could be exacerbated by the variability in types, colors, and quantities of debris present in benthic and oceanic environments [1]. It is likely that pelagic stage turtles, which drift in current lines along with other floating debris, would be at greater risk of marine debris ingestion than the larger benthic animals [12], [33]. Because of their different diets and feeding styles, pelagic and benthic turtles may vary not only in the amounts of debris they ingest, but also in the type. Analyzing the type and color of debris gives us metrics
15 First Team appearances to date, eight of them as a starter. Prior to his full Whites debut, Williams played his first senior international for Wales against the Netherlands on May 27th, and has since gone on to collect five caps. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder is now contracted to ply his trade in SW6 until June 2018, with an option for an extra year. “I am delighted," said Williams. “I’ve been here since I was 16 now and I’m very much looking forward to the future."The "locked-room" or "impossible crime" mystery is a subgenre of detective fiction in which a crime (almost always murder) is committed in circumstances under which it was seemingly impossible for the perpetrator to commit the crime or evade detection in the course of getting in and out of the crime scene.[1] The crime in question typically involves a crime scene with no indication as to how the intruder could have entered or left for example a locked room. Following other conventions of classic detective fiction, the reader is normally presented with the puzzle and all of the clues, and is encouraged to solve the mystery before the solution is revealed in a dramatic climax. To investigators of the crime, the prima facie impression almost invariably is that the perpetrator has vanished into thin air. The need for a rational explanation for the crime is what drives the protagonist to look beyond these appearances and solve the puzzle. History of the genre [ edit ] The earliest fully-fledged example of this type of story is generally held to be Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841).[1][2] Robert Adey credits Sheridan Le Fanu for A Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess which was published three years before Poe's “Rue Morgue”.[1] Other early locked-room mysteries include Israel Zangwill's The Big Bow Mystery (1892),[3] Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (The Mystery of the Yellow Room) written in 1907 by French journalist and author Gaston Leroux[3] and "The Problem of Cell 13" by Jacques Futrelle and featuring "The Thinking Machine" Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen.[3] G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown novels often featured locked-room mysteries[3] and other mystery authors dabbled in the genre such as S. S. Van Dine in The Canary Murder Case,[3] Ellery Queen in The Chinese Orange Mystery[3] and Freeman Wills Crofts in such novels as Sudden Death and The End of Andrew Harrison.[3] John Dickson Carr, who also wrote as Carter Dickson, was known as "master of the locked-room mystery".[4] His 1935 novel The Hollow Man (US title: The Three Coffins) was in 1981 voted the best locked-room mystery novel of all time by 17 authors and reviewers,[5][6] although Carr himself names Gaston Leroux's The Mystery of the Yellow Room (1907-1908) as his favorite.[5] (Leroux's novel was named third in that same poll; Hake Talbot's Rim of the Pit (1944) was named second.[5]) Three other Carr/Dickson novels were in the top ten of the 1981 list: The Crooked Hinge (1938), The Judas Window (1938), and The Peacock Feather Murders (1937).[5] In French, Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Gaston Boca, Marcel Lanteaume, Pierre Very, Noel Vindry and the Belgian Stanislas-Andre Steeman were other important impossible crime writers, Vindry being the most prolific with 16 novels. Edgar Faure, later to become Prime Minister of France, was a not particularly successful contemporary. During the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, English-speaking writers dominated the genre, but after the 1940s there was a general waning of English-language output. French authors continued writing into the 1950s and early 1960s, notably Martin Meroy and Boileau-Narcejac, who joined forces to write several locked-room novels. They also co-authored the psychological thrillers which brought them international fame, two of which were adapted for the screen as Vertigo (1954 novel; 1958 film) and Diabolique (1955 film). The most prolific writer during the period immediately following the Golden Age was Japanese: Akimitsu Takagi wrote almost 30 locked-room mysteries, starting in 1949 and continuing to his death in 1995. A number have been translated into English. The genre continued into the 1970s and beyond. Bill Pronzini's Nameless Detective novels feature locked-room puzzles. The most prolific creator of impossible crimes is Edward D. Hoch, whose short stories feature a detective, Dr. Sam Hawthorne, whose main role is as a country physician. The majority of Hoch stories feature impossible crimes; one appeared in EQMM every month from May 1973 through January 2008. Hoch's protagonist is a gifted amateur detective who uses pure brainpower to solve his cases. The French writer Paul Halter, whose output of over 30 novels is almost exclusively of the locked-room genre, has been described as the natural successor to John Dickson Carr.[5] Although strongly influenced by Carr and Agatha Christie,[6] he has a unique writing style featuring original plots and puzzles. A collection of ten of his short stories, entitled The Night of the Wolf, has been translated into English. The Japanese writer Soji Shimada has been writing impossible crime stories since 1981 and has created 13 to date.[when?] The first, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders (1981) and the second, Murder in the Crooked House (1982) are the only ones to have been translated into English. The themes of the Japanese novels are far more grisly and violent than those of the more genteel Anglo-Saxons. Dismemberment is a preferred murder method. Despite the gore, the norms of the classic detective fiction novel are strictly followed. Umberto Eco, in the 2000 novel Baudolino, takes the locked-room theme into medieval times. The book's plot suggests that Emperor Frederick I had not drowned in a river, as history records, but died mysteriously at night while a guest at the castle of a sinister Armenian noble. The book features various suspects, each of whom had a clever means of killing the Emperor without entering the room where he slept – all these means having been available in medieval times. The locked-room genre also appears in children's detective fiction, although the crime committed is usually less severe than murder. One notable example would be Enid Blyton, who wrote several juvenile detective series, often featuring seemingly impossible crimes that her young amateur detectives set out to solve. The Hardy Boys novel While the Clock Ticked was (originally) about a locked and isolated room where a man seeks privacy, but receives mysterious threatening messages there. The messages are delivered by a mechanical device lowered into the room through a chimney. King Ottokar's Sceptre (1938–1939) is the only Tintin adventure that is a locked-room mystery. No homicide is involved. The crime is the disappearance of the royal sceptre that is bound to have disastrous consequences for the king. The TV series Jonathan Creek has a particular'speciality' for locked-room-murder style mysteries; Creek designs magic tricks for stage magicians, and is often called on to solve cases where the mystery is clearly how the crime was committed as the most important element, such as a man who allegedly shot himself in a sealed bunker when he had crippling arthritis in his hands, how a woman was shot in a sealed room with no gun and without the window being opened or broken, how a dead body could have vanished from a locked room when the only door was in full view of someone else, etc. Pulp magazines in the 1930s often contained impossible crime tales, dubbed weird menace, in which a series of supernatural or science-fiction type events is eventually explained rationally. Notable practitioners of the period were Fredric Brown, Paul Chadwick and, to a certain extent, Cornell Woolrich, although these writers tended to rarely use the Private Eye protagonists that many associate with pulp fiction. Quite a few comic book impossible crimes seem to draw on the "weird menace" tradition of the pulps. However, celebrated writers such as G. K. Chesterton, Arthur Conan Doyle, Clayton Rawson, and Sax Rohmer have had their works adapted to comic book form. In 1934, Dashiell Hammett created the comic strip Secret Agent X9, illustrated by Alex Raymond, which contained a locked-room episode, albeit a rather feeble one. One American comic book series that made good use of locked-room mysteries is Mike W. Barr's Maze Agency. In the 21st century, examples of popular detective series novels that include locked-room type puzzles are The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2005) by Stieg Larssen, Bloodhounds (2004) by Peter Lovesey and In the Morning I'll Be Gone (2014) by Adrian McKinty. Real-life examples [ edit ] George Colvocoresses, captain of the USS Saratoga during the American Civil War, was, according to his biography, mysteriously murdered in Bridgeport, Connecticut on June 3, 1872, while on his way to New York. According to his great-great-granddaughter, however, his insurers later alleged that his death was a suicide, as the bullet wound he suffered was conveyed at close range through his heart, without the bullet's penetrating of his outer garments.[7] According to a report in The New York Times, March 10 and 11, 1929, Isidore Fink, of 4 East 132nd Street, New York City, was in his Fifth Avenue laundry on the night of March 9, 1929, with the windows closed and door of the room bolted. A neighbor heard screams and the sound of blows (but no shots), and called the police, who were unable to get in. A young boy was lifted through the transom and was able to unbolt the door. On the floor lay Fink with two bullet wounds in his chest and one in his left wrist. He was dead. There was money in his pockets, and the cash register had not been touched. No weapon was found. There was a theory that the murderer had crawled through the transom, but to do so he or she would had to have been no bigger than a small child and would have had to leave the same way, as the door was bolted. Another theory had the murderer firing through the transom, but Fink's wrist was powder-burned, indicating that he had not been fired at from a distance. More than two years later, Police Commissioner Mulrooney, in a radio talk, called this murder in a closed room an "insoluble mystery". [8] , March 10 and 11, 1929, Isidore Fink, of 4 East 132nd Street, New York City, was in his Fifth Avenue laundry on the night of March 9, 1929, with the windows closed and door of the room bolted. A neighbor heard screams and the sound of blows (but no shots), and called the police, who were unable to get in. A young boy was lifted through the transom and was able to unbolt the door. On the floor lay Fink with two bullet wounds in his chest and one in his left wrist. He was dead. There was money in his pockets, and the cash register had not been touched. No weapon was found. There was a theory that the murderer had crawled through the transom, but to do so he or she would had to have been no bigger than a small child and would have had to leave the same way, as the door was bolted. Another theory had the murderer firing through the transom, but Fink's wrist was powder-burned, indicating that he had not been fired at from a distance. More than two years later, Police Commissioner Mulrooney, in a radio talk, called this murder in a closed room an "insoluble mystery". On May 16, 1937, Laetitia Toureaux was found stabbed to death in an otherwise empty first-class compartment of the Paris Métro. The subway train had left the terminus, Porte de Charenton, at 6:27 p.m. and had arrived at the next station, Porte Dorée, at 6:28 p.m. Witnesses did not see anyone else enter or leave the compartment where Mlle. Toureaux's body was found. The murderer had one minute and twenty seconds at his or her disposal. Neither the murderer nor the method of his or her escape was ever discovered. [9] In 2010, the body of Gareth Williams, a security service employee, was found in a bag that was zipped up and padlocked from the outside, with a key inside. There was no forensic evidence of anyone else's involvement. Despite suggestions that he may somehow have locked himself inside the bag, escapologists failed to replicate the feat despite 100 attempts. References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ]President Barack Obama made an important defense of democracy by firing Gen. Stanley McChrystal from his Afghanistan command post, after the general and his top aides lambasted the president and his national security team, including Vice President Joe Biden, for a Rolling Stone article. The president announced McChrystal’s boss, Gen. David Petraeus, would take over the Afghan campaign. Clearly, McChrystal had to go. He publicly expressed contempt for the president and the Constitution, which wisely made a civilian the commander in chief. Part of the battle for democracy in our country is defending that civilian rule against the power of the Pentagon and the military-industrial complex. Score one for democracy with McChrystal’s ouster. But, now what? There is much parsing as to why the general allowed Rolling Stone – of all places – such access to his seemingly off-the-cuff remarks. Arrogance? Warrior-god complex? Or was it something more political? McChrystal and other Pentagon bigwigs, including Petraeus, pushed and pushed for an Afghan surge. The president, unfortunately, complied. But Obama added something to the surge that infuriated these generals: a timeline for starting a drawdown of troops – July 2011. A review of the Afghanistan policy is set for December. Perhaps, the message behind McChrystal’s Rolling Stone comments: No review, no timeline. We have said it before, and we’ll say it again. War will not solve Afghanistan’s many-layered problems. The U.S. war there will not make either Americans or the Afghan people more secure. This is a 30-year civil war that was created by U.S. Cold War policies to begin with. And now the violence is spreading to neighboring Pakistan. It can indeed become the Obama administration’s “Big Muddy.” The U.S. public is growing increasingly skeptical of this nine-year war and its mounting cost in treasure and lives. The Obama administration needs a new Afghanistan strategy. It has to involve getting U.S. and NATO military forces out as rapidly as possible, with a clear timetable – as proposed by Sen. Russ Feingold and Rep. Jim McGovern. It has to focus on helping rebuild Afghanistan’s shattered economy, on cooperation with regional powers like China, Russa, Iran and India to that end, and on utilizing the extensive resources and expertise of the United Nations. Such a strategy will mean standing up to more generals, to the war machine and its far-right partners in Congress. This is a critical juncture, for sure, and one where the American people can play a critical role by sending a message to the White House and Congress that the U.S. must bring the troops home. The $30-plus billion a year for this war should be spent in rebuilding war-torn Afghanistan – and rebuilding our decimated American economy. See related articles: The Pentagon’s strange new Afghanistan campaign Is Obama wading into Big Muddy? Why an Afghan surge will fail Jobs, not bombs Photo: Gen. Stanley McChrystal. (www.army.mil)TOKYO (Reuters) - The ageing parents of a 13-year-old Japanese girl abducted nearly 40 years ago by North Korea urged their government on Monday to heed signs of change in Pyongyang in order to find out what happened to their daughter. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe poses for photos as he attends a news conference at his official residence in Tokyo March 20, 2014, after Japan's parliament enacts a budget for fiscal 2014. Abe said on Thursday he hopes to resume formal talks with North Korea as soon as possible. REUTERS/Yuya Shino Japan and North Korea are set to resume high-level talks next week over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, as well as the fate of Japanese abducted decades ago to help train spies, after a hiatus of more than a year. Earlier this month, the parents of Megumi Yokota, who was snatched off a northern Japanese beach on her way home from school in 1977, met their North Korean-born granddaughter and great-granddaughter for the first time. “We think North Korea has changed a bit,” Shigeru Yokota, Megumi’s father, told a news conference, citing pressure from food shortages and international sanctions. “We should use this opportunity to reach a conclusion.” Megumi is one of 13 Japanese that North Korea admitted in 2002 had been kidnapped in the 1970s and 1980s. Pyongyang says that eight of them are dead, including Megumi, but Japan wants more information and the issue has been a major stumbling block in normalizing ties between the two countries. The United Nations released a report last month calling on North Korean leaders to face international justice for crimes against humanity, including the abductions. The Yokotas had long wanted to meet Megumi’s daughter, now 26, since learning of her existence roughly a decade ago, but rejected proposals to meet in North Korea out of concern it would make it seem as if they accepted the explanation of Megumi’s fate. The meeting earlier this month took place in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, a venue that Japan and North Korea often use for unofficial contacts. “We felt strongly that we didn’t have much more time left,” Shigeru Yokota said. He is 81 and his wife, Sakie, is 78, but they are among the youngest surviving parents of abducted Japanese. Many others have died. Looking back on their decades-long ordeal, Sakie said the first five years were the worst. “I would scream and hit the floor, I would run across the beaches crying out Megumi’s name,” she said. “How could a person just disappear from the earth?” Meeting granddaughter Kim Eun Gyong and cradling her chubby 10-month-old great-granddaughter was “like a dream,” but they limited talk of Megumi to a few memories her daughter had of keeping a pet cat and how her mother had had to visit the dentist often. “There was absolutely no information on Megumi, even though that was what we wanted most,” Sakie said. “She (Eun Gyong) is our granddaughter, but we had to remember that she definitely grew up in North Korea.”A woman has been denied a second application for a Swiss passport after local residents took offence to her rejection of traditions and her “annoying” campaigning. Nancy Holten, 42, who was born in the Netherlands, moved to Switzerland when she was eight. She is fluent in Swiss German and her children have Swiss citizenship. The animal rights activist has campaigned publicly against the local traditions of putting bells around cows’ necks and piglet racing, according to The Local. 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. In her village within the canton of Aargau, Ms Holten, a vegan, has rubbed locals up the wrong way by giving interviews to the media about her views on animal rights. “The sound that cowbells make is a hundred decibel. It is comparable to a pneumatic drill. We also would not want such a thing hanging close to our ears.” she reportedly told the media. “The animals carry around five kilograms around their neck. It causes friction and burns to their skin,” she has said in interviews, according to the Daily Mail. In Switzerland, local residents have a say in a person’s passport application. Ms Holten’s first attempt at naturalisation was made in 2015, when she was approved by local authorities but rejected by 144 out of 206 residents in a vote. “I think I was too strident and spoke my mind too often,” Ms Holten told The Local, adding her intention had not been to attack Swiss traditions but that, in the case of the cowbell, her complaints had been motivated by animal welfare. She said Switzerland is her home and a place where she has friends and relatives and work. Tanja Suter, the president of the local Swiss People’s Party, claimed Ms Holten has a “big mouth” and residents had not wanted to give her the gift of citizenship “if she annoys us and doesn’t respect our traditions”. Urs Treier, a spokesperson for the local government administration in the village, told The Local residents know the legal requirements for Ms Holten’s naturalisation have been met, but that if a person who puts themselves in the spotlight and rebels against accepted traditions in a local community “it can cause the community to not want such a person in their midst”. Ms Holten’s second attempt at naturalisation was rejected in November and has now been sent to the cantonal government in Aargau, where it could still be approved. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowFor other places with the same name, see Savona (disambiguation) Comune in Liguria, Italy Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy. Savona ( Italian pronunciation: [saˈvoːna]; local Ligurian: Sann-a [ˈsaŋˑa]; Genoese: Savonn-a)[3] is a seaport and comune in the west part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chief seats of the Italian iron industry, having iron-works and foundries, shipbuilding, railway workshops, engineering shops, and a brass foundry. One of the most celebrated former inhabitants of Savona was the navigator Christopher Columbus, who farmed land in the area while chronicling his journeys. 'Columbus's house', a cottage situated in the Savona hills, lay between vegetable crops and fruit trees. It is one of several residences in Liguria associated with Columbus. History [ edit ] Inhabited in ancient times by Ligures tribes, it came under Roman influence in c. 180 BC, after the Punic wars in which the city had been allied to Carthage. At the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it passed under Lombard rule in 641 AD (being destroyed in the attack) after a short period as an Ostrogoth and then Byzantine possession. Later it recovered as county seat in the Carolingian Empire. In the 10th century its bishops were counts of Savona, but later the countship passed to the marquesses of Montferrat (981) and afterwards to the marquesses Del Vasto (1084). After a long struggle against the Saracens, Savona acquired independence in the 11th century, becoming a free municipality allied with the Emperor. Savona was the center of religious culture (13th to 16th centuries) due to the work of two important monasteries: Dominican and Franciscan. Subsequently, it fought against Genoa before being definitively conquered in 1528. The Genoese destroyed the upper town and buried the port. It then shared the fortunes of the Republic of Genoa until Napoleonic times. In 1809 the city received Pope Pius VII, prisoner of Napoleon Bonaparte, for a few years. Between April and mid-May 1800, Austrian forces besieged the city while a small British naval force maintained a blockade; the fortress surrendered on 15 May. Subsequently, Savona was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont (1815). Eventually, it became part of unified Italy. Main sights [ edit ] Churches [ edit ] Towers and fortress [ edit ] The Torre Leon Pancaldo (Leon Pancaldo Tower), built in the 14th century and also known as "Torretta", is the symbol of the town. (Leon Pancaldo Tower), built in the 14th century and also known as "Torretta", is the symbol of the town. The Torre del Brandale (Brandale Tower), also known as Campanassa (Commune tower, where the freedom declaration of Savona was signed in 1191) and towers Corsi and Riario. (Brandale Tower), also known as (Commune tower, where the freedom declaration of Savona was signed in 1191) and towers Corsi and Riario. The Priamar fortress, built by the Genoese in 1542 after their conquest of Savona, on the area of the old cathedral and old city and later used as a prison and military priso. In 1830-1831 Giuseppe Mazzini was imprisoned in the fortress and he "dreams" the "Giovine Italia". Inside the fortress there is the Museum Centre of Priamar. Palaces and others [ edit ] The Palazzo Della Rovere (Della Rovere Palace), built by Cardinal Giulio della Rovere (future Pope Julius II) and designed by Giuliano da Sangallo as a university. (Della Rovere Palace), built by Cardinal Giulio della Rovere (future Pope Julius II) and designed by Giuliano da Sangallo as a university. The Palazzo Gavotti (Gavotti Palace), built in the 15th century. Inside the palace there is the Art Museum of Palazzo Gavotti that contains the Pinacoteca of Savona, the artwork of Fondazione Museo di Arte Contemporanea Milena Milani in memoria di Carlo Cardazzo and the new Ceramic Museum. (Gavotti Palace), built in the 15th century. Inside the palace there is the Art Museum of Palazzo Gavotti that contains the Pinacoteca of Savona, the artwork of and the new Ceramic Museum. The Palazzo Delle Piane (Delle Piane Palace), the most important building in liberty style of Savona. (Delle Piane Palace), the most important building in liberty style of Savona. In neighbourhood of Savona remains a house documented as property of Domenico Colombo, father of Christopher Columbus, where they lived for many years (Christopher Columbus lived in Savona for much of his youth). Geography [ edit ] The town is situated 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Genoa and circa 150 km (93 mi) (east) of Nice, in France, on the western Italian Riviera, between the Ligurian Sea and the Ligurian Alps. Climate [ edit ] Savona has a Mediterranean climate (Csa). The average yearly temperature is around 19 °C (66 °F) during the day and 12 °C (54 °F) at night. In the coldest months: January, February and December, the average temperature is 11 °C (52 °F) during the day and 5 °C (41 °F) at night. In the warmest month – July and August – the average temperature is 28 °C (82 °F) during the day and 20 °C (68 °F) at night. Generally, a typical summer season lasts about 4 to 6 months, from May/June to September/October. The daily temperature range is limited, with an average range of about 7 °C (45 °F) between high and low temperatures. Rain occurs mainly in autumn, the summers being generally dry. Sunshine hours total above 2,097 per year, from an average 4 hours of sunshine duration per day in winter to average 9 hours in summer. Savona usually sees snow once or twice per year. Climate data for Savona Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °C (°F) 10.3 (50.5) 11.6 (52.9) 14.2 (57.6) 17.6 (63.7) 20.9 (69.6) 25.0 (77.0) 28.0 (82.4) 27.8 (82.0) 24.7 (76.5) 20.1 (68.2) 14.7 (58.5) 11.6 (52.9) 18.9 (66.0) Average low °C (°F) 4.6 (40.3) 5.2 (41.4) 7.6 (45.7) 10.5 (50.9) 13.8 (56.8) 17.3 (63.1) 20.1 (68.2) 20.0 (68.0) 17.6 (63.7) 13.5 (56.3) 8.6 (47.5) 5.8 (42.4) 12.1 (53.7) Average precipitation mm (inches) 74 (2.9) 79 (3.1) 94 (3.7) 66 (2.6) 71 (2.8) 41 (1.6) 20 (.8) 48 (1.9) 71 (2.8) 110 (4.2) 97 (3.8) 61 (2.4) 830 (32.6) Source: Enea[4] People [ edit ] Savona, painted by a 19th-century tourist, 1860. Events [ edit ] The Carnival, with a parade in the centre of the town, the typical costume of Savona is Cicciulin. , with a parade in the centre of the town, the typical costume of Savona is Cicciulin. The Patron saint's festival of Nostra Signora della Misericordia, on 18 March. , on 18 March. The Holy Friday, with a spectacular procession in streets of the city which takes place every two years. , with a spectacular procession in streets of the city which takes place every two years. The Santa Lucia fair in the central street of Via Paleocapa on 13 December. in the central street of Via Paleocapa on 13 December. The Confuoco (in local dialect U Confeugu), it takes place the last Sunday before Christmas in the square of Sisto IV. Twin towns and sister cities [ edit ] Savona is twinned with: See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Sources [ edit ] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Savona". Encyclopædia Britannica. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 248–249. Scovazzi, Italo; Filippo Noberasco. Storia di Savona, vicende di una vita bimillenaria (in Italian). Sabatelli. Media related to Savona at Wikimedia CommonsBack in 2012, Mozilla launched Thimble, an online code editor for teaching the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Over time, though, things got pretty quiet around the project as other browser-based code editors like Brackets and full online IDEs like Nitrous took center stage. Today, however, Mozilla relaunched Thimble with a major redesign and a slew of new features. Thimble, which is based on the Adobe-supported Brackets open source project, is still meant to be a platform for teaching the basics of web development. Mozilla is aiming the projects at educators (and their students) who want to build their own learning experiences, as well as at independent learners who want to teach themselves. With this new version, Thimble is getting a new look with a choice of light and dark themes, a color picker and easier access to files and projects. Previously, you were also pretty much limited to a single project in Thimble. Now, you can manage and link multiple web pages. Thimble now also reflects the fact that even beginners will want to target their sites at mobile, so the preview mode now allows you to see mobile previews as well. Other new features include support for importing zipped sites by simply dragging the files into the editor, autosave and support for extensions. The new Thimble also features a number of new starter projects that teachers can use to teach their students basic skills like how to edit HTML content and CSS style sheets. Even though this is a Mozilla project, it’s worth noting that Thimble should work in any modern browser. If you want to give Thimble a try, just head over here and start coding.A few week ago, we have seen a major example of Cyberbullying, where a 15-year-old girl ' ' to kill herself. The Internet can be a dangerous place for the young, exposing them to e-threats such as malware, phishing schemes, pornography or material promoting the use of drugs and violence, among others. In order to keep your kids safe, you'll need to know about the different types of online dangers that are out there. Researchers from TrendMicro TrendMicro found a malware that steals images from your hard drives of an affected system and able to upload them to a remote FTP server. Malware specifically look for all.JPG,.JPEG, and.DMP files in the storage. Once your system will connect to internet, malware will upload first 20,000 files to the FTP server. "Information theft routines have been mostly limited to information that are in text form, thus this malware poses a whole new different risk for users." The internet is a very useful tool, but it can be a dangerous place if you don't protect yourself. For criminals and scam-artists, the internet is big business and we're all targets. Attacks can strike anytime your computer is connected to the internet. At worst, these attacks can destroy our computers, drain our accounts and steal our identities.According to the findings of a study published online in the Astrophysical Journal, a dwarf galaxy named Segue 2 is the least massive galaxy in the known Universe. Segue 2 is located in the constellation of Aries about 114,000 light-years away. It was discovered in 2009 as part of the massive Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The galaxy consists of just 1,000 or so stars with a bit of dark matter holding them together. It is also one of the faintest known galaxies with light output just 900 times that of the Sun. That’s miniscule compared to the Milky Way, which shines 20 billion times brighter. “Finding a galaxy as tiny as Segue 2 is like discovering an elephant smaller than a mouse,” said co-author Dr James Bullock from the University of California Irvine. “Astronomers have been searching for years for this type of dwarf galaxy, long predicted to be swarming around the Milky Way. Their inability to find any has been a major puzzle, suggesting that perhaps our theoretical understanding of structure formation in the universe was flawed in a serious way.” “Segue 2’s presence as a satellite of our home galaxy could be a tip-of-the-iceberg observation, with perhaps thousands more very low-mass systems orbiting just beyond our ability to detect them.” The team determined the upper weight range of 25 of the major stars in the galaxy and found that it weighs at least 10 times less than previously estimated. Lead author Dr Evan Kirby of the University of California Irvine said: “it’s definitely a galaxy, not a star cluster. The stars are held together by a globule called a dark matter halo. Without this acting as galactic glue, the star body wouldn’t qualify as a galaxy.” The study also offers tantalizing clues about how iron, carbon and other elements key to human life originally formed. ______ Bibliographic information: Evan N. Kirby et al. 2013. Segue 2: The Least Massive Galaxy. ApJ 770, 16; doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/770/1/16NFL teams have until Saturday at 4 p.m. ET to reduce their roster to 53 players, meaning about 700 men will lose jobs over the next day. Many general managers and coaches will have tough decisions to make, cutting quality players because there's too much depth at certain positions. In many instances, it becomes a numbers game. Teams can't keep six running backs, even if number five and six are clearly worthy of an NFL roster spot. Some teams have the opposite problem: weak rosters riddled with holes. These teams generally spend the next week picking through others' discards for slight upgrades. Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell has spent his entire tenure in this latter group. The Jags cupboard was essentially bare when he took over. After years of painfully slow growth, Caldwell finally has stockpiled an impressive amount of talent. Now the GM has some tough decisions to make. "Usually at this time of the year, we are looking for players from other teams, like these last couple of years," Caldwell said during the television broadcast of Thursday's preseason tilt, via ESPN. "This is a situation where we are going to cut some players who are going to go out and play for someone else." We went over the Jags' roster in our AFC South preview, noting the impressive upgrades on defense and insane weaponry on offense. The Jags have the talent to take a giant leap out of the NFL's cellar. First, Caldwell has some difficult calls to make.AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army regained control of a road southeast of Aleppo on Wednesday, taking back the government’s only supply route into the city from Islamic State fighters who had seized it last month. State TV said army forces took full control of the road which runs
ocircling a deadin the Western Interior Seaway Inoceramus, an ancient bivalve from the Cretaceous of South Dakota., an ancient bivalve from the Cretaceous of South Dakota. The Western Interior Seaway was a shallow sea, filled with abundant marine life. Interior Seaway denizens included predatory marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs that grew up to 18 metres (59 ft) long. Other marine life included sharks such as Squalicorax, Cretoxyrhina, and the giant shellfish-eating Ptychodus mortoni (believed to be 10 metres (33 ft) long);[6] and advanced bony fish including Pachyrhizodus, Enchodus, and also the massive 5-metre (16 ft) long Xiphactinus – a fish larger than any modern bony fish. Other sea life included invertebrates such as mollusks, ammonites, squid-like belemnites, and plankton including coccolithophores that secreted the chalky platelets that give the Cretaceous its name, foraminiferans and radiolarians.[citation needed] The Western Interior Seaway was home to early birds also, including the flightless Hesperornis which had stout legs for swimming through water and tiny wings used for marine steering rather than flight; and the tern-like Ichthyornis, an early avian with a toothy beak. Ichthyornis shared the sky with large pterosaurs such as Nyctosaurus and Pteranodon. Pteranodon fossils are very common and it was probably a major component of the surface ecosystem, though it was found in only the southern reaches of the Seaway.[7] On the bottom, the giant clam Inoceramus left common fossilized shells in the Pierre Shale. This clam had a thick shell paved with "prisms" of calcite deposited perpendicular to the surface, giving it a pearly luster in life. Paleontologists suggest that its giant size was an adaptation for life in the murky bottom waters, where a correspondingly large gill area would have allowed the animal to cope with oxygen-depleted waters. See also [ edit ]Exclusive Headlines India National News Politics Kochi, Feb 20 (): Mata Amritanandamayi former aide who has been with the God woman for two decades has published a book which alleges that there is sexual exploitation and physical abuse in the ashram located near Quilon. An Australian national Gail Tredwell changed her name to Gayatri after joining the ashram. She had left the ashram on her own in 1999. The book called Holy Hell and describes as her memoirs of devotion, faith and pure madness says that senior members had physical relationship among themselves and she too was sexually abused. Mata’s Ashram spokesperson confirmed that the lady was an inmate till 1999 and even after leaving the place on her own, the organization had helped her. At the time of leaving she did not make any complaint. The spokesperson says that the contents defy logic and shocking. Tredwell at the age of 19, joined as a personal attendant to Mata in 1978 and was close witness to see the young woman coming from a fishing village in Kerala evolved to a spiritual leader, with lakh of followers across the world, and whose trusts run a network of colleges and hospitals. In her search for God, Gaytri says that her early days gave such spiritual experience which she terms unforgettable. She says that the Mata was not the person she was before the public and in private she was as ordinary human beings and did not practices what she preached. She had a team of close followers who did all the dirty work for her. Repeated sexual abuse made Gaytri disillusioned and after she started to speak out, Mata threatened to expel her. Gaytri says she cringed when the organization explained that Mata’s family members richness was the income from the father’s fishing business. Kumar of Mata Amrindamayi trust said there was no move to seek legal action on the author. The book was largely ignored by the media in Kerala. The reviews on Amazon.com about the book went viral. CPM owned newspaper editor posted on Facebook about the blackout of the book by Kerala media. Mata’s devotees run Amrita TV, a GEC with a little bit of time allotted to the propagation of Mata teachings. You might be interested in: /2014/03/06/gail-reveals-more-on-mata-ashram-on-tv.htmlBANGKOK — Get creative with your face and play with some identity-shifting at the second anniversary party of Sunday Gay Night at Maggie Choos. Steal from the scenes of The Phantom of the Opera, Van Helsing, or even some Lady Gaga or Madonna looks at the Nov. 20 masquerade party at the 1930s Shanghai-speakeasy themed bar on lower Silom Road. Dress code? Of course, any sexy mask. The best costumes will get special prizes. DJ Yui Truluv and DJ Steven G Knight will spin some music from the ‘90s to what-has-been-playing-these-days. Expect lots of games and free shots! Admission is 500 baht and there will be two hours of free flow 8pm to 10pm. The price after 10pm is 300 baht and includes one drink. The party starts at 8pm at Maggie’s Choo’s in the basement of Novotel Fenix Silom hotel. It can be reached by taxi from BTS Surasak, BTS Sala Daeng or MRT Silom.AURORA, Ohio -- During Randy Gregory's draft visit, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli showed the rookie film of Simeon Rice to display the type of pass-rusher Gregory could be at the NFL level. As the offseason has progressed, the old defensive coordinator has continued to prod his young stud with lessons of the past and players who succeeded with similar, slender body types. "I watch a lot of Simeon," Gregory told NFL Media's Tiffany Blackmon from the Rookie Symposium on Thursday. "His length is probably the biggest thing I've taken notice of. He uses it very well and that's something I've really been trying to do. My long arm I think is getting better in camp and it's only going to get better the more I play, and Jason Taylor, he's real athletic, tall guy, long, kind of myself. So they're real athletic. They do a lot of good things and I'm gonna take the things that Coach Marinelli preaches and get off the ball. I'm trying to get off the ball as much as I can." Rice compiled 122 career sacks, went to three Pro Bowls, and played his prime under Marinelli in Tampa where the duo won a Super Bowl ring. The Cowboys also want Gregory, who played collegiately at Nebraska, to increase his weight. To that end, Gregory said he's up to 242 on the scale and is supposed to clock in to training camp next month at 245. Gregory added he's not worried about the added weight getting him out of shape after his conditioning troubles early in OTAs. Aside from packing on the pounds, Gregory said he's been working feverishly on his technique. "You got to really be a technician," he said. "That's why guys like J.J. Watt, Aldon Smith, Rice, guys like that, that I've looked at and tried to model my game after, they are just technicians and they do certain things really, really well." Gregory has a long, long way to go to even be mentioned in the same sentence with those players. But if he gets close, the Cowboys could have nabbed the steal of the draft. The latest Around The NFL Podcast welcomes back Colleen Wolfe to discuss non-Super Bowl contenders, and an all-new 'Orr You Kidding Me.' Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.A world-renowned theoretical physicist claims that he has found evidence that GOD exists through theoretical particles. The universe was CREATED by intelligent design in a huge ‘matrix.’ He said of his research: “I have concluded that we are in a world made by rules created by intelligence. Michio Kaku, the world-renowned theoretical physicist, highly regarded in the scientific community thanks to his incredible work in popularizing the String Theory, has come up with a brand new theory which he says proves god is real, or an intelligent designer for the universe. Michio Kaku who is a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York has said he ahs come to this conclusion after studying the so-called “primitive semi – radius tachyons.” Professor Kaku explains that these Tachyons are theoretical particles that have the ability to unstick matter I the vacuum (universe) between particles, and leave everything free from the influence of the universe. This study has led Professor Kaku to conclude that our universe was created through elaborate design, and not random chaos as previously believed and that we could be living in a type of MATRIX. “I have concluded that we are in a world made by rules created by intelligence. ” “Believe me, everything that we call chance, today won’t make sense anymore. To me, it is clear that we exist in a plan which is governed by rules that were created, shaped by a universal intelligence and not by chance.” Furthermore, Professor Kaku states that with all of the calculation implied into creating a successful universe, God must surely be a mathematician –which could imply that we are in fact living in a sort of simulation. In a YouTube video, Professors Kaku has said: The final solution resolution could be that God is a mathematician. “The mind of God, we believe, is cosmic music, the music of strings resonating through 11-dimensional hyperspace.” However, Professor Natan Aviezer of the Bar Ilan University does not agree with Professor Kaku. “This is an old idea, that the universe is intentionally designed so there must be a God,” said the physicist. “William Paley, an 18th-century Christian theologian, gave the watchmaker argument. If you find a watch in the forest, then you can assume there is a watchmaker, because complicated things do not occur by themselves. In the same way, the universe proves the existence of its maker.” “This argument is wrong. Complicated items do form by themselves. Crystals and chemical reactions are the most complicated things, and they happen by themselves. My favorite example is snowflakes, which each form uniquely by themselves. But that is not proof there is a God.” Featured image: ShutterstockThese are stories Report on Business is following Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. Follow Michael Babad and The Globe's Business Briefing on Twitter. Property market overvalued Canada is home to the world's most overvalued housing market, Deutsche Bank says in a new study that suggests overvaluation to the tune of 60 per cent. Story continues below advertisement Other groups have put Canada near the top of the list, but the German bank puts it at the top, ahead of Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Australia, France, Britain, Sweden, Finland and Spain, which make up the rest of the top 10. Deutsche Bank economists Peter Hooper, Torsten Slok and Matthew Luzzetti came to that conclusion via an average of two measures, ratios of home prices to rent and home prices to income, compared to their historical averages. On the first, prices to rent are 88 per cent above the historical average in Canada, and on the second, 32 per cent, Deutsche Bank says in the study published yesterday. Properties in Belgium are deemed to be 56 per cent overvalued, those in New Zealand 51 per cent, those in Norway 49 per cent, and those in Australia 40 per cent. The study also looks at price bubbles in most OECD nations before the financial meltdown, but cites the fact that Canada, Norway and Australia "have not experienced a burst … yet." Among its more notable findings is that, based on the median house price to median household income, Vancouver is more expensive than New York. Toronto, in turn, is just behind the Big Apple. The report looks at the high level of condo development in Canada, which has been such a concern among policy makers, and notes that "it is not only the housing market that is worrying in Canada." Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement By that it means everything from mortgages and credit card balances to personal lines of credit, compared to disposable income, which we know to be at record levels that have prompted repeated warnings from the Bank of Canada and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. While many observers outside Canada have warned about a bubble, most Canadian economists say the market won't crash. The Bank of Canada, too, said recently it sees no housing bubble. The postman (doesn't) always ring twice (any longer) As the old saying about the United States Postal Service goes, "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." An updated version might add that e-mail certainly does. As it announced its dramatic overhaul today, Canada Post noted how the digital revolution has "dramatically changed" the needs of consumers where postal services are concerned. As The Globe and Mail's Barrie McKenna reports, the Crown corporation today unveiled a five-point plan to phase out urban door-to-door delivery, hike prices, and do other stuff that will no doubt get your goat if you live in a city. It's necessary, Canada Post says, to meet the needs of Canadians and survive without overburdening taxpayers. Story continues below advertisement "Canadians understand Canada Post's challenges," it said today in the document unveiling its plans. "They send and receive less mail every year and expect that trend to continue," it added. "At the same time, they are looking to Canada Post to help them save time by conveniently delivering the increasing number of goods and documents they order online." Most importantly, it added, "the rise in digital communications has dramatically changed the postal needs of Canadians." All of this sent me looking for stats on e-mail, texting and the like. Here's what I found from market research firm The Radicati Group in Palo Alto, California: The number of e-mail accounts globally is projected to rise to 4.9 billion in 2017 from 3.9 billion now. Of that, consumer accounts are forecast to climb to almost 3.8 billion from about 3 billion in the same time frame. Business accounts are expected to jump to 1.14 billion from 929 million. The number of e-mail messages sent and received is projected to rise to 207 billion from 183 billion. E-mail traffic, Radicati says, is adapting to the surge in social media and instant and text messaging. Story continues below advertisement As it now stands, most e-mail traffic originates from businesses, who send and receive more than 100 billion messages a day around the world. By the end of 2017, that's projected to climb to more than 132 billion. But personal e-mail is forecast to decline for the reasons cited above, to 74.5 billion from 82.4 billion. Mobile instant messaging is a biggie, with some 460 million accounts expected this year. "The mobile e-mail market has shown strong growth over the past year, a trend that is expected to continue," Radicati says. "Anywhere access has become a common feature for all users, who now access their mail from a number of devices, at any time and from any location," it added, citing a total of 897 million mobile e-mail users globally this year. Politicians strike deal Investors are celebrating (though in muted form) a deal struck by U.S. politicians that should head off another government shutdown. Story continues below advertisement There are still several questions, and approval is required, but the agreement has bolstered hopes heading into the new year. "The deal, struck between negotiators from the House and the Senate, doesn't appear to particularly favour either side and is going to draw criticism from members of both parties," said market analyst Craig Erlam. "However, it is an important first step in ensuring that we don't go through another shutdown, similar to October, that saw the popularity of both major parties drop significantly and almost 800,000 workers sent home without pay," he added in a research note today. "One thing the deal does do is remove one more element of uncertainty that could have otherwise weighed on the recovery," he added, though noted there's no deal on the debt ceiling. The agreement would fix spending through to late 2015, while still setting "modest" deficit-reduction measures, said senior economist Sal Guatieri. It would not, however, extend the emergency jobless benefits, he added, which, on expiry, could cost up to 0.2 per cent from gross domestic product in 2014. Story continues below advertisement "If passed, the budget deal could scale back nearly half of the estimated 0.6-per-cent fiscal hit on GDP next year," Mr. Guatieri noted. "Of equal importance, it could ward off political brinkmanship and fiscal policy uncertainty for at least a year, unleashing a wave of business investment and hiring." HBC loss widens Hudson's Bay Co. today boasted of "continued sales momentum" heading into the crucial holiday period, as its third-quarter loss widened on costs associated with its takeover of Saks. The Toronto-based retailer posted a loss of $124.2-million or $1.04 a share, compared to $14.4 million or 14 cents a year earlier. But chief executive officer Richard Baker lauded HBC's "industry-leading sales growth," which, he said, are evidence of its strategic moves. Sales climbed 5.8 per cent from a year earlier to $984.1-million. Same-store sales, a key measure in retailing, rose 6.4 per cent at its Hudson's Bay shops and 1.6 per cent at its Lord & Taylor operations. Mr. Baker also noted the company completed its deal for Saks, and it's now focused on integrating the high-end chain into its operations. "The critical holiday period is now upon us, and we are focused on making it a success," Mr. Baker said in a statement. "While we would prefer our year-to-date performance to have been stronger, our investments in both store productivity and our omni-channel platform have produced clear and promising results. We are confident that these investments are necessary and will benefit earnings over the long-term." HBC also projected fourth-quarter sales of between $1.37-billion and $1.41-billion. Encana expands on restructuring Encana Corp. today expanded on its previously-announced overhaul, saying it expects a hit of $65-million (U.S.) in charges related to the restructuring. This follows the revamp announced last month by Doug Suttles, the new chief executive officer of the Canadian energy giant. In November, Encana cut its dividend, said it would focus on just five plays, with a focus on liquids-rich gas, and announced plans to slash 20 per cent of its work force, among other things. Today, Encana reiterated that it would earmark 75 per cent of its 2014 spending to five plays. Total liquids production is forecast to increase by 30 per cent "The goal of all our deliverables for 2014 is targeted at creating sustainable shareholder value for next year and beyond," Mr. Suttles said today in a statement. "The work we completed in 2013 has positioned us very well for a strong start in 2014, a start well aligned with our new strategy." GM quits Australia General Motors Co. is pulling out of Australia, citing, among other things, a strong currency that has driven up its costs. GM plans to stop making autos and engines there by the end of 2017. "The decision to end manufacturing in Australia reflects the perfect storm of negative influences the automotive industry faces in the country, including the sustained strength of the Australian dollar, high cost of production, small domestic market and arguably the most competitive and fragmented auto market in the world," chief executive officer Dan Akerson said in a statement. Some 2,900 jobs will be affected. Gun stocks gain Yesterday marked the second-quarter results of Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., highlighted by an increase of 27.4 per cent in handgun sales, including those of its "popular" M&P pistols. Today marks a spike in Smith & Wesson's share price, continuing a run that has seen the stock climb by about 45 per cent this year, while those of rival Sturm, Ruger & Co. are up almost 60 per cent, bolstered by the introduction this year of three new weapons and plans to open a new factory. Saturday will mark the remembrance, one year later, of the lost children of Sandy Hook Elementary School. No matter where you stand on the issue of gun control in America, you can't escape the unsettling nature of that. Streetwise (for subscribers) Economy Lab ROB Insight (for subscribers) Business tickerImage copyright Getty Images Labour and Conservative plans to increase the National Minimum Wage (NMW) could cost jobs, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Both parties plan to raise the NMW significantly if they are elected. The IFS said at some point higher wages would hit employment, penalising workers who are supposed to benefit from higher pay. Labour said its plan would increase living standards, while the Tories declined to comment. A Labour spokesperson said: "Labour's £10 an hour minimum wage is in line with reputable forecasts of the wage needed to maintain a decent standard of living by 2020 and put an end to poverty pay." Some Conservative MPs have said higher pay for workers is also good for businesses. £10 an hour In its report, the IFS said increased wages for lower-paid workers has to be paid for by reduced profits, higher prices or lower earnings for the better-off. "Crucially, there must also be a point beyond which higher minimum wages have substantial impacts on employment," it said. There may be a case for gradual increases in the minimum wage, it argued, "but increases on the scale, and at the speed being proposed, create big risks". Although the Conservative manifesto has not yet been published, the party's existing plan is to increase what it calls the National Living Wage (NLW) from £7.50 to as much as £9 an hour by 2020. Those between the age of 18 and 24 qualify for the NMW, while those over 25 qualify for the higher NLW. Image copyright Getty Images When he was chancellor, George Osborne said the level should reach £9 an hour by 2020. However the Office for Budget Responsibility has estimated the figure will be £8.75, as the increase is linked to average earnings. Labour plans to increase the NMW to £10 an hour by 2020. It also wants to extend that rate to all those between the ages of 18 and 25, except for those on the apprentice rate. Currently those between 18 and 20 years old earn a minimum of £5.60 an hour, while those between 21 and 24 earn a minimum of £7.05. Low Pay Commission The IFS calculates that both Labour and Conservatives are planning for a "dramatic" increase in the number of workers affected by the minimum wage. Just 8% of those over 25 are paid the National Living Wage. Under the Conservatives, this would rise to 12% by 2020. Under Labour, it would be 22%. That is roughly comparable with what happens in France, which has the highest such level among OECD countries. The IFS says both Labour and the Conservatives are moving away from the current arrangements, under which the Low Pay Commission recommends an appropriate level for the NMW. When making its recommendation, it considers the effect on jobs.Microsoft's Windows and devices chief, Terry Myerson, has reaffirmed the company's commitment to its struggling Windows 10 Mobile platform. In an internal email, obtained by Windows Central, Myerson addresses concerns around Microsoft's mobile plans. The Verge can confirm the email is genuine. I understand that you are hearing concerns from certain partners about Microsoft's commitment to the mobile space. Let me be very clear: We are committed to deliver Windows 10 on mobile devices with small screen running ARM processors. We are currently in development of our next generation products and I wanted to reconfirm our commitment to Windows 10 Mobile. We believe in this product's value to business customers and it is our intention to support the Windows 10 Mobile platform for many years. We have a device roadmap to support that from Microsoft as well as our OEM partners who will also be selling an expanded lineup of phone devices based on this platform. In an interview with The Verge last month, Myerson revealed that Windows Phone isn't the company's focus this year. While Myerson doesn't address the company's 2016 plans directly in his internal email, it's clear "next generation products" are in development. Rumors suggest those products won't arrive until 2017, and Windows Central claims the "Surface Phone" will arrive in April next year. Microsoft revealed last week that it only sold 2.3 million Lumias in the recent quarter, a massive 73 percent drop from the 8.6 million in the same period last year. Lumia sales are now trending downwards, and Microsoft appears to have no plans to continue to use the Lumia brand. Earlier this week, Microsoft started giving away Lumia 950 handsets with Lumia 950 XL sales, a clear sign the company is clearing its inventory. Myerson's email also hints that Microsoft primarily sees value in Windows 10 Mobile for business customers. Windows Central suggests that the rumored Surface Phone will be the "most secure phone in the world," and "the best phone for productivity." That sounds like a phone that's targeted directly at businesses, rather than consumers. April 2017 is still a long year away, and without any planned Lumia devices until then it leaves it up to OEM partners to provide Windows 10 Mobile devices. Microsoft still controls over 90 percent of all Windows Phone devices, so it's unlikely that OEMs will step up to help push Windows Phone over the next year.Self-improvement and self-change is not something that comes naturally to many people. In fact, most people are “change averse.” They have a fear of changing their lives, and especially a fear of changing their own self. So instead of changing or improving the state of their lives, most people would rather just maintain the status quo and play it safe. There are many different reasons people avoid self-improvement. This article covers some of the biggest hurdles that may block us. 1. You have too much pride One of the most common things that hinders our self-improvement is that we have too much pride and arrogance. This is because the word “self-improvement” often implies that there are areas of our life where we aren’t fully satisfied or happy with (or, at the very least, where we think we can do better). So, to some extent, “self improvement” means that we have to admit that we can do better than our current situation – even if this temporarily hurts our egos. You can overcome this by recognizing that no one is perfect, and everyone can improve themselves in different ways. Understand that you are an individual who is always growing and changing, and this is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s only the person that doesn’t pursue self-improvement – who ignores that they can do better in certain areas of their life – who really has the broken ego in the end. 2. You think there will always be tomorrow Another problem we face when pursuing self-improvement is that we have a false belief that there will always be tomorrow. So instead of working to make changes today, we procrastinate and hold off on our goals and dreams. Unfortunately, if we keep following this pattern, then one day we may wake up and realize our whole life has passed us by, but we never got a chance to do the things that we really wanted to do. “Why didn’t I learn to treat everything like it was the last time? My greatest regret was how much I believed in the future.” Jonathan Safran Foer The lesson here is not to wait, but to act now. Don’t let time just pass you by. Life is remarkably short and tomorrow is never a guarantee. Take advantage of every day you have, and don’t wait until you’re on your deathbed to realize the life you’ve always wanted to live. 3. You believe you need to change everything overnight One of the main things I warn people about in The Science of Self Improvement is the “myth of overnight success.” We either expect big and immediate changes in our life – or nothing at all. So when things don’t magically get better in a short period of time, we quickly lose our commitment and dedication toward making gradual positive changes. This is a common trap to fall into, because self-improvement is often small and incremental. We need to work at it for long periods of time before we can look back and see how big of a difference we’ve made. Instead of searching for magical solutions to your life, focus on small and gradual change. Try to make a bit of progress each and everyday, but realize it’s a long-term commitment. 4. You say you are “too busy” Last but not least, one of the most common excuses we have is that we are “too busy.” You want to go to the gym and exercise again, but you just can’t find the time, because you’re too busy running around at work, at home, at school, or doing other errands. Sure, life can be busy (there’s no denying that), but when you find yourself “too busy” that’s really a sign that you need to reevaluate your priorities. “Those who think they have no time for health eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” Edward Stanley Ask yourself, “What’s really important to me?” Then make time for the things you value the most. Steven Handel is a long-time writer on psychology and self-improvement. He blogs frequently at The Emotion Machine and is also the author of the brand new e-book The Science of Self Improvement. He encourages you to follow him on Facebook and Twitter, where he frequently shares new articles, as well as answers people’s questions about the human mind and how it works. Photo Credit.TouchArcade Rating: If you’re a big Star Trek fan then this should interest you: YesGnome’s simulation game based on the iconic series, Star Trek Trexels (Free), has added brand new content based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and to celebrate they’ve dropped the price of the game to free for the first time since releasing last December. I have to admit that when Star Trek Trexels first came out, I became pretty obsessed with it. The game has a heavy Tiny Tower vibe as you slowly build out your own Starship Enterprise with various types of rooms and put together a crew to run it all. As you explore the galaxy, you’ll embark on missions of diplomacy, scientific discovery, and of course combat. It’s certainly not the deepest experience in the world, but it’s oddly compelling and does great Star Trek fan service. The problem is, Star Trek Trexels was a paid game with a very freemium feel. Even if the game had been free from the start, it never quite felt like the balance was right as it was infuriatingly difficult to get the proper amount of resources to build out your ship and amass a crew that was worth a damn. For months, I gave it the old college try and definitely made headway, but eventually I got to a point where missions were too difficult for the crew and ship that I had and I found myself not able to progress any further through the galaxy. There were several updates that came along that were supposed to tweak the balance, and perhaps they did, but it was too late for me. Anyway, today’s update looks to be the biggest for the game yet, with brand new characters and missions all pulled straight from The Next Generation part of the Star Trek series. You can even choose the Next Generation version of the Enterprise for your ship hull. The combat missions have also been overhauled, there’s a bunch of different social features that allow you to share your ship setup and enlist friends for more rewards, and last but not least you’ll now hear the all-important “swish" noise when characters are moving from room to room within the ship. It’s the little things that count. For free, I’d definitely recommend downloading Star Trek Trexels if you’re a Star Trek fan or a fan of those building simulation games like Tiny Tower. At its heart, it really is a good game. I’ll (reluctantly) be trying the game out again myself in hopes that the balance of the progression has been smoothed over in the months that I’ve been away.Protesters block an intersection on July 17, 2017, in Minneapolis, where demonstrations were taking place after a jury acquitted Officer Jeronimo Yanez in the shooting death of Philando Castile. (Photo11: Stephen Maturen, AFP/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Republican legislators in 20 U.S. statehouses have proposed — and six legislatures approved — new restrictions on the right to assemble and protest so far this year, according to a new report by the Democrat-aligned State Innovation Exchange. “These bills would create a new set of crimes, significantly harsher penalties, and costly fines that could apply broadly to anyone — whether they are supporters of the president, members of the Tea Party, or just concerned parents speaking out at a school board meeting,” according to an advance copy of the report. SiX works to advance progressive policies at the state level and calls the wave of bills a “new and disturbing trend.” “Given this passage rate, there is every reason to think we will see more of these efforts in 2018,” said the report. Among the states approving what SiX calls “anti-protester” legislation were Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Georgia and South Dakota. Arkansas, for instance, has passed a new “anti-loitering” bill that makes it an offense if a person “lingers, remains or prowls in a public place or the premises of another without apparent reason and under circumstances that warrant alarm or concern for the safety of persons or property in the vicinity.” In Oklahoma, where there have been protests against major oil and gas pipelines, "trespassing on property containing a critical infrastructure facility without permission" can now be a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months imprisonment. If the damage is "willful," punishment increases to up to 10 years in jail. Other efforts have stalled, particularly in states with Democratic governors. After protests in the wake of the 2016 police killing of 32-year-old Philando Castile, Minnesota conservatives proposed several pieces of legislation. Castile was shot and killed during a traffic stop with his girlfriend and 4-year-old daughter in the car. Supporters say the large-scale protests that followed his death cost police and other agencies $2.4 million over 18 months. One bill would have allowed local police departments to charge protesters convicted of a crime for the costs associated with demonstrations. The bills either failed to advance or were vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat. The legislation comes amid rising tensions over civil liberties across the U.S., including police shootings of black men, white supremacist rallies planned in several cities and numerous other demonstrations against President Trump's policies, as well as clashes between police and so-called "anti-facist" or "antifa" protesters. While critics say the efforts mark a dangerous trend threatening to silence dissent, supporters say demonstrations that disrupt or damage public infrastructure and risk public safety go too far. Rep. Nick Zerwas, a Republican sponsor of a Minnesota proposal that did not pass, said he simply wants to stiffen penalties for behavior that is already subject to fines, including blocking access to freeways and airports. “It was very narrow in scope and aimed to increase criminal penalties for a few specific violations,” said Zerwas. “What we’ve seen is a pattern of behavior in which individuals are closing down airports or blocking freeways in violation of existing law,” he said. Others would have increased penalties for protesting on an interstate highway from a gross misdemeanor to a felony, said Minnesota state Rep. Rena Moran. “The GOP continued to bury anti-protester provisions in successive versions of larger omnibus public safety bills,” she said. “There’s no indication that Republicans won’t continue to try to pass these bills next year,” said Moran. In “an incredibly disturbing development,” according to the report, some failed proposals would have even reduced penalties for motorists who strike protesters with their vehicles. Earlier this month in Charlottesville, Va., Heather Heyer was killed when a man allegedly supportive of a white supremacist rally plowed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters. Earlier this year, several similar bills were introduced and failed, including in Tennessee and Florida. In North Dakota, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe's months-long protests against the Dakota Access pipeline blocked roads and caused other disruptions. A bill proposed in the legislature would have eliminated liability for "a driver of a motor vehicle who, while exercising reasonable care, causes injury or death to an individual who is intentionally obstructing vehicular traffic on a public road, street, or highway." The bill garnered 41 "yes" votes in the state legislature after legislators tweaked language from absolving a driver who “negligently causes injury or death” to one who exercises “reasonable care” before hitting protesters. Supporters say their legislation would not exempt people who intentionally target protesters, yet critics say motorists could argue their actions were accidental. Fifty legislators voted against it and the bill failed. While SiX hopes to advance more progressive policy, its challenges are significant, beginning with the numbers. The Democratic Party holds only 16 governorships and lost more than 900 state legislative seats during the Obama presidency. Republicans now control the governor’s mansion and both legislative chambers in 25 states, while Democrats control all branches in five. Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2wOR09HMIAMI — The Heat ranked fifth in the NBA in defensive rating last season. Yet, Miami wasn’t represented on either of the league’s two All-Defensive teams. But that’s not the surprising part of Monday’s news. The fact that Heat forward James Johnson didn’t receive a single vote in the All-Defensive team category is. The teams were chosen by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Center Hassan Whiteside was the only Heat player to receive votes, as he placed fourth among centers in the voting for the All-Defensive teams. Whiteside was the second-team center for the 2015-16 season. This season, Utah’s Rudy Gobert was named the first-team All-Defensive center and New Orleans’ Anthony Davis was named the second-team All-Defensive center. Aside from the two centers who earned All-Defensive status, only Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan finished with more votes than Whiteside. [
on Forbes.com, thanks to Brian Caulfied's articles. The Intel vs ARM battle is lesser known, though no less fractious. The interesting difference between Intel, AMD and ARM, though is not the clash of people that seems to colour the Intel, AMD relationship. It lies in ARM's ecosystem business model. The question for observers of ecosystems is whether ARM can triumph long-term against Intel and prove that the new ecosystem model of business works sustainably. The ecosystem also represents an instance of the new social business. Its objectives and behaviours might be different from those of an Intel or Microsoft. Nick Vitalari and I write about the impact of business ecosystems in our new book The Elastic Enterprise and as ARM represents a very interesting case of an ecosystem at work, it might also illustrate some truths about how the new business environment operates. Let's see. Over on Innovation Management European innovation expert Jørn Bang Andersen was asking about the ARM business model, also this week. Andersen is a senior adviser to the Nordic Innovation Center and specialises in business ecosystems. He believes ARM are better positioned for the future than Intel are, not simply because their designs are specialized for the growth markets: mobile devices, cameras, tablet devices, etc, but because the ecosystem is a more potent business operating model. And he quotes ARM saying that ‘the complex reciprocal relationships that make up ARM’s eco-system, are probably our biggest barrier to entry’. In other words the ecosystem keeps competitors out. So the question is: can a company with a manufacturing need really scale a business through an ecosystem? Isn't that what Apple (AAPL) does? Well not really, Apple sells an end product and captures the bulk of the value of its designs and ingenuity. Arguably Intel did develop a kind of ecosystem, though not to manufacture chips, which we all ended up calling Wintel. This was, more or less, a vertically integrated series of ecosystems around platforms and highly disciplined communities of vendors corralled by the tightly coupled relationship between Microsoft(MSFT) and Intel (INTC). What is ARM doing differently? To us it looks like a new generation of ecosystem, one that resonates more with the new, more open philosophy of ecosystems that is now permeating and transforming business. In this new ecosystem-environment, ARM operates a design and license model that has been described as chaotic - in the sense that it does not conform to the old Wintel central planning model. Down the line, closer to the end customer, apps developers are, similarly, operating in a loose federation of overlapping ecosystems (Apple, Android, Windows, Salesforce.com, Amazon). Today's ecosystems, in other words, reflect a new kind of freedom and self-organization. That's a scary proposition. It is happening though and we believe a new kind of elastic enterprise is evolving because of it. The elasticity can be seen in the ability to grow without simultaneously growing a substantial administrative overhead. Intel represents old fashioned scale but substantially exceeds ARM's revenues. Andersen is also alive to the scale differences: "In 2011 Intel had a revenue of $40 billion and $13 billion in pre-tax profit. The British company ARM is ant-sized with a revenue of $588m and pre-tax profit of $172m in 2011." (in fact I see $54 bn for Intel and $785 in revenue and $364 million pre-tax profit for ARM in fiscal 2011). But see this also, from GigaOM from October 2011: "ARM on Thursday released details of its next generation architecture that will see its next cores capable of 64-bit computing. The boost from 32-bits to 64-bits will push ARM-based processors over the last big hurdle keeping the chip IP company outside the enterprise and corporate computing market, and pit it squarely against Intel." The reason is that ARM-based processors are more power efficient than Intel's architecture, and better for power hungry data centers. Their licensing model will also create better economics for the data industry. For its small scale, ARM is pervasive. Here on Forbes Brian Caulfield reported from CES on the number of companies exhibiting at the show who use ARM designs. It's an impressive list. Looking at a floor plan.... "On one side the logos of 60 exhibitors — including Microsoft, Amazon, Nokia, HTC, Motorola Mobility, Cisco, and Asus — with big booths showing off ARM-based products. Right now ARM has 200 semiconductor licensees and 900 partners supporting ARM in some way, such as providing design tools so that companies can design custom chips around its cores. Not bad for a company with only 2,000 employees." The point Andersen makes is that European companies have traditionally failed to achieve the kind of scale that Intel enjoys. Part of the reason is they get little of the collaborative power of an Intel, Windows alliance. That's a very Euro-centric critique. Looking at this list, collectively they could easily give ARM the scale it might crave. But there's another reason that I would venture that ARM will not scale and Intel might be able eventually to dominate in ARM's markets. Many Europeans simply don't want to scale. Andersen doesn't really explain why European companies failed in the Wintel era other than to record the power of the Wintel duopoly. That sounds like saying we failed because we lost. But I think ARM and many European companies belong to a different tradition, the British or European craft tradition that puts interest and ingenuity ahead of growth. The breakout mobile device Psion is a similar example. It never sacled. Its operating system Symbian fell at the scale hurdle in its "partnership" with Nokia. The culture of growth in the context of modern ecosystems, which reflect a more human-centric business platform, is an important feature of emerging management practice.There is a tension here. Do you create very human-centric ecosystems that remain small scale? Can you use ecosystems to scale like an Intel? As yet there are no clear management guidelines on the culture of these new business ecosystems, though we've seen Apple manage its pretty well, and Amazon is so far managing with its new writer community on Kindle. Ecosystems though are new and need to be documented. The strength of ARM's business model is indeed its ecosystem. But is its weakness, ironically, the absence of a drive to emulate Intel and create a $50 billion organization? American companies have something Europeans don't. An eye to owning their domain. The big question though is whether this cultural difference equips American or European companies better for the ecosystem age. Follow me on Twitter @haydn1701My co-blogger Adam Steinbaugh contributed to the factual and legal research of this post. A group called the Center for Medical Progress ("CMP") has been releasing a series of "undercover" videos as part of a campaign against Planned Parenthood and abortion. This week, a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court issued an order prohibiting them from publishing a narrow range of materials on that subject. This post addresses the First Amendment implications of that order, not the legal, political, and social issue of abortion and/or Planned Parenthood's practices. The lawsuit in question came not from Planned Parenthood, the lead target of the CMP's campaign, but a company called StemExpress. StemExpress is a broker — it procures human tissue samples and resells them to researchers. Only July 27, 2015, StemExpress filed a civil complaint against CMP in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The thrust of that complaint is that CMP activists posed as a company called "BioMax Procurement Services, LLC," approached StemExpress as a potential buyer of fetal tissue, secretly recorded a May 2015 meeting with StemExpress representatives, and obtained confidential StemExpress documents under the pretense of a purchase negotiation. StemExpress is suing for unlawful recording. California is a "two-party" state — under California Penal Code section 632, it's both a crime and a civil violation to record a private conversation without the consent of the participants. They're also suing for receipt of stolen property (the documents), conversion — meaning taking StemExpress' property (the documents again), fraudulent inducement of contract (under the theory that CMP entered into a nondisclosure agreement they indended to break in order to get documents from StemExpress), intentional interference with contract (under the same theory), breach of contract (under the same theory), and unfair competition (under a very annoying California statute that more or less lets anyone sue anyone for anything, anytime, anywhere, for any reason whatsoever, thanks be to God and beach houses for lawyers). StemExpress also asks for injunctive relief — an order prohibiting CMP from releasing a recording of the May 2015 meeting or the documents they obtained by fraud. As a preliminary matter, note that this case doesn't concern videos that CMP made of Planned Parenthood or its employees. It's only about one video of, and some documents from, one broker that deals with Planned Parenthood. Earlier this week StemExpress sought a temporary restraining order prohibiting that release. In civil court, a TRO is the first step of injunctive relief: it's meant to maintain the status quo until there can be a full hearing on whether to issue a preliminary injunction, which in turn maintains the status quo until the end of the case when the court may or may not issue a permanent injunction. CMP's statements suggest that StemExpress first sought a broad TRO from the court and was rebuffed. “They are not succeeding — their initial petition was rejected by the court, and their second petition was eviscerated to a narrow and contingent order about an alleged recording pending CMP’s opportunity to respond,” the group said." We have a copy of one of StemExpress' TRO applications here. They made the application ex parte, meaning with only about 24 hours notice. We also have a copy of the TRO the judge eventually signed. It's here. Notably, the judge narrowed the relief sought by StemExpress significantly, crossing out large parts of its proposed order. Until a preliminary injunction hearing on August 19, 2015, the court prohibited CMP from releasing or sharing in any way the recording of the May 2015 meeting. However, the court refused to prohibit CMP from releasing or sharing documents it obtained from StemExpress, and refused to order CMP to take down such documents that it had already published on its website. This was not a rubber-stamp order; right or wrong, the judge actually evaluated and addressed each request individually. That's heartening. Therefore, all that is currently prohibited, pending a hearing next month, is the recording of a single meeting. Is that constitutional? Let's start with the basic principle: prior restraint of publication is generally unconstitutional and highly disfavored. That generally means that courts may punish you for a wrongful publication, but they will only very rarely prohibit you from making it in advance. The Supreme Court has said that prior restraint is "the essence of censorship" and that the "chief purpose" of the First Amendment "is to prevent previous restraints upon publication." Here at Popehat we've written about numerous foolish and unsuccessful efforts to invoke prior restraint, brought by angry scientists and developers. We've also talked about cases of courts imposing clearly unlawful prior restraint, as in the case of Alabama blogger Roger Shuler. Under this doctrine, if you try to get a court to prohibit a publication in advance — or order it taken down — on the grounds that it's defamatory, you'll almost certainly fail. The remedy is to seek damages afterwards. But StemExpress' complaint isn't about defamation. It's about illegal recording and about violation of a nondisclosure agreement — an agreement that CMP operatives signed, attached to StemExpress' complaint as an exhibit. Recordings made secretly in violation of California Penal Code section 632(a) are inadmissible — you can't illegally record someone and then use that recording as evidence against them in a case.1 But I see no authority suggesting that the general rule against prior restraint is relaxed when the communication in question is an illegal recording under California law. Courts have generally declined to create broad exceptions to the prior restraint doctrine for illegally recorded materials, particularly in a "investigative reporting" context. The recordings — and maybe even the publications of them — can be punished, but there's not strong authority for them being prevented in advance. So: to the extent this TRO purports to rely upon the fact that the recording was illegal, it is of very dubious constitutionality. Remarkably, StemExpress' TRO application contains no prior restraint analysis whatsoever. Its sole concession to the First Amendment is an argument that (1) this isn't a First Amendment violation because it's an illegal recording, and (2) it's not a First Amendment violation because the defendants are free to speak or write about what happened at the meeting, they just can't release the recording. We don't have a transcript of the hearing, and we don't know what other arguments the court may have considered, but this is troubling. In my opinion, StemExpress could have made a decent argument if it had focused on the apparent fact that CMP signed nondisclosure agreements and then violated them. First Amendment rights are broad, but can be deliberately waived. That's why confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements are often enforceable. While the state of the law isn't perfectly clear, there's a colorable argument that threatened breach of a nondisclosure agreement may be a basis for prior restraint if the underlying confidentiality interest is strong enough. It's not a bulletproof argument, but it's much better than ignoring the prior restraint issue entirely. In sum: if the court based the prior restraint on a violation of California's secret-recording law, I think it probably violates the First Amendment. But the order might be sustainable because CMP engaged in the dubious practice of signing a pledge of confidentiality with the intent of breaking it. Right now CMP is bound by the order: its options are an emergency appeal or a knowing violation with all the consequences that follow. However, if CMP already provided the video to someone else independent of them, that person has the right to publish the video, and almost certainly can't be subject to prior restraint. The Supreme Court has made it very difficult to prevent the media from publishing illegally-obtained materials of public interest when the media in question wasn't complicit in getting those materials. Last 5 posts by Ken WhiteOf the innumerable creatures in the animal kingdom, turtles are perhaps one of the most fascinating. Their shells provide shelter and comfort and obviously a measure of protection from external threats. Whenever things on the outside get messy, something you’re certain to see is the turtle retreating into its carapace until the situation turns normal again. By contrast, human beings are a vastly different biological species. Therefore, we cannot count upon the same ability to shield ourselves from harm when events overtake us. Pulling back into a self-made exoskeleton simply doesn’t work — at least, not for long. It’s an analogy Bill Cosby would do well to heed as allegations of rape swirl around him. The man widely considered “America’s Dad” is learning a crash course in crisis management, cancelling appearances and refusing to speak at all in the interviews he actually deigns to grant. Cosby, a pop culture icon and a man who has a history of demanding accountability of others, is now eschewing it himself. One of the privileges celebrity affords performers is the ability to retreat into shells created from their own wealth and fame. Unfortunately, that dynamic can’t withstand the test of time, especially in the Internet age. Although Cosby has been the subject of these accusations for at least a decade, the story has taken on added urgency in an age where social media can shame even the most famous personality with a few well-placed tweets — or in Cosby’s case, an off-color joke by a little-known comedian that quickly goes viral. For that, the public perhaps owes Philadelphia-based jokester Hannibal Buress a debt of gratitude. In an instant, Mr. Buress managed to foist a measure of responsibility on a man whose personal fortune — and the general public’s unwillingness to believe that a paternalistic figure could be implicated by such horrific crimes — has inoculated him from it. As a result, Cosby’s wholesome persona is being chipped away daily, and rightfully so. By now, the affable Doctor Heathcliff Huxtable surely must be sweating under one of those colorful sweaters he’s famous for wearing. Cosby is now approaching a point where an image he’s painstakingly crafted over the last several decades is running headlong into the brick wall of reality. The deafening silence coming from those he’s worked with over the years, from “The Cosby Show” to the man who recently authored a hagiographic tome about the man himself, speaks volumes about the tough spot in which America’s Dad now finds himself. For now, attention is turning to Cosby’s commercial ventures, such as the comedy series he is developing with NBC. A snap poll taken by Variety.com revealed that an overwhelming majority of those surveyed think the Peacock Network should cut ties with a man who created one of their most iconic broadcast shows. Meanwhile, a Netflix comedy special centered on Cosby’s recent birthday and set to debut the day after Thanksgiving is now in some doubt as well. Truthfully, Cosby’s commercial and broadcast ventures are the least of his worries. Television is a powerful medium, and like everyone of a certain age, your writer grew up watching Cosby and idolizing his family man image. Given the details we now know (and are admittedly sketchy), at least some of the life he projected after the cameras stopped rolling is a fantasy. Indications about the man’s off-screen behavior have been around for years, but let’s face it — none of us actually wanted to believe it’s true. That suspension of disbelief has in part enabled Cosby to behave the way he has and has allowed him to sustain the idea that he can ignore the controversy and duck accountability. Some think Cosby is being subjected to some sort of high-tech lynching, but that’s hardly the case. The allegations dogging him are serious enough to warrant a thorough investigation. If he’s found to be culpable, he should be treated exactly the same as any sexual predator — even if it means trial and or prison time. One of the chapters in Come on People, the book Cosby co-authored with Harvard-educated psychiatrist Alvin Poussaint in which he issues a brave call for self-examination by blacks in the post Civil Rights era, calls on the community to “face the facts head on.” Mr. Cosby really should consider heeding his own advice.LUCKNOW: Having a cozy room, a fancy bar or a rich library in a railway coach is a fascinating prospect. If owning such a coach has ever been your dream, this could be your chance. The emblem of the Indian Railways on it, the coach could be modified to the buyer's liking or retain its original wooden seats.What one needs to do to make this a reality is bid for the coach when it is up for auction.At least six metre-gauge trains have been pulled out of operations by the Lucknow division of the North Eastern Railway (NER) due to gauge conversion of the Aishbagh-Mailani section. These rakes (trains) would be auctioned by railways as soon as a committee declares them `condemned'.People can participate in the auction and bid for what would then only be `scrap' for the railways.Lucknow division still has 12 metre-gauge rakes (trains) running on the Pilibhit-Mailani-Bah raich stretch and Pilibhit-Shahjahanpur stretch.NER Lucknow divisional railway manager Alok Singh said, “Since railways no longer manufactures these coaches, some of them will be used to augment the existing pairs. The remaining would be sent to other railways with metre-gauge trains running if they demand.“In case the coaches find no takers, railways would auction them.NER chief public relations officer Sanjay Yadav said the auction would be open for everybody. The auction is expected to be advertised sometime next month.The empowered committee of NER has already started review of the old coaches.“Western Railway has demanded a few coaches as it has metre gauge line. Besides, we also have to return some coached we had taken from other railways,“ said senior divisional operations manager Swadesh Singh.The railways inspects all coaches periodically. Coaches that are more than 25 years old are abandoned. Those in need of over hauling are sent to the workshop.The useful parts of a coach are removed and the waste is auctioned.Scrap dealers who buy a coach cut it into pieces to make it easy to transport. A person can also buy a shell from a dealer. The cost of a shell would depend on the tonnes of iron in it. In case of metre-gauge coaches, however, the entire coach can be auctioned as no part of it is useful to the railways. Most trains are now on broad gauge. For other coaches, only the shell is auctioned. The bogey (wheels on which the shell is placed) is not auctioned.Considering that it's tonnes of iron, buying a shell or coach is not easy. The weight of a passenger coach is 7 tonnes. The last metregauge coach was auctioned for Rs 1,10,000. However, that was 30 years ago as the Lucknow division has not had any auction in three decades. Prices now would have increased manifold.Guy Verhofstadt points out that sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea and aggression in Eastern Ukraine, will expire next month. This inspired Putin to host the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which takes place this week. Verhofstadt is enraged that Italy's prime minister Matteo Renzi and president of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker have accepted Putin’s invition, providing the Kremlin with an opportunity to cozy up to Europe, and "with a propaganda coup ahead of the parliamentary elections" later this year. While some EU leaders have contemplated easing sanctions, the author says, Angela Merkel is the only, who is willing to remain tough on Putin. What worries the author is the fact that European members of NATO have failed "to fulfill their defense-spending commitments" in recent years, with an average spending below the "promised level of 2% of GDP" or even much less. Having Europe unable to "uphold its side of the collective defense bargain," and "more important" its failure "to build up a genuine European defense community," the US has been bearing a huge share of the burden. In March Obama told Jeff Goldberg that America's allies in Europe were "free riders." Two weeks later this rhetoric has lent "credence to Trump’s reckless claims" about the Europeans "exploiting an 'outdated' alliance at the expense of American taxpayers." The author suggests that the EU would need to have a "broader" strategy" to "demonstrate its strategic value to the US," by reining in "the Kremlin’s provocative behavior." It has "failed to exercise the soft-power options" at its disposal to resist Putin's aggression in Ukraine. The problem is that the "overly assertive Kremlin" sees the modern Ukraine as an illegitimate nation, and will always seek to maintain dominance over its former satellite state. With the annexation of Crimea, Russia had violated international law. Apart from losing "full control of its borders," Ukraine is engulfed by a frozen conflict in eastern Ukraine. In the absence of a "reliable truce, it will remain politically unstable in the years to come, dashing Ukrainians' hope to join the EU and NATO. At the recent G7 summit in Japan, leaders had "pledged to prolong the sanctions until both the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements are fully respected." However in the EU, there is no consensus on "stronger measures aimed at Putin and his cronies, "with diplomats from Hungary, Cyprus, Italy, and others softening their stance toward Russia." Indeed, the Kremlin has been successful in undermining mainstream liberal values in Europe by supporting ultra-right parties. Its "lobbying efforts seem to be having an impact." The author urges Juncker and other EU leaders to "place EU priorities at the forefront" - "the preservation of Europe’s post-Cold War political and security architecture, the protection of the territorial integrity of European countries, and respect for the shared norms embodied by institutions like the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe. As long as Putin refuses to "support these priorities," there will be no "loosening of /existing economic/ sanctions." When it comes to Ukraine, emotions run high in Russia. There is little hope that the Minsk agreement be "implemented fully." As long as Putin remains in power, there may not be a "full withdrawal of Russian forces and military equipment from Ukrainian territory, and restoration to Ukraine’s government of complete control over its border with Russia." Ukraine is too weak, and the EU too preoccupied with its crises to deal with Moscow's rogue behaviour. A Trump presidency might even weaken Europe further more, and there is no guarantee whether Congress would still uphold "America's Magnitsky Act, which targets Russian officials responsible for gross human-rights violations."(Reuters) – “Office Christmas Party” actor T.J. Miller was arrested in Los Angeles early on Friday because of an altercation with his Uber driver over President-elect Donald Trump, according to police and media. Miller was booked at a jail for misdemeanor battery and released with a promise to appear at an upcoming court hearing, Los Angeles police spokeswoman Jenny Houser said in a phone interview. She declined to give details of the incident. An attorney for Miller did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Celebrity website TMZ, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, reported Miller was picked up by an Uber driver early on Friday and during the ride the two got into an argument about Trump. The driver contends Miller slapped him when they got to Miller’s house, according to TMZ. Houser said the driver, who she confirmed worked for a ride-hailing service, was not transported to a hospital and she had no information on any injuries the driver may have suffered. Miller is no fan of the president-elect. Several days before the election in November, he appeared on the late night show “Conan” and tried to burn a tie sold under Trump’s brand. On Thursday, he was on the television show again, with a safety pin through his ear in solidarity he said with opponents of Trump who have worn the pins in their clothing. In an apparent stunt, Miller’s ear seemed to bleed as he complained about feeling “dizzy.” Miller on Thursday night attended an awards event by culture website Vulture.com. He also went to a separate awards gala the same night hosted by the magazine GQ. The altercation with the driver occurred after Miller was picked up from the GQ Awards, according to TMZ. Miller stars in the comedy “Office Christmas Party” which opens at movie theaters on Friday. He also plays a technology entrepreneur in the HBO television series “Silicon Valley.” (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Ediing by Steve Orlofsky)A senior Jordanian official says the Hashemite kingdom will vote against a Palestinian statehood bid scheduled to be put before the UN General Assembly in September. "Jordan's top national interests will be in danger if the Palestinian Authority declares statehood unilaterally – especially in everything related to the issue of refugees, water, Jerusalem, and the borders," the UAE-based al-Bayan quoted a Jordanian state official as saying. Receive Ynetnews updates directly to your desktop Other Side Massive Attack promotes Palestine Or Barnea British DJ and trip hop duo follows in Coldplay's footsteps, posts 'Freedom for Palestine' song on its Facebook page Massive Attack promotes Palestine The report says Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit publicly expressed this opinion during a speech he made two months ago before fellow statesmen. This was, according to the report, "the beginning of the exposure of Jordan's decision to publicly stand its ground before Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas". Meanwhile, the paper also reported that Jordan is preparing to cancel the identification papers provided for Palestinian statesmen and their families. The decision was explained as a move that began with a 1988 ruling "to disengage from the West Bank and maintain Palestinian identity". truce talks between rival factions Hamas and Fatah.Story highlights Some Duke freshmen protest Alison Bechdel's "Fun Home" The award-winning book, on a summer reading list, "violates my conscience," said one (CNN) "Fun Home" may have won several awards for author Alison Bechdel, but some Duke University freshmen were not impressed. The 2006 graphic novel, an autobiographical work about Bechdel coming to terms with her homosexuality as her funeral-director father remains closeted, was selected as a summer reading book for the Duke Class of 2019. But some students declined to read it because of its sexual themes and use of nudity. "I feel as if I would have to compromise my personal Christian moral beliefs to read it," incoming freshman Brian Grasso wrote on Facebook, according to the Duke Chronicle "The nature of 'Fun Home' means that content that I might have consented to read in print now violates my conscience due to its pornographic nature," freshman Jeffrey Wubbenhorst added in an email to the publication. A Duke spokesman observed that the reading was voluntary, though he hoped that "students will begin their time at Duke with open minds and a willingness to explore new ideas, whether they agree with them or not." Read MoreNewly-approved guidelines in Minnesota direct K-12 public school officials to "segregate" students uncomfortable with using transgender bathrooms and locker rooms, all in the name of inclusivity, of course. With the approval of a new gender toolkit from a Minnesota Department of Education advisory council on Wednesday, all publicly-funded schools (including charter schools) within the state now have detailed instructions addressing the inclusion and protection of "gender nonconforming" and trans students. But not all students are being protected: school officials are also told to "segregate" any student hesitant about the new trans rules, which would potentially include female students changing side-by-side with male students in a locker room (emphasis added): "Schools should work with transgender and gender nonconforming students to ensure that they are able to access needed facilities in a manner that is safe, consistent with their gender identity and does not stigmatize them,” says the toolkit. “Privacy objections raised by a student in interacting with a transgender or gender nonconforming student may be addressed by segregating the student raising the objection provided that the action of the school officials does not result in stigmatizing the transgender and gender nonconforming student.” Moreover, teachers are told they must use the preferred pronouns and names of gender confused students, even absent a medical confirmation of a transition. Trans and "gender nonconforming" students can "choose the pronouns staff must use when addressing them, and does not require a medial 'transition' before students are to be treated as the gender of their choice," notes The Blaze. "Teachers are warned they could violate federal law if they use the 'incorrect pronoun or incorrect name' of a transgender student." The toolkit states: "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of students. Schools should note that neither a student’s gender nor pronouns are considered public or directory information. Casual use of a student’s incorrect pronoun or incorrect name may violate FERPA.” Students who don't identify as their biological gender can also have exceptions made to the school dress code and "school traditions" altered if desired. “In an effort for inclusivity, schools may wish to consider revisiting existing traditions or establishing new traditions,” reads the new toolkit. “For example, instead of electing a homecoming king and homecoming queen, some schools have chosen to nominate ‘prom ambassadors,’ ‘homecoming court’ or ‘homecoming royalty.’ At the University of Minnesota, for example, the titles of homecoming king and queen have been replaced with the title ‘Homecoming Royalty’ and students selected as royalty will now be called ‘royals.’” As noted by The Blaze, "the toolkit is nonbinding and could be edited in the future, according to Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius." There are no measures within the literature which act to ensure all students who claim to be trans or "gender nonconforming" are actually suffering from gender confusion.I’m so fortunate to have had a career in golf. But the professional golfer you see today — indeed, the man you see today — has learned a lot since he started playing full-time on the PGA Tour in 1994. And there’s probably a lot that young golfers can learn from what happened to me. In 1996, I won my first two PGA Tour events. I was comfortable with my game and felt like the victories were the beginning of something really special. Once I started to make a name for myself on Tour, some pretty exciting things happened. Every person I knew wanted to advise me on how to conduct my finances. Different tournament officials began asking if I wanted to play in their events. I started making money with endorsements. I began chasing all the things that were suddenly available to me because I was winning. It was all happening so quickly, and it sidetracked from my game. Despite having won twice in 1996, I signed with a new sponsor and switched equipment for the following season. Looking back, that was the genesis of my struggles. In subtle ways I began to change the very game that had carried me to the highest level of golf. That was a huge mistake. When the 1997 season opened, I was excited about the prospects of building upon a successful ’96. But, in the back of my mind, I knew that my game and mindset were completely different from what they had been before. I didn’t feel like the humble boy from Wisconsin anymore. On the Wednesday before the 1997 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am began, I found out that in addition to being paired with Kevin Costner and Bryant Gumbel, I was going to be paired with a skinny 22-year-old who was rapidly changing the landscape of golf — both on and off the course. That kid was Tiger Woods. You never really forget the first time you hear Tiger hit a golf ball. Several times, I would really connect with a drive only to be stunned to see that Tiger’s ball had landed 40 to 50 yards beyond mine. After the first round had ended, I told Nicki, my wife and caddy, what I had been thinking since the moment we left the course: “I can’t compete with that type of game. I just can’t compete with that.” This was the first big blow to my confidence as a golfer. My round with Tiger made me introspective, and for the first time I began to doubt myself. All the early mornings on the range hitting balls until my hands were torn with calluses; all the hours spent practicing during the frigid Wisconsin winters; all the memories I had of being on the course with my father; in my mind, at that moment, it truly seemed as though all of the time and effort I had put into the game of golf had been rendered utterly meaningless. Being on Tour wasn’t all I had thought it would be. I enjoyed playing golf for a living, yes. But the airports, the car rides, the hotels — I think I lost the desire to do a lot of things it took to live the life of a professional golfer. It was a pretty dark moment in my career. The deals that I had signed obligated me to travel overseas to play in a few international tournaments. I suddenly didn’t want that anymore. I didn’t want to have to play in tournaments just for the money. I didn’t want to have to sleep in a different hotel each week. Most of all, I didn’t want to have to miss my family anymore. I missed living at home with my wife. I missed my kids. I wanted to see them grow up. I wanted to be their father. It was a very sad time for me. As a result, I started to perform very poorly. In 1997, I dropped sharply from 12th to 43rd in the Official World Golf Ranking. After a while, my confidence was shot. Sure, I had some good moments, like at the 1998 PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club, where I was the runner-up, or at the ’99 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where I finished fifth. But my success didn’t amount to much. I simply couldn’t gain any momentum. It’s difficult to describe. Then, during the early 2000s, something pretty special happened. It resulted in an epiphany. I had played one of the worst professional rounds of my career down at Doral, and was just kind of lost. The worst part about it was that I had done it in front of Jack Nicklaus, who was my playing partner that day. It was as embarrassing as you might think it would be. Golf is a lonely, lonely game when you’re playing that poorly. As I signed my scorecard and prepared to head home for the weekend, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Jack. “Steve, I’ll see you over on the range. I have a thing or two I want to show you about how you’re swinging the driver.” A minute or so later, over on the range, Jack stood a few feet away from me, arms crossed, watching me push a tee into the ground. He gave me a few quick tips, and it wasn’t long before I was striping the ball. I realized that I was exerting too much of my time and energy trying to play golf like someone who I wasn’t, which led me to question my passion for the game. Unfortunately, not even a 10-minute lesson with an all-time great was going to get me back into form. No, it was going to take me a few years to truly feel confident in my game again. So despite that moment with Jack, there were still low moments to come. In 2004, I performed so poorly that I lost my PGA Tour card. Of all the setbacks I had experienced up to that point in my career — everything from my confidence being dismantled by Tiger Woods’s game to playing terribly in front of Jack Nicklaus — nothing was as demoralizing as finding out that I didn’t belong with my contemporaries. I played in none of the majors during the 2005 season and had to rely on sponsor exemptions to make any appearances at all. Ironically, a lot of good came from my struggles. I was happy again. I was with my family. I made the necessary changes to my game to be successful again. I went back to the style of play that had gotten me on the Tour in the first place, which focused more on precision and a solid short game than it did on length. In 2006, I won the PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year award, and in 2007, reached No. 5 in the world rankings. I’m so grateful to those who gave me the confidence to keep fighting for a spot on Tour. But, make no mistake about it: It wasn’t easy. It was never easy. So, why am I writing all of this? And why now? Well, I hope that my story can be a cautionary tale for all the young professionals out there. There’s a tremendous amount of talent in our game. My advice to young golfers may be cliché, but it’s still incredibly important: Don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken. Golfers on the PGA Tour are at the highest level
was a job to be done after all… And even when I couldn't see it myself - I am surrounded with a good team of people, who were pointing out that drinking while having a lung infection and being on antibiotics wasn't a healthy choice, that the excuses I started to voice for not getting on a flight were verging on the ridiculous. But they all made sense to me at the time. Basically I was becoming a bit of an asshole to the people around me. We tried all kinds of things to reduce the anxiety and stress, from touring less, putting in more free time, taking more expensive but more relaxing travel options. We build the studio we felt we missed on the road, I bought the house I needed as my own place to call home, I moved my girlfriend from the states to the Netherlands. It helped initially, I felt better but the idea of being on the road was suffocating me… I just could not think straight and my spells home were just there to help me recover ever so slightly before needing to go back on the road. I LOVE performing, if only there was a Scotty to beam me from home to stage I’d be all for that. And then it hit me…my first panic attack…I couldn’t breathe…my head was spinning and I had to go on stage in less than an hour…I didn’t know if I wanted to faint or throw up. The doctor came and ordered me to run around the block a few times. And prescribed me some pills…the runs helped but the pills felt GREAT. That was a fantastic solution! Now I took some pills before the flight too! And then BAM in the car on the road just back home not even touring…another panic attack…At this point I didn't even need to do many more dates before we were to have another month off…I started not sleeping at home, what if the pills were the only thing that could keep me going, what if the fans saw I could not really keep it together, that I felt I was going insane…what if, what if… Ultimately it was my manager who sat me down and made me take a good look at myself and my situation. We spoke about physical and mental health and how much of that is still a taboo in our world. Pretty soon after I figured out that actually to be able to continue with Blasterjaxx I needed to step back and get off the road. Physically and mentally I am not wired to be on the road like this and I need to make the right decision before things start going wrong past a point of no return. I don t want to be one of those guys, cancelling dates and checking into hospital with ‘exhaustion’. It s a heavy decision, not just for me but also for Thom, who I’ve shared this whole journey with and who has supported me throughout all this. Blasterjaxx will always be Thom and me, just that our roles will change. From December onwards Thom will take the stage as Blasterjaxx by himself and we’ll continue the studio work together as before, just that I ll be doing my bits strictly from the studio at home. We’ve completely synched our studio set ups to ensure we can continue our integrated production process as before and I know Thom will be kicking ass on the stage like he always does. I know that I am opening myself to criticism, that there are still many that expect you to just ‘man up’, that there will be people trying to take advantage. But having experienced the real challenge of maintaining a healthy body and mind; opening up like this is the least I can do to keep you all informed about what’s really going on. I know I will be ok – I have the best partner/team and most of all fans in the world. Thom: Everyone who knows us, knows how close we are. Me and Idir are brothers for life, and even though I am sad that I won’t have Idir with me on the road every single day it was killing me to see idir go through what he was going through and I am glad we’ve found a solution. We really need this new set up to ensure the growing future for Blasterjaxx, to allow our sound to evolve to something even bigger and better and to ensure the endurance of the Blasterjaxx sound, but most importantly to ensure Idir’s health. Note from mgmt: Blasterjaxx will perform as a duo for all dates until November 28th." Major kudos for Idir for taking the tough step to open up to fans in this manner. The past few years has been tough on major big room duo's starting with the tragic loss of a member of The Bingo Players, then the unfortunately news of one half of Dada Life contracting cancer, and now Blasterjaxx. I wish Idir and Thom the best and hope Blasterjaxx remains as strong as ever in the future.Crafted in 1876 by Ellen Harding Baker of Cedar County, Iowa, this embroidered quilt is more than mere folk-art object or household item: it was actually used by Harding Baker as a visual aid for astronomy lectures she'd give in her community. It's now part of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Advertisement From the museum's website — the only place to see the quilt at present, since it's not currently on display — here's more about the science-minded artisan (pictured at left) who created this remarkable object: The maker, Sarah Ellen Harding, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1847, and married Marion Baker of Cedar County, Iowa, on October 10, 1867. They lived in Cedar County until 1878, and then moved to Johnson County, where Marion had a general merchandise business in Lone Tree. Ellen had seven children before she died of tuberculosis in the spring of 1886. The design of Ellen's striking and unusual quilt resembles illustrations in astronomy books of the period. Ellen used the quilt as a visual aid for lectures she gave on astronomy in the towns of West Branch, Moscow, and Lone Tree, Iowa. Astronomy was an acceptable interest for women in the nineteenth century and was sometimes even fostered in their education. Advertisement Detail shot: H/t Mika McKinnonThe surprise is that it did not happen sooner. When George Osborne entered the Treasury in 2010 and began his austerity programme it was often predicted that a cabinet minister (most likely a Liberal Democrat) would resign within months in protest. Yet the government endured for a full five years without a senior frontbencher departing over economic policy. This partly reflected the compromises made by Osborne as growth slowed. But significant deprivations were still imposed: the household benefit cap, the 1 per cent limit on working age benefit increases, the bedroom tax and £28bn of cuts to spending on the disabled. Yet not only did no cabinet minister resign, the Conservatives went on to win a parliamentary majority. Osborne’s strategy was said to have been vindicated. After this success, he doubled-down and reaffirmed his pledge to achieve a budget surplus by 2020. But less than a year after the the Tories’ election victory, the Chancellor’s approach is in jeopardy. A cabinet minister has finally resigned over fiscal policy. In his letter to David Cameron, Iain Duncan Smith excoriated the government for cutting disability benefits while cutting taxes for high-earners (though it has been doing so for years) and for refusing to means-test universal pensioner benefits. Osborne’s “fiscal self-imposed restraints”, he warned, were leading to policies ever more perceived as “distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest”. The Chancellor is discovering that even with a Conservative majority, it is hard to balance the budget on the backs of the poorest. Only three months ago, he was forced to abandon planned tax credit cuts after a Tory revolt. He is now poised to similarly backtrack over reductions to Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) for the disabled. The two largest revenue-raising measures (£3.4bn and £4.4bn) in his recent fiscal statements have both been defeated Osborne’s economic imperative of a budget surplus is colliding with the political reality of a minute majority (12 seats). A pre-Budget revolt over proposed pension tax relief changes forced him to concede even before announcing them. Almost all Tory MPs support austerity in theory but they increasingly oppose it in practice. The easiest and least divisive cuts have already been made; the Conservatives’ election pledges have further limited Osborne’s room for manoeuvre. Faced with a Labour opposition they feared could oust them from power, the Tories vowed not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT, and to protect spending on the NHS, pensioner benefits, schools, and international development (defence has since joined the list). More than half of all public spending is ring-fenced and Osborne has pre-emptively denied himself obvious sources of revenue. It is this choice, and a deficit of £72.2bn, that explains the political blunders of recent times. All this while the economy continues to grow at a comparatively healthy rate of 2 per cent. If his leadership hopes are to endure (and Osborne may be irrevocably damaged), the Chancellor cannot afford to keep proposing measures he lacks the political strength or will to implement. He must either abandon, or miss, his surplus target, or adopt a new strategy for achieving it. The latter could involve progressive tax rises of the kind that Osborne has at times considered (such as a mansion tax) but not pursued. It is an irony that his task would have been easier had the coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats continued. This partnership would have given him political cover to either abandon his surplus target or to impose tax rises (as Osborne himself privately noted before the election). The Conservative manifesto, designed as a negotiating position, was often described by economists as “impossible” to implement. Osborne is discovering how right they were.Prisons, Ecology and the Birth of an Empire by Panagioti / Earth First! Newswire Strange sometimes how worlds collide. Nine years ago I found myself in the swamps of the northeastern Everglades listening to an independent, traditional Seminole activist asking for support in challenging the state and federal government’s plans to fund a celebration of 500 years of Florida—a history that began, in many ways, with the founding of one of the best known tourist traps in this country’s history. If Christopher Columbus is a symbol marking the origin of Manifest Destiny’s rampage across the western hemisphere, then conquistador Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who established the colony of St. Augustine, built the first literal foundation under that genocidal, ecocidal mindset. Today, as I occupy my time developing the Prison Ecology Project, aimed at mapping the intersections of incarceration, ecology and environmental racism, it’s hard not to also view St. Augustine as the first prison town of what would be become the U.S. Empire—a nation that has distinguished itself in the modern world by simultaneously pushing global policies that have facilitated an unprecedented pillaging of the planet for resources and for locking people up at a never-before-seen scale or pace in human history. For many people I’ve spoken with over the past several months, there is a gut level, intuitive response to view these things—mass incarceration and industrial pollution—as connected in some way. Since the Prison Ecology Project began earlier this year, it has been able to establish dozens of concrete examples of that connection all across the country in the here-and-now. But learning more about the history of St. Augustine, as their big 450th Anniversary celebration is about to commence in 6 weeks (featuring a planned appearance by the King and Queen of Spain), has got me thinking a lot about the deeper roots of the prison/ecology intersection. And it ain’t pretty. Conventional history places the initial prison boom in the U.S. as the penitentiaries of the Mid-Atlantic region in a first wave of criminal justice reform stemming from the American Revolution’s break with the brutality of justice under British colonialism. On October 25, 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary became what was considered to be the world’s first “true penitentiary.” Eastern State’s new system of incarceration, dubbed the “Pennsylvania system,” supposedly allowed people an opportunity to correct themselves through the Quaker values of silence, solitude and reflection, with Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon structure allowing a benevolent warden to oversee the prisoners and ensure their safety. In cities to the north, the prison reform debate raged with the construction of new prisons, including the now-famous Sing Sing, which used the Auburn system, or the “New York system”, which held that prisoners should be forced to work and could be subjected to physical punishment. (Yes, the New York model won out.) But it’s down in Florida where the first real prison town of the continent existed, and had been plugging away since 1570, when Spanish soldiers in St. Augustine had built the first substantial prison in North America. (It’s worth noting that as other European nations began to compete with Spain for land and wealth in the “New World,” they also turned to prisoners to fill out the crews on their ships.) According to the Resist450.org Coalition: By 1837, the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine was used explicitly as a prison for Seminole people who resisted the policy of forced relocation. By 1875, the fort was used to imprison indigenous people under attack throughout the West, including Chiefs from the Cheyenne and Kiowa tribes. These prisoners became treated as a tourist attraction for vacationing teachers and missionaries experimenting in techniques of forced cultural assimilation. In 1886 nearly 500 Apache prisoners were held at the fort, many of whom died there. For the most part, the prisoners were men who had refused to accept the Federal government’s system of reservations for controlling the tribes. It’s in that history where something much more familiar to the modern U.S. prison system is actually surfacing, at least in its overall intent—convict labor at the service of corporate globalization (a synonym for Manifest Destiny), and the use of incarceration as a tool of mass repression against people defending their land and communities, and even more so, preempting others from joining them. While the construction and engineering of prisons today looks, at the surface, more like Bentham’s post-colonial panopticon of penitence, the purpose they serve is much more aligned with what we could call the “St. Augustine System.” A system where imprisonment is not based on crimes one may have committed, but on the threat that broad populations of disenfranchised people pose to the stability of an empire based on tearing apart entire cultures in the endless pursuit of greed. Descendents of the millions of Africans subjected to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, the tribes of people native to North America who faced genocidal expansionist policies 500 years ago, and the immigrant labor force that was shipped from all over the world between that time and now, these are the people filling the prisons today. Black, Latino and Indigenous people are disproportionately represented in every one of the states in the U.S. today—even in states like Vermont, with 96% population of white people. And the low-income white descendents of European immigrant laborers essentially make up the rest of the prison population (though assimilation into whiteness makes this a near-impossible statistic to track.) You may recall this demographic of people from noted moments in recent history such as: the labor movement, the fight for civil rights, Black and Brown Power organizing for self-determination, American Indian sovereignty struggles, and more recently, the battle to secure environmental justice protections. In the past 30 years, there was a 500% increase in locking people up, tapping these demographics to the tune of around 10 million people at any given moment under extreme state surveillance (prison, house arrest, parole, probation), and scaring the shit out of… excuse me, having a chilling effect… on countless millions more. It was in viewing this reality of the criminal justice system that the Prison Ecology Project decided to intervene in the Environmental Justice 2020 (EJ 2020) strategy session that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated earlier this year. If you read the EPA’s guidelines on who is entitled to environmental justice protections that it is obligated to provide under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (which explicitly prohibits discrimination by government agencies that receive any federal funds), it’s basically the exact—albeit unspoken—criteria that the criminal justice system uses to decide who rots in prison and who goes on to become investment bankers. As it turns out, despite passing the Civil Rights Act more than 50 years ago, the U.S. government has been entirely ignoring the environmental health protections that are implied under Title VI for the millions of people behind bars. And while the Constitution does still enshrine the practice of prison slave labor in the 13th Amendment, it does not legally strip people of their other Civil Rights, such as the protection from discrimination in environmental permitting and enforcement of regulations. Prisons are heavy industrial facilities, akin to factory farms in their pollution output of sewage and chemicals. If it’s an issue to live next to one, then it sure as hell should be to live inside one. Thankfully the Prison Ecology Project was not alone in seeing that. Ninety-three other organizations signed on directly to the EJ 2020 comment that was submitted earlier this month, and others submitted letters which supported the position of recognizing prisoners as deserving environmental justice protections. Among those were several Earth First! groups, Rising Tide North America, the National Lawyers Guild, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater (founded by Pete Seeger), a Quaker group (perhaps repenting for follies of their predecessors in PA), the EJ Forum (the biggest environmental justice coalition in the country), a former EPA chief attorney, and even the Sierra Club—the largest membership-based environmental organization in the U.S. [Check out the EJ 2020 comments from Sierra and EJ Forum in the links above.] This could be a small but significant step in the unraveling of the racist, repressive incarceration policies of the past few centuries… If we build off it. Are you in? If so, let’s meet up in St. Augustine, Sept 5th – 9th. And on that note, the Resist 450 Coalition reminds us: “Although the Castillo de San Marcos prison was closed in 1900, the legacy of brutality continues today in Florida’s prisons, which have been making recent headlines for their high levels of violence and corruption,” also that “famed Native American political prisoner Leonard Peltier is held today in a federal prison only two hours from St. Augustine, in Coleman, FL.” The Coalition goes on further to declare that the Castillo de San Marcos Fort and Prison should be torn down. In calling for such, they have contacted the monarchs of Spain, Pope Francis, and “the descendants of the Aboriginal Indigenous People who, among others, were reported to have been held captive prisoners in the Castillo de San Marcos…” This list includes: • Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas • Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town • Apache Tribe of Oklahoma • Arapaho Tribe of Wind River Reservation • Caddo Nation • Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma • Chickasaw Nation • Comanche Nation • Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples • Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana • Fort Still Apache Tribe • Jicarilla Apache Tribe of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation • Muscogee (Creek) Nation • Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation • Poarch Band of Creek Indians • San Carlos Apache Tribe of the San Carlos Reservation • Simanolee People • Thlopthlocco Tribal Town • Tonto Apache Tribe of Arizona • White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation • Yavapai-Apache Nation of the Camp Verde Indian Reservation The list can also be found on the PDF flyer for Resist 450, along with a calendar of events, available to be download and printed to circulate widely. —————————- Panagioti is a former editor on the Earth First! Journal collective and current coordinator of the Human Rights Defense Center’s Prison Ecology Project. For more on the subject of incarceration and the environment, check out his article “The Ecology of a Prison Nation” available in the latest issue of the Earth First! Journal. He hopes to see you out on the streets of St. Augustine during the 450 protests, and asks that you kick in a few bucks to support the Prison Ecology Project. Share this: Google Reddit Twitter Facebook Print Email More LinkedIn Pinterest Pocket TumblrTALKS to curb Iran’s nuclear programme have less than a month to run. Even now, after 12 years of sporadic argument, Iran insists that it wants civilian nuclear power and not a bomb. But nobody really believes that. If the talks break down, atomic weapons could proliferate in the Middle East; or, in a bid to stop Iran, America or Israel could launch a military attack on its infrastructure. Either outcome would be a disaster. Get our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks. Plenty still separates Iran and, on the other side, the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (known as the P5+1). Much of the focus is on the mechanics of a deal (see article). The two sides cannot agree on how many centrifuges Iran should be able to use to enrich uranium, how long an agreement should last, or how fast to lift sanctions. The gap would be easier to close if Iran and America trusted each other. One reason why the relationship is so poisonous is that popular Western views of Iran are out of date to the point of caricature. A better understanding of the country would help the talks reach a comprehensive settlement—or, at least, avoid a catastrophic collapse. Prelude and centrifuge Much that Iran does is wrong. It finances terrorists and militias in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories and backs the murderous regime of Bashar Assad in Syria. Its politicians routinely deny Israel’s right to exist. They treat opponents at home with cruelty and injustice. On Saturday a woman was hanged for killing the man she accused of molesting her, shortly before a UN envoy condemned a surge in executions and the treatment of Iran’s women. His colleague at the UN’s nuclear agency recently complained that Iran is failing to come clean about its nuclear research—part of a litany of evasion and deceit. Bad as that is, however, Western denunciation casts Iran in an almost uniquely grim light. It is an implacable enemy. It was part of George W. Bush’s Axis of Evil. It is a dictatorship bent on exporting revolution and prey to a dangerous, millenarian Islam that might just be irrational enough to welcome a nuclear apocalypse. Barack Obama, America’s president, has been condemned for even talking to such a pariah. Thirty-five years have passed since a senior American official last visited Iran. It has changed. Our special report in this issue describes a country whose revolutionary fire has been extinguished. As people have moved from their villages to the cities they have got richer and acquired a taste for consumer goods and Western technology. Over half of Iranians go to university, up from a third five years ago. The disastrous presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the failed Green revolution—which sought to topple him in 2009—and the chaotic Arab spring have for the moment discredited radical politics and boosted pragmatic centrists. The traditional religious society that the mullahs dreamt of has receded. With the passing of time, the mosques have started to empty. The muezzins’ call to prayer is heard less often, because people complain about the noise. In Qom, the religious capital, seminaries are dwarfed by a vast shopping mall. As a caliphate takes root in Iraq and Syria, here is one Islamic state where religion is in retreat. Iran is not a straightforward dictatorship. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has the last word. But his role is to adjudicate between the claims of an elite made up of thousands of politicians, clerics, generals, academics and business people. They form a confusing and ever-shifting pattern of competing factions and coalitions. Although this hardly amounts to democracy, it is a political marketplace and, as Mr Ahmadinejad discovered, policies that tack away from the consensus do not last. That is why last year Iran elected a president, Hassan Rohani, who wants to open up to the world and who has reined in the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Mr Rohani belongs to the establishment, naturally, but it says a lot about today’s Iran that his cabinet contains more doctorates from American universities than Barack Obama’s. No Qompromise What does this mean for a nuclear deal? For a start, that on balance Iran will act pragmatically, in what it sees as its own interests, rather than out of a messianic desire to pull down the world order, and is therefore worth talking to. Secondly, that power in Iran moves between factions, just as in America, so any deal must be future-proofed against the day when a hardliner returns to the presidency. And thirdly—and most important—that the world has time on its side. The further the 1979 revolution recedes, the more normal Iran will tend to become. Dogma will be further eclipsed by everyday worries, like making money and doing business. Iran will not suddenly abandon its nuclear programme, which ordinary Iranians would see as humiliation; it is not about to become friendly to America, nor to stop meddling in its region. But if the regime comes to feel that it can escape the fate of Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi, who gave up on nuclear weapons only to be toppled, a curb will seem less of a gamble. Time also helps because a deal is increasingly in Iran’s interests. Mr Rohani needs relief from sanctions. After growing by over 5% a year for a decade, the economy shrank by 5.8% in 2012. Oil pays the government’s bills; its recent 25% fall in price is squeezing the economy further. Iran’s region is dangerous, too. Islamic State threatens its Shia allies in Iraq, and both Mr Assad and Hizbullah, its ally in Lebanon, are engulfed by war in Syria. Iran hints that America should give ground in the nuclear talks so as to secure Iranian help in the Middle East. In fact, Shia Iran is the one who stands to gain: America would risk a backlash from its Sunni allies in Saudi Arabia and from the Sunnis it is trying to win over in Iraq and Syria. Despite this month’s deadline, the P5+1 should be patient. The interim agreement that paved the way for talks, under which no new centrifuges are being installed, creates a pause in the nuclear programme. The world should neither break the talks with impossible demands, nor give way to Iran for fear that there will never be a better opportunity. Instead, the P5+1 should hold out for the right deal. It would be good if they got one next month, but if they don’t it will not be a disaster.This is a storm deck. For those of you who don't know what that means, Storm is a card mechanic, where it lets you copy the spell with storm as many times as the amount of spells you have cast this turn. The idea is to play stuff like Goblin Electromancer to play instants/sorcery cards cheaper. Then use cards like Desperate Ritual to get mana, while drawing cards with draw cards. Finally, hit them with Grapeshot for a ton to win, or you can use Empty the Warrens in your sideboard to swing for a ton. Cards like Past in Flames lets you flashback cards to add to the storm count or even to hit them again with grapeshot/empty the warrens. This is a more budget deck at the moment, and I will remake it less budget when I acquire the cards to do so.So if Pandora and Paradox had a baby, would it be a clone? Okay, hold up. First things first, when a draconequus reproduces with a pony, they get a baby. Singular. When a draconequus reproduces with another draconequus, they get a litter. So…yeah. Pandora and Paradox are not having a good day. But at least they’ve learned their lesson about having sex with your extra-dimensional opposite sex counterpart. Don’t. Presuming the universe didn’t implode from this event, Pan and Dox would soon break the world record for worst parenting ever. Good thing the little clone babies are nearly indestructible. Their names are: Pancake-female Hopscotch-both male and female Jean Luc-female Number 4-neither(no sex) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ps. this ain’t canon, folks, i'm just being silly and to answer another common question, Paradox is not Oddball’s father, I’m not planning to reveal that as a twist or something XPHub Caps for Sale Hub caps do more than just protect the lug nuts on your wheels, they can add a personalized, decorate touch to your vehicle. You may only want to purchase one individual cap. By using the search box we provide, you can find exactly the right match for your vehicle without spending hours online. If you want a complete set of new caps, you will find a huge selection available. You may need to replace just one hub cap due to damage or loss. Damage can occur due to age or the material used in manufacturing. Some hub caps can crack and break easily. Even light contact with a curb can cause damage or knock the cap from your wheel. Clip-on style caps are extremely prone to this type of loss. Zip ties are often used to prevent caps from coming off due to impact. Hub Cap Styles From simple caps with no decorative accents to designer styles, you can find hub caps that meet your specific needs. Common caps include OEM styles designed by the vehicle manufacturer with a center logo. In addition to choosing different designs you can also find caps in all color ranges to match or contrast your vehicle. Moon caps add a sleek design to the wheel on your vehicle. This type is extremely shiny and reflective. Full Moon caps cover the entire wheel to the edge of the rim. Baby Moons cover just the center of the wheel. Spinners and spokes can be used to add a dramatic appearance. Spoked styles can include large width versions or ones that are designed to look just like thin rods. Accent rings can attach to the outer edge of your rim to dress up the look of your wheels. You might even consider caps that look like they are plated in gold. Hub caps are also available in a non-rotating design. These caps remain in position while the wheel is turning. This style allows advertising messages or artwork to remain visible at any rate of speed. If you are considering high-end hub caps look for ones that bolt on or have a locking function to prevent theft. We can help you find all types of hub caps for sale. No matter what style you need, including center caps, simply use the search function at the top of this page. You will find access to all varieties of hub caps at the lowest available prices.10) DORIA (BOTAFOGO) Given the shambles on show during the World Cup semi-final, Brazil will be relieved to hear that, in Doria, they potentially have the perfect long-term partner to Thiago Silva in central defence. This one does not go wandering onto the left wing when things get sticky, either. Captain of Brazil's Toulon Tournament-winning side in 2013, Doria joined Botafogo at the age of 12 and is now a key part of their side despite still being just 19. He also has a senior international cap to accompany plenty of interest from abroad. Serie A seems the most likely destination (both Juventus and Udinese have expressed an interest), but the likes of Porto and Benfica must also be considered as likely candidates to bring him to Europe. Watch this space. 9) OLIVER TORRES (PORTO, ON LOAN FROM ATLETICO MADRID) Loaned to Villarreal for the latter stages of last season, when Diego Simeone considered experience more important than the exuberance of youth in Atletico's title run-in, Torres has now been loaned out to Porto for the whole of this season - a move that will at least see him play regular football. A natural playmaker but with a slight frame, Torres possibly suffers slightly from his nationality - he is at the back of a long line of Spanish midfielders waiting for an international chance, with new £28million Manchester United signing Ander Herrera still waiting for his first cap. Inevitably compared to Andres Iniesta (and labelled the 'Miniesta'), Torres is a midfielder with a wonderful knack for the simple pass, only to surprise you with something more adventurous so wonderful that it makes you wonder why he ever bothers to play it short. After struggling to hold down a first-team place at the Calderon, it will be interesting to see how big an impact Torres can have in Portugal. It could be the making of him. 8) RYAN GAULD (SPORTING LISBON) Scottish youngsters do not often move abroad to play football, so when Sporting Lisbon slapped a £48m buyout clause upon the head of £2m signing (and 18-year-old) Gauld, eyebrows were obviously raised. Then again, it is not that often that a Dundee United player gets compared to Lionel Messi. With Sporting competing in the UEFA Champions League group stage and hoping to sustain another title bid, Gauld may have to bide his time in order to force his way into Marco Silva's first-team plans, and Scotland manager Gordon Strachan is yet to be fully convinced that this is the right move. 7) LUCAS PIAZON (CHELSEA) In many ways, Piazon is the poster boy of Chelsea's FFP-satisfying stockpiling methods. Secured on a pre-contract agreement in 2011 when aged just 17, the forward has played on loan at both Malaga and Vitesse Arnhem, registering only 15 minutes of Premier League action. Now 20, the star of Brazil's Under-17 team has not made the step up to any of Brazil's more senior sides, and faces a crucial summer for his future development. Another loan seems likely, perhaps this time in the Bundesliga. 6) RICHAIRO ZIVKOVIC (AJAX) The youngest player on this list at just 17, Zivkovic signed a deal in March to leave Groningen for Ajax after turning down reported offers from Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Liverpool. Ajax seems the perfect choice. Zivkovic can remain in the Netherlands for the rest of his footballing development, at a club famous for turning potential into the best it can be. Sixteen different players made league appearances for Ajax last season aged 23 or under, so the striker is in good company. The last forward to transfer from Groningen to Ajax at a similar age? A certain Luis Suarez. Warm up that hyperbole machine. 5) AYMERIC LAPORTE (ATHLETIC BILBAO) Only turning 20 in May, it has been a rapid rise for French-born Laporte since his Athletic Bilbao debut in December 2012, given the No.4 shirt less than a month later by Marcelo Bielsa. Three weeks after that, a new contract had been signed, including a €27.5m (£20m) release clause, and by April 2014 links with Barcelona and Bayern Munich had surfaced, a further contract extension signed. One thing is for sure: another impressive season and a big-money move to a European giant would seem inevitable. 4) MAX MEYER (SCHALKE) Thirty Bundesliga appearances for a team finishing third in the table, it is pretty easy to forget that Mayer was 17 years old at the start of last season. There seems little doubt that the attacking midfielder will move on at some point. Following his Champions League display against Chelsea, there were reports that Jose Mourinho was considering lodging a €15m (£11.9m) bid, with Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers rumoured to have made enquiries in June over his availability. Before his inevitable move to Bayern Munich in summer 2015, therefore, we should appreciate watching a player that just seems to enjoy playing football, a fact he puts down to his love of futsal. 3) DOMENICO BERARDI (SASSUOLO, ON LOAN FROM JUVENTUS) Within three months of Sassuolo's promotion to Serie A being confirmed, the inevitable had happened, 18-year-old forward Berardi joining Juventus on a co-ownership basis for a fee of €4.5m (£3.5m). Remaining at Sassuolo on a season-long loan deal, few at Juventus could have foreseen quite how rapidly the youngster would take to life in the top league. Only six players scored more times as Berardi kept the small-town club on the big stage, including a fabulous first-half hat-trick away at Fiorentina. Thankfully for both player and club, he will remain for another season at least. Repeat his trick, and this is a talent that will be pushing for a start in bianconeri colours. 2) ADRIEN RABIOT (PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN) Despite only turning 19 in April and being forced to fight for a place in a Paris Saint-Germain's central midfield, which includes the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi, Thiago Motta and Marco Verratti, Rabiot still made 25 Ligue 1 appearances last season. At 17, Rabiot became the first homegrown player to sign a professional deal at PSG after the arrival of Sheikh El-Khelaifi's billions, and that makes him a favourite of supporters at the Parc des Princes. Despite being tall, Rabiot prefers to rely on beauty rather than brawn, gliding around the field. Quick word, too, for Manchester United fans: Rabiot was allowed to leave Manchester City in 2005 after failing to impress the club's youth coaches sufficiently. This is your Paul Pogba payback. 1) ALEN HALILOVIC (BARCELONA) Some on this list may be playing for their big move but, in the case of 18-year-old Croatian Halilovic, he has already earned it. The 'Croatian Messi' joined Barcelona in May for a fee of around £1.8m - at the time he was still 17. It had been thought that Halilovic would spend time with Barcelona B, but his performance on debut last weekend may have persuaded Luis Enrique otherwise. In 45 minutes against Recreativo, the midfielder demonstrated the dribbling and balance that saw him given his senior international debut at just 16. Bright, willing to take players on, prince of the well-weighted pass and deceptively difficult to knock off the ball, the easy comparisons with his new team-mate are only going to increase. You are about to see a lot more of Halilovic. Watch some of Europe’s breakthrough stars on Sky Sports 5 from 12th
Greek websites for economic news had reported that more than one billion euros was withdrawn in January 2017. According to a report of November 2015, more than 120 billion euros left the Greek banks during the years of the crisis. 45 billion euro left the banks during November 2014 – 2015. Eighty percent of this amount, that is some €36 billion are been kept in homes, company safes or in bank lockers.The first thing I do when I’m on vacation in a new city is scope out all of the local thrift stores and resale shops. It was raining yesterday, so the kids couldn’t do some of the things they had planned, so we hit the thrift stores. The first one had some cool stuff, but way higher prices than what I’m used to. The second store was a combo resale-thrift store. I found a great t-shirt there, but they only take cash. Of course I didn’t have any cash with me. The boys found a treasure here, something I had when I was their age, but I said no impulse buys. If they wanted it, they were going to have to return the next day to get it. I was going back, after a bank run, to get my t-shirt. The third thrift store didn’t have much that peaked my interest, that is until I turned the corner and found this little gem for $2. A vintage Polaroid 600 camera. Now that there’s a company making film for these, they’re not as easy to find. These are selling on eBay from $10 to $50. Replicas are going for up to $150. This little beauty was only $2, an expenditure that was not part of the $16 hours of fun that I’m about to share with you. I’ll have to order the film for this. Did I need this? No. My kids and I will have some fun with it, then probably turn around and sell it. My kids were talking the entire time about the vintage toy back at the second shop. Honestly, I knew they would appreciate it and it was a cool flashback for me. When we returned, the nice lady working there greeted us with a big smile and said, “You’re back!” We bought the vintage toy… Meet Rex, a 70’s vintage string puppet named after our favorite restaurant in Steamboat Springs, CO. He cost $16, a price that seemed fair for a real vintage toy. My boys have a great appreciation for vintage things, as they love our 12 rotary dial phones as much as I do. We decided to take Rex out on the town! Rex really enjoyed his day, but probably not more than Joe did. Joe could have easily put a can in front of them and people would have been throwing money at him left and right. And let’s not forget about Joe in the candy store with Rex, talking to all the girls his age, explaining how cool it was to have a vintage puppet. Yes, he’s 10 years old. I will have my work cut out for me. I’m quite sure we could have sold Rex and made a huge profit, as several people wanted to know where we got him and if there were anymore of them. We’ll probably take him out again today if it’s not raining. He doesn’t like his fur to get wet. My kids (and I) were entertained for hours with this little guy! So were our friends. And so were the people on the street. Here’s a few photos from yesterday. The $16 fun will continue today, once Rex and the boys wake up.Originally Posted by TheDodgerHatKid Originally Posted by Hey I got a question about the new update. My main goals in the game are to of course max up my best available cards. But I also want to collect every card in the game. So far in my catalog I have collected all 110 common, 134 uncommon and 138 rare cards. Super Rare is almost done too. What I wanna know is are future RTG, RD or PCC involving Season One cards? If they are I can continue to train my top 20 S1 cards for RTG. If not I can focus on only training my top cards for exhibition matches and the rest can go into training and collecting since the catalog only counts regular pro cards and not maxed out pro cards. So are we still getting Season One side events?Russia's recent aggression against Ukraine has disrupted nearly a generation of relative peace and stability between Moscow and its Western neighbors and raised concerns about its larger intentions. From the perspective of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the threat to the three Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — former Soviet republics, now member states that border Russian territory — may be the most problematic of these. In a series of war games conducted between summer 2014 and spring 2015, RAND Arroyo Center examined the shape and probable outcome of a near-term Russian invasion of the Baltic states. The games' findings are unambiguous: As presently postured, NATO cannot successfully defend the territory of its most exposed members. Fortunately, it will not require Herculean effort to avoid such a failure. Further gaming indicates that a force of about seven brigades, including three heavy armored brigades — adequately supported by airpower, land-based fires, and other enablers on the ground and ready to fight at the onset of hostilities — could suffice to prevent the rapid overrun of the Baltic states. This research was sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of the Army and conducted the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program within the RAND Arroyo Center. This report is part of the RAND Corporation research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity. Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.This article is over 4 years old Palestinian Authority and Amman demand investigation over incident at crossing between West Bank and Jordan Israeli troops at a border crossing shot dead a Palestinian-Jordanian judge who allegedly tried to snatch a soldier's weapon, prompting Amman and the Palestinian Authority to demand an investigation. The shooting took place on Monday at the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, with the Israeli military saying troops had opened fire after a man tried to snatch a weapon from one of its soldiers. The Palestinian Authority sharply condemned the incident and Amman summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires to protest, demanding an "immediate investigation". An Israeli army statement said "a Palestinian attempted to seize the weapon of a soldier at the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan". It continued: "In response the forces at the scene opened fire towards the suspect. A hit was identified." Palestinian security officials identified the man as 38-year-old Raed Zeiter, and Amman confirmed he also held Jordanian nationality. A Jordanian security official confirmed that Zeiter worked as a judge in Amman and had left for the West Bank early on Monday. Jordan's justice ministry said he worked at a magistrates court in the capital. Nazmi Muhanna, the Palestinian official in charge of border crossings, said authorities were questioning about 50 people who had been with Zeiter on the bus going from the Jordanian side to the Israeli side of the crossing. "We are investigating with all the witnesses who were on the same bus. We will verify everything," he said. "There are no surveillance cameras there so we cannot get to the truth without the witnesses who were on that bus." "The Jordanian government is expecting a comprehensive report on the incident from the Israeli government. Jordan wants an immediate investigation without any delay," a statement quoted foreign minister Nasser Judeh as saying. The Palestinian Authority also strongly condemned the incident and demanded an "international investigation" into the circumstances of Zeiter's death. Palestinian security officials said Zeiter was originally from the northern city of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but had left the territories in 2011 and not returned. Zeiter, who leaves behind a wife and two young children – one of whom is in a coma in hospital – was to be buried in Nablus on Tuesday morning, his family said. Around 200 people demonstrated outside the Israeli embassy in Amman, demanding the Jordanian government expel the Israeli ambassador. "We don't want a Zionist embassy on Jordanian territory! Down with the peace agreement [between the two countries]," they chanted. Zeiter's father said he was in shock over the shooting. "We did not know that Raed was in the West Bank. I went to the court to check if he was working and I was told that he did not go to work today," said 70-year-old Alaa Zeiter, himself a former judge. "My son is peaceful and professional. I am shocked," he said before breaking down in tears. Zeiter and his wife left later on Monday to travel to Nablus for his son's funeral. The shooting was a rare incident of violence at the crossing, which is located in the Jordan Valley, just east of the Palestinian oasis town of Jericho. The crossing, which lies 30 miles (50km) west of Amman, is also known as the King Hussein Bridge. The terminal was closed after the incident but reopened later, an Israeli official said.Outrage as picture of Elton John's baby is covered with shield by U.S. supermarket to 'protect children' Store claims'several' shoppers complained about photograph Gay rights campaigners furious at move A U.S. supermarket sparked outrage today after it covered with a 'family shield' a magazine showing a picture of Elton John, his husband and their newborn baby. The Arkansas store deemed the image of the gay couple and their child, on the front of Us Weekly, to be offensive. Staff say complaints from shoppers prompted them to cover the magazine with the'shield' - the same method used to cover pornographic magazines. The move today triggered fury among gay rights campaigners. Protective shield: Elton John and his newborn son were deemed too offensive for young shoppers at a grocery store in Arkansas, U.S. Uncovered: Elton John and his husband of five years David Furnish proudly showed off their baby son Zachary Jackson Levi Furnish John who was born via a surrogate mother on Christmas Day The magazine cover shows Elton and his husband David Furnish, 48, proudly showing off their baby Zachary Jackson Levi Furnish John who was born on Christmas Day via a surrogate mother. The Harps grocery store in Mountain Home, Arkansas even wrapped last week's edition of the magazine in a protective plastic shield to stop youngsters flicking through it. Only the very top of the magazine was visible, with the cover reading: 'Family shield. To protect young Harps shoppers.' The move has sparked outrage among representatives from GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). Star: Sir Elton joined Chris Evans on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show this morning Local resident Jennifer Huddleston took a photo of the shield and posted it on Plixi. 'This was taken at my local grocery store,' she wrote. 'I was shocked and horrified. 'They are saying they need to keep children from seeing it, because it is a gay family.' Ms Huddleston then tweeted Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin, Ellen DeGeneres, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the ACLU and a number of other gay rights activists. The picture immediately sparked controversy across the blogosphere. Proud fathers: But photos of Elton John and partner David Furnish 'offended' shoppers in the U.S. But a company spokesperson defended the shield, saying Harps bosses reacted in response to'several' customer complaints at that particular store. He insisted the move was 'in no way our opinion on this issue', adding, 'we do not have an opinion on this issue. ' But others were quick to complain about the shield, with many urging a boycott of the chain. Even international news outlets carried the story. Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail wrote: 'Heaven forbid your seven-year-old, while waiting in line with you at the grocery store checkout, be exposed to the gays.' ELTON BLASTS MUSIC INDUSTRY BOSSES By BEN TODD Sir Elton John has blasted ‘idiot’ music industry bosses for only caring about short-term sales. The singer launched an attack on record business executives over their treatment of artists. He said: ‘I think most heads of record companies are idiots. About five per cent are any good. They’re only in it for themselves. ‘They don’t care about artists. They’re all about the next fix, the next single. It’s like they’re having a hit of cocaine every 15 seconds. ‘And if someone falls by the wayside, they’re by the wayside. They’re not allowed one blip.’ He added to Shorlist magazine: ‘In America, most of them are idiots. They’re sickening actually. They sicken me. They’re thick as s**t.’ In an outspoken interview, he also lambasted reality shows a la X Factor. Sir Elton, 63, said: ‘Reality TV shows. I really hate them. Full of f**king mediocre f**king wannabes.’ And British paper the Sun wrote: 'Either Elton's baby is in some way offensive or there's some serious homophobia going on here.' After receiving a plethora of complaints, the store management have taken action and un-censored the magazine. 'In this case our store manager received some complaints and, as has been our custom, placed the shield over the cover of the magazine', said Kim Eskew, president of Harps Food Stores Inc. 'When we began receiving complaints at our corporate office, we reivewed the magazine in question, removed the shield and are selling the magazine in all our locations today without any shield', Ms Eskew added. The shields are usually placed over adult magazines with racy covers. 'Our true intention is not to offend anyone in our stores and this incident happened at just one of our 65 locations, which when brought to our attention we reversed', Ms Eskew said in a written statement. On its blog, a GLAAD spokesman said the shield should ‘never have been put up in the first place’, adding: ‘Obviously, someone felt that shoppers should not have to look at this smiling, happy couple and their newborn baby.’ Just last week Elton John publicly bemoaned feeling like a'second-class citizen' in the U.S. because of his sexuality and said he was 'fed-up' about it. During a performance at a Beverly Hills fundraiser to help the legal challenge to California's gay marriage back Elton said: 'As I get older, I get more angry about it'. Elton and his husband David Furnish have been together for 17 years and were married in a lavish ceremony in 2005. He recently shared how he is coping with life with a new baby. 'Fatherhood is fantastic', he said. 'It's been the most wonderful thing that's happened to me after meeting David'. He said that being a dad is'surprisingly relaxing'. 'This little soul that you're feeding, changing, bathing and telling bedtime stories to is a blank canvas', Elton shared.Activist Post A Human Rights Petition just launched to get David Icke onto a BBC political debate show called Question Time. “The BBC sent an email to the team a couple of days ago completely dismissing David and his ideas. Ever since then they’ve had a lot of people contacting them in disgust,” Icke’s webmaster told Activist Post “so this petition has occurred as a result.” Read the entire petition: David Icke represents all of the people not only in the UK but all around the world who are now waking up to the corruption and Orwellian like governmental control that exists. The politicians that are invited onto BBC Question Time no longer represent the people of the UK and their interests. The corruption is rife and the hypocritical nature of those within politics is disturbing. Not only is it right that a more – ‘alternative’ – view is given screen time we must also remember that we fund BBC programming with our TV License. By inviting David Icke onto Question Time, the BBC will prove that they are there to promote democracy in political debates and give David his much deserved screen time so that it may reach more people. Icke is a former BBC sports announcer and the former head of a major political party, the Green Party. Although his views are drastically different from when he held those titles, his past offers plenty of credibility, and his popularity certainly exceeds most guests that get invited to the show. Icke would reach millions of people in the UK mainstream if given the opportunity to appear on Question Time, which is a political debate show based in the UK. If BBC has Icke on, he’ll likely be part of a larger panel of mainstream shills, but at least someone will finally speak the truth on TV. Please support this effort for the message to break through the “public” broadcasting blockade of truth.ToraShiro said: Love the day after a major release like this. We sit back after planning this out for weeks and hope, "Hey, we released something really cool. We hope the fans like it." And then there's 10,000 of these in my inbox. Spoiler And I love every second of it. Lewd.Love the day after a major release like this. We sit back after planning this out for weeks and hope, "Hey, we released something really cool. We hope the fans like it."And then there's 10,000 of these in my inbox. Click to expand... I think it's because, when you look at sales, Metal Gear fans are mostly on PlayStation. Even when XBox got Substance, PS2 for it later with more content. Just don't be shocked when people want to get this on PS consoles and aren't getting all the content and complain. The whole reveal has been a little bit grating to people in how it's been handled in some cases - from Moby Dick Studios (what happened to that thing?), to Sutherland/Hayter Switcheroo, to the complete misunderstanding of the games being split, but not split, but split, to the gameplay that is shown, to the sheer confusion over the product.I'm more offended at two sets of different exclusive content, if I'm honest. Make the content available to all.Hicks to test law with tell-all memoir Updated Australians will finally get to hear from David Hicks in a tell-all memoir despite the possible imposition of proceeds of crime laws. Over the many years of the Hicks saga, there has been an avalanche of media reports and countless books about his case. But this time the former Guantanamo Bay detainee will be speaking in his own words. The book is about 400 pages and covers everything from his life in Adelaide to his training with fundamentalist Islamic armed forces, the years of being locked up at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and his conviction for supporting terrorism. Sydney-based publisher Random House will not reveal the details of its book deal with Mr Hicks and says readers should be able to make up their own minds about the controversial figure. Publishing director at Random House Australia, Nikki Christer, says Hicks approached her. It's been nearly three years since David Hicks came out of an Adelaide jail and ever since he's been bombarded with publishing offers. "A lot of people have had an opinion on David for a very long time and he hasn't been able to set the record straight," Ms Christer said. "I do hope Australians give this book a go and read it. They will find it compelling. It is a hell of a story." Ms Christer says the book is about setting the record straight, not changing the public perception. "Anyone who has been locked up in Guantanamo for five and a half years - for the first two years not even able to see a lawyer - I think questions should be asked about that," she said. "I cannot imagine why anyone would think that that's an acceptable form of justice. "I don't think David is after sympathy by any means. I think that he wants to set the record straight, explain what happened to him and let people hear the truth for the first time." Payment Ms Christer will not say if Mr Hicks is being paid for the book or whether Random House or the author is at risk of falling foul of federal proceeds of crime laws. But she did say Random House sought legal advice on the issue. "Any deal that we do with any author, and that's any author that we publish, are strictly between us - the publishing house and the author," she said. "Obviously any legal issues are a matter for David and his lawyers. "We did take legal advice about the proceeds of crime laws. We were happy with that. But further issues on proceeds of crime are for David and his lawyer." The Australia Federal Police can pursue Mr Hicks if he has broken the law. But according to George Williams, public law expert at the University of New South Wales, they would have to prove he has been paid. "You can't proceed unless you actually know that Hicks is profiting. Unless that can be shown then there's no basis to make an order against him," he said. "But there are means by which that information can be found out and the police in investigating any of these matters do have tools at their disposal to find out the information they need." Conviction Mr Hicks's conviction under the US military commission could yet be overturned if a number of other former detainees win their court challenges. The Australian Federal Police has told the ABC it will not speculate about any investigation into Mr Hicks. Mr Hicks's father Terry does not believe his son has been motivated by money. He says the book will answer many questions people have about his son. "His interest in writing this was to put the information out there," he said. "I think it's probably going to make my experiences easier as well, because I have so many people that approach me when I'm out asking about David and how he is going and is there going to be a book. "Maybe after the 16th of October I don't have to tell them anymore." Topics: biography, arts-and-entertainment, books-literature, australia First postedPolice bodycam footage shows a North Carolina officer violently arresting Dejuan Yourse as he sits on his own porch. (City of Greensboro via 88.5 WFDD) Dejuan Yourse was outside his mother’s house, sitting on the front porch in Greensboro, N.C., when two police officers arrived. They’d received a report about a possible burglary and a man with a shovel trying to open a house’s garage. When they saw Yourse on the porch, they asked what he was doing and why he was there. Yourse explained that he didn’t have a key to his mother’s house and he was waiting for her to get home. When one of them seemed suspicious, Yourse tried to get the officer on the phone with his mother, but the call rolled to voice mail. He also told him to talk to neighbors to verify his identity. The confrontation between Yourse, who is black, and the white officer, Travis Cole — captured in body cameras — started out as a cordial conversation, but it escalated after only a few minutes. The June incident resulted in an internal affairs investigation by the Greensboro Police Department, which found that Cole used excessive force on Yourse and violated other agency rules when he punched and violently arrested the 36-year-old man, who had not committed a crime. Last August, two months after the incident, Cole resigned. The other officer involved in the incident, Officer C.N. Jackson, left her post last week, according to media reports. The body-camera footage, which has since been made public, showed Cole asking Yourse questions about where he lives, why he was sitting outside, whether he has any warrants against him and why he has prison tattoos. Yourse, who started to become agitated, admitted that he’d been in prison before. As the two talked, Jackson went to her patrol car to verify Yourse’s identity. [‘We run the streets’: Video shows angry mob attacking CHP patrol car with officer still inside] At one point, Cole took Yourse’s phone from his hand as he was talking to someone. Moments later, Cole punched Yourse in the face. “You can’t do that! What are you doing?!” Yourse said “You didn’t have to punch me in my eye!” “Yes I did!” Cole responded. Cole then forced Yourse to the ground, as the latter kept screaming: “I’m not resisting! I’m not resisting! I am not resisting!” “You are resisting the whole time!” Cole said. At that point, Yourse appeared to be either sitting down or on his knees as Cole held his arms behind his back. “Why are you doing this to me? I’m trying to cooperate, man! You can’t do that when I’m not resisting you!” Yourse said, as he sat on the ground. [Police say black teen shot by LAPD was armed with a handgun when he was killed] Minutes later, Yourse was on his stomach on his mother’s front lawn, handcuffed. Cole placed his right knee on Yourse’s shoulder. “Do not f—- move. Don’t say another damn word,” Cole told Yourse, who had been yelling and cursing. “This is ridiculous, man,” Yourse said. “Damn right it is,” Cole responded. During a special meeting by the Greensboro City Council on Sept. 26, Mayor Nancy Vaughn called Cole’s actions “ugly,” “brutal” and “completely unnecessary.” Yourse was charged with resisting arrest and assault on a government official, according to media reports. Charges were later dropped. During the City Council meeting, Greensboro Police Chief Wayne Scott said the charges were questionable. An internal affairs investigation, which was completed on Aug. 30, found that Cole violated the Greensboro Police Department’s rules on use of force, courtesy toward the public, arrest, search and seizure, and compliance with laws and regulations. Cole resigned from his position while the investigation was pending, Scott said during the City Council meeting. The Washington Post called a cell number registered under Cole but did not receive a call back. A relative of Yourse’s reached by The Post said he does not want to talk. The police department also began a criminal investigation on Cole, but the Guilford County district attorney’s office declined to file charges. Chief Assistant District Attorney Howard Neumann did not return a call from The Post on Monday, but he told the Greensboro News & Record last week that Cole did not commit a crime. Law enforcement officers are entitled to use whatever amount of force they deemed necessary to arrest someone they believed committed a crime, Neumann told the paper. “To charge him would be a violation of my role as a prosecutor,” Neumann said. [‘I’m going to hit him’: Dash-cam video shows officers tried to run over man before shooting him 14 times] The Greensboro City Council adopted a resolution last week stating that the police department will ask the district attorney’s office to review the incident again. City officials also recommended to a state commission to revoke Cole’s law enforcement certification indefinitely. If that happens, he will no longer be able to be a law enforcement officer. According to the News & Record, Cole, along with 15 other officers, had been approved for a promotion before his encounter with Yourse. The promotion took effect on Aug. 1, the paper reported. Last week, City Manager Jim Westmoreland placed a 30-day hold on the promotions of any officers involved in the incidents surrounding Cole. It’s unclear how many officers were affected by the hold. Carla Banks, a city spokeswoman, said the promotion was a noncompetitive process and was based on the number of years of service. Greensboro, where Yourse lives, is about 90 miles northeast of Charlotte, where the shooting death of a black man at the hands of a police officer last month prompted nights of riots and ignited an already tense relationship between law enforcement and the African American community. According to The Washington Post’s database, police have fatally shot 719 people this year. In 2015, 991 people were shot by police. [Fatal force: The Washington Post’s police shooting database] A combination of footage from Cole’s and Jackson’s body cameras was shown to the public for the first time during the Sept. 26 City Council meeting. After the video was played, the mayor, council members and the police chief publicly apologized to Yourse, who was in attendance. “It’s hard to watch a video like that and not feel moved to do something and try to make it right to a degree,” City Council member Justin Outling said. Scott said the incident “is not indicative of what we as a police department want our citizens to experience.” “I’m sorry,” he said, “and it was wrong.” READ MORE: This teenager was walking for hours to and from work — until a police stop changed his life Police release video of confrontation with California man who died after being Tasered Police release videos of killing of unarmed black man near San DiegoTime Warner Cable (TWC) isn't yet a part of Comcast, but it's taking after its potential parent company in one very unfortunate way. Comcast customers have complained about their billing account names being changed to insults like "asshole," "whore," "dummy," and "super bitch." Now, the same thing has happened to a Time Warner Cable customer named Esperanza Martinez. Martinez, of Orange County, California, provided Ars a copy of this letter she just got from Time Warner Cable: After beginning, "Dear Cunt Martinez," the letter says, "We know you recently decided to cancel your services." But that is not what happened, Martinez told Ars. "I am a current Time Warner Cable customer, and I just received a letter today addressed to 'Cunt' Martinez (my last name)," she wrote in an e-mail. "It is a letter stating I requested to disconnect my service, which I never did. I have escalated the issue to Time Warner Cable's Corporate customer service, and was told I will receive a 'follow up' call within 48 hours. The only information they could provide was that the name change was made on 2/12/15, which happens to be the same day I used their 'live chat' feature online and called in and spoke to a representative regarding an issue with my cable box. I was not upset even when they could not resolve my issue and had to send a technician out. I have no idea why a TWC employee would do this and risk losing their job. It shows what type of companies TWC and Comcast are by the people they hire to represent them." After being contacted by Ars, Time Warner Cable admitted that one of its representatives changed Martinez's first name to "Cunt" in the cable company's computer system. “We are truly sorry for the disgraceful treatment of Ms. Martinez and have reached out to her to apologize directly," a company spokesperson said. "Our investigation showed that this was done by an employee at a third-party vendor. We have terminated our agreement with this vendor and are changing our processes to prevent this from happening again.” Comcast, the largest cable company in the country, announced a year ago that it plans to buy Time Warner Cable, the second largest. The $45.2 billion merger joins not only the two biggest cable companies but the two with the worst customer service ratings in the American Customer Satisfaction index. The companies' reputation for awful customer service has been a topic in hearings on the merger. Federal regulators have not yet said whether they will allow the merger to proceed. Comcast has had to publicly apologize for numerous cases in which it mistreated customers over the past year. In the case of the customer whose name was changed to "Asshole," Comcast waived a cancellation fee and issued a refund for two years for service. Comcast also fired the employee involved and said it would improve training of customer service employees and work on a technical solution to prevent inappropriate customer name changes. UPDATE: Martinez got an apology—and a free year of service. "TWC called me three times this morning and I finally spoke to someone about an hour ago who sincerely apologized and let me know they would ensure systems are in place so this wouldn't happen again to another customer," Martinez told Ars. "They are offering me one year of cable and Internet service at no charge. They are still investigating and will contact me back to ensure my personal info (SSN and bank information) are not compromised, and said they will contact me back in a couple of days."Did you know that March is Music In Our Schools Month? Music plays such an important part in the development and learning of our children. To celebrate Your Life After 25 is working with Sweetwater Music to promote music education! As part of our #MomsForMusic promotion for awareness we’re doing a giveaway that can help you get your child started with a new instrument AND to top it off there’s a great #MomsForMusic Twitter Party happening on April 13th where you’ll have the chance to win even MORE prizes, including a FRETLIGHT Guitar (arv $399), Visa gift cards and more. RSVP Steps Step 1. Add Your Link Step 2. Enter your Twitter URL www.twitter.com/yourtwitterhandle in the URL Field Step 3. Enter your Twitter Handle @yourTwitterhandle in the Name field Step 4. Enter Your Email Address ________________________________________ There have been many studies done to show the benefits of music on your child’s advanced learning and ability to pick up new skills. One study showed that regardless of socioeconomic status or school district, (3rd graders) who participate in high-quality music programs scored higher on reading and spelling tests, amazing right? Enter For Your Chance To Win $50 Paypal Below Prize: $50 Paypal Open to USA. Winners will be chosen at random through Giveaway Tools. Giveaway ends April 13th at 11:59pm ET. Winners will be notified via email. Each winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Unlimited Entries Void where prohibited. No Purchase Necessary. Entering the giveaway means you agree to terms above. Good Luck!Apple has told two suppliers of its lower-cost iPhone 5c that it is reducing orders in the fourth quarter, according to a report by Dow Jones news agency Wednesday, raising concerns about weaker-than-expected demand for the new product. Apple began selling it's the new low-price option last month in 11 markets, including the U.S. and China, but consumers have focused on the more expensive 5S model, which was launched at the same time. While demand for the costlier version, that comes with a fingerprint sensor and faster chips, outstripped expectations – especially the gold-colored version -- the iPhone 5Chas failed to generate as much interest. (Read more: Nobody seems to want Apple's iPhone 5C) As a result, Apple told its Taiwanese assemblers Pegatron and Hon Hai Precision Industry that orders of the iPhone 5C in the fourth quarter would be cut by 20 percent and by a third respectively, according to the unnamed sources cited by Dow Jones. The move comes at a time of increasing market competition in a crowded smartphone industry with phone makers Samsung and HTC also launching new handsets. At the time of the 5C's launch, tech-watchers said the handset was designed to beat off Apple's rivals in fast-growing emerging markets. One market analyst dismissed concerns over Apple's slipping market dominance, however, saying that the most important issue for the company was the strength of its overall brand rather than the strength of its "sub-brands." "Apple can afford to get things right and wrong because it has such a strong brand, I think this is just part of that overall play," Anthony Fry, senior advisor at Espirito Santo, told CNBC on Wednesday. "It doesn't matter if you're Apple or anyone else, the mobile phone world is moving unbelievably quickly and every single phone and software manufacturer is trying to find a way of getting an edge on its competitors. So I see this as part of a long-term play against the strategy generally, not something of deep significance in the short term." Ian Fogg, an analyst at IHS Electronics and Media said that proof of the poor performance of the iPhone 5C would only be confirmed when Apple releases earnings on October 28. The two important data points to look out for would be how many iPhones they have shipped compared to last year and what the evolution of their average selling price (ASP) is. If the ASP has fallen then that would indicate that the iPhone 5C has been fairly popular, as the price point is lower than the range of phones Apple had at this point last year. If it stays the same, then it'll likely mean that iPhone 5C sales have disappointed, he said.Write your own diff for fun December 27, 2017 On the other day, when I was looking at git diff, I thought “How does it work?“. Brute-force idea of comparing all possible pairs of lines doesn’t seem efficient and indeed it has exponential algorithmic complexity. There must be a better way, right? As it turned out, git diff, like a usual diff tool is modeled as a solution to a problem called Longest Common Subsequence. The idea is really ingenious – when we try to diff 2 files we see it as 2 sequences of lines and try to find a Longest Common Subsequence. Then anything that is not in that subsequence is our diff. Sounds neat, but how can one implement it in an effective way (without that exponential complexity)? LCS problem is a classic problem that is better solved with dynamic programming – somewhat advanced technique in algorithm design that roughly means an iteration with memoization. I’ve always struggled with dynamic programming because it’s mostly presented through some (in my opinion) artificial problem that is hard for me to work on. But now, when I see something so useful that can help me write a diff, I just can’t resist. I used a Wikipedia article on LCS as my guide, so if you want to check the algorithm nitty-gritty, go ahead to the link. I’m going to show you my implementation (that is, of course, available on GitHub) to demonstrate how easily you can solve such seemingly hard problem. I’ve chosen Python to implement it and immediately felt grateful because you can copy-paste pseudocode and use it with minimal changes. Here is the diff printing function from Wikipedia article in pseudocode: function printDiff(C[0..m,0..n], X[1..m], Y[1..n], i, j) if i > 0 and j > 0 and X[i] = Y[j] printDiff(C
'Where is my story'," Steele said, quoting Kane's text message to Morrow. "'I'm dying here while you are drinking.'" The jury, he said, must keep the context of such messages in mind as they are considering the facts of the case. Still later, Morrow texted Kane about "our story," and mentioned that an early draft was "brutal on our friends." "Anything about me?" Kane asked. "Please tell me now." "You are fine." Steele said the jury needs to keep in mind that, when the Mondesire story was published, Kane did not speak out publicly about the 2009 grand jury investigation or the leak. Neither was she quoted in the story itself, which she had previously testified was part of a larger attempt at transparency. "Why do they say 'no comment'?" Steele asked. "Because it's wrong and they know it's wrong." http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/08/kathleen_kane_aide_the_attorne.html After the article came out, Kane's incoming first deputy, Bruce Beemer, spoke to Kane about the Mondesire leak. "'Very troubling'," Steele said, quoting a page from Beemer's daily notes. "'She said don't worry about it and it's not a big deal'." Steele then cited another office staffer's testimony that she scanned the news article and 2009 Mondesire memo and emailed them to Kane. That, the prosecutor said, undercuts her testimony before the grand jury that she had not read the article until August. A short time later, Kane expressed her wish to Beemer to make some kind of legal filing to quash the grand jury investigation into the Mondesire leak. "She knows she's wrong," Steele said. "She knows people are looking at her." Morrow would then testify that, in August, he had a lunch with Kane in which they developed a cover story for the alleged leak prior to their respective appearances before the grand jury. Throughout that late summer and fall, Steele said, Kane's attorneys repeatedly pushed back her testimony before the grand jury. During the three days between Morrow and Kane's testimony that November, he said, the pair communicated numerous times. http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/08/kathleen_kane_false_swearing.html "What are they talking about?" Steele said. "This is about, 'What did you say?', 'What did you tell them?', 'Our stories have got to match'." The records, Steele said, bolster Morrow's testimony in the criminal case, regardless of the defense attorneys' protestations. "This is the person they ask you not to believe," Steele said. "This is their relationship. Who should you believe?" Despite the defense team's closing arguments calling into question the credibility of the prosecution witnesses, he said, the jury must keep focused on the facts. "You're not here to decide Adrian King. You're not here to decide Josh Morrow," he said. "This is about the Commonwealth of P.A. and the defendant Kathleen Kane." Nearing the end of his closing arguments, Steele brought the jury back to the victims, with a photo of Hicks together with Mondesire. Kane leaned back in her seat, eyes focused on the jury box. "Mr. Mondesire was never arrested," Steele said, his voice nearly shout. "He was never arrested. But she put it out," his voice fading to a whisper, speaking slowly and directly to the jurors. "And that is not permitted under the law. "That affected him." http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/08/as_kathleen_kanes_criminal_tri.html"Surprises like this are poison to the stock market, and this is one of the big surprises," exclaims the head of listing for Nasdaq's Copenhagen exchange as OW Bunker A/S - a marine fuel bunker company - went from $1 billion-plus IPO in April to bankruptcy today. From $1billion IPO to bankruptcy in just over 6 months... As Bloomberg reports, Investors in OW Bunker A/S woke up to a string of horrors yesterday. OW Bunker, which provides fuel to the marine industry, said on Wednesday shortly before midnight that it had lost $275 million through a combination of fraud committed by senior executives at its Singapore office and poor risk management. Its shares have been suspended since Nov. 5 and the company says its equity has been wiped out. Just eight months ago, investors drove OW Bunker’s shares up 21 percent in their first day of trading, following an initial public offering that valued it at almost $1 billion. “There’s no doubt this case is damaging to investors and the stock market,” Borring said. “The stock market depends deeply on the relationship of trust between investors and companies.” According to Niels Henrik Jensen, chairman of OW Bunker, the Singapore employee behind the alleged fraud “turned up at the company’s office and told his manager” what he’d done. Jensen declined to provide more details. “I can’t speculate on how long this has been going on, I didn’t speak to the man myself,” he said. “We’re still not sure whether this was actually illegal -- that’s being investigated.” ... The company said it lost $125 million through the alleged fraud at its Singapore office. Separate from that, it said it also lost $150 million following a “significant risk management loss” and has as a result fired its head of risk management, Jane Dahl Christensen. The banks who helped bring OW Bunker to market all say they’re as shocked as anyone else by its revelations over the past two days.Fox wants to kick the cost of Super Bowl advertising over a new line. Fox Sports is seeking more than $5 million for a 30-second commercial in its 2017 broadcast of Super Bowl LI, according to people familiar with the situation, a level that would raise the price tag for ad inventory in what is usually the nation’s most-watched annual TV event into the stratosphere. Other networks may have secured $5 million for a few commercials in the gridiron classic, but if Fox has its way, each ad in the game will fetch the princely sum – and possibly more. The effort does not come without risk. In 2014, NBC made a bid to sell Super Bowl commercials at $4.5 million a pop, a 12.5% hike from what Fox had sought in the year prior, and worked until just a few days before its 2015 broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX to sell out its inventory. CBS fared better in 2015 when it sought at least $4.5 million to $4.7 million for a 30-second spot (and more in some cases) for this year’s Super Bowl 50, though it kept the till open in case of last-minute interest. Marketers flock to the Super Bowl to get a pitch in front of the outsize audience the event attracts, but in recent years, they have taken more time to join the ad roster, rather than rushing in full-bore. With advertisers enjoying an abundance of choice of places to run their commercials, even the Super Bowl, it would seem, is under scrutiny. In early talks, Fox Sports has sought between $5 million and $5.5 million for a 30-second commercial slot, according to one of the people familiar with the pace of negotiations. Another executive suggested the 21st Century Fox-owned unit has in some cases sought $5.6 million or higher. The costs would include the ads appearing in Fox’s live stream of the game, according to one of the people with knowledge of the discussions. Fox Sports has also sought to have Super Bowl clients spend a similar amount to run ads across the company’s media portfolio, a tactic that is not uncommon in these kinds of talks. That means a single advertiser could end up paying $10 million or more for the chance to appear in the event. Fox declined to make executives available for comment. How much higher can the price go? One ad buying executive balked at the notion of a Super Bowl ad costs moving closer to $6 million per berth. “They will not be getting $5.7 million a spot,” this executive said, suggesting the current price range may be meeting with resistance in negotiations. While a single price point often makes the rounds in media reports about Super Bowl commercials, the fact is not everyone pays the same figure. The cost fluctuates depending on when the ad airs in the game, how many commercials the advertiser is buying, whether or not a sponsor has a multi-year sponsorship deal in place, and other factors The cost of advertising in the Super Bowl has always been astronomical compared to other TV properties, but the price has risen significantly in recent years. A decade ago, the cost of a 30-second spot was a mere $2.5 million, according to Kantar Media, a tracker of ad spending – cheap by today’s standards. By that measure, the price of a 30-second commercial has risen 76% between 2006 and last year, Kantar said. Advertisers typically spend hundreds of thousands of dollars more on the production of their commercials, which often require special effects, celebrities, expensive licensing rights for music and social-media promotion. The lure? The chance to get a promotional message about a new product in front of millions of consumers in a single maneuver. Denny’s in 2009 and 2010 used the Super Bowl to offer free breakfast giveaways and get people to come in to its restaurants to sample the fare. Chrysler in 2011 ran a massive two-minute commercial that helped tout the notion that U.S. automakers had rebounded from a crippling recession and were ready to get back to business. As a defiant Eminem song played, the automaker boasted that its cars were “Imported from Detroit.” The Super Bowl in recent years has proven to be a game-changer in the world of TV ratings, breaking records in multiple years for the most-watched TV broadcast of all time. The honor was once held by the series finale of “M*A*S*H” on CBS, which lured 105.9 million viewers in 1983. That benchmark has been surpassed in every year this decade by the Super Bowl. After the event set new records in 2014 and 2015 with 114.4 million viewers and 112.2 million viewers, respectively, Super Bowl 50 notched an audience of 111.9 million. PepsiCo, Busch and Group, owner of Chrysler and Fiat, are among the marketers who become regular sponsors of the Super Bowl. Spokespersons for the brewer and the soda giant did not respond immediately to queries about their possible plans for Super Bowl LI, while a spokeswoman for said the company had “nothing to share” at present. PepsiCo, Anheuser Busch InBev and FCA Group, owner of Chrysler and Fiat, are among the marketers who become regular sponsors of the Super Bowl. A spokeswoman for Anheuser said the company will return to the Super Bowl ad an advertiser in 2017. A spokeswoman for the soda giant did not respond immediately to a query, while a spokeswoman for FCA said the company had “nothing to share” at present.by Trevor Fisher Last autumn the Labour leadership issues seemed possible to discuss objectively, with a possible clean up of a deeply confused rule book. Perhaps even a sensible mid-term election could be devised while the Fixed Term Parliament Act was in force, a mid term election being discussed in passing during the summer leadership debates. This is no longer possible and even before a rumoured leadership plot is launched, the situation is becoming more confused and dangerously fraught. The context of what Kevin Meagher rightly described as a ‘putsch‘ is internal disputes in the Whitehall bubble, mirroring tensions over Labour’s direction. There has been little to justify a leadership challenge despite the EU referendum dispute, and as Kevin Meagher pointed out, “The risk is that the current putsch plays straight into the hands of the Corbynites and inflicts lasting, long term damage on the party”. This is clearly true and while I suspect a general election in the autumn is unlikely for Theresa May, if one was called leadership dispute would seriously damage Labour. However the immediate issues are two-fold, and centre on the nature of the putsch. The first issue is whether they plotters can keep Corbyn off the ballot paper. If the rules are used to prevent enough supporters to nominate Corbyn, I cannot see how a legal challenge is unavoidable. He is the elected Labour leader. Whether he can be excluded is open to legal challenge but if successfully excluded, this has the effect of making the leadership a PLP matter. The membership is merely rubber stamping the PLP decision. This would put Labour back in the 1970s and negate the move to membership democracy common to all political parties in the current era. The Tories have a leadership ballot and are now staging a members’ ballot. Old and right wing, but with a real choice. Would Labour gain from being less democratic? The second problem is what happens if the challenge fails and Corbyn goes onto the ballot paper – the plotters then have to get enough votes to beat him. If they do not, then they are in a worse position than they were when they started. What is their plan B? At the least damaging they have taken themselves out of the shadow cabinet, leaving Labour with the second string. There is more to the weakness of the shadow cabinet than just the fact it is the second choice, but it’s going to be an issue for the media. Corbyn might argue he has his supporters in place. But as someone neither New Labour nor a Corbynite, a ministry of all the talents is what I want. And if the plotters lose to Corbyn, what happens then? There have been 129,000 new members in the last fornight, and maybe the long awaited revolt of the moderates is happening. Or perhaps not. A divided leadership, PLP and Grassroots is being mooted, by Frank Field in Guardian letters and Roger Godsiff in the Birmingham Post, but the chances of relegating Corbyn to local party leadership are problematic. The divisions in the party would be laid bare. Unless there is an eleventh hour settlement, then the old rule that Divided Houses Do Not Stand looks likely to be the text of the moment. Trevor Fisher was a member of the Labour Coordinating Committee executive 1987-90 and secretary of the Labour Reform Group 1995- 2007 Tags: democracy, EU referendum, Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leadership race, NEC, Trevor FisherHere’s how a hockey game works: two teams dress 18 skaters and two goaltenders and play at least 60 minutes of hockey in three periods until one of said teams score more goals than the other. It’s basic. The coach uses the four forward lines, three defensive pairs, and one goalie to generate offense in order to score goals, and play defense to prevent the other team from doing the same. For the Boston Bruins, this has become a reputation of sorts – the whole, rolling four lines thing. At times, Claude Julien has been guilty of relying too heavily on the Bruins fourth line, giving them valuable minutes and putting them out on the ice for key shifts and faceoffs in the offensive zone that should be reserved for, frankly, better players. On Monday night, the Bruins’ fourth line consisted of Jordan Caron, Alex Khokhlachev, and David Pastrnak, all recent call-ups from the Providence Bruins. In Providence, this trio is the team’s first line and are each point-per-game players. So when Julien began line rushes prior to Boston’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, he kept the three together as the Bruins fourth line. What happened next was both a departure from the norm and more of the same. If anything, Julien’s departure from rolling out four lines could be a reason why the Bruins lost 3-2 to the Penguins in overtime on Monday. By the end of regulation, eight of the Bruins’ 12 forwards had over 15 minutes of ice time. In fact, each of those forwards plus Simon Gagne, who logged just under 13 minutes of ice time, played over their average time on ice for the season. The Bruins fourth line was the glaring exception. Aside from Pastrnak who played 7:53 in his first NHL game thanks to some late shifts with some of the other Bruins lines, Caron played 3:35 while Khokhlachev only saw 2:53 of ice time in Monday’s loss. It leaves you wondering that if the Bruins hadn’t slowed down in the third period due to logging extra shifts from their first three lines, including 17:26 of ice time for Gregory Campbell and 15:51 for Daniel Paille, could they have generated more offense? Especially with the speed that Khokhlachev’s line can bring forward. “Again, guess that’s coaching,” said Julien. “That’s me coaching the way I felt I had to coach tonight.” Keep in mind this was both Caron’s and Khokhlachev’s second and third, respectively, game of the season. This was Pastrnak’s first of his NHL career. It’s also fair to point out that both Caron and Khokhlachev were on the ice for the Penguins’ first goal, over a minute for each, pinned and somewhat out of position in their own zone. Julien’s “that’s coaching” quote could be a nice way to say the two were benched. Pastrnak wasn’t on the ice and was given late shifts alternatively on Patrice Bergeron’s line to rest both Brad Marchand and Reilly Smith. “I thought he had good legs and so I put him on a couple lines here,” said Julien on Pastrnak. “And obviously, you can see he’s a pretty dynamic player. He had that one shift with Bergy’s line; Marchand and him had a real good shift there in the o-zone. I liked his game. I know he probably didn’t get a ton of ice time, but when he was out there I liked what he did.” While Julien does rely a bit heavily on the Bruins fourth line at times, it’s usually comprised of Gagne, Campbell, and Paille, not a handful of younger players. Julien has been criticized in the past for not giving younger players enough of ice time and against the Penguins, one of the best teams in the NHL, this is probably okay. The problem is that Bruins had two other regular players available who didn’t dress. To make move for the Caron and Pastrnak recalls, the Bruins assigned Seth Griffith back to Providence and scratched Matt Fraser. While Griffith and Fraser each played top nine minutes, they were either subtracted from the roster in exchange for Caron and Pastrnak. Julien didn’t have an answer for the reasoning behind demoting Griffith, the player tied for the team lead in goals. “You might want to deal with upper management on that one,” said Julien. “I coach, I don’t make the decisions. So probably, they would be better fit to answer that than I would.” Against a team like the Penguins, the Bruins would need to roll out four lines in the first two periods, shortening the bench in the third period. With the exception of Pastrnak, the Bruins fourth line played a total of five shifts in Monday’s loss. Five. The three of them were on the ice together only twice. And the line that Julien does rely on a bit too heavily at times? The Campbell line? They played in between 20 and 23 shifts if you include the penalty kill. So why did that experiment have to happen against the Penguins on Monday night and not against one of the sub-par teams the Bruins faced earlier this season? Guess that’s coaching. Follow Mike on Twitter for more Bruins news, updates, and commentary.Interviews about marriage with couples who were living together found that two-thirds were worried about the “legal, emotional and economic consequences” of splitting up later. Many expressed concerns about the “hassle” of divorce lawyers or arranging child support payments, while others had painful memories of their parents divorcing. However most respondents insisted they did still want to get married one day, but only once they had met “the one” and were emotionally and financially ready for such a commitment. Experts say the findings, published in the journal Family Relations, disprove the common belief that the marriage rate is declining because young people do not respect the institution of matrimony. The paper, by Sharon Sassler and Dela Kusi-Appouh at Cornell University and Amanda Miller and the University of Central Oklahoma, states: “More than two-third of those in our sample expressed views about divorce that were in some way connected to their sentiments regarding marriage. “There were numerous ways that the issue of divorce was discussed, though most raised at least one of four possible concerns with regards to marital dissolution. “Respondents most frequently mentioned a reluctance to marry because of their desire to ‘do it right’, which they defined as marrying only once, to the ideal partner. “The belief that marriage was difficult to exit was referenced nearly as frequently. Next, respondents expressed concerns that the rewards of marriage were not worth the risk of what might occur (namely, divorce). “Finally, a small group of the respondents referenced past experiences with divorce as a reason to be leery of marriage.” The research was carried out among 61 young cohabiting couples in Ohio, but living arrangements in Britain are closer to those in the US than in previous decades. One in six people are now cohabiting in Britain while married couples now make up less than half the population, and the average age at which a woman gets married for the first time has reached 30. Divorce rates have also fallen in recent years – as there are fewer spouses who can separate – but the new research suggests that fear of it colours people’s perceptions of marriage. In-depth interviews about marriage with the couples found that 81 of the 122 respondents mentioned the “spectre” of divorce. Most of them said they wanted to “prepare themselves personally, financially and emotionally” for tying the knot, so they would “get it right” and so avoid splitting up, although some also had strong religious beliefs against divorce. Many also said that marriage was “hard to exit” and so they wanted to avoid a “painful” end to a relationship, particularly if they had children. Some told researchers that the institution of marriage was “doomed” and was not taken seriously enough in society, and even that walking down the aisle might “jinx” a happy but less formalised relationship. Although a few believed that marriage was “just a piece of paper” and so no different to living together, most couples believed there were some benefits even if they were only making their parents happy or gaining better legal rights. However some interviewees, particularly women, saw marriage as a “trap” that would burden them with greater expectations and prove difficult to get out of. “This flies in the face of the idea that men are the ones who must be dragged to the altar.” Anastasia de Waal, head of family and education at the think-tank Civitas, commented: “This fear of ‘breaking’ a marriage strongly indicates the reverence that people have for it today. “Non-marriage is often interpreted as indicative of marriage not being valued, whereas research shows us that not marrying is often down to the fact that it is valued to the point of becoming ‘unachievable’. “This attitude is mirrored in people’s expectations around the position that they must be in when they get married – in the perfect relationship and financial situation. In short, couples are worried about entering marriage, commonly perceived as the ideal relationship, in case they don’t live up to that ideal.”House members can extend their holiday vacations, but senators have no such luck. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office announced Friday that the House will not kick off work for the second session of the 115th Congress until Monday, Jan. 8, with a customary 6:30 p.m. vote series. That means under the planned schedule there will be just eight legislative days for the House before the next government funding standoff, with the continuing resolution that became law Friday morning running through Friday, Jan. 19. The original House calendar had the chamber convening on Jan. 3. The Senate is still slated to return on that Wednesday. When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell closed the floor Thursday night, he set up a schedule of pro forma sessions, with no business conducted, starting on Saturday and running through Jan. 2 of the new year. The Senate will convene at noon on Jan. 3, to resume regular business, when two new senators will be joining their ranks — Democrats Doug Jones of Alabama and Tina Smith of Minnesota. The first roll call vote is slated for 5:30 p.m. that day, on the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nomination of John C. Rood to a senior post at the Pentagon. Watch: What Got Left in Our Notebooks in 2017But it's already unbalanced in CAR... We are compelled to note that while Ms. Pitt has always been polite, the new head of OCHA Communications is Kieran Dwyer, previously the spokesperson for UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous, who has refused to answer basic Press questions including about the CAR. We are also compelled to note that not only was Ladsous France's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN during the Rwanda genocide, arguing for the escape of genocidaires into Eastern Congo, but he is also the fourth Frenchman in a row to head UN Peacekeeping. Doubts grow as he refuses to answer questions, particularly about Mali and CAR given France's history there. Video compilation, including Dwyer's statement on why questions are not answered, here. Back on March 7 when Chad's Permanent Representative to the UN Mahamat Zene Cherif came to the Security Council stakeout on March 7, beyond asking him about child soldiers Inner City Press asked him about those who have had to flee Central African Republic into Chad. Shouldn't they be able to return to CAR? Video here and embedded below Mahamat Zene Cherif said while Chad will not force anyone back, they should be able to return. He said that eighty percent of the Muslims have been chased out of the CAR. How can elections be held this way, he asked. Inner City Press asked if perhaps those displaced could vote even while in Chad. Mahamat Zene Cherif said the UN could check the feasibility, but that Chad would hope the displaced could return to CAR. The day before, Inner City Press tried to ask French Ambassador Gerard Araud about a statement or report by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay that the French Sangaris force first disarming the ex-Seleka had left Muslim community vulnerable to attack by Christian anti-Balaka militias. Araud refused to take the question while at the microphone, then from the wings insisted there is no Navi Pillay report. Click here for that.From left: Iain Cook, Lauren Mayberry, Martin Doherty. Photo by Christina Kernohan. Chvrches: "Recover" (via SoundCloud) The three members of Chvrches span a wide range of both ages and previous career experiences. At 25, vocalist Lauren Mayberry is the youngest and the one with far more educational credentials than indie cred-- she's already got a law degree, a masters in journalism, and a sense of humor about the futility of such assets in today's job market. "I've always worked in cinemas or cafes to make money because it turns out freelance journalism is quite hard to get into," she admits. Meanwhile, Iain Cook, 38, and Martin Doherty, 30, were previously in brooding post-rock bands whose volcanic soft/loud dynamics positioned them as progeny of Scottish standard bearers like Mogwai and Arab Strap. Cook was a guitarist in the underrated Aereogramme, whereas Doherty performed live with the Twilight Sad. "I'm having more fun on stage than I did with previous bands," says Doherty. "When you play aggressive rock music, or shoegaze, or whatever you want to call it, you're expected to act a certain way on stage because you can't just be smiling and jumping around." Chvrches: "The Mother We Share" (via SoundCloud) So Chvrches' keyboard-heavy pop is a tremendous shift in every way for all three in both sound and profile; their 2012 singles "Lies" and "The Mother We Share" placed Mayberry's regional accent and sweet melodies against sharp synth lines and militaristic beats, drawing immediate comparisons to the Knife and Purity Ring. A UK tour with Passion Pit followed, and now they're preparing their first EP, Recover, due out March 26, with an LP in the works for later this year. Embedded content is unavailable. Pitchfork: You originally presented Chvrches as an anonymous entity, did you always have an idea of how long you planned to keep that going? Lauren Mayberry: There wasn't an evil master plan. It was more like, "Let's put a song on the internet and see what people think about it." We're lucky that people responded, but considering the type of music that we make, there are also dangers about how your band will be perceived-- especially for the female in the band. We've had to be quite careful as far as how that gets portrayed. Not that I'm paranoid or anything... but I am paranoid. Pitchfork: Have there been any situations where you were disappointed with how you've been portrayed so far? LM: We've been reasonably lucky. I did my dissertation on the idea of femininity and women's writing, so I spent eight months reading about how women are portrayed in the media in terms of images and tone of voice and what words are used. It's something that I think about all the time, so I've been on the offensive with that from the start. We've had a couple of situations where people pitched things to us that we would never do, like individual entries in women's magazines. It's nice of them to offer, but I don't ever want to do that. Not that there's anything wrong with anybody doing that-- that's absolutely their choice-- but it would make it trickier for me to sleep at night. I worry enough anyway. Chvrches: "Lies" (via SoundCloud) Pitchfork: How did you guys first get together? LM: I met Iain when he was producing the EP of my other indie rock band, Blue Sky Archives. He mentioned that he and his friend Martin were hoping for an electro-something band; I've always been a big fan of electronic music and pop music, but I'd never really tried it. Luckily, we've gelled quite well so far, which is helpful because when you're in a windowless basement with just the three of you, it helps to get on well. Otherwise, I'd imagine someone would get murdered, and that would be a shame. Pitchfork: Does this style of music inspire you to write different sorts of lyrics? LM: Someone once said to me that no one gives a shit about the lyrics in pop songs, but I find that very offensive because I always listen to them. I never wanted to write really cheesy pop lyrics-- like, "baby, baby, the sun is shining"-- that's not something that interests me personally. I'm always wanting to write something that has some kind of meaning. Embedded content is unavailable. Pitchfork: Have you been surprised at all by some of the bands you've been compared to? LM: I haven't read a huge amount of any of that, but I love the Knife. They're really great at making secrecy a part of their career; they have a lot of control over how they come across, which is unusual in this day and age. Martin Doherty: A lot of people say we sound like Purity Ring, but I don't think we do, though they're an amazing band. Iain Cook: Purity Ring are a lot more obscure in terms of their melodies-- they try to bury their hooks a lot deeper, whereas we want our melodies to be up-front and immediate. Chvrches: "The Mother We Share" (Miaoux Miaoux Remix) (via SoundCloud) Pitchfork: Has there been a situation where you've come across your own music playing around Glasgow yet? LM: I heard "Mother We Share" on the jukebox in a pub we sometimes go to, but other than that I don't really go into places seeking people who are playing our songs-- it would be disturbing, and maybe as embarrassing for them as it would be for me. It'd be uncomfortable.(TSX-V: MGW, OTCQB: MGWFF) May 1, 2017 – $0.57 CALGARY, ALBERTA – May 1, 2017 – Maple Leaf Green World Inc. (TSXV: MGW) (the “Maple Leaf” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that, further to its press releases on March 17, 2017, and March 21, 2017, due to higher than anticipated demand and its increased capital requirements in connection with its engineering and construction plans for its proposed cannabis growing facility in Telkwa, British Columbia (the “Telkwa Facility”), the Company has increased its previously announced private placement to an offering of 13,216,070 units of the Company (“Units”) a price of $0.55 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $7,268,838.50 (the “Offering”). Each Unit will consist of one common share of Maple Leaf (“Common Shares”) and one Common Share purchase warrant (“Warrants”). Each whole Warrant will be exercisable into one Common Share at a price of $0.85 per Common Share for a period of two years from the date of issuance. The Corporation intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to advance the Telkwa Facility. Remaining proceeds, if any, will be used for general corporate purposes. The Corporation is also pleased to announce that it has received conditional approval of the Offering from the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”), subject to meeting the conditions of the TSXV. The Offering is scheduled to close on or about May 4, 2017 and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the final approval of the TSXV. The securities to be issued under the Offering will be subject to a four month hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. For further information regarding Maple Leaf Green World Inc., please visit www.mlgreenworld.com. About Maple Leaf Green World Inc. Maple Leaf is a public Canadian company that focuses on the cannabis industry in North America. With over 10 years of extensive greenhouse management experience, it applies its eco- agriculture knowledge and cultivation technology to produce contaminant-free organic cannabis products. Maple Leaf’s long-term objective is to produce cannabis oil and export its products to approved countries. Cautionary Statement This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Specifically, this news release includes, but is not limited to, forward-looking statements with respect to the net proceeds from the Offering and the use thereof, the completion of the Offering, the receipt of regulatory approvals and the timing thereof and the anticipated closing date of the Offering. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “projects”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or “variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “can”, “could”, “would”, “might”, or “will” be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the development and operation of the Company’s projects, risks associated with general economic conditions, adverse industry events, marketing costs, loss of markets, future legislative and regulatory developments involving medical cannabis, inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms, the medical cannabis industry in Canada and the jurisdictions where the Company operates generally, income tax and regulatory matters, competition, crop failure, currency and interest rate fluctuations, regulatory approvals including approvals from the TSXV for the Offering, and those factors discussed in the sections relating to risk factors of our business filed in the Company’s required securities filings on SEDAR. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements will prove accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. THE SECURITIES OFFERED HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES ABSENT REGISTRATION OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. THIS PRESS RELEASE SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF THE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. Contact: Maple Leaf Green World Inc. Raymond Lai, Chairman, President & CEO +1(403) 452-4552 +1(403) 452-6900 [email protected] www.mlgreenworld.comTranscending history, and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold I still remember seeing the epic intro movie of SoulEdge (named SoulBlade outside Japan) that started with these words above to continue with one of the probably best music tracks written for a fighting game. The music continued to be great in the game itself, but the more important parts to make a fighting game great are the gameplay, a good roster, a creative setting and last but not least even a good story. SoulEdge delivered all of that with its fighting engine based on vertical and horizontal weapon based moves instead of the more usual kicks and punches system seen in the most other fighting games before. SoulEdge had only around 10 playable characters but each of them was as different from each other as the Street Fighter II characters that everyone knows today. All initially playable SoulEdge characters drawn by Fredrik “
ical flask air reservoir has evolved into a leather covered air container shaped like a modern long arm buttstock. Do Lukens Air Rifles show Girandoni Styling? I have commented in the Lukens airgun paper on this website, that, as previously discussed between myself and the late Henry Stewart, that the “shape and style” of the Lukens airgun receivers seemed to be similar to the receivers on Girandoni-style Austrian butt reservoir air rifles in the Beeman collection. Thus, I was obliged to again compare the receivers of Girandoni style repeating airguns with those of Lukens single shot air rifles. Although there is superficial external similarity due to being rounded, as is common, and having the air reservoir connection, barrel base, and lock in similar locations, as would be dictated by function, the receivers, and also the air reservoirs, of the two lines of airguns are very different. Internally, and in all the lock areas, the Girandoni airguns and the Lukens airguns are completely different. The Lukens and Girandoni receivers are vastly different. The Girandoni receiver basically is just a single brass top piece, cast from top to bottom, with the lower area of the receiver being just the trigger guard and an extension of the wooden stock. A simple, rather diagnostic, notch along the lower, right edge of the brass casting holds the rear tip of the lock plate, simplifying assembly. The Lukens/Kunz air rifles have a two receiver piece brass receiver, cast from side to side and brazed along the center line - the solid metal receiver completely enclosing the central area of the gun, top and bottom. In the Lukens the air transfer tube is brazed into place when the two side shells are joined. This is detailed in the paper on the Lukens gun itself. In the Girandoni the air transfer channel is a tunnel drilled and filed or cast in place. When Stewart, and later I, made the remark about similarity of Girandoni and Lukens styling we were not aware of the complete contrast of the mechanisms and structure. We were only referring to superficial cosmetic appearance and the presence of a butt reservoir. Similar cosmetic styling, but certainly not structure, of the receiver was found at least as far back as a single shot air rifle by C. Heiberger, a Luftbüchsenmacher (airgun maker) of Vienna, about 1750. And while the Lukens butt reservoir is not very much like the Girandoni reservoir, it is similar to butt reservoirs found on external lock air rifles that go back two centuries. Conclusion: There appears to be not the slightest indication that the style or design of either gun was influenced by the style or design of the other. The styling of each can be traced as separate back to at least the mid-1700s. We VERY MUCH welcome information on other Girandoni system airguns and are always on the market to buy additional specimens for inclusion in our upcoming book which finally will tie the existing specimens together into a permanent legacy for this gun-making genius - a collection which is destined to be maintained as a unit in an appropriate international arms museum - rather than being sold and thus scattered into obscurity over the globe. SELECTED REFERENCES AND LITERATURE CITED See also the reference lists for this website's two Lewis Airgun chapters: Lewis Assault Rifle and Lewis Airgun - preliminary study.. Baer, Fred 1955. The Gun That Scared Napoleon. GUNS, March, 1955. Baer, Fred. 1973. Napoleon Was Not Afraid of It In: Arms and Armor Annual, Ed. By Robert Held, Digest Books, Northfield, Illinois. Baker, Geoffrey and Colin Currie, 2002. The Construction and Operation of the Air Gun. Vol. 1. The Austrian Army Repeating Air Rifle. 64 pp. www.gunbooks.co.uk. This book, one of the most important works ever on the Girandoni air rifle, primarily is detailed drawings of the gun and its parts. It was revised and corrected to include new work by Baker, Currie, Cowan, Keller, and Beeman as a second edition of 102 pages published in 2006. The second edition of this stellar book is absolutely essential to anyone interested in the Girandoni airguns. A similar book detailing the construction of aircanes has also been produced by this industrious and exacting pair.) Beeman, Robert. 2006. Meriwether Lewis's Wonder Weapon. We Proceeded On, official journal of the Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail Association. May 2006, p.29-34. Blackmore, Howard 1965. Guns and Rifles of the World. Viking Press, New York. Redwood Press Limited, Trowbridge & London.134 pp. Brown, Shaun 2002. Samuel Staudenmayer, Gunsmith, Cockspur Street, London. Arms Collecting 40(3);90-93. Brutsche, Helmut. 1966. Die Geschichtliche ent Wicklung der Windbüchsen. Deutsches Waffen-Journal, May, 1966. pp.71-75.(Also published in International Arms Review, Vol.1.) Demmin, Auguste 1893. Die Kriegswaffen in ihren geschichtlichen Entwicklungen, p. 976, Leipzig. Eichst ä dt, Ulrich. 2005. Wer Wind s ät... VISIER, Dec. 2005, pp.114-120. Gaylord, Tom 1997. The Girandoni Air Rifle. Airgun Revue 1: 10-11. Hoff, Arne, 1977. Windbüchsen und andere Druckluftwaffen. 105 pp.. Parey, Berlin. Hummelberger, Walter and Leo Scharer. 1963. Eine Repetier-Windpistole. Wiener Geschichtsbl ä tter, 204 sqq.. Hummelberger, Walter and Leo Scharer. 1964. Die österreichishce Militär-Repetierwindbüchse und ihr Erfinder Bartholomäus Girandoni. Part 1: Pp. 81-95.1965: Part 2:24-53. Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffenkunde. Deutscher Kunstverlag, München, Berlin. Konwiarz, Christian 1983. Test Firing a 150 Year Old Air Rifle. The Gun Report, August 1983:14-20. Munson, H. Lee. 1992. The Mortimer Gunmakers- 1753-1923.Andrew Mowbray Inc, Lincoln, Rhode Island.. 320 pp. Rothenbücher, C. 1816. Über den Brand der Gewehre. Zeitschrift für das Forst und Jagdwessen im Königreich Bayern 4: 40-42. Saunders, Tim. 2003. Sniper's Delight. Airgun World pp.72-3. (Heiberger-Girandoni conversion) Schäfer, Otto, 1961. Die Windbüchsen im Museum Kranichstein. Deutsche Jäger Zeitung.. January 1961:No. 20 and 21.. Melsungen, Germany. Stumpf, Manfred 1960 Waffen Almanach. Fachverlag Dr. N. Stoytscheff, Darmstadt, Germany. 256 pp. (See esp. the 1766 Windbüchsen warning on p. 208.) Train, J.K. 1844. Die Niederjagd in allen ihren Verzweigungen vol. 1:28-32. Ulm, Germany. Støckel, Johan F., 1978-82. Revision edited by Eugene Heer: Heer der Neue Støckel. Internationales Lexikon der Büchsenmacher, Feurwaffenfabrikanten und Armbrustmacher von 1400-1900. 2287 pp. Journal-Verlang, Schwend GmbH, Schwäbish Hall, Germany. Wolff, Eldon 1958, Air Guns. 198 pp. Milwaukee Public Museum Publications in History 1. Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Wolff, Eldon 1963, Air Gun Batteries. 28 pp. Milwaukee Public Museum Publications in History 5. Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An intriguing feature of these pumps is their ingenious design: the upper end of the pump shaft is square in cross section. After pushing the pump head out for cleaning and oiling the seals would be pulled just into the pump’s bore. Then the square shaft passing through a square guide cap would hold the shaft still as the threaded pump seal nut was turned to expand the seals, thus providing perfect fit and tightness. Geoffrey Baker (personal communication, 10 November 2004) commented: The shorter larger diameter pump would not reach as high a pressure as the longer thinner one. The air vent has lost volume which is not much of a problem at lower pressures.For high pressure it is essential to have as little lost or “dead” volume as possible. Girandoni was a genius. He very cleverly got around this problem by continuing the pump tube right up to the end. Air cane pumps are similar to the shorter one and the air vent is relatively large. Modern pumps like the Slim Jim variety used by the now defunct Brocock Company had a tiny air vent but they are designed to pump to much higher pressures than the aircane ones. (The short. thick pump is the type known from most specimens of antique airguns.). The impact of firing seems to loosen this screw. [1] Dr. Robert Beeman is a Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation member, Professor Emeritus at San Francisco State University, founder of Beeman Precision Airguns, publisher of Airgun Journal and Airgun News, author of many airgun publications and bulletins, airgun designer, airgunsmith, senior author of the Blue Book of Airguns series, airgun expert witness, airgun consultant, and airgun collector and historian.Here in Virginia, we vote every year, and voter fatigue is an issue (but not one we’re discussing today). Here in Virginia, we vote every year, and voter fatigue is an issue (but not one we’re discussing today). Even though Virginia now has debatably necessary/constitutional voter-ID laws, and we’ve got some issues with redistricting, you can still make sure you as an individual are able to vote come Nov. 4th. Check out this awesome and incredibly easy online tool to register for the first time, or update your registration. I used it last week and it took about 10 minutes to get my info up-to-date. But there’s a catch, you have to register or update your registration info by Oct. 14th. So please, no matter who you vote for, get out there and vote, and use this awesome tool to make sure you do it right.Doing another Matrix "scribble-stration" again, for some reason... I think I'm doing it because I wasn't all the way pleased with the last one I did. I was trying to cling to an illustration that had died when Photoshop committed suicide... but it's just not as good a 2nd time. I think this one has given me some closure as I started it completely differently, trying to give it its own feel... and as you can see, I cut it off at the waist and made the strokes more deliberate. I also used some watercolor brushes that I found, which add an incredible sense of texture, I think... Overall, I'm much more satisfied with this piece... and I find that I've gotten over that first one that died the other night.EDIT: Did some alterations to it to make the "Matrix rain" effect more apparent. Buy the print here! = [link]Los Angeles Police Department says it would be 'disingenuous' to deny the reward because the suspect had died. Former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner killed himself Feb. 12 during a siege by police at Big Bear Mountain Lake, Calif. He was suspected of killing four people, including two police officers. (Photo: Los Angeles Police Department) Story Highlights The suspect killed himself as law enforcement moved in Dorner was suspected of killing four people, including two cops Riverside mayor says thanks, but no thanks Some California donors, including the city of Riverside, have withdrawn their part of more than $1 million in reward money offered for the capture and conviction of cop-killer Christopher Dorner, who committed suicide after a 10-day shooting spree in Southern California last month. The city of Riverside had pledged $100,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Dorner, who was suspected of killing four people, including Riverside officer Michael Crain. The former Los Angeles police officer, who said in a manifesto that he was seeking revenge following his dismissal from the force, killed himself Feb. 12 as officers closed in on a cabin near Big Bear Mountain Lake where he was holed up. Two claims have been made on the reward, one by a couple near the vacation resort whose car was stolen after they were tied up by Dorner, and a man whose pickup was hijacked by the suspect, The Press-Enterprise reported. A Riverside City Council spokesperson said the criteria for getting the city's $100,000 reward was not met, the newspaper reported, apparently because Dorner was already dead by the time police broke into the burning cabin. Riverside police officers carry the casket of fellow officer Michael Crain during service at Riverside National Cemetery in California in February. (Photo: Damian Dovarganes, AP) "Thank you for making the phone calls, for your part in bringing Chris Dorner to an end. Unfortunately, it wasn't through the justice system, and that's what our precedence has created, and our process and resolution provided for," said Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey, according to KABC-TV. A similar reward by Riverside County, which was among 27 groups pledging reward money, is still pending. The Press-Enterprise quotes Ron Cottingham, president of the 64,000-member union Peace Officers Research Association of California, which has placed its own pledge on hold, as saying several donor groups are withdrawing their pledges. The Los Angeles Police Department, however, said it will still pay its portion of the overall $1 million reward, the Los Angeles Times reported. LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese said that it "would be disingenuous" to deny someone the reward because the suspect had died before he could be put on trial. That, Albanese said, would also undercut the effectiveness of future reward offers, the newspaper reported. The Los Angeles reward criteria, however, was slightly different than other cities because Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in announcing the reward, had broadened it to "capture" in his public remarks, as opposed to the more restrictive capture and conviction. The city of Irvine, where a former LAPD captain's daughter and her fiancé were killed by Dorner, said on Tuesday it would keep its pledge of $100,000, KNBC reported. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/10PIbo9Letter Frequencies for Scrabble Letter Frequency over Time pre-1800 1800-99 1900-24 1925-49 1950-74 1975-1999 2000-now overall words 87,217 97,734 98,425 99,525 99,968 100,000 100,000 100,000 occurrences 3 B 79 B 53 B 47 B 112 B 248 B 203 B 744 B The resulting data file (5MB) is sorted by overall word frequency, with each line containing a single word followed by tab-separated occurrence counts for each of the seven time periods. The first and last 15 lines look like this: THE 214386567 6205478005 4136227396 3596808601 8434878977 17095905562 13413716353 OF 139080842 3835444951 2455783120 2141178652 5039228492 9911392356 7443965819 AND 104735110 2636959817 1659391866 1411410347 3297450997 7362373093 6159703274 TO 92589834 2236903043 1384523293 1209170285 2841681262 6260231443 5322298917 IN 61663464 1727940862 1202136632 1102307412 2695341106 5710080790 4391594997 A 52666775 1518556104 1067315757 965781133 2278228256 5149986234 4277553636 IS 30222523 845922593 630814098 548758334 1335987058 2818372092 2174169987 THAT 42207807 919231597 570562753 495588435 1148001772 2560771539 2264404325 FOR 22709571 587562031 427461710 407327855 988526132 2270067239 1841627493 IT 30586232 757131617 483135394 402426501 860369525 1702985300 1503450800 AS 25127245 649084129 428121174 366815239 850033321 1835148950 1546315200 WAS 21836236 679586883 445264203 397816862 852480827 1659824046 1445904911 WITH 22650143 600104567 377661407 325318042 755940286 1682707617 1418415187 BE 26016783 591061444 381343530 328060974 773748230 1541412667 1177221157 BY 24913613 624134890 379710635 322171395 767001993 1494625868 1090547690... PREUVES 978 19027 6292 5140 19964 28651 15500 TARANTULAS 172 5254 6071 6385 9801 35034 32834 SPIRULINA 0 848 791 413 2524 50940 40033 CORNEY 113 12993 10726 7575 12067 26828 25245 PATHBREAKING 0 26 190 190 3218 47158 44764 LITTORINA 0 6275 4960 9937 21117 42326 10926 HOOKAH 106 13108 5647 4900 14804 29150 27823 AUSLAND 0 5224 3435 5333 19312 38004 24227 ROUMANIE 0 1157 4181 6801 26821 42310 14263 IVAS 6159 22550 6591 6779 12868 18666 21918 ALANS 1305 17402 7660 8129 18759 21509 20765 GORDIE 6 118 760 3680 5721 45385 39859 THATCHERITE 0 0 2 12 4 53353 42157 EXCOMMUNICATING 2362 30983 10239 6014 13512 16522 15895 HEUSER 2 761 3149 10533 17964 41368 21750 In the table below, you can see the percentages for each letter, by time period. Overall, there has not been much change over time. The biggest change is that, as the Scrabblists have noted, there has been a steady increase in the frequency of "Z", doubling since pre-1800 (although the change in the 75 years since the invention of Scrabble has been smaller, from.08% to.10%). In each column, the letters are ordered by frequency. When there is an exchange of frequency order for a time period (compared to the overall frequency) I have placed a horizontal line between the two exchanged letters (for example, "O" is more common than "A" in pre-1800). We see that 1950-74 is the most average time period (no letter exchanges), and 1975-99, which contains the so-called "me" decade, is the only decade where "I" surpasses "O" (but the word counts for "me", "my", and "I" are not unusual in that time period). pre-1800 E: 12.79 T: 9.76 O: 7.73 A: 7.69 I: 7.19 N: 7.07 S: 6.18 H: 6.26 R: 6.16 D: 3.93 L: 3.52 C: 2.84 U: 2.75 F: 2.70 M: 2.48 P: 1.92 W: 1.91 G: 1.72 Y: 1.74 B: 1.58 V: 1.07 K: 0.45 X: 0.21 J: 0.18 Q: 0.13 Z: 0.04 1800-99 E: 12.78 T: 9.50 A: 7.78 O: 7.67 I: 7.25 N: 7.10 S: 6.43 R: 6.15 H: 5.94 D: 3.96 L: 3.80 C: 3.01 U: 2.70 F: 2.61 M: 2.42 P: 1.95 W: 1.90 G: 1.77 Y: 1.70 B: 1.54 V: 1.04 K: 0.47 X: 0.21 J: 0.15 Q: 0.12 Z: 0.05 1900-24 E: 12.67 T: 9.42 A: 7.93 O: 7.66 I: 7.32 N: 7.12 S: 6.47 R: 6.19 H: 5.63 L: 3.97 D: 3.89 C: 3.09 U: 2.70 F: 2.57 M: 2.43 P: 1.98 W: 1.85 G: 1.83 Y: 1.69 B: 1.53 V: 1.00 K: 0.52 X: 0.21 J: 0.14 Q: 0.11 Z: 0.07 1925-49 E: 12.59 T: 9.36 A: 7.99 O: 7.66 I: 7.44 N: 7.16 S: 6.47 R: 6.24 H: 5.36 L: 4.02 D: 3.85 C: 3.21 U: 2.71 F: 2.52 M: 2.46 P: 2.06 G: 1.84 W: 1.77 Y: 1.66 B: 1.52 V: 1.02 K: 0.52 X: 0.22 J: 0.14 Q: 0.12 Z: 0.08 1950-74 E: 12.52 T: 9.33 A: 8.03 O: 7.64 I: 7.64 N: 7.24 S: 6.51 R: 6.29 H: 5.05 L: 4.06 D: 3.76 C: 3.38 U: 2.71 M: 2.51 F: 2.46 P: 2.15 G: 1.81 W: 1.64 Y: 1.63 B: 1.50 V: 1.05 K: 0.49 X: 0.24 J: 0.15 Q: 0.12 Z: 0.09 1975-99 E: 12.41 T: 9.19 A: 8.11 I: 7.68 O: 7.63 N: 7.29 S: 6.55 R: 6.35 H: 4.74 L: 4.15 D: 3.76 C: 3.48 U: 2.74 M: 2.55 F: 2.35 P: 2.22 G: 1.88 Y: 1.64 W: 1.57 B: 1.47 V: 1.07 K: 0.54 X: 0.25 J: 0.16 Q: 0.12 Z: 0.10 2000-now E: 12.40 T: 9.20 A: 8.11 O: 7.64 I: 7.61 N: 7.25 S: 6.52 R: 6.27 H: 4.88 L: 4.12 D: 3.84 C: 3.38 U: 2.76 M: 2.53 F: 2.29 P: 2.16 G: 1.94 Y: 1.69 W: 1.67 B: 1.45 V: 1.06 K: 0.60 X: 0.24 J: 0.17 Q: 0.12 Z: 0.10 overall E: 12.49 T: 9.28 A: 8.04 O: 7.64 I: 7.57 N: 7.23 S: 6.51 R: 6.28 H: 5.05 L: 4.07 D: 3.82 C: 3.34 U: 2.73 M: 2.51 F: 2.40 P: 2.14 G: 1.87 W: 1.68 Y: 1.66 B: 1.48 V: 1.05 K: 0.54 X: 0.23 J: 0.16 Q: 0.12 Z: 0.09 Relative Ease of Playing Letters in Scrabble When Alfred Butts invented Scrabble in 1938, he determined the point values based on a frequency analysis of English letters (done by hand, not by computer). In the letter frequency column of the table below, we see that point value does indeed vary roughly inversely with letter frequency in the English books corpus. (In every column of the table, letter frequency is normalized against the letter "Q". That is, by definition "Q" has a frequency score of 1, and the score of 104 for "E" means it is 104 times more frequent. The Scrabble point value of each letter is shown in parentheses.) letter frequency E: 104 ( 1) T: 77 ( 1) A: 67 ( 1) O: 64 ( 1) I: 63 ( 1) N: 60 ( 1) S: 54 ( 1) R: 52 ( 1) H: 42 ( 4) L: 34 ( 1) D: 32 ( 2) C: 28 ( 3) U: 23 ( 1) M: 21 ( 3) F: 20 ( 4) P: 18 ( 3) G: 16 ( 2) W: 14 ( 4) Y: 14 ( 4) B: 12 ( 3) V: 9 ( 4) K: 5 ( 5) X: 2 ( 8) J: 1 ( 8) Q: 1 (10) Z: 1 (10) words E: 48 ( 1) S: 41 ( 1) I: 40 ( 1) A: 37 ( 1) R: 36 ( 1) N: 33 ( 1) T: 33 ( 1) O: 31 ( 1) L: 27 ( 1) C: 22 ( 3) D: 19 ( 2) U: 18 ( 1) P: 16 ( 3) M: 16 ( 3) G: 15 ( 2) H: 13 ( 4) B: 11 ( 3) Y: 10 ( 4) F: 7 ( 4) V: 6 ( 4) K: 5 ( 5) W: 5 ( 4) Z: 3 (10) X: 2 ( 8) J: 1 ( 8) Q: 1 (10) weighted words A: 54 ( 1) E: 54 ( 1) S: 44 ( 1) O: 42 ( 1) I: 36 ( 1) R: 32 ( 1) T: 29 ( 1) L: 27 ( 1) N: 26 ( 1) U: 24 ( 1) D: 23 ( 2) P: 20 ( 3) M: 20 ( 3) H: 18 ( 4) Y: 17 ( 4) B: 16 ( 3) G: 16 ( 2) C: 16 ( 3) K: 12 ( 5) W: 12 ( 4) F: 11 ( 4) V: 6 ( 4) X: 4 ( 8) Z: 3 (10) J: 3 ( 8) Q: 1 (10) first play E: 186 ( 1) A: 134 ( 1) O: 94 ( 1) S: 89 ( 1) R: 86 ( 1) I: 84 ( 1) T: 83 ( 1) N: 72 ( 1) L: 58 ( 1) D: 52 ( 2) G: 31 ( 2) U: 31 ( 1) P: 30 ( 3) M: 29 ( 3) B: 24 ( 3) H: 23 ( 4) C: 22 ( 3) Y: 20 ( 4) W: 19 ( 4) F: 18 ( 4) K: 14 ( 5) V: 12 ( 4) X: 5 ( 8) J: 4 ( 8) Z: 4 (10) Q: 1 (10) second play E: 321 ( 1) A: 202 ( 1) S: 169 ( 1) R: 162 ( 1) T: 141 ( 1) I: 133 ( 1) N: 130 ( 1) O: 128 ( 1) L: 93 ( 1) D: 92 ( 2) M: 47 ( 3) P: 45 ( 3) G: 44 ( 2) U: 36 ( 1) C: 34 ( 3) B: 34 ( 3) H: 32 ( 4) F: 22 ( 4) W: 22 ( 4) Y: 21 ( 4) V: 15 ( 4) K: 14 ( 5) X: 5 ( 8) Z: 4 (10) J: 3 ( 8) Q: 1 (10) "mid" proposal E: 321 ( 1) A: 202 ( 1) S: 169 ( 1) R: 162 ( 1) T: 141 ( 1) I: 133 ( 1) N: 130 ( 1) O: 128 ( 1) L: 93 ( 1) D: 92 ( 2) M: 47 ( 3) P: 45 ( 3) G: 44 ( 3) U: 36 ( 3) C: 34 ( 3) B: 34 ( 3) H: 32 ( 4) F: 22 ( 4) W: 22 ( 4) Y: 21 ( 4) V: 15 ( 4) K: 14 ( 5) X: 5 ( 8) Z: 4 ( 8) J: 3 ( 8) Q: 1 (10) "radical" proposal E: 321 ( 1) = 321 A: 202 ( 1) = 202 S: 169 ( 1) = 169 R: 162 ( 1) = 162 T: 141 ( 1) = 141 I: 133 ( 1) = 133 N: 130 ( 1) = 130 O: 128 ( 1) = 128 L: 93 ( 1) = 93 D: 92 ( 1) = 92 M: 47 ( 2) = 94 P: 45 ( 2) = 90 G: 44 ( 2) = 88 U: 36 ( 3) = 108 C: 34 ( 3) = 102 B: 34 ( 3) = 102 H: 32 ( 3) = 96 F: 22 ( 4) = 88 W: 22 ( 4) = 88 Y: 21 ( 4) = 84 V: 15 ( 6) = 90 K: 14 ( 6) = 84 X: 5 ( 8) = 40 Z: 4 ( 8) = 32 J: 3 ( 8) = 24 Q: 1 (10) = 10 To play a letter in Scrabble, you must form a word. The words column above shows the relative numbers of distinct words in the Scrabble word list that contain each letter. Of the 178,691 words in the Tournament Word List TWL06, 124,243 (or 70%) contain an "E", but only 2,576 (1.4%) contain a "Q". (Does that mean the "Q" should be worth 124243/2576 = 48 points? I don't think so, but you can decide what you think it means.) It does seem that there is an inequity in that there are 3 times as many words containing a "Z" than a "Q", but "Z" and "Q" have the same point value (10). Note also that "S" has moved up from the 7th spot to the 2nd -- in part because there are so many nouns that have a plural form ending in "S". Not all Scrabble words are equally easy to play. You are more likely to be able to make "AT" than "SYZYGY." The weighted words column above compares the weighted sum of words that contain each letter. The weighting is by the number of letters: two-letter words are deemed easiest to make; a three-letter word was weighted as 4 times harder to make, a four-letter word as 4 times harder than a three-letter, and so on. (Why 4 times? It is somewhat arbitrary but based on the idea that 26 letters divided by 7 letters in a rack is approximately 4.) Not all three-letter words are equally easy to play. It is hard to make "ZAX" because there is only one "Z" and one "X", and easy to make "EAT". In the first play column, I report the relative frequencies of being able to play a letter, based on the actual probability of being able to play each possible word as the first play of the game. For example, the probability of being able to play "THE" turns out to be 9.4%, based on the probability of drawing a "T", "H", and "E" (or blanks to make up for these letters) out of the seven letters in a hand. Words longer than 7 letters are impossible on the first turn, but possible on subsequent turns. In the second play column of the table above, I show the letter frequencies based on the probability of playing a word as the second play of the game. That is, the word must either intersect the first-played word at one letter, or it must use all the letters of the first word. (That way, we can make words up to 14 letters.) I didn't attempt to model plays beyond the second, but I think the numbers would not change too much from the second play. Conclusion: Based on the data above, I will make three possible proposals for Scrabble letter values:After hearing Wild Beasts’ latest single “Alpha Female”, taken from the UK band’s fifth album Boy King, director Sasha Rainbow was inspired to shoot one of the growing female skateboarding scenes outside of the western world. “In places like Afghanistan, Cambodia, and India, skating has not been solidified as a male sport and therefore has had a massive cultural impact, teaching values about self-empowerment through skateboarding,” she explains. “Because of the current political climate in the west and attitudes of intolerance and sexism across the world, I wanted to create a video that celebrates everyone who takes the risk to be themselves.” Rainbow went to Bangalore, India to film the city’s skate scene, following India’s first professional female skater Atita Verghese and collectives like Girl Skate India and the Holystoked Skate Crew. Meeting the community left such an impact on her that she intends to return to the city to film a longer documentary about them. “The girls that I
large wage increases. China’s Growth in Energy Consumption Also Slowed About 2014 If we look at the annual growth in total energy consumption and electricity consumption, we see that by 2014 to 2016, their growth had slowed remarkably (Figure 6). Their growth pattern was starting to resemble the slow growth pattern of much of the rest of the world. Energy growth allows an economy to increasingly leverage the labor of its workforce with more energy-powered “tools.” With low energy growth, it should not be surprising if productivity growth lags. With low productivity growth, we can expect low wage growth. It is possible that the increased rate of electricity consumption in 2016 is related to China’s program of housing migrant workers in unsalable apartments that took place at that time. The fact that these apartments were otherwise unsalable was no doubt influenced by the slowing growth in wages. This decrease in energy consumption most likely occurred because the price of China’s energy mix was becoming increasingly expensive. For one thing, the mix included a growing share of oil, and oil was expensive. The proportion of coal in the mix was falling, and the replacements were more expensive than coal. There was also the issue of the general increase in fossil fuel prices. Lower Wage Growth in China Likely Affected Fossil Fuel Prices Affordability is the big issue with respect to how high fossil fuel prices can rise. The issue is not just buying the oil or coal or natural gas itself; it is also being able to afford the goods made with these fuels, such as food, clothing, appliances, and apartments. If wages were depressed in the developed countries because of moving production to China, then rising wages in China (and other similar countries, such as India and the Philippines) must somehow offset this problem, if fossil fuel prices are to remain high enough for extraction to continue. Figures 7 and 8 (below) show that oil, natural gas, and coal prices all started to slide, right about the time China’s urban wages growth began shrinking (shown in Figure 5). The lower recent increases made China’s urban wage growth look more like that of the US and Europe. Thus, in 2014 and later, Chinese urban wages present much less of a “push” on the growth of the world economy than they had previously. Without this push of rising wages, it becomes much harder for the world economy to grow very rapidly, and for it to have a very high inflation rate. There is simply not enough buying power to push prices very high. It might be noted that the average Chinese urban wage increases shown previously in Figure 5 are not inflation adjusted. Thus, in some sense, they include whatever margin is available for inflation in prices as well as the margin that is available for a greater quantity of purchased goods. Because of this, these low wage increases may help explain the recent lack of inflation in much of the world. Quite likely, there are other issues besides China’s urban wage growth affecting world (and local) energy prices, but this factor is probably more important than most people would expect. Can low prices bring about “Peak Coal” and “Peak Oil”? What does a producer do in response to suddenly lower market prices–prices that are too low to encourage more production? This seems to vary, depending on the situation. In the case of coal production in China, a decision was made to close many of the coal plants that had suddenly become unprofitable, thanks to lower coal prices. No doubt pollution being caused by these plants entered into this decision, as well. So did the availability of other coal elsewhere (but probably at higher prices), if it is ever needed. The result of this voluntary closure of coal plants in response to low prices caused the drop in coal production shown in Figure 8, below. It is my belief that this is precisely the way we should expect peak coal (or peak oil or peak natural gas) to take place. The issue is not that we “run out” of any of these fuels. It is that the coal mines and oil and gas wells become unprofitable because wages do not rise sufficiently to cover the fossil fuels’ higher cost of extraction. We should note that China has also cut back on its oil production, in response to low prices. EIA data shows that China’s 2016 oil production dropped about 6.9% compared to 2015. The first seven months of 2017 seems to have dropped by another 4.2%. So China’s oil is also showing what we would consider to be a “peak oil” response. The price is too low to make production profitable, so it has decided that it is more cost-effective to import oil from elsewhere. In the real world, this is the way energy limits are reached, as far as we can see. Economists have not figured out how the system works. They somehow believe that energy prices can rise ever higher, even if wages do not. The mismatch between prices and wages can be covered for a while by more government spending and by more debt, but eventually, energy prices must fall below the cost of production, at least for some producers. These producers voluntarily give up production; this is what causes “Peak Oil” or “Peak Coal” or “Peak Natural Gas.” Why China’s Debt System Reaches Limits Differently Than Those in the West Let me give you my understanding regarding how the Chinese system works. Basically, the system is gradually moving from (1) a system in which the government owns all land and most businesses to (2) a system with considerable individual ownership. Back in the days when the government owned most businesses and all land, farmers farmed the land to which they were assigned. Businesses often provided housing as part of an individual’s “pay package.” These homes typically had a shared outhouse for a bathroom facility. They may or may not have had electricity. There was relatively little debt to the system, because there was little individual ownership. In recent years, especially after joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, there has been a shift to more businesses of the types operated in the West, and to more individual home ownership, with mortgages. The economy acts rather differently than in the West. While the economy is centrally planned in Beijing, quite a bit of the details are left to individual local governments. Local heads of state make decisions that seem to be best based on the issues they are facing. These may or may not match up with what Beijing central planning intended. Historically, Five-Year Plans have provided GDP growth targets to the various lower-level heads of state. The pay and promotions of these local leaders have depended on their ability to meet (or exceed) their GDP goals. These goals did not have any debt limits attached, so local leaders could choose to use as much debt as they wanted. A major consideration of these local leaders was that they also had responsibility for jobs for people in their area. This responsibility further pushed them to aim high in the amount of development they sought. Another related issue is that sales of formerly agricultural land for apartments and other development are a major source of revenue for local governments. Local leaders did not generally have enough tax revenue for programs, without supplementing their tax revenue with funds obtained from selling land for development. This further pushed local leaders to add development, whether it was really needed or not. The very great power of local heads of state and their administrators made these leaders tempting targets for bribery. Entrepreneur had a chance of getting projects approved for development, with a bribe to the right person. There has been a recent drive to eliminate this practice. We have often heard the comment, “A rising tide raises all boats.” When the West decided to discourage local industrialization because of CO2 concerns, it gave a huge push to China’s economy. Almost any project could be successful. In such an environment, local rating agencies could be very generous in their ratings of proposed new bond offerings, because practically any project would be likely to succeed. Furthermore, without many private businesses, there was little history of past defaults. What little experience was available suggested the possibility of few future defaults. Wages had been rising very rapidly, making individual loans easy to repay. What could go wrong? With the central government perceived to be in control, it seemed to make sense for one governmental organization to guarantee the loans of other governmental organizations. Businesses often guaranteed the loans of other businesses as well. Why the Chinese System Errs in the Direction of Overdevelopment In the model of development we are used to in the West, there are feedback loops if too much of anything is built–apartment buildings (sold as condominiums), coal mines, electricity generating capacity, solar panels, steel mills, or whatever else. In China, these feedback loops don’t work nearly as well. Instead of the financial system automatically “damping out” the overcapacity, the state (or perhaps a corrupt public official) figures out some way around what seems to be a temporary problem. To understand how the situation is different, let’s look at three examples: Apartments. China has had a well-publicized problem of building way too many apartments. In about 2016, this problem seems to have been mostly fixed by local governments providing subsidies to migrant workers so that they can afford to buy homes. Of course, where the local governments get this money, and for how long they can afford to pay these stipends, are open questions. It is also not clear that this arrangement is leading to a much-reduced supply of new homes, because cities need both the revenue from land sales and the jobs resulting from building more units. Figure 9 shows one view of the annual increase in Chinese house prices, despite the oversupply problem. If this graph is correct, prices have increased remarkably in 2017, suggesting some type of stimulus has been involved this year to keep the property bubble growing. The size of an apartment a typical worker can now afford is very small, so this endless price run-up must end somewhere. Coal-Fired Power Plants. With all of the problems that China has with pollution, a person might expect that China would stop building coal-fired power plants. Instead, the solution of local governments has been to build additional power plants that are more efficient and less polluting. The result is significant overcapacity, in total. A May 2017 article says that because of this overcapacity problem, Beijing is forcing every coal-fired power plant to run at the same utilization rate, which is approximately 47.7 % of total capacity. A Bloomberg New Energy Finance article estimates that at year-end 2016, the “national power oversupply” was 35%, considering all types of generation together. (This is likely an overestimate; the authors did not consider the flexibility of generation.) Beijing is aware of the overcapacity problem, and is cancelling or delaying a considerable share of coal-fired capacity that is in the pipeline. The plan is to limit total coal-fired capacity to 1,100 gigawatts in 2020. China’s current coal-fired generating capacity seems to be 943 gigawatts, suggesting that as much as a 16% increase could still be added by 2020, even with planned cutbacks. It is not clear what happens to the loans associated with all of the capacity that has been cancelled or delayed. Do these loans default? If “normal” feedbacks of lower prices had been allowed to play out, it is doubtful that such a large amount of overcapacity would have been added. If China’s overall growth rate slows to a level more similar to that of other economies, it will have a huge amount of generation that it doesn’t need. This adds a very large debt risk, it would seem. Wind and Solar. If we believe Darien Ma, author of “The Answer, Comrade, Is Not Blowing in the Wind,” there is less to Beijing’s seeming enthusiasm for renewables than meets the eye. According to Ma, China’s solar industry was built with the idea of having a product that could be exported. It was only in 2013 when Western countries launched trade suits and levied tariffs that China decided to use a substantial number of these devices itself, saving the country from the embarrassment of having many of these producers go bankrupt. How this came about is not entirely certain, but the administrator in charge of wind and solar additions was later fired for accepting bribes, and responsibility for such decisions moved higher up the chain of authority. Ma also reports, “Officials say that they want ‘healthy, orderly development,’ which is basically code for reining in the excesses in a renewable sector that has become yet another emblem of irrational exuberance.” According to Ma, the Chinese National Energy Administration has figured out that wind and solar are still about 1.5 and 2.5 times more expensive, respectively, than coal-fired power. This fact dampens their enthusiasm for the use of these types of generation. China plans to phase out subsidies for them by 2020, in light of this issue. Ma expects that there will still be some wind and solar in China’s energy mix, but that natural gas will be the real winner in the search for cleaner electricity production. Viewed one way, we are looking at yet another way Chinese officials have avoided closing Chinese businesses because the marketplace did not seek their products. Thus, the usual cycle of bankruptcies, with loan defaults, has not taken place. This issue makes China’s total electricity generating capacity even more excessive, and reduces the profitability of the overall system. Conclusion We have shown how low wages and low energy prices seem to be connected. When prices are too low, some producers, including China, make a rational decision to cut back on production. This seems to be the true nature of the “Peak Coal” and “Peak Oil” problem. Because China is reacting in a rational way to lower prices, its production is falling. China is already the largest importer of oil and coal. If there is a shortfall elsewhere, China will be affected. We have also given several examples of how the current system has been able to avoid defaults on loans. The issue is that these problems don’t really go away; they get hidden, and get bigger and bigger. At some point, all of the manipulations by government officials cannot hide the problem of way too many apartments, or of way too much electricity generating capacity, or of way too many factories of all kinds. The postponed debt collapse is likely to be much bigger than if market forces had been allowed to bring about earlier bankruptcies and facility closures. Chinese officials are now talking about reining in the growth of debt. There is also discussion by heads of Central Banks about raising interest rates and selling QE securities (something which would also tend to raise interest rates). China will be very vulnerable to rising interest rates, because of stresses that have been allowed to build up in the system. For example, many mortgage holders will not be able to afford the new higher monthly payments if rates rise. If interest rates rise, factories will find it even harder to be profitable. Some may reduce staff levels, to try to reach profitability. If this is done, it will tend to push the system toward recession. We likely now are in the lull before the storm. There are many things that could push China toward an energy or debt crisis. China is so big that the rest of the world is likely to also be affected."The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" will be no more after Thursday. Comedy Central announced Monday it is canceling the program that replaced “The Colbert Report” just 19 months ago. ADVERTISEMENT “We hold Larry in the highest esteem, personally and professionally. He brought a strong voice and point of view to the late-night landscape,” Comedy Central President Kent Alterman told Variety. “Unfortunately it hasn’t resonated with our audience.” Alterman added it was a "business decision" to cancel the program. “We’ve been monitoring it closely for a year and a half now and we haven’t seen the signs we need in ratings or in consumption on digital platforms. We’ve been been hoping it would grow,” Alterman also said. Despite an unpredictable and wild election season providing plenty of great comedic material to work with, Wilmore had lost more than half the audience he inherited from Colbert, who moved to CBS to take over for the retired David Letterman on "The Late Show." Colbert and Wilmore are both former correspondents from “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” Wilmore, 54, hosted the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April to mostly critical reviews. The short-term replacement for Wilmore will be moving Chris Hardwick's pop culture quiz show "@Midnight" to the 11:30 p.m. time slot that follows “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” Noah has also struggled with ratings since taking over for the immensely popular Stewart in August of 2015, but has seen positive signs as of late. According to Nielsen, this year's second quarter saw Noah's "Daily Show" beaten only by NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" in the 18-to-34 demographic that is important to advertisers, registering 278,000 viewers. That number is higher than Colbert's “Late Show” and ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” “I’m really grateful to Comedy Central, Jon Stewart, and our fans to have had this opportunity,” Wilmore wrote in a statement. “But I’m also saddened and surprised we won’t be covering this crazy election or ‘The Unblackening’ as we’ve coined it. "And keeping it 100, I guess I hadn’t counted on ‘The Unblackening’ happening to my time slot as well.”The danger of cigarettes is mostly not in smoking them, argues a study by three doctors at the KS Hegde Medical Academy in Mangalore, India. Or, put another way: the danger comes from not smoking. Figuratively blowing smoke in the face of conventional wisdom, the study asks: "Are lung cancers triggered by stopping smoking?" Arunachalam Kumar, Kasaragod Mallya and Jairaj Kumar take little for granted. They begin: "The clinically high correlation between smoking and carcinoma of the lungs has been the focal point in societal campaigns against the habit and the tobacco lobby." But their experience with patients suggests to them a different, seldom-told story. "We are struck by the more than casual relationship between the appearance of lung cancer and an abrupt and recent cessation of the smoking habit in many, if not most, cases." Experience is their guide, numerically speaking. Of the 312 lung cancer patients they treated during a four-year period, 182 had recently quit smoking. The report goes into detail. "Each had been addicted to the habit no less than 25 years, smoking in excess of 20 sticks a day. The striking direct statistical correlation between cessation of smoking to the development of lung malignancies, more than 60% plus, is too glaring to be dismissed as coincidental." One might quibble about this statistic - 182 cases out of 312 is 58%. In technical terms, one could accurately describe that as less than 60% minus. But it's still a startling number. Kumar, Mallya and Kumar sketch out a possible explanation of what happens. There is, they surmise, a biological mechanism that protects smokers against cancer, that gets exercised and strengthened by years of diligent, heavy smoking. As in habitual marathon running, the body becomes accustomed to suffering grievous damage, and develops habitual ways to fix up whatever breaks down. The smoker's body becomes a sort of lean, puffing, self-damaging-yet-self-repairing machine. But when a smoker gives up that regular regimen, the body cannot adjust. "It is our premise," say the doctors, "that a surge and spurt in re-activation of bodily healing and repair mechanisms of chronic smoke-damaged respiratory epithelia is induced and spurred by an abrupt discontinuation of habit, goes awry, triggering uncontrolled cell division and tumor genesis." Things go downhill from there, in theory. The study appears in the journal Medical Hypotheses. In two pages, Kumar, Mallya and Kumar bleaken the already dire picture that research has painted about smoking cessation. The medically documented risks incurred by anyone who gives up cigarettes are well known. Depression, weight gain, irritability - these cruel fates have been written about time and again. Now add to them the risk of cancer, and the case against the case against smoking becomes even more persuasive. At the very end of their paper, Kumar, Mallya and Kumar sum up their new view of things. "No doubt," they write, "tobacco kills too many. Or does it?" · Marc Abrahams is editor of the bimonthly magazine Annals of Improbable Research and organiser of the Ig Nobel PrizeDigital minister Matt Hancock says government still trying to gauge number of people affected in the UK There is no evidence that Uber customers who had their personal details stolen are at risk of direct financial crime, a minister has insisted, despite hundreds of users complaining that their accounts have been hacked from Russia. The digital minister, Matt Hancock, told the House of Commons that the government was still trying to gauge the number of people in the UK affected by the global breach of the personal information of 57 million customers and drivers in October last year, which the company initially concealed. On Thursday, the Times reported that more than 800 people in Britain and the US have complained on Twitter of having their accounts hacked by Russians and being billed in roubles for taxi journeys in Moscow and St Petersburg. Those hacks could be unrelated to last year’s breach, but since the October attack came to light on Monday, some users have suggested there was a link, despite Uber’s protestations that there was no evidence of fraud or misuse of accounts as a result of the hack. Lauren Rees (@LaurenRees) Uber concealed huge data breach - I knew I wasn't going bloody crazy when my details kept changing to a Russian phone number and details. It was impossible to change back and Uber support were not helpful in the slightest. No wonder..! https://t.co/hEQcLP55mr Cyril S. (@CMS3rd) @asherter my phone was hacked via uber and it showed the uber map with a car coming to pick me up in St. Petersburg Russia and I was charged 3200 rubles and 1800 rubles that the bank reversed the charge. Urber contacted me and asked me to implement two factor authentication. Responding to an urgent question by the Labour MP Wes Streeting, Hancock said: “At this stage our initial assessment is, for Uber customers, that the stolen information is not the sort of information that would allow direct financial crime but we are working urgently to verify this and we rule nothing out.” He urged Uber customers and drivers to monitor their accounts carefully and report any irregularities, adding: “People just need to make sure they do not respond to a phishing email.” Hancock was not directly asked about the reports of hacking of people’s accounts from Russia. However, the minister did say that the 2016 attack appeared to have been perpetrated from outside the UK. Katrina (@Katrinamoocow).@Uber I've been hacked, someone in Moscow has used my account and charged my card £54.55. Why didn't what is mentioned in the pic happen?? pic.twitter.com/9EmGBskiTK Kalpesh Mehta (@kalpmehta) @Uber @Uber_Support my uber got hacked! Pls remove my credit card from your system asap. #uber pic.twitter.com/pRHZeHtmMQ He said that Uber had passed on a figure for the number of people affected in the UK but the government had insufficient confidence in the number to make it public. Streeting asked: “What assurances do we have that the data of Uber customers and drivers isn’t in the hands of hackers or criminals today?” After a report by Bloomberg, Uber’s chief executive revealed on Tuesday that a third-party server had been infiltrated in late 2016. A ransom of $100,000 (£75,500) was paid to hackers so they would delete the data and keep the security lapse quiet. Stolen information included names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers, as well as the names and number plates of 600,000 drivers in the US. Hancock confirmed that the UK authorities were not told of the breach before Uber spoke to the media. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has warned Uber it could face fines as a result of the breach. At the moment the maximum fine is limited to £500,000 but Hancock said the government was looking to boost the ICO’s powers under a new bill. He said delayed reporting of breaches was already an aggravating factor but the new legislation would oblige companies to to report breaches “likely to impact on data subjects to the information commissioner within 72 hours of becoming aware of it and in serious cases will also have to notify those affected by the breach”. Hancock said non-compliant companies could face fines of £18m or 4% of global turnover. Sergei Nikitin, the deputy head of the forensics lab at Group IB, a Russian cybersecurity company, said he had seen no evidence yet that the hack of Uber was carried out by Russian hackers, and the firm had picked up no chatter on Russian internet forums of hackers trying to sell the data. Nikitin said while it could not be ruled out that Russians were behind the hack, Russian criminal hackers usually operate more directly, targeting payment systems to remove cash directly. “It’s easier for Russians to do this through fake companies, whereas for western hackers it’s much harder to get the money out, so they tend to steal data, or hack companies and then blackmail them to show them how.”[Haskell-cafe] [Haskell] Proposal to incorporate Haskell.org Hi, As mentioned in the committee's annual report (http://haskellorg.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/first-year-report/), our attempt to join SFC has stalled because they don't have the capacity to accept new projects at the moment. We therefore applied to join SPI (http://www.spi-inc.org/), and they have now offered us "associated project" status (http://www.spi-inc.org/projects/associated-project-howto/). We intend to accept this offer, but are taking this final opportunity to seek feedback from the community before doing so. SPI is very like SFC in what it does and how it operates, so we don't expect this to make any substantial differences to the FAQ quoted below. Regards, Ganesh on behalf of the haskell.org committee On 10/05/2011 23:44, Don Stewart wrote: > Hello everyone. > > The haskell.org committee[1], in the interest of the long-term stability > of the open source Haskell community infrastructure, has decided to > incorporate haskell.org as a legal entity. This email outlines our > recommendation, and seeks input from the community on this decision. > > The committee's proposal is that haskell.org incorporate as an entity > under the Software Freedom Conservancy umbrella organization (the same group > that Darcs joined recently): > > http://sfconservancy.org/ > > If we proceed with this move, haskell.org will be a legal entity, and > registered as a non-profit, allowing us to more directly accept > (US tax-deductible) donations, and to invest in assets that benefit the > Haskell open source community. > > We welcome your feedback on the proposal attached below. > > -- Don Stewart (on behalf of the Haskell.org committee) > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > = A proposal for the incorporation of Haskell.org = > > In recent years, haskell.org has started to receive assets, e.g. money from > Google Summer Of Code, donations for Hackathons, and a Sparc machine for use in > GHC development. We have also started spending this money: in particular, on > hosting haskell.org itself. There is also interest in running fundraising > drives for specific things such as Hackathon sponsorship and hosting fees. > > However, haskell.org doesn't currently exist as a legal entity, meaning that > these assets have had to be held on our behalf by other entities, such as > Galois and various universities. This leads to tricky situations, with no-one > being sure who should decide how the haskell.org assets can be used. > > To solve these problems, we propose that haskell.org applies to become a member > project of the Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) > <http://conservancy.softwarefreedom.org/>. The SFC is a non-profit organization > that provides free financial and administrative services to open source > projects. Additionally, it has 501(c)(3) status, meaning donations from the US > are tax-deductible. The SFC would hold haskell.org's money and other assets, > and would be able to accept donations on behalf of haskell.org. > > The haskell.org committee, as described here [2], will make decisions on > spending assets and other decisions related to governing the non-profit. > > > Before proceeding, we are inviting input from the community in the form > of specific objections or queries regarding the plan. > > We've tried to answer some of the most likely questions: > > Q: Does this mean that my Haskell project must now be covered by a > copyleft licence such as GPL? > A: No, but Haskell projects using haskell.org resource should use an > Open Source licence > <http://www.opensource.org/licenses/alphabetical>. > > Q: Will it still be possible to use community.h.o to host > non-open-source material, such as academic papers? > A: An overall minority of such content, as is the current situation, is > not a problem. > > Q: Will it still be possible to have job ads on the haskell.org mailing > lists and website? > A: Yes. > > Q: Will this affect our ability to host the Haskell Symposium > <http://www.haskell.org/haskell-symposium/> and Industrial Haskell > Group<http://industry.haskell.org/> webpages within haskell.org? > A: No. > > Q: What will be the relationship between haskell.org and other > organizations such as the Haskell Symposium and Industrial Haskell > Group? > A: Those organisations will continue to exist as separate entities. > > Q: If an umbrella non-profit organisation "The Haskell Foundation" was > created, would haskell.org be able to join it? > A: Yes. It's likely that in such a scenario, the Haskell Foundation > would become the owner of the haskell.org domain name, with the cost > divided between the members. The entity that is part of the SFC would > be renamed "community.haskell.org" in order to avoid confusion. > > [1]: http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell.org_committee > [2]: http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell.org_committee#Operation > > _______________________________________________ > Haskell mailing list > Haskell at haskell.org > http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell >Ecommerce platform Shopify is getting into the money lending business today with the launch of Shopify Capital, a service that gives merchants cash advances to invest back into their companies. Founded out of Ottawa, Canada in 2004, Shopify offers a cloud-based commerce platform designed to make it easier for companies to set up shop online, though it also caters to in-store transactions with a point-of-sale system to accept card payments. The new Shopify Capital program is limited to those in the U.S. for now and can be used for pretty much anything involving growing a company, such as buying equipment, increasing stock, launching new products, and hiring staff. Merchants get easier access to capital, while Shopify makes money by stimulating business among its merchants — it charges fees for processing payments and transactions. In other words, what’s good for the merchant is good for Shopify. It’s also worth noting here that these are cash advances, not loans, meaning there are no set monthly payments, and banks aren’t involved — repayments are made automatically through sales made between the merchant and its customers. So the more sales they make, the quicker the advance is repaid. “For many merchants, securing capital is a frustrating and time-consuming process,” said Saad Atieque, Shopify product manager, in a press release. “With Shopify Capital, we’re giving entrepreneurs a simple, fast, and convenient way to secure financing to invest in their business. Shopify is the latest in a line of ecommerce companies to offer loans or cash advances to merchants. Amazon has offered loans to online sellers since 2012, while mobile payments company Square launched Square Capital back in 2014.Mark Clattenburg will not referee any Premier League matches this weekend. And it's all Ed Sheeran's fault. The Premier League requires that the referee and their assistants all travel to matches together. They also cannot speak to managers until they are all present, which is all an effort to provide adequate security for the referees and so that they could not be compromised by match-fixers. Clattenburg broke both of those rules, and he did it so he could go to an Ed Sheeran concert. Clattenburg lives in Newcastle and was charged with refereeing West Bromwich Albion vs. Crystal Palace last Saturday, but he had tickets to the concert later that night. To make sure he could make it back in time for the concert, he drove himself to The Hawthorns for the match instead of going with his assistants. He then spoke to Palace manager Neil Warnock while in the car, making it two violations in one day. The Premier League has said that he will not be assigned a match this weekend as punishment. Hopefully Ed Sheeran is fantastic in concert. That Clattenburg is a 39-year-old man who still spikes his hair is probably relevant to this in some way. Via The GuardianWhen I negotiated the Good Friday Agreement nearly 20 years ago, no one foresaw a day when the United Kingdom would be leaving the European Union. It was impossible to imagine how the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, from which the barriers were removed as part of the agreement, would again become an issue of such political importance. We have the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, threatening to veto the Brexit negotiations unless Theresa May gives a formal written guarantee that there will be no hard border, and we keep hearing the argument that a departure of the UK from the single market and the customs union would put at risk the peace process and Good Friday Agreement. In other words, if the border gates go back up again we will be back into the Troubles. This cannot go unchallenged. The reason the issue of the border has been brought up in the way it has is not because of any practical reasons but because of the internal politics of the Irish Republic. The Taoiseach has been in desperate negotiations with other party leaders in order to prevent a general election being triggered. He is snarling at London, trying to make a big issue about the border, because he is worried Sinn Fein might benefit if he does not. It is not true that Brexit in any way threatens the peace process. There is nothing in the Good Friday Agreement which even touches on the normal conduct of business between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Leaving the EU does not affect the agreement because the EU had nothing to do with it — except that Michel Barnier turned up at the last moment for a photo opportunity. The EU does have a peace and reconciliation programme for Northern Ireland but there is no provision for it in the EU budget. It is financed from loose change in the drawer of the European Commission. What would threaten the peace process, on the other hand, is Dublin’s suggestion that the border question could be solved by the UK having an internal border running down the Irish Sea, with mainland Britain leaving the single market and the customs union and Northern Ireland remaining within them. The Belfast Agreement recognises British sovereignty in Northern Ireland, and recognises Northern Ireland as part of the UK. To have provisions treating us as if we are not part of the UK is clearly contrary to that agreement and is something no unionist is going to support. Once it begins to dawn on the unionist electorate that the Irish government is trying to break up the UK then we are into very dangerous territory indeed. The government needs to quash this idea very quickly, and make it clear that we will not have any damage done to our constitution. I do not want to go back to the days of fences and barriers any more than does anyone else. But then neither does Theresa May. The government has repeatedly made it clear that it has no intention of putting up border posts on its side of the border. But it can’t give assurances that the EU won’t insist on border checks on the southern side. That will be an external EU border, and it will be the EU’s decision. There is no reason from our point of view why the border cannot remain open. We already have to deal with the issue of smuggling because, in spite of the single market, there remain differences in regulations and duties. When I was first minister there was a big problem with smuggling diesel. I brought this up with Tony Blair, but I suspect it was allowed to go on partly because former leading members of the IRA were deeply involved in it. Then there is the issue of migration. A couple of years ago the Irish police stopped a vehicle that had come over the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic carrying half a dozen people who were travelling to work, but had no right to work there. They sent them straight back again. The border has never gone away entirely. There is no reason it can’t continue to be policed without hard barriers, even after Brexit. It is illogical for the EU to demand an agreement on the border before it will even discuss a trade agreement. We don’t know what the terms of the trade agreement will be, so how could anyone know what kind of a border would be needed? We might end up with an agreement where we don’t have tariffs — in which case the whole issue would ease considerably. The real reason why the border has become such an issue is that Sinn Fein is trying to exploit Brexit to break up the UK. And the whole reason Sinn Fein collapsed in Northern Ireland’s assembly is because its leaders realised that if they were serving in British institutions — and the Northern Ireland Assembly is a British institution — it would be much harder for them to do this. What Leo Varadkar is doing is trying to appeal to Sinn Fein voters. He hasn’t learned the lesson that some Irish nationals have painfully learned in Northern Ireland: that you can’t out Sinn Fein Sinn Fein. All he is doing is validating its position. For its own reasons, the EU is egging him on. It just shows you how desperate the EU and Irish nationalists are that they’re clutching at these straws. David Trimble was First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002 and shared the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Good Friday Agreement.ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Eighth Grade, Written by Bo Burnham; A24 - WINNER Green Book, Written by Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly; Universal Pictures A Quiet Place, Screenplay by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski, Story by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck; Paramount Pictures Roma, Written by Alfonso Cuarón; Netflix V
environment to spend money and everyone knows that – businesses, and average people." Cutting subsidies is always dangerous in countries like Egypt. The Jan. 25 uprising against Hosni Mubarak in 2011 was in some ways driven by a spike in global commodities prices, and was the biggest upheaval in the country since January 1977. What happened in 1977? Then-President Anwar Sadat cut government food subsidies, sending hundreds of thousands of angry Egyptians to the streets, with rioting and violence in multiple Egyptian cities. President Sadat backed down three days later. Morsi has also backed down. In early December he announced a raft of tax hikes that many here believe was a price of the IMF loan. He reversed course within a day, as advisers and public outrage informed him that steep tax hikes could deal a blow to the Egyptian economy and to the pocketbooks of poor Egyptians. Are those tax increases still coming down the pike? Finance Minister Momtaz al-Saeed implied that was the case at the end of December. Finally, it's unclear when the IMF money will become available. The IMF is expected to visit Cairo sometime this month. But historically, the international lender has been uncomfortable stumping up cash in uncertain situations. Egypt is to hold a parliamentary election within two months, and the government they put in office might not be willing to abide by any deal Morsi cuts now – a fact of which IMF negotiators will be well aware. Even after a successful parliamentary election, given Egypt's recent track record, it will probably be months before a new government is formed. Those new legislators may agree to the IMF's terms, but it seems quite likely that will be many months away from today. There's a very real risk that the IMF will stay on the sidelines when Egypt needs foreign capital the most. Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy To be sure, the IMF must remember cases of demanded subsidy cuts leading to riots and political instability in the past. The IMF's insistence on subsidy cuts from Indonesia's dictator Soeharto, even as that country's currency collapsed in 1998, sparked riots that drove the economy into a tailspin and Soeharto from power. For Egypt's poor, quite understandably, bread is everything. And in one way or another, it looks likely to get more expensive.From Q-Tip and Phife Dawg to Solange, Gloria Kaba has worked with some of the most creative voices in music. Gloria Kaba No matter how many people are sighing at this very moment, I’m certain each exhale serves a unique purpose. A mother’s relief settling a crying child and that child’s inevitable frustration in adolescence are expressed with the same release of air. Last weekend, I spoke with sound engineer Gloria Kaba—our conversation was full of sighs. Most were positive, though. She required the time a pause gives to relay her experiences working with countless musical icons of the last 30 years. During her 10 years of experience inside a recording studio, Kaba has had the opportunity to work with A Tribe Called Quest, Madonna, Beyoncé, Solange, William Orbit and Nas, a résumé that many industry veterans would be hard pressed to match. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website One sigh, in particular, stood out to me, though. It came when we discussed her work with Phife Dawg. The emcee’s death last year was a time of reflection for hip-hop, a reminder that artists are creativity’s ephemeral mouthpieces. Their impact is far from fleeting, however, as Gloria was able to convey his personal impact as best she could. She pensively explained how Phife was “determined to leave us with a gift,” a quality she absorbed as the artistic impetus behind her own work. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website Delivering a meaningful gift requires a deep knowledge of the recipient, which makes artistic gifts that impact thousands, even in death, a mark of human understanding. Gloria is quietly building her tools to deliver a gift uniquely hers to the world, and along the way, she’s learned to give that to her artists in small doses. By providing the space, timing, knowledge and experimental nature that comes with being a notable engineer, she’s mirroring the ultimate gift she has in mind for her career. “I’d like to start moving into more creative roles, producing and songwriting for artists as well as engineering,” she tells me towards the end of our conversation. It was odd hearing a person who worked on something like We got it from Here...Thank You 4 Your service suggest she has more to give, but humility doesn’t hurt her in this case. How long have you been working in music? Well, I’ve always been drawn to music, like many people in the industry. I didn’t come from a musical background, no one in my family was musical, but I took to it for some reason. It started with guitar and piano lessons when I was young. I was never a great musician, but I knew I wanted to produce music. As I got older and went to college, I was unsure about my direction. I went to Temple and enjoyed my recording classes there, so that made me realize I wanted to exist in a studio environment. After college, I interned [at Battery Studios] in New York, worked as a runner and assistant, and about three-and-a-half years ago, I started freelancing full-time. I’ve been doing it about 10 years in total since I graduated. What music, specifically, were you drawn to as a child? I was obsessed with '60s and '70s R&B growing up, especially Motown. Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, The Jacksons, the Temptations and so on. Then I got into '80s pop/new wave—Michael Jackson, The Police—and '90s R&B and rap. Some albums that impacted my formative years were Fugees' The Score, Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Kanye's College Dropout. The first album I bought with my own money was D'Angelo's Brown Sugar. Describe some of the difficulties of being a freelance engineer. Oh wow [laughs], I was actually very lucky that one of the first gigs I got freelancing was working with Q-Tip. So I had that as my main gig and then I’d work from studio to studio. But yeah it’s hard, unpredictable, and impossible without networking. I have a good network I try to exploit to the best of my ability [laughs]. Persistence and patience are important, too. To make it freelancing anything, you have to be dedicated, study your craft, and be prepared to pick up and work anytime. Make sure you keep the faith that your big opportunity is just over the horizon. “Study your craft,” I like that. Have you retroactively studied great engineers after deciding you wanted to produce and engineer? Definitely. After I decided I wanted to produce, I figured the best way to learn how to produce was through engineering. I would listen to stuff I liked and then research the personnel. Someone who stands out is Bruce Swedien, who engineered much of Michael Jackson’s great work. I’d listen, read up on it, and you sorta try to mimic the people who influenced what you know now. Following techniques exactly isn’t what I mean though. You have to experiment too, but seeing people break barriers before you is inspiring. I’ve always seen audio engineering as a creative expression that can’t be perfected in your head. You can learn about software, hardware, plug-ins, effects, whatever really, but that doesn’t translate to being a good engineer. It’s a very trial-and-error vocation. Practice is vital to becoming a great engineer and keeping yourself in a mindset that can adapt quickly to changing studio atmospheres, vibes, recording styles, and everything else. Analyze your own approach to engineering. What do you focus on when you mix music? Since I engineer mostly for hip-hop and R&B artists, drums—bass in particular—are the central focus. I really pay attention to vocal mixes and balancing out the low end then try to fit everything else around that. I strive for balance and clarity, then take into account the attitude of the artist and song’s message in considering what effects to use and when. Who have you worked with over the past few years and in what capacity? Let’s start with Q-Tip. I met him through a mutual friend, Noah Goldstein, who engineers for Kanye. He reached out to Q-Tip’s main engineer, Blair Wells, when he was looking for someone to join his engineering team and thought I would be a good fit. I can’t begin to describe how dope it was to be a part of [We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service]. “A dream come true” is the closest thing to capturing it. To work with them as they were reuniting for this project and watching the chemistry they still had after all those years was an incredible experience. I know there were times I stopped and just looked around the studio and tried to soak in the fact I was in the room for this. Them, the feature artists, and musicians who were around made it a non-stop creative environment. Through this, I was able to work with André 3000, who is such an inspiration, Busta Rhymes, Anderson.Paak, Jack White, the list goes on and on. I'd have to imagine the atmosphere of those sessions was... uniquely artistic. It really was. There was a moment, recording “Dis Generation,” I’ll never forget. The recording situation, in general, was a different pace. I had to be ready for anything because you never know who is going to walk through the door. We had five mics live positioned around the room for every member of the group and whoever else. Consequence or Busta could decide to walk in. For “Dis Generation,” they were trying to figure out how they would creatively blend their verses together and they all got the idea to switch off a couple bars at a time. The way you hear it on the record is exactly how it was recorded. Tip would rap, then Phife jump in, Jarobi would jump in, Busta would jump in. There was a magic to that and you can hear the chemistry on that record. There was also a moment when Jack White came through. He’s another creative genius who'll create from nothing. He’d bounce from guitar to drums to writing to singing. He and Tip were vibing. Seeing those skills blend with Tip’s musicality felt like getting a peek at true creativity. What was it like working with the late Phife Dawg? Phife was an amazing spirit. I think he was determined to leave us with a gift. Obviously, when we were working we didn’t know what would happen, but he worked as hard as anyone else. Never showed a sign of weakness and he showed up every day. You can hear that on the record. I don’t know. Looking back it’s like he was leaving everything on the floor. Most people know he was an avid sports fan and he approached that work like it was his last game. He was full of energy and life until the very end and I felt fortunate to be a part of that situation and get to know him. What's the most notable moment of your career? When I worked with Madonna, I was assisting at MSR [Studios in New York]. I met one of her producers, William Orbit, who produced "Ray of Light" and started to do some songwriting for him. So through that, we did a bunch of Madonna sessions and she’s awesome to work with, exactly how you would expect a living legend to be. She likes to be produced and directed and trusts that we’re all trying to achieve the best performance possible. Solange, I met through Tip. He was producing some tracks for her album and I ended up working on that with her. He did several songs for her, but only one (“Borderline (An Ode to Self Care)”) ended up being on Seat at the Table. She has a very relaxed, cool personality, just fun to be around. Solange always seemed to know exactly what she wanted. She’s obviously a creative person and she knew on some level what that album was going to be, even if she didn’t express it to anyone else. In the middle of that, she was still relatable and down-to-earth, which is an accomplishment in my book. I’m happy people are recognizing her talent more now and giving her due credit. I’ve been very fortunate to work with the people I have. Lots of people I looked up to when I growing up. Who are you currently working with? Anyone you're itching to get into the studio with? There’s a lot of stuff I’ve worked on that hasn’t been released, so I can’t talk about that too much. As far as going forward and collaborating, the catalog of people I’ve worked with so far are the ones I wanted if you’d asked me fresh out of school. Right now, I want to work with anyone who’s trying to push the envelope, innovate, and change the world of music, established or aspiring. Like I mentioned, I want to be more involved in other creative fields too. Which artists do you believe are currently doing that? You know who’ve I’ve been on lately is Smino. His work is incredible, have you heard of him? I’m also still trying to process Vince Staples' new album. He’s interesting and a real intelligent guy. I think he’s trying to push music in a good direction. Plus he’s super witty [laughs]. SZA’s new album is wonderful, too. The music industry is often critiqued for its lack of female representation. Where do you stand on this issue? I can’t say from my experience that I’ve had it more difficult than anyone else. There have been awkward moments where it’s been obvious that I’m not wanted in the room or they would prefer a male engineer. Those moments were few and pretty insignificant. I’ve had more support and encouragement from people in the industry who looked at me as an engineer first. I think some women are hesitant to jump into a field dominated by men but it’s important for us as women to be present. You can’t make changes if you’re not at the table. Hopefully our talk here today will reach a little girl or young woman who will see someone who looks like her making dope music. What advice do you have for a little girl, or little boy, interested in engineering? We touched on it a little bit but study your craft. We’re at a time where anyone with a laptop, a DAW, and YouTube can call themselves an engineer after a few videos. You have to hear the music and find a way to put make it a reality. Studying your craft doesn’t mean learning a master engineer’s template, but seeing how well they molded the sound of their artists. Also, listen to music that you enjoy, that’s the best inspiration and get out of the house and network [laughs]. Try to get into a studio and surround yourself with people in the field who can guide you or share the same goals. Be willing to learn from others too, regardless of your station. One of the things I learned from Q-Tip was how to be an eternal student. Of all the people I’ve met, he might be the most accomplished, but he wants to learn from you. He’s not just “willing to learn” from you, but he desires it. He’ll definitely teach you things you’re unsure about, but he’s a student at the same time.The Labor Department announces that unemployment rates have fallen in many US states including Colorado, Hawaii, and Nebraska; proof that the job market is getting tighter across much of the country. WASHINGTON — Hiring rose last month in 14 U.S. states in June, and the unemployment rate fell to record lows in two states, evidence that the job market is getting tighter across much of the country. The Labor Department said Friday that unemployment rates fell in 10 states and rose in only two. Rates were stable in the other 38 states. After five years of steady hiring, unemployment rates have fallen below 4 percent in 23 states. Unemployment that low suggests those states are at “full employment,” when nearly everyone who wants a job has one and the unemployment rate reflects the normal churn of hiring and firing. The rate has fallen below 3 percent in five states: Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Dakota. When unemployment falls that low, businesses may be forced to raise pay to compete for scarce workers. So far, wage gains nationwide remain at about 2.5 percent a year, below the 3.5 percent pace normally associated with a healthy economy. North Dakota’s unemployment rate fell to 2.3 percent, a record low for the state dating back to 1976 and tying for lowest in the nation with Colorado. Tennessee’s rate of 3.6 percent is also a record low for that state. Nationwide, employers added 222,000 jobs in June, the most in four months. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.4 percent from 4.3 percent. Nevada, Iowa and Georgia reported the largest percentage job gains, followed by Nebraska and West Virginia. The biggest job gain was in Texas, which added 40,200 positions, followed by Georgia with 27,400 and New York with 26,000. Alaska’s unemployment rate of 6.8 percent is the nation’s highest, followed by New Mexico at 6.4 percent. Michigan and Tennessee reported the largest declines in unemployment, with Michigan’s rate falling from 4.2 percent to 3.8 percent. Tennessee’s dropped from 4 percent to 3.6 percent."Okay, let's get right to the core: Let's analyze why Final Fantasy XIV failed." About the GDC Vault - Game director Naoki Yoshida speaks candidly about how Square Enix stumbled when launching their second big MMORPG.is a game worth studying, if only for the fact that it's proven to be a markedly successful relaunch of theMMORPG Square Enix debuted in 2010 to disastrous critical and commercial response.Director Naoki Yoshida spoke at length about the experience this year during GDC 2014, analyzing the causes of the game's initial failure and disclosing some of the behind-the-scenes decisions that led Square Enix to take the game down and relaunch it in 2013. Yoshida also delved into the practical dangers of hubris, the challenges of developing a contemporary PC/console MMORPG in a relatively short timeframe, and the rapidly-shifting landscape of online game business models.His talk offers interesting insight into large-scale Japanese online game development, so we've gone ahead and embedded the free video of "Behind the" above. You can also watch it (translated into English) here on the GDC Vault. You can watch the Japanese language version here In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical supportReport: National Weather Service misappropriated $43 million By Isolde Raftery, msnbc.com Jack Hayes, the director of the National Weather Service, stepped down Friday in response to an investigation that top officials at the weather service had misappropriated $43.8 million by giving bonuses and extensions to contractors without proper justification. The Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Commerce, which oversees NOAA, released the report on May 18, detailing an audit of nine contracts that include incentive pay for good work. The contracts have a maximum potential value of $1.6 billion. The investigators said there may be other contracts that provide additional awards from 2008, 2009 and 2010 but that NOAA was unable to “provide a complete and reliable list when requested by the Office of Inspector General.” Sen. Olympia Snowe, the ranking member of Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard subcommittee, released a statement Friday, the same day Hayes that stepped down and a week after the report had been released. Read the full report Full story at MSNBC.com h/t to Ryan Maue Advertisements Share this: Print Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn RedditFigures likely to be even worse after energy firm factors in writedowns and one-off charges as slump in oil price takes its toll BP is expected to announce a near 70% collapse in underlying profits on Tuesday as low oil prices continue to take their toll. The headline figures will be even worse once one-off charges are included. City energy analysts predict the British oil company will report that earnings in the last quarter of 2015 fell to $730m (£514m), from $2.2bn a year earlier. Oil slump - the true cost of falling prices Read more But the full impact of the oil price fall could be much heavier as BP takes one-off writedowns on the value of its reserves. It may also take further charges connected to the Deepwater Horizon accident from 2011, in which 11 workers died. For 2015 as a whole, BP is expected to report underlying profits of $6.4bn – almost half what they were in 2014. The average price of Brent crude fell the last quarter from around $77 a barrel to $44, a 43% fall, but the BP results have also been hit by other factors. Despite the problems, analysts at Barclays Capital said BP was already doing well to cut its costs and could easily further trim them if the price of oil, currently at $34, were to remain close to $40. “BP could respond by reducing [capital expenditure] by a further 20% to $14bn, which would allow management to balance the books by 2018 with the current level of dividend maintained,” said Barclays in an investment note. BP said it was aware of the forecasts but declined to comment further. Meanwhile Shell, which reports its fourth-quarter results on Thursday, warned in a trading statement last week that its underlying profits could be halved. Shell, which has just received the go-ahead from shareholders for a £35bn takeover of rival BG, is expecting to make additional write-offs of up to £5bn. Concerns about the damage being done to Britain’s oil and gas industry has led the British prime minister, David Cameron, to pledge £250m to Aberdeen. About 70,000 jobs direct and indirect jobs have been lost around the UK due to the crude price slump. Shell has already promised to cut 10,500 more jobs worldwide once the BG deal is consummated on 15 February. Some job cuts could come in Aberdeen. Meanwhile, hopes were raised last week that Russia and Saudi Arabia may agree at a meeting next month to hold back oil production in an attempt to push up energy prices.Why Farmers Can Prevent Global Warming Just As Well As Vegetarians toggle caption Evaristo Sa/AFP/Getty Images We Americans are heavy consumers of meat, and we're increasingly reminded that eating less of it will shrink our carbon footprint. Growing the crops to feed all those animals releases lots of greenhouse gases. But a new study argues that eating less meat isn't a very practical climate-protection recipe for developing countries, where demand for meat is rising most quickly. The study's authors say there's a better path: Help farmers produce livestock more efficiently, and reduce the incentive to snap up new land to graze their animals. The analysis, which appeared Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, starts with the stark reality of rising demand for animal products: It's projected to double by 2050. And given that the livestock industry is already responsible for 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (from feeding, raising and transporting animals), that means it's poised to generate a whole lot more. Can that big increase be avoided? According to the researchers, many of whom hail from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria, and other agricultural and ecological research institutions around the world, it can. And the key, paradoxically, is to get animals to eat more grain. Here's why. A whopping 30 percent of the globe's land area already is used, one way or another, to raise livestock. The key is to prevent that area from expanding as countries like China, India and Brazil ramp up their meat production. Converting more land for animals can create a lot of new emissions. For example, significant emissions have come from turning forests or savannahs in Brazil into grazing areas and into fields devoted to growing crops for feed. But according to the researchers, a lot of animals in the poorest corners of the world still eat only grass. This way of producing meat isn't a very efficient use of land, and in the long run, these animals actually emit more greenhouse gases, per pound of meat produced, than an animal raised in an industrial facility on grain. "If we're able to develop policies to become more efficient producers of these products, we can continue to meet demand while reducing emissions," Rich Conant, an ecosystem ecologist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University and a co-author of the study, tells The Salt. "We already know there are lots of things producers can do on the farm, and there's a lot of research going on how they can more effectively manage the herd, to how they can get more meat from the animals, to how they manage the waste." In fact, the researchers argue that a global tax on meat production for its greenhouse emissions would be misguided. It could make meat too expensive for the poorest people who really need it for nutrition. Instead, the researchers advocate policies that try to limit land-use change by making farmers more productive. So what does this mean for consumers who want to buy the most environmentally sound meat? According to Conant, over the next couple of years we should get a much better idea of how to compare the efficiency of livestock producers and choose accordingly. Mario Herrero, the chief research scientist at Australia's national science agency, the CSIRO, and another of the study's authors, says Brazil has started a certification scheme for meat coming from the Amazon to ensure that it does not come from deforested land. "This seems to be working," Herrero tells us in an email. "I think there should be tax breaks or incentives (payments for ecosystems services) for farmers to use their land in ways that produce food sustainably," he adds. "These mechanisms are more efficient than taxing the products we should consume less of." And Doug Boucher, who directs climate research and analysis at the Union of Concerned Scientists, says consumers in rich countries where overconsumption of red meat in particular is linked to health epidemics like diabetes and cancer still need to think about cutting back. "We are already consuming at a level that's harmful to us, and so we might as well shift over to chicken and pork, eggs and milk because they also have much lower greenhouse gas emissions than beef," says Boucher. A paper he co-authored, published in Nature Climate Change in December, showed that ruminant livestock — including sheep, goats, buffaloes and, most important, cattle — produce significantly more greenhouse gas emissions than poultry, pork or plants. "It's not a matter of giving up meat. It's a matter of shifting to other kinds that have less climate impacts," Boucher says.Republican George Allen clinched his party’s Senate nomination in Virginia on Tuesday, setting up an all-out slugfest with Democrat Tim Kaine in what will undoubtedly be one of the nation’s most consequential, closely-watched, and expensive races this year. The race between Mr. Kaine and Mr. Allen features two candidates who are popular within their parties, well known to Virginians and have access to prodigious amounts of cash. The men have been locked in a dead heat in virtually every major poll conducted since the race began in the spring of 2011. The two squared off in an early debate in December in Richmond in which an uncharacteristically aggressive Mr. Kaine accused Mr. Allen of employing divisive and bullying rhetoric. While insisting he was not looking past the GOP primary contest to the general election in the fall, Mr. Allen nevertheless campaigned against Mr. Kaine and President Obama throughout the primary season. Mr. Allen laid the blame for the current state of the economy at the feet of Mr. Obama’s economic and regulatory policies and Washington gridlock. “The reason I got off the sidelines and into the fight is I look at 2012 as a pivotal time in our country’s history,” he said Tuesday in between greeting voters at the Greenspring retirement community in Springfield. “People look at, ‘How would common sense conservatives take over from Harry Reid’s obstructionist approach in the U.S. Senate?’ Well, Virginia’s key to it — same in the presidential race. No one can see getting elected president without carrying Virginia.” Mr. Kaine on Tuesday also cited the economy as a key campaign issue but argued that Mr. Allen and Republicans were responsible for a sluggish recovery. He said the race is a question of whether voters want to embrace the policies that led to the current financial crisis — as he argues Mr. Allen does — or strike a new path. “I think the sharpest distinction right now is we’ve got to put people in the Senate who’ve shown they have a backbone to make some of these hard spending decisions,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve had to do, and he hasn’t.” Mr. Allen, who is seeking to recapture the seat he lost to retiring Democratic Sen. Jim Webb in 2006, appeared at ease Tuesday moving among the voters at polling places in Northern Virginia. He decisively defeated tea party candidate Jamie Radtke, Delegate Robert G. Marshall and Chesapeake Bishop E.W. Jackson in a low-turnout contest to earn the November showdown with Mr. Kaine. In three debates across the state, Mr. Allen shrugged off attacks from his opponents, relying on his financial advantage and name recognition to stay above the fray and secure the nomination. With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Mr. Allen had received 65 percent of the vote, compared to 23 percent for Ms. Radtke, 7 percent for Mr. Marshall, and 5 percent for Mr. Jackson, according to unofficial results. Democrats hold an effective 53-47 advantage in the Senate, and have to defend many more seats in November than do Republicans, so the stakes for both parties in the Old Dominion couldn’t be higher. Paul Goldman, a longtime Democratic strategist, said Mr. Allen and Mr. Kaine have run effective campaigns thus far — each, necessarily, in their own unique ways. Mr. Allen has remarkably rehabilitated his own image and style after a stunning 2006 loss and worked to tie Mr. Kaine to Mr. Obama and his policies. Mr. Allen said he’s heard complaints on the campaign trail from all sorts of people in the medical community who oppose Mr. Obama’s health care overhaul — which, he is quick to point out, Mr. Kaine lauded as a “great achievement.” While Mr. Kaine has not shied away from his tenure as Mr. Obama’s hand-picked chairman of the Democratic National Committee — and his frequent and spirited defense of the president — he has spent more time discussing his record as governor. Mr. Kaine on the campaign trail has emphasized his investments in pre-K programs or the billions of dollars he cut from the budget as he shepherded the state through the tough fiscal times. “What Kaine is trying to do is make people view him as a Virginia Democrat, not a national Democrat,” said Paul Goldman, a longtime Democratic strategist. “Kaine’s still his own man, but I think he realizes the challenges that he faces, so I think they’ve been smart in trying to re-establish Kaine as a Virginia governor and Virginia lieutenant governor.” Mr. Goldman said both men have run effective campaigns thus far — each, necessarily, in their own unique ways. He recalled being puzzled when Mr. Allen showed up to appear with him on an education panel in the Richmond area a few years ago, when he had all but announced he would be running in 2012. “I didn’t appreciate the importance of what he was doing,” he said. “I thought, ‘Wow, you’re running for Senate and you’re going to drive 4 1/2 hours to talk to a handful of people?’” But, Mr. Goldman later realized that was exactly what Mr. Allen needed at the time. “He was basically saying, ‘I’ve been governor, I’ve been senator, but I’ll go anywhere and talk to anyone … even if I have to drive myself,’” he said. “Something very few politicians who have been big-shots have done. Now, I’m thinking that proved that he was hungry. I think he needed to do that.” Both sides are counting on voters forgetting — or at least not fixating on — portions of their respective records. Mr. Allen has been dinged for votes he took to increase the debt ceiling and to raise his salary when he served in the Senate, and Mr. Kaine has faced the criticism for the amount of time he spent conducting DNC business during his last year as Virginia governor. To some extent, however, their fate will be out of their own hands, as Mr. Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney set their sights on Virginia’s 13 electoral votes up for grabs in November. Mr. Obama became the first Democrat in more than 40 years to carry the state in 2008. He’s hoping to repeat that performance, while Republicans chalk it up as an anomaly, arguing that Mr. Obama’s positive message in 2008 has not translated to his job performance. “‘Hope and change’ has become ‘division and recession,’” said Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a lead surrogate for Mr. Romney. “There’s a lot of rhetoric and very few results out of this administration, and I intend to tell people what the federal policies over the last couple of years have done to Virginia — unfunded mandates, horrible policies for our energy industry.” “But overall, I think there’s no question the presidential election will drive a lot of voters to the polls,” he continued. “In some measure, certainly, the Allen-Kaine outcome will be determined by how well Romney does in Virginia.” Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.by What seems a very long time ago, at the very beginning of March, the Russian upper house of parliament approved President Putin’s request to be allowed to use Russian forces in Ukraine “until the normalisation of the political situation in the country”. That normalisation has – arguably for some – been established with the election and inauguration of President Poroshenko a few weeks ago. Mr Putin yesterday let it be known he has asked the Russian upper house of parliament to now rescind that authority – and naturally that authority will be rescinded. Whether any reader will take what is likely to be The Kremlin line that President Poroshenko’s election equals the normalisation of the political situation and thus there is no need for such an authority for Russian troops to enter Ukraine – or whether any reader will believe that this step has been taken in an attempt to insure that there will be no additional sanctions placed on the Russian business sectors as was likely to occur with effect from Friday 27th, after the signing of the AA and DCFTA between the EU and Ukraine – that is their choice to make. Those threatened business sectors were/are to be technology, defence and finance in case any reader is interested. One would need a very short memory to forget just how easily and how quickly the request from President Putin to use troops in Ukraine was granted last time. There is no reason to believe it would be any more difficult or lengthy for him to gain that authority once again in the future. Thus in substance, the cancellation of this authority means very little – despite any hyperbole to the contrary. Welcome as it is, far more important to Ukraine at the present time would be the securing of Russian borders to stem the flow of fighters and increasingly advanced weaponry. Readers can either chose to believe that Russia has lost control of its own borders – a clear indication of a weakened State – or that it is at the very least complicit in allowing such people and weaponry to travel through its territory and cross into Ukraine unchallenged. The choice is one or the other – and The Kremlin is not yet so weak that it has lost control of its own borders. It should also be noted that due to current internal issues within the Russian Army itself, there is little chance of any meaningful offensive until the end of September/early October. That has been the case since mid-May. Russia is in the midst of a conscript release and induction/training period. To mass 40,000 troops once more on Ukrainian borders will require a good deal of trained conscripts as well as the contract and elite troops. That October timing, parallels with the proposed new RADA elections in Ukraine – should The Kremlin want to mirror events leading up to the Ukrainian presidential elections. Thus regardless of the cancellation of this military authority – or not – a full scale or meaningful overt incursion into Ukraine by regular Russian troops passed its window of opportunity in mid-May, and it will not reappear until the end of September. That said, one should perhaps be mindful of these words – “Never fight with Russians. On your every stratagem, they answer unpredictable stupidity.” – Otto Von Bismark. However, The Kremlin has learned new lessons over the past months. This article from March 2013 written by General Gerasimov raised some questions for the Russian military and offered a few answers – much of which has been seen to be put into play both in Crimea and eastern Ukraine – almost to the letter. Questions now for The Kremlin is what to do with the most extreme swivel-eyed Russian nationalists who are expecting the collection of more “Russian lands” and the ideological consolidation of the “Russian World”, when the Kremlin definition of Russian nationalism is unbending and unquestioned support for The State regardless of its decisions? How to deescalate such people without them feeling betrayed and/or used when The Donbas and Luhansk remain part of Ukraine and they return to Russia? These two very different versions of Russian nationalism will need to be reconciled somehow if The Kremlin wants to be sure such people do not turn their attention toward it. The EU, its Member States and the US have also had the opportunity to try out a fairly new strategy against a sizable aggressor – one of targeted financial and economic warfare that increases in intensity appropriate to the unfolding events. Despite the screeching of the geese and the braying of asses across the social and main stream media calling for immediate introduction of Stage III sanctions from the EU Member States over the past few weeks, the European Council have been quite wise in the timing. @Ruthenia
á, where at least 22 businesses were attacked in a single day last week. But while the riots and clashes punctuate the country with alarm, it is the hunger that remains the constant source of unease. A staggering 87 per cent of Venezuelans say they do not have money to buy enough food, the most recent assessment of living standards by Simón Bolívar University found. About 72 per cent of monthly wages are being spent just to buy food, according to the Centre for Documentation and Social Analysis, a research group associated with the Venezuelan Teachers Federation. In April, it found that a family would need the equivalent of 16 minimum-wage salaries to properly feed itself. Ask people in this city when the last time they ate a meal, and many will respond that it was not today. Among them are Leidy Cordova, 37, and her five children — Abran, Deliannys, Eliannys, Milianny and Javier Luis — ages one to 11. On Thursday evening, the entire family had not eaten since lunchtime the day before, when Cordova made a soup by boiling chicken skin and fat that she had found for a cheap price at the butcher. “My kids tell me they’re hungry,” Cordova said as her family looked on. “And all I can say to them is to grin and bear it.” Other families have to choose who eats. Lucila Fonseca, 69, has lymphatic cancer, and her 45-year-old daughter Vanessa Furtado has a brain tumor. Despite also being ill, Furtado gives up the little food she has on many days so her mother does not skip meals. “I used to be very fat, but no longer,” the daughter said. “We are dying as we live.” Her mother added, “We are now living on Maduro’s diet: no food, no nothing.” Economists say years of economic mismanagement — worsened by low prices for oil, the nation’s main source of revenue — have shattered the food supply. Sugar fields in the country’s agricultural centre lie fallow for lack of fertilizers. Unused machinery rots in shuttered state-owned factories. Staples like corn and rice, once exported, now must be imported and arrive in amounts that do not meet the need. In response, Maduro has tightened his grip over the food supply. Using emergency decrees he signed this year, the president put most food distribution in the hands of a group of citizen brigades loyal to leftists, a measure critics say is reminiscent of food rationing in Cuba. “They’re saying, in other words, you get food if you’re my friend, if you’re my sympathizer,” said Roberto Briceño-León, director of the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, a human rights group. During Carnival, we used to throw eggs at each other just to have some fun. Now an egg is like gold. It was all a new reality for Gabriel Márquez, 24, who grew up in the boom years when Venezuela was rich and empty shelves were unimaginable. He stood in front of the destroyed supermarket where the mob had arrived at Cumaná, an endless expanse of smashed bottles, boxes and scattered shelves. A few people, including a policeman, were searching the wreckage for leftovers to take. “During Carnival, we used to throw eggs at each other just to have some fun,” he said. “Now an egg is like gold.” Down the coastal road in a small fishing town called Boca de Uchire, hundreds gathered on a bridge this month to protest because the food deliveries were not arriving. Residents demanded to meet the mayor, but when he did not come they sacked a Chinese bodega. Residents hacked open the door with pickaxes and pillaged the shop, venting their anger at a global power that has lent billions of dollars to prop up Venezuela in recent years. “The Chinese won’t sell to us,” said a taxi driver who watched the crowd haul away all that was inside. “So we burn their stores instead.” Maduro, who is fighting a push for a referendum to recall him this year over the decline of the country, said it was the political opposition that was behind the attacks on the stores. “They paid a group of criminals, brought them in trucks,” he said Saturday on television, promising compensation to those who lost property. At the same time, the government also blames an “economic war” for the shortages. It accuses wealthy business owners of hoarding food and charging exorbitant prices, creating artificial shortages to profit from the country’s misery. It has left shop owners feeling under siege, particularly those who do not have Spanish names. “Look how we are working today,” said Maria Basmagi, whose family immigrated from Syria a generation ago, pointing to the metal grate pulled over the window of her shoe store. Her shop was on the commercial boulevard in Barcelona, another coastal town wracked by unrest last week. At 11 a.m. the day before, someone screamed that there was an attack on a government-run kitchen nearby. Every shop on Basmagi’s street closed down in fear. Other shops stay open, like the bakery in Cumaná where a line of 100 people snaked around a corner. Each person was allowed to buy about a pound of bread. Robert Astudillo, a 23-year-old father of two, was not sure there would be any left once his turn came. He said he still had corn flour to make arepas, a Venezuelan staple, for his children. They had not eaten meat in months. “We make the arepas small,” he said. In the refrigerator of Araselis Rodriguez and Nestor Daniel Reina, the parents of four small children, there was not even corn flour — just a few limes and some bottles of water. The family had eaten bread for breakfast and soup for lunch made from fish that Reina had managed to catch. The family had nothing for dinner. It has not always been clear what provokes the riots. Is it hunger alone? Or is it some larger anger that has built up in a country that has crumbled? Inés Rodríguez was not sure. She remembered calling out to the crowd of people who had come to sack her restaurant Tuesday night, offering them all the chicken and rice the restaurant had if they would only leave the furniture and cash register behind. They balked at the offer and simply pushed her aside, Rodríguez said. “It is the meeting of hunger and crime now,” she said. As she spoke, three trucks with armed patrols drove by, each emblazoned with photos of Chávez and Maduro. The trucks were carrying food. “Finally they come here,” Rodríguez said. “And look what it took to get them. It took this riot to get us something to eat.”More than five years have passed since former astronaut Capt. James Lovell delivered a note of pessimism at a speech to BYU students. “I’m not sure what the future of manned flight for this country is,” he said. “I think we’re going to be losing a lot of prestige and be sort of considered as a second-rate space country, but that’s my opinion.” Indeed, that was the mood back then as the space shuttle program came to an end and U.S. astronauts were relegated to hitching rides on Russian rockets — an unthinkable situation for a nation that proudly left its flag on the moon only 40 or so years earlier. So it was gratifying to see that prestige rocket back to first-rate Tuesday when the first close-up photos of the dwarf planet Pluto came down to earth. For the first time in years, I felt some of the excitement I remember from the Apollo days of my youth. It turns out we don’t need actual humans in space to capture human imagination. And while that may be surprising, we should be used to things like that by now. The joy of space exploration always has been the surprises it brings. We tend to get a little mixed up about that. From the beginning, the idea of leaving earth’s bounds has been miscast as a matter primarily associated with national security. That aspect is important, of course. Mankind rarely has conquered new realms without eventually incorporating them into its struggles for survival and supremacy. But you may laugh to learn that the day after the Soviets launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, U.S. military experts declared it useless because it was impossible to drop bombs from outer space. It’s easy to see that as absurd from the point of view of a world in which, among other things, joggers track their distance and speed using watches connected to satellites, many Americans carry devices in their pockets that can transmit pictures and video instantly across vast distances, Google Earth and other navigation tools keep vacationers from getting lost, and medical devices and procedures exceed anything predicted in 1957, all the result of space exploration. The lesson is that leaving planet earth always has been more about discovering answers to questions we haven’t yet thought to ask than about claiming new territory for the motherland. The New Horizons spacecraft’s close encounter with Pluto ought to make us all wonder what new things we might yet discover or invent. And yet the close encounter with Pluto is unmistakably an American moment. Perhaps it isn’t on the same dramatic scale as Neil Armstrong hopping from a ladder to the surface of the moon, but it comes darned close. As NASA administrator Charles Bolden and presidential science and technology assistant John Holdren wrote in an op-ed published by the Baltimore Sun, the mission means, “the United States will have visited every planet and dwarf planet in our solar system, a remarkable accomplishment that no other nation can match.” Not only that, the scientists involved in this mission set New Horizons on a path in 2006 that brought it to this point, 3.6 billion miles from earth, and gave it the capability to maneuver and transmit detailed photos back to earth. That is no small feat, and while perhaps not a giant leap for mankind, it means the nation has, at least temporarily, gotten its space legs again. Who knows how long the feeling will last. Despite recommending an $18.5 billion budget for NASA, President Obama has not made space exploration a priority. A manned mission to Mars remains a distant dream — something predicted for the mid 2030s or beyond. The United States always will struggle with the enormous cost of space exploration, juxtaposed against other priorities and an ever-growing national debt. It’s hard to fund a nation’s imagination, regardless of how well that has paid off in the past. Still, it was nice to see one of Lovell’s fellow former astronauts, Buzz Aldrin, tweeting on Tuesday, “The #PlutoFlyby helps reflect inward about its influence to embark outward from Earth with human exploration settlements into the universe.” It’s good to see those old pioneers being optimistic again.The team is scheduled to visit Kerung, Pokhara and Lumbini. KATHMANDU, Nov 6: A high-level Chinese delegation is arriving in Kathmandu on Monday to conduct preliminary study for the development of railway network in Nepal. The team led by Zheng Jian, deputy administrator (vice minister) of National Railway Administration of the People's Republic of China will visit Kerung, Pokhara and Lumbini for the preliminary study. The 23-member delegation includes officials China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport, members of National Commission, and Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu as well as representatives of banks, contractors, experts and consultants, among others. Prakash Bhakta Upadhyaya, the spokesperson for Department of Railway, informed that the main objective of the delegation is to study infrastructure development in Nepal, including railway projects. Nepal and China have already signed initial agreement for building a railway line from Kerung of Tibet Autonomous Region of China to Kathmandu. The northern neighbor has also promised to provide technical assistance to Nepal to conduct feasibility study of building a railway line from Kathmandu to Lumbini via Pokhara. During former foreign affairs minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara's visit to China in September, Beijing has expressed commitment to conduct a detailed project survey, design and feasibility study to build the cross-border railway line between Nepal and China at the earliest in a bid to lay groundwork for a possible China-Nepal-India economic corridor. Earlier in May, Chinese Vice Prime Minister Wang Yang said that China will provide financial support for the construction of the cross-border railway line. The railway project connecting Kathmandu with Kerung is also in the priority of Nepal. Participants of the delegation, as well as officials of Nepal's Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Department of Railway, are also visiting Kerung of China as well as Pokhara and Lumbini of Nepal. Officials of Nepal and China are holding a meeting at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport before embarking on field visit, according to Upadhyaya. The ministry will also host second round of meeting after the team returns from field study to share findings of the field study. “The main objective of the visit is to discuss and study railway projects of Nepal. The Chinese delegation will conduct initial study of the proposed railway route between Kerung and Kathmandu as well as Kathmandu and Lumbini via Pokhara. Earlier, Chinese company China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co Ltd (CREEC) had expressed its interest to carry out engineering survey and design of the cross-border railway line. Nepal does not have railway service at present. The work to lay down 35-kilometer railway track between Jayanagar of India and Kurtha of Dhanusha is about to be completed. However, the government has not taken any decision to buy railway engines and carriages to start the service. The feasibility study of Kathmandu-Pokhara Railway Project has already been completed. According to the study report, the 187-kilometer railway line will connect six districts -- Kathmandu, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun, Nuwakot and Kaski. The railway service between Kathmandu and Pokhara is expected to reduce travel distance significantly. At present, the journey of Kathmandu-Pokhara journey takes around six hours. Another mega-project this is under construction is the East-West Railway. The railway line goes parallel to the East-West Highway, formerly Mahendra Highway. But physical progress of the project is very minimal. Detailed Project Report (DPR) of two packages of the project and some work of laying down tracks has begun in Bardibas of Dhanusha. Similarly, work to prepare DPR of Bardibas-Butwal, Bardibas-Inaruwa and Inaruwa-Kakarbhitta sections is underway.I am constantly on the hunt for new and affordable miniature products. Recently I came across some unpainted D&D minis by Wiz-Kids at one of my FLGSs (Friendly Local Gaming Stores). Immediately, I thought that these guys would look great for Frostgrave. Above are two Human Wizards surrounded by Frostgrave Barbarians. Scale-wise, they are just a little bigger, but not out of place. What attracted me to these guys in the store was the price. $4.99 Canadian for two pre-primed miniatures. Not bad at all! $4.99 Canadian and pre-primed with Vellejo paints? That’s perfect! I paint mostly with Vellejo paints to begin with. 🙂 The packaging on this product looks great. Once I got the product home, I opened it up to see what was in the package. Inside are two miniatures, two bases (which are the perfect size to fit in with Frostgrave miniatures), and two plastic spell effects that can be glued onto the models. The Contents of the package. Two Miniatures, two spell effects and two bases. For their price, these miniatures look great! Overall, I like this wizard the best. The details are crisp, there is no flashing that I see and it should paint up nicely; however, there is a strange pocket in the cape that can be seen in this picture as a small diamond. I may leave that is or fill it in with some Green-Stuff. The second Wizard, I would use as the Apprentice in Frostgrave. His free hand looks a little strange because there is a peg to attach the spell effect. I am sure that once it is built and painted, it will look stunning. A picture with the Wizard between a 28mm North Star Military Figure miniature and a 32mm Reaper Miniature. I would say these fit in well with 32mm Reaper Miniature. I use the two scales together so I won’t let that stop me from using them in Frostgrave. The second Wizard between the same two miniatures. The base that comes with the mini matches the North Star ones perfectly, but the model itself is closer in scale to the Reaper Miniature than the North Star one. Another picture (with slightly different exposure than the first one) of the two wizards along side some North Star Military Figures Barbarians. I think they are going to look good as Wizards for this Warband. I hope that everyone enjoyed this look at a couple of Wiz-Kids unpainted D&D Miniatures. They are fairly cool figures and worth giving a chance if see them at your local store. Until next time, Happy Gaming Everyone!!! 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Yesterday we wrote about the rumors of Dagur Sigurdsson, who allegedly intends to stop as German national coach from the summer of 2017. The vice president of the German Handball Federation (DHB), Bob Hanning, has confirmed, that the two parts are in talks, but that Dagur Sigurdsson is a sought-after coach because of his impressive development of- and results with the German national team. According to Bild.de the 43-year-old Icelandic coach has a huge offer from the sheik owners of the richest handball club in the world, French Paris Saint-Germain. The club from the French capital has the largest budget of the world on 17,4 million euros (for comparison has THW Kiel around 9 million euros), and has allegedly offered the German national coach an annual sallary of 600.000 euros. It is more that twice as much as what he earns as German national coach. The current head coach of PSG, the 66-year-old German/Croatian legend of THW Kiel, Zvonimir "Noka" Serdarušić, has a contract that expires after this season. The German Handball Federation has a contract with Dagur Sigurdsson until after the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020, but both parts can terminate the contract until December 31, 2016. Bob Hanning emphasizes, that no matter what happens, Dagur Sigurdsson will be in charge of the German national team at the World Championship 2017 in January in France.Early Observations Of The Rookie Class The offseason program is officially over and all eyes are looking towards training camp. I now have a chance to reflect on the progress of the Dolphins’ 2014 draft class. I wasn’t sure what to expect with three players coming from the SEC and the rest coming from the FCS, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the overall talent of this group. They have seemed to set the bar higher than expected going into training camp and this year’s preseason games. Here are my impressions of the Dolphins 2014 rookie class so far: Ja’Wuan James, OT, Tennessee: Throughout OTAs and minicamp, it’s readily apparent that James possesses the athleticism and maturity that will allow him to start at the right tackle position this season. What impresses me the most is that the spotlight hasn’t been too bright for him, and the one good thing about an offensive lineman is that he doesn’t stand out for the wrong reasons. He’s been able to hold his own in terms of technique, foot speed, and hand placement so far through the offseason program and hopefully that translates when defenders like Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon are in full gear come training camp. His athletic ability is a complete upgrade to where the Dolphins were a season ago at the right tackle position. Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU: After a handful of practices that I’ve witnessed, it looks like Landry was a major steal for the Dolphins in the second round. His consistency in route running, dependability, and cleanly catching the football separates Landry from some of the other young wide receivers that I’ve seen. The knock on Jarvis was the lack of foot speed due to a bad 40 time at the combine, but that has not been apparent when he’s really playing the game of football. He continually gets separation because of his precise routes, and when he is in a crowd, knows how to position his body between the defender and the football. His wide catch radius and ability to catch in traffic will be very helpful to quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Billy Turner, OL, North Dakota State: It’s much tougher to evaluate the guard position because of the traffic in the trenches, when all 22 players are just in helmets and shorts. But it looks like Turner will have a chance to compete at the left guard position with Dallas Thomas. If toughness is Turner’s strong suit, it will be a lot more evident when training camp opens up, and we get to see him practice in full pads and start the process of moving defensive lineman off of their spots. Walt Aikens, DB, Liberty: I’m very anxious to see what type of role defensive back Aikens plays for the Miami Dolphins in 2014. Not only has he shown the ability to learn and grow in a limited amount of practices, but at 6’2, 210lbs, he gives this coaching staff position flexibility between the cornerback and safety positions. If he matures fast enough as a defensive back, that could open up the door for Aikens to play a starting role in special teams as a gunner as well. Jordan Tripp, LB, Montana: If there’s one player that seems to exudes confidence and the ability to have fun at his craft, it looks to be the young linebacker from Montana in Tripp. Tripp’s role will not be limited to one position, but possibly learning multiple spots and the linebacker position. He seems to have the talent and communication skills to play in the middle, but also, the instincts needed to play the outside spot. It also doesn’t hurt that his motor never stops, which is a characteristic you need to have a low round draft choice. Arthur Lynch, TE, Georgia: The young tight end has been held out of some of the practices that we were able to watch, but when on the field, seemed to not have a problem adjusting to the multiple sets and mental pressure applied by the Dolphins offensive scheme. He seems to receive the football with ease, but may be a step or two behind Charles Clay, and half a step behind others. Lynch has an uphill battle because of the overall numbers at tight end, but he’ll have to make the most of his limited opportunities when training camp and the preseason games begin. Matt Hazel, WR, Coastal Carolina: Like Lynch, when Hazel’s number is called, he seems to be able to rise to the occasion and do his job. He looks very fluid in running his routes, and speed and agility are definitely not an issue. The wide receiver position looks to be one of the strengths of the Dolphins, and the total numbers in that group will make it difficult for Hazel to gain opportunities. So during training camp and preseason, he’ll have to make plays that separate him from others that are lacking experience. Terrence Fede, DL, Marist: I like everything I’ve seen out of the Marist defensive lineman. I wouldn’t have known Fede if he came up to me a month ago and tackled me, but he definitely has my attention now. What I like the most about Fede, is that he fits what Randy Starks, Jared Odrick, and Earl Mitchell have in common. They’re very athletic and seem to find the football. The only knock on him is his lack of experience, and the rise in class coming from FCS to the NFL. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a name we more about as he grows as a player. RELATED: Ja’Wuan James In Studio With The Finsiders RELATED: Jarvis Landry Featured On The Finsiders On FOX Sports Florida RELATED: Andy Cohen Analyzes Rookies & Second Year Players Please Note: The opinions, analysis and/or speculation expressed by The Finsiders Blog represent those of individual writers, and unless quoted or clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions, policies or desires of the Miami Dolphins organization, front office, coaches and executives. Writers' views are formulated independently from any inside information and/or conversation with Dolphins officials, including the coaches and scouts, unless otherwise noted.Two groups have sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its decision not to ban a pesticide linked to nervous system and brain disorders. The Pesticide Action Network and the Natural Resource Defense Council on Wednesday asked a federal court to force the EPA to take action on chlorpyrifos, a pesticide used to kill insects on pests on crops, including some meant for human consumption. Most household uses of the chemical were phased out in 2001. The EPA, under former President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaWith low birth rate, America needs future migrants 4 ways Hillary looms over the 2020 race Obama goes viral after sporting black bomber jacket with '44' on sleeve at basketball game MORE, proposed banning its use, a decision that raised objections from farmers and companies such as Dow Chemical. ADVERTISEMENT But the EPA on Thursday said it would not ban chlorpyrifos. The NRDC and Pesticide Action Network have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to force the agency to do so. “President Trump and his EPA flouted court orders and EPA’s scientific findings that chlorpyrifos puts children, farmworkers, their families and many others at risk,” Patti Goldman, the Earthjustice managing attorney handling the case, said in a statement. “We are asking the court to protect children by ordering EPA to take action now to ban chlorpyrifos.” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said last week that not banning the pesticide would “provide regulatory certainty to the thousands of American farms that rely on chlorpyrifos, while still protecting human health and the environment.” The agency on Wednesday published a press release with laudatory reactions from five groups that opposed banning chlorpyrifos. NRDC and other groups originally petitioned, and sued, the Obama administration to take action on chlorpyrifos’s use on food crops before the 2015 proposal to ban it. “If it takes a court order for EPA to stand up to pressure from Dow’s lobbyists and do right by children and their families, then so be it,” said Kristin Schafer, policy director for Pesticide Action Network.Sen. Al Franken Alan (Al) Stuart FrankenVirginia can be better than this Harris off to best start among Dems in race, say strategists, donors Virginia scandals pit Democrats against themselves and their message MORE (D-Minn.) said in a new interview that he's “embarrassed and ashamed” by the accusations of sexual misconduct that have been made against him this month. “I’m embarrassed and ashamed. I’ve let a lot of people down and I’m hoping I can make it up to them and gradually regain their trust,” Franken told the Star-Tribune in a Sunday phone interview. “I’m looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow,” Franken said. In the interview with the newspaper, the Minnesota lawmaker maintained that he does not recall incidents in which women said he touched them inappropriately during photo ops. ADVERTISEMENT “I don’t remember these photographs, I don’t,” Franken told the paper. “This is not something I would intentionally do.” In a separate interview with MPR News on Sunday, Franken said he hopes "to be a better man." But the news outlet noted that Franken was unable to say whether or not additional accusations may come to light. "This has been a shock to me," Franken told MPR. Three women have come forward claiming Franken inappropriately touched them during photo ops after radio host Leeann Tweeden said Franken forcibly kissed her while rehearsing for a sketch during a 2006 USO tour. Tweeden also posted a photo of Franken appearing to grab her breasts while she slept. Franken called the photo "inexcusable." The incident with Tweeden occurred before Franken was a senator, while two of the other women said Franken groped them while he was running in his first Senate campaign. Another woman said Franken touched her inappropriately in 2010, when he was already elected to the upper chamber. Franken on Thanksgiving issued an apology in which he vowed to regain the trust of his constituents. “I feel terribly that I’ve made some women feel badly and for that I am so sorry, and I want to make sure that never happens again,” he said.Overview We are huge fans of Trello and it is one of the most widely-used and best web-based project management apps ever built. With this integration, we make a great product even better by providing Trello users with a real-time whiteboard and planning wall where they can plan, strategize, prioritize, and brainstorm all of their projects. Use the links below to skip ahead or simply read on. Connecting Trello to Cnverg To use the Trello integration with Cnverg, you must have both a Cnverg account and a Trello account. Once you have your accounts set up, follow these steps to connect Trello to Cnverg: In Cnverg, open the side panel by clicking the icon in the top-left corner and navigate to the My Account page. Open the Connections tab and click on the Connect button next to Trello. You will be taken to the Trello OAuth page. Make sure you are logged in to the correct Trello account. Trello will ask you to let Cnverg use your account. Click on the Allow button. You will be returned to the Connections tab. You should see the email address you connected with listed under Trello along with a time stamp That's it. You're Trello account is now connected and ready to use in Cnverg! Importing Trello Boards into a Cnverg Space Now that you have Trello connected, it's time to start using your Trello cards in Cnverg to plan and strategize your projects. Let's go through the process of setting up a new space and importing your Trello boards. Create a new space by clicking the round blue button on the Active Spaces page. page. Give your space a name and then click the Create button.You will be taken immediately to your new space. Open the side panel by clicking the icon in the corner and then click on the Settings button icon in the corner and then click on the button When the Settings modal opens, click on the Connections tab and check Trello. Click OK when you're done. The Trello Boards container will now be visible. Open it and click on Manage Boards. container will now be visible. Open it and click on The Boards Selection modal will open. Check the box for each Trello board you wish to import into the Space and then click OK. Team boards will be listed separately from personal boards. The Trello Boards container will populate with all of the cards for each of the boards you selected. Cards will be grouped together with the name of the board the cards came from. Cards will share the color of their corresponding board. Pull Trello cards out onto the work area by clicking and dragging them. Here you can see two cards from each board are already in the Space. You can import as many Trello boards as you want into a Space. Next, we will examine the Trello cards and see how they work. PLEASE NOTE: Cnverg collaborators will only be able to see the cards in the side panel if they are also a member of the Trello boards that you import. If you are collaborating in Cvnerg with someone who is not already a member of your Trello board, they will only be able to see the cards that you drag out into the work area. In addition, they will not be able to update any of the information on the Trello cards. Anatomy of a Trello Card Let's take a look at the different pieces of the Trello card and how they work. Each Trello card is divided into 5 sections: the Header, Name Field, Assignees, Dates, and Labels. The Header The Header has two parts. On the left is the Trello List drop down. This lets you see which List this card is in. Clicking on the List drop down will show you all of the Lists included in that Board. To change the List, open the drop down and choose a new List. The card will move automatically to the selected List in Trello. On the right is the Trello favicon. Clicking on the favicon will open that card in Trello in a new tab. Name Field The Name Field is where you will find the name of the Trello card. Double clicking inside the Name Field will allow you to edit the name of the card. Click off the card to complete your edit. The name of the card will be updated automatically in Trello. Assignees The Assignees section is where you can add team members to each card. Click on the grey plus icon and a drop down list will show everyone who is a member of that card's board. Check or uncheck which team members you want to assign to the card. Team members will be added or removed as you check them off. If you have a large team, you can use the filter to easily find specific individuals. Each team member assigned to the card will be denoted by a dark grey circle with their first initial. Hovering over the user's icon will show their full name. Click off the card when you are finished. The team members will be updated automatically in Trello. Dates There are two date fields on each card: a Start Date and a Due Date. To select a date, double click on the field. You will be presented with a calendar. Select the date you want and it will be added to the card. Hovering over the Start or Due Date will show you the exact date and time in long form. This is where we depart slightly from Trello. Trello currently only supports Due Dates, so our Start Date will not appear in Trello and is merely for your convenience and use. Start Dates may be useful, however, if you use project tracking tools such as Elegantt. In addition, Trello allows you to select the exact time of day your card will be due. Our picker only allows you to select the date. It will appear in Trello as 12:00AM on the date you selected Labels At the bottom of each card is the Labels section where you can add Trello labels to each card. Click on the grey plus icon and a drop down list will show every label associated with that card's particular board. Check or uncheck which labels you want to assign to the card. Labels will be added or removed as you check them off. If a Label has been given a name, such as Zendesk above, it will appear in the list. If you have many Labels associated with your board, you can use the filter to easily find specific ones. Each Label assigned to the card will be denoted by a circle the same color as the Label. Hovering over the Label's icon will show its name, if it has one. Click off the card when you are finished. Labels will be updated automatically in Trello. Using Trello Cards to Plan in Cnverg So you've imported your Trello board (or multiple boards) into your Cnverg space. What next? Let's explore a hypothetical use case where a Software Company wants to use Cnverg and Trello to improve communication between the various departments. Here, the company wants to sort and prioritize a large set of feature requests received by the Marketing Department that they will then hand over to the Development Team for implementation. Here's the unsorted list of features in Trello: The first thing the team does is create a new Cnverg space and dump all of the feature requests out onto the work area. This is analogous to writing all of the feature requests down onto sticky notes by hand and posting them up onto a whiteboard. Here's the Cnverg space after we've dumped all the feature requests out: The team next begins to do an initial sort, moving cards around and trying to find patterns. After several minutes of moving cards around and discussing, they discover that cards are beginning to cluster into one of three broad categories. As they discover these categories, they create the appropriate Lists in Trello. Here's what the Trello board looks like before they begin the final sorting activity: The team selects a 3-column template background from the Cnverg template library and labels the columns with the List titles from Trello. The team then begins to move the cards into their respective columns, discussing and debating along the way. In short order, all of the feature requests have been properly categorized and placed into their respective columns. The team assigns the appropriate label to each card using the Label drop down list at the top the card. The team now wants to prioritize the feature requests in each category. They copy the sorting space and remove everything except the category they want to prioritize
raise First Amendment issues?" In Syracuse, the sheriff's budget woes in recent years deepened this fall when the county Legislature eliminated $591,000 in taxpayer aid in 2012 for the helicopter known by its radio call sign. Bought for $2.3 million, Air-1 costs around $500,000 on average to operate and maintain each year. Walsh has appealed for private donations and hopes to secure federal grants to help pay for Air-1's four-pilot roster. Getting a commercial operator's license from the Federal Aviation Administration to allow him to charge fees for medical flights might come through soon, potentially raising $125,000 to $200,000 a year. Selling naming rights could prove vital in filling the gap. Talks are under way with two potential sponsors who remain unidentified, and Walsh's administrative chief, John Balloni, hopes to add at least $100,000 a year in advertising revenue. While conceding that Air-1 might have to stop operations in 2012, Balloni said: "There will be some revenue streams coming in and we have full expectation we'll keep it in the air. The extent of our success in 2012 will determine how much we fly in 2013." Landing private funding wouldn't be a first for a police airborne unit. In Missouri, St. Louis County police got cash donations and electronic equipment worth upward of $200,000 from three helicopter manufacturers in 2004 in exchange for putting the companies' decals on three of its six choppers, said Capt. Kurt Frisz, a pilot. "It kept us flying at a critical time and got us equipment we wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise," said Frisz, who says the decals are hardly visible from the ground. "The value for the vendor is if a picture of our helicopter shows up in a law enforcement trade magazine such as Air Beat." Onondaga County sheriffs have deployed helicopters of their own since snapping up a Korean War-era bubble model in 1975. Supporters praise the new chopper's versatility and credit it as a vital public safety tool not only in the county but in emergencies across a five-county metro area of 640,000 people along Lake Ontario's southeast corner. Air-1 and its crew logged hundreds of hours of missions in 2011. It airlifted a badly injured toddler who was run over by a lawnmower, alerted sheriff's deputies to a rifle-toting fugitive hiding up a tree and rescued a man whose snowmobile plunged through the ice on a lake. Opponents view it as a financial burden that duplicates services already provided at no cost to taxpayers by private medevac helicopters and a state police chopper stationed in Syracuse that runs missions farther afield in upstate New York. A county Legislature resolution to auction off Air-1 was voted down 18-1 on Dec. 6. Walsh will likely renew his funding request when the Legislature returns Jan. 1 with seven new members. "Short of robbing banks," said Balloni, his deputy, "any way we can keep this ship flying is the way we're going to do it. I took an oath to protect and serve and, to me, the lives it saves are what's sacred." © Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.Haitian Massacre of Creole White 1804 The 1804 Haiti Massacre was an ethnic cleansing which was carried out on the remaining white population of French Creoles on Haiti territory. It was ordered by Jean-Jacques Desalines. It was carried out from early February 1804 until the 22nd of April 1804and resulted in the death between 3000 to 5000 people of all ages and gender. Jean-Jacques Dessalines was the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1801 constitution. initially reguarded as Governor-Gerneral. Dessalines served as an officer in the French army when the colony was trying to withstand Spanish and British incursions. Later he rose to become a commander in the revolt against France. After the betrayal and capture of Toussaint Loucerture in 1802, Dessalines became the leader of the revolution. In 1804, Desslines was chosen by a council of generals to assume the officer of Governor-General. In September 1804, he proclaimed himself Emperor and was assassinated in 1806. Haiti is a Carribean country. Haiti is regional, historical, and ethno-lingustic postion is unique for several reasons. It was the first independent nation of Latin America. Haiti is the most populous full member-state of the Caribbean Community. It is the poorest country in the Americas as measured by the Human Development Index. Political violence has occured regulary throughout its history, leading to government instability. The island has had a history of destructive earthquakes. It was a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. The highest reliable death count was about 220,000 people. The Haiti government’s were higher. Dessalines did not hide the massacre from the world. An official proclaimation of April 8, 1804, he started, “We have given these true cannibals war of war, crime for crime, outrage for outrage. Yes, I have saved my country, I have avenged America.” He referred the massacre as an act of national authority. Dessalines reguarded the elimination of the white Haitians an act of political necessity, as they were reguarded as a threat to the peace between the black and colored. It also was reguarded as an act of vengeance. However, he was eager to assure that Haiti was not a threat to other nations and that is sought to establish friendly relations also to nations where slavery was still allowed. AdvertisementsMcCain ad blames Obama for rising gas prices RAW STORY Published: Monday July 21, 2008 Print This Email This "Don't hope for new energy, vote for it," a new ad for the McCain campaign advises Americans, which blames Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for the rising cost of gas prices. According to CBS, "The campaign says the spot will air on cable and in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, (northern) Virginia, and Wisconsin." In the ad, a female narrator almost whispers, "Gas prices - $4, $5, no end in sight, because some in Washington are still saying no to drilling in America," as the camera focuses on a solitary gas pump, and the murmurs of a chanting crowd can be heard in the background. "No to independence from foreign oil." A closeup of numbers skyrocketing up on the gas pump is then inserted. "Who can you thank for rising prices at the pump?" the narrator asks as a picture of a smiling Obama materializes next to the pump and in front of the numbers which are still rocketing out of control. The crowd has been chanting Obama's name, the ad reveals. The video then disrupts and turns to black, before turning to shots of McCain: "One man knows we must now drill more in America and rescue our family budgets." The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz calls the ad a "stretch," but adds that it "might have some appeal." "John McCain may try in this ad to blame rising gas prices on Barack Obama, but after seven and a half years of the Bush administration, that's a stretch," Kurtz writes for the paper's The Trail blog. "McCain himself said last week that America's 'dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been 30 years in the making'; Obama has been in Washington for four." Kurtz adds, "It's a bit audacious for McCain to charge that'some in Washington' still oppose offshore oil drilling, since that was his position, most notably in his 2000 presidential campaign, until he reversed himself last month and called for a lifting of the 27-year federal ban on such drilling." "Nor is there any evidence that Obama opposes 'independence from foreign oil,' although his energy plan is very different," Kurtz continues. "The Illinois senator has called McCain's plan for a temporary gas-tax holiday a gimmick." Finally, Kurtz concludes, "Drilling off the coasts would increase U.S. oil production but have no short-term impact on gas prices. While some analysts disagree, an Energy Department report last year said production would not start until 2017 and have no'significant' effect on prices or supplies until 2030." The following ad was placed on YouTube by the McCain campaign:“When I saw her, I couldn’t resist talking to her,” said Aarav Appukuttan about his now soon-to-be wife, Sukanyeah. Aarav, 46, was assigned female at birth, and Sukanyeah, 22, was assigned male. Both from Kerala, they met by chance at a hospital some three years ago. Neither of them knew they both wanted to get a sex reassignment surgery at the time. “I saw her and I was really curious to get to know her. So, I initiated the conversation and we started talking,” he told The Better India. With a story like that, one instantly wonders what their lives are like. Interestingly, Aarav says he has never really had a bad experience due to his gender identity. “Whenever someone would approach me or make fun of me based on my identity, I would just smile. They would always wonder if I was a woman or a man, and I would happily clear their doubt. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, my mother taught me that,” said Aarav. Sukanyeah on the other hand, did. “You know how our society is. The experiences were pretty bad. Just recently I had applied for a job in Bengaluru. I excelled in every test, and got a great feedback. But when the employers saw my Facebook profile and figured I was a transgender person, they rejected my application. They told me the clients wouldn’t be comfortable in dealing with someone like me,” Sukanya told The Better India. But it doesn’t bother her much. Sukanyeah is a software developer, who believes she’s great at her job. “Every freelance project I’ve taken up has got me great reviews from my employers,” she said. She found it easier to share her bad experiences with Aarav, which is when they became really close. The surgery brought them even closer. Gradually, Aarav realised how similar they were and fell in love. “At that time, I was confused whether I should propose to her or not. I knew she loved me, but I wasn’t sure.” Now with their sexes changed, Aarav went up to Sukanyeah, told her he didn’t care about the age gap between them, and asked her if she’d marry him. Sukanyeah, of course, said yes. The rest was history. Next month, they will be the first transgender couple to get married in India. Aarav’s family has been in full support of their decision, while the reaction of Sukanyeah’s relatives has been mixed. But among friends, the two expressed how the response they’ve received since they announced their wedding has been amazing. “I’ve got some great friends who are stoked at the idea of us getting married. They’re the ones who’ve supported me all along and are helping us with everything,” Sukanyeah told TBI. All they’re waiting for now are the documents. “We’ve applied to get our sex changed in all our documents, and that takes a lot of time. As soon as that’s done, we will tie the knot. I want it to be a legal marriage, so it’s easier for us to adopt a child. You can’t do that without a marriage certificate,” said Aarav. While Sukanya is currently working, Aarav is still figuring out his future plan. “Maybe I’ll take a loan and start a small scale business. I’m still deciding what to do, but I need to do that fast to be able to make ends meet,” he said. The two are yet to complete their sex reassignment surgery, for which they’re raising funds. You can contribute here. Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: [email protected] Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp!Traffic congestion on Highway 403 between Highway 6 and Main Street is causing headaches for airport and cargo businesses in Hamilton. That's just one of the issues potentially holding back job growth and business health in the city, according to a new report heading for city councillors' review next week. All too often our industrial property is nothing more than an old pasture with a sign in front proclaiming the land 'Industrial.' - Guy Paparella and Margaret Fazio, city planners The report is written by environment and growth planners at the city. They want the province to expand Highway 403 "from two to three lanes between the Lincoln Alexander Parkway and Main Street both downbound and upbound as soon as practically possible." It's one of two highway projects the city would like the province to prioritize to help its economic development efforts. They also recommend upgrading the Highway 5 and 6 interchange within the next five years. "More and more concerns have been expressed by our airport operator and related courier (and) cargo businesses, regarding increased congestion along the Highway 403, between Highway 6 and Main Street," the report states. "This is creating major delays for goods movement, which negatively impacts their business operations." Currently, the highway is three lanes upbound after the Aberdeen Avenue on-ramp, but only two lanes down the escarpment. The lands around the airport are a much hoped-for addition to Hamilton's employment opportunities. The airport employment growth district (AEGD) is a 555-hectare urban boundary expansion that happened so the city could offer green space to industries. The report looks at the amount of land available for businesses to operate and finds there are 40 hectares of "shovel ready" employment lands near the airport, with one 20 hectare parcel ready for sale. "While it may appear that our community has lots of industrial property just waiting to be developed, all too often our industrial property is nothing more than an old pasture with a sign in front proclaiming the land "Industrial,'" the report says. But in a world where companies ask cities to compete for where they should relocate to, having "shovel-ready" employment land can make the difference between winning and losing, the report states. The highway-widening proposal was included in a provincial report several years ago cataloguing the transportation needs of the corridor between Niagara and Toronto. This new report recommends the city request the Ministry of Transportation "prioritize and expedite" those proposed lane expansions.Trump: False reporting makes it harder to make deal with Russia 5:24 PM ET Thu, 16 Feb 2017 | 02:39 President Donald Trump said "it would be great if we could get along with Russia," as he contrasted his willingness to be friendly with Moscow to the policies of his presidential predecessors. "Tomorrow, you'll say, 'Donald Trump wants to get along with Russia, that's terrible,' " Trump said sarcastically to reporters at a White House press conference Thursday. "It's not terrible. It's good," Trump said. "If we could get along with Russia, that's a positive thing." "You've had a lot of presidents that haven't taken that tack," Trump said. "Look where we are." Trump's comments on Russia came after reports that people in his presidential campaign had been in contact with Russian intelligence officials last year, and after he fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for not telling Vice President Mike Pence details of a conversation Flynn had in January with Russia's ambassador to Washington.Congress has become gun-shy about putting together Internet-related legislation after the attempt to pass SOPA generated unprecedented public outrage, but Internet piracy is still on its radar. Still, it turns out that digital copies of pirated movies and TV shows aren't just the subject of committee debates on Capitol Hill—they're also being downloaded onto Capitol Hill computers. A post today in US News & World Report's tech blog published new information from anti-piracy forensics company ScanEye, a company that offers BitTorrent monitoring services in the name of fighting piracy. The ScanEye report [PDF] shows apparently pirated movie files being downloaded via IP addresses associated with the US House of Representatives. Congressional employees downloaded episodes of Glee, CSI, Dexter, and Home and Away in October and early November. There are more TV episodes downloaded than movies, but the report also shows downloads of films, such as Iron Sky, which was downloaded by a Congress-owned computer on Oct. 4; Life of Pi, downloaded on Oct. 27; and the Dark Knight Rises, downloaded on Oct. 25. Another download listed is Bad Santa 2, a movie which has not been released yet. There's no way of knowing, of course, whether any downloads were done by actual lawmakers, or just by their aides and staff. It isn't the first time a report has been released accusing Congress' computers of aiding in illegal downloads though. During the height of the SOPA debate in late 2011, BitTorrent news site TorrentFreak catalogued a variety of content it alleged was downloaded by Congress. That report left off the accused IP addresses and also noted downloads of books and of copyrighted software like Windows 7.The recovery path in 2Q appears to be worse than expected. Data up to May show the economy lost momentum. Consumption was weak and exports fell. Tourism remained strong and was the only bright spot, but it was not enough to support the overall recovery. In late June, the Bank of Thailand revised down its 2015 growth forecast to 3% from 3.8% and said that downside risks remain. "We are more pessimistic and cut our 2015 growth forecast to 2.5% from 3.3% this year, versus consensus at 3%," notes BofA Merrill Lynch. The slowing economic activity coupled with worsening drought conditions dampened domestic sentiment, adding to growth risks in 2H. Deterioration in commercial banks' asset quality has extended from consumer loans to SMEs. The business community and bankers have urged the government to help SMEs by providing them with soft loans. While the government appeared to be receptive, no substantive progress has been made thus far. Further action may be pending given persistent speculation of a cabinet reshuffle, which could involve the removal of key economic ministers. The baht weakened by 3% over the past three weeks, well ahead of other Asian currencies, with the exception of the Korean won. This could in part be a reflection of market concerns about Thailand's policy vacuum and deterioration in the country's economic outlook.NEWARK -- The fired adjunct professor who made national headlines when she was ousted for her comments on a Fox News television show is joining the Green Party ticket as a candidate for lieutenant governor. Lisa Durden, 53, of Newark, announced Tuesday she was joining Seth Kaper-Dale's gubernatorial campaign. Kaper-Dale is a pastor at the Reformed Church of Highland Park. "I've never heard of a politician who stood strong on the angle of social issues in addition to crime, education and health care," Durden told NJ Advance Media. She says she was particularly drawn to the core message of Kaper-Dale's platform: The last are the first. "He feels from the bottom up is how we should work, it's about priorities," she said. Durden, who has never run for public office and switched her party affiliation from a Democrat last month, said Kaper-Dale speaks to the issues she's spent her life advocating for: Black Lives Matter, women's issues and the fight against mass incarceration. "What's right sometimes isn't always comfortable," she said. Durden was an adjunct communications professor and was fired after a June 6 appearance on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" in which she defended the Black Lives Matter movement's decision to host a Memorial Day celebration in New York City to which only black people were invited. The college's newly appointed president, Anthony Munroe, said Durden was fired after the college received complaints about her comments even though she did not affiliate herself with the college while on the show. Kaper-Dale, who has often spearheaded fights to keep undocumented immigrants in his community, said that Durden "is exactly the voice that New Jersey needs to listen to." He said he learned about her once he heard about her ouster and said he "immediately knew this was the person who should be my lieutenant governor." "I'm not at all worried about picking someone who is divisive," Kaper-Dale told NJ Advance Media. "I think the lens that she brings is very much like my lens but in other ways it's different. It's a lens worn by a black woman instead of a white man. It's an absolutely essential voice in terms of crafting what the last and the first looks like in New Jersey." Karen Yi may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.NEW DELHI: Amid the deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan following the Uri cross border terror attack and rising infiltration bids, India has decided to " seal " the India-Pakistan border by December, 2018.Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh after a meeting with the top government officials of Rajasthan Punjab, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir in Jaisalmer today afternoon said, "The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has set a target to seal the Indo-Pakistan border by December 2018. The action plan is time bound."Singh added that there will be proper monitoring of the action plan on a monthly and quarterly basis, so that the target of sealing the border can be achieved. The monitoring framework will include at the levels of MHA, the Border Security Force- which is guarding the India-Pakistan International Border-and the states' Chief Secretaries. During the meeting, focus was put on the monitoring mechanism, because of the plan to seal the border by the given deadline."There is a new concept keeping in mind border security, which is the border security grid. Border security related stakeholders will be part of it. In the meeting, the state governments gave their suggestions and based on this the border security grid will be given final shape," he said.The Home Minister explained that technological solutions will be used for sealing the border, especially at riverine locations such as Sir Creek.Singh added that he has also asked the concerned states that if the BSF gives a complaint to them, it should be registered and proper investigation be carried out.Singh chaired the meeting attended by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal, Gujarat's Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Brij Raj Sharma, an official said.Singh asked the MHA, BSF and participating States for faster implementation of infrastructure projects, effective monitoring, intelligence sharing and inter-agency cooperation in view of the prevailing security scenario in the country, reads a statement issued by the MHA.The Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje raised issues regarding police modernization, security in the hinterland and the peculiar problems due to sparsely populated desert area with shifting sand dunes. She suggested that an Integrated Check Post be established at Munnabao, reads the statement.The Punjab Deputy CM, Sukhbir Singh Badal, drew attention to the problems of farmers having land across the border and the problems created by the smuggling of arms and drugs from Pakistan, as per the statement.The MoS for Home Affairs, Gujarat, Pradeep Sinh B. Jadeja stated that in the marshy areas of the Rann of Kutch, where fencing is not possible, there is a need for improvement in the construction of roads and use of technology for surveillance."It was resolved that the central and state Governments will work together to resolve all problems at the earliest for effectively protecting the border," as per the statement.Meanwhile, in regard to the Baramulla attack, Singh said that all citizens should have faith in the armed forces. In regard to Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's comments on the surgical strikes, Singh said, "there is tension between India and Pakistan and our citizens should stand by the army."Please enable Javascript to watch this video FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (WTVR) - A 68-year-old Fredericksburg man suffering from chronic pulmonary disease says he’s not sure where he garnered the strength to fight off a double murder suspect inside his home Saturday evening. Leonard Mara says he feared for his life, and didn’t recognize exactly who the man inside his home was at the time. “He said ‘the cops are after me, the cops are after me,’” Mara says. The man inside his home was John Wesley Jeffries of Fredericksburg, who is wanted in connection to the murders of an elderly couple in Fauquier County. Police says 80-year-old Nelson Slack and his 75-year-old wife, Ethel, were found inside their home on Bunker Hill Road early Sunday after friends became worried when they didn’t show up for church. Investigators say both victims had trauma to their upper bodies. While police are investigating when the alleged murders took place, Leonard Mara says he’s certain it was Jeffries, 60-years-old, who confronted him outside his home on Morningside Drive around 9:30 Saturday night. Mara says he was taking out the trash when he noticed Jeffries lurking near a shed in the backyard. “I stopped and asked, ‘who is that?’” Mara says the suspect approached him quickly and pushed him inside his backdoor. “He said ‘you shut up or I will kill you right away,’” Mara recounted. “I said ‘you cannot say that to me, come to my house and give that kind of instruction to shut up,’” Mara recalled. Mara, a former ballroom dance instructor from Africa, said he decided to defend himself. “That’s when I took my oxygen tank and hit him in the head!” Mara says, “and I took him and I slammed him onto the floor and sat on top of him.” After asking for a glass of water, Mara says Jeffries went to the bathroom to clean up his bloodied forehead. That’s when Mara says he ran to a neighbor’s house for help. “I never thought someone on oxygen could run so fast,” Mara recalled. Investigators took blood samples and finger prints from Mara’s home on Monday morning. Spotsylvania County investigators have been looking for Jeffries since February 16, when he allegedly tried to strangle his estranged wife inside her Fredericksburg home. “We are currently working with Facquier County, Fredericksburg PD and the Virginia State Police to try and ascertain his whereabouts,” says Captain Jeff Pearce with the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Department. Jeffries was convicted in Loudoun County in 1986 of several crimes, including rape, forcible sodomy, abduction and object sexual penetration. Jeffries is a registered sex offender with the Virginia State Police. Police say Jeffries is considered armed and dangerous and anyone who comes in contact with him should call police immediately. Mara said he’ll have trouble resting until Jeffries is behind bars, even though he feels confident that he can clearly defend himself. “I don’t understand how I did it,” Mara said.Remedial measures by OC Transpo and the city appeared to bear fruit Wednesday morning as officials reported the transit situation was much improved at the Hurdman Station, scene of a massive kilometres-long bus jam Tuesday. Mayor Jim Watson took to Twitter to advise that he was receiving positive reports from a number of sources indicating the Transitway was operating much more smoothly. I have received staff reports that Hurdman working better today. Tell me your experience, good, bad or indifferent. Thanks for your patience — Jim Watson (@JimWatsonOttawa) September 9, 2015 City of Ottawa officials knew that in closing the Transitway east of downtown for light-rail construction and putting buses on Highway 417, “some disruption is unavoidable.” What they didn’t appear to foresee, however, was the capital’s usual post-Labour Day back-to-school, back-to-work traffic boost that, combined with changes at Hurdman Station, would bring long lines of buses to a standstill Tuesday morning and delay some fuming commuters by an hour or more. While passengers vented on Twitter, transit officials, their faces as red as the back of a 53-seat New Flyer, apologized repeatedly and promised immediate measures to avoid a repeat. Among them: • Posting “multiple” special constables at Hurdman — the epicentre of Tuesday’s bus bottleneck — to direct traffic. • Reopening of a closed temporary road at the station. • Reassigning bus stop assignments at Hurdman to better manage flow. • Removal of an obstruction at the station that is getting in the way of articulated buses. The city, however, was unprepared to admit that it failed to anticipate the post-holiday return to the roads. “We are reviewing all that information to determine what caused this morning’s issues and how to correct things,” John Manconi, general manager, transit services, said in a prepared statement Tuesday afternoon. A portion of the Transitway has been shut down since June 28, but a new platform at Hurdman was not in place until this weekend. Manconi noted that the reconfiguration worked well up to 7:30 a.m. when bus volumes started to build, causing the system to back up in all directions. Commuters said on social media that their delays getting downtown had stretched to more than an hour. One said passenger lineups at Hurdman were into the hundreds. OC Transpo, on its Twitter account, said delays were no more than 20 minutes. Still, it apologized, blaming the slowdown on the “new temporary configuration” of Hurdman Station. The city’s media office relayed a further apology later in the morning. In a 2015 “look-ahead” report on the Confederation Line construction — the first stage of Ottawa’s light rail plan — the city warned that “some disruption is unavoidable when building a project of this size and scope.” And in a technical briefing on April 15, Manconi and councillor Stephen Blais, chair of the Transit Commission, predicted that shifting buses to Highway 417 would affect 16 per cent of the average 340,000 weekday customer trips, with most of those trips extended by up to seven minutes. The time estimates, however, were based on average normal conditions, Manconi said. “We will have storms, we will have an accident where it’s blocking a lane, we will have traffic … there will be days when those times do not match up.” At the briefing, the officials pointed to $74 million in city spending — including $11 million on additional buses — to minimize the impact of construction on east-end commuters. The city also ordered other measures Tuesday to reduce delays at Hurdman. “Deadheading” buses (returning empty buses to a station or garage) will not be allowed through Hurdman, and extra supervisory and customer service staff will be on site. By the afternoon rush hour, the steps appeared to be working, with buses moving through the station without long delays. The massive morning tie-up was another setback for a transit agency revealed in a weekend report to be on track to post a deficit of more than $11 million by year-end. The shortfall is due to a big jump in maintenance costs, largely because warranties have expired on more than 350 articulated buses bought between 2008 and 2010 and the city now must pay for repairs. An anticipated increase in fare revenue, meantime, did not materialize, and Transpo also faced higher-than-expected insurance claims settlements and the cost of renewing the Trillium Line maintenance contract. [email protected] [email protected] to know what's open and closed over the Christmas holidays and which city services are running? CBC Ottawa has you covered with this handy compendium. Retail LCBO ​Dec. 24: All LCBO stores will open at regular hours and close at 6 p.m. Dec. 25: All LCBO stores and head office will be closed. LCBO agency stores will be closed. Dec. 26: All LCBO stores and head office will be closed. Some LCBO agency stores may choose to open. Customers should check for individual store hours with their local LCBO store or online at lcbo.com using the 'Store Search' feature. They can also contact the toll-free, bilingual helloLCBO Contact Centre at 1-800-668-5226 or online at helloLCBO.com. Malls Dec. 24 Rideau Centre will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bayshore Shopping Centre will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. St. Laurent Centre will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Place d'Orleans will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 25 Rideau Centre will be closed. Bayshore Shopping Centre will be closed. St. Laurent Centre will be closed. Place d'Orleans will be closed. Dec. 26 Rideau Centre will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bayshore Shopping Centre will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. St. Laurent Centre will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Place d'Orleans will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Grocery stores (only listing examples - check websites of local stores) Dec. 24 The Real Canadian Superstore in Westboro will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Costco locations will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walmart Ottawa Baseline Supercentre will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 25 The Real Canadian Superstore in Westboro will be closed. Costco locations will be closed. Walmart Ottawa Baseline Supercentre will be closed. Dec. 26 The Real Canadian Superstore in Westboro will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Costco locations will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Walmart Ottawa Baseline Supercentre will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. City services The Rink of Dreams at Marion Dewar Plaza at City Hall will be open on the following days at the following times, weather permitting. Dec. 24: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 25: 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Dec. 26: Noon to 11 p.m. The skating court at Lansdowne Park will be open on the following days at the following time, weather permitting. Dec. 24: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 25: 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Dec. 26: Noon to 11 p.m. City of Ottawa recreation Dec. 25: Most recreation facilities are closed and public swimming, public skating, aquafitness and fitness classes are cancelled on Dec. 25. Please check with ottawa.ca or the facility of your choice for details, as some exceptions will apply. Recreation facilities will be operating on modified schedules during the holiday season, including modified swimming, skating and fitness schedules. Registered programs at swimming pools, community centres and arenas are cancelled during the holiday season. However, clients should check with their facility to confirm, as some exceptions will apply. Client services Dec. 24: All rural client service centres will be closed, except for the West Carleton client service centre, which will be open from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Dec. 25: City Hall and all seven client service centres, including the government service centre at 110 Laurier Ave. W., will be closed. The city’s Provincial Offences Court at 100 Constellation Cres. will be closed. Dec. 26: City Hall and all seven client service centres, including the government service centre at 110 Laurier Ave. W., will be closed. The city’s Provincial Offences Court at 100 Constellation Cres. will be closed The city’s 311 contact centre will be open for urgent matters requiring the city’s immediate attention. Call 311 or 613-580-2400 to speak to a customer service representative. For persons with a hearing-related disability, call TTY: 613-580-2401. Garbage, green bin and recycling Dec. 24: Regular service. Dec. 25: There will be no curbside or multiresidential green bin, recycling, garbage or bulky item collection. The Trail Waste Facility will also be closed. Dec. 26: Pickup for Dec. 25 will take place on Dec. 26. Collection will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week. Note that Christmas trees will be collected on regularly scheduled collection days. Please remove all decorations. Christmas trees in plastic bags will not be collected. Public transit service Dec. 24: OC Transpo will operate on a reduced weekday schedule. The sales and information centres at Lincoln Fields, St. Laurent and Place d’Orléans stations will close early at 5 p.m. The Rideau Centre sales office will close early at 5 p.m. The OC Transpo Customer Relations Unit (613-842-3600) will operate on a reduced schedule from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 25: OC Transpo will operate on a Sunday schedule. The sales and information centres at Lincoln Fields, St. Laurent and Place d’Orléans stations will be closed. The Rideau Centre sales office will be closed. The OC Transpo information centre (613-741-4390) will operate on a reduced schedule from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The OC Transpo customer relations unit (613-842-3600) will be closed. Dec. 26: OC Transpo will operate on a Saturday schedule. The sales and information centres at Lincoln Fields, St. Laurent and Place d’Orléans stations will be closed. The Rideau Centre sales office will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The OC Transpo information centre (613-741-4390) will operate on a reduced schedule from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The OC Transpo customer relations unit (613-842-3600) will be closed. Call 613-560-1000 or text 560560 plus the four-digit bus stop number for automated schedule information. For more information, holiday schedules and travel planning, phone 613-741-4390 or visit octranspo.com. Para Transpo service Dec. 24: Regular service. Dec. 25: Reservations (613-244-7272) will be open
my soul, she is a banshee, crying at the indignation she suffered for no other reason than to make people cum. She is not the only one. She is one of so many that their faces blur and their screams coalesce into one long, piercing wail. It happens. The Pornography industry chews them up and spits them out, it eats them and its supporters accept this as inevitable. There is no way for a man, or woman, to look me in the eye and try to tell me that their number is zero when they go home and type in “XXX Pussy” on their keyboard. It’s very much like the Gay argument. I show proof rock solid, hardcore proof that these things are happening. That young girls, children, are being posed for the camera. Tracy Lords starred in 77 full length movies before she reached 18. Seventy-seven movies. Seventy-fucking-seven. She was a child of 15. A freshman in High-School. MILLIONS of men, around the world, masturbated to this child to this little girl being raped by 3 or 4 men. Millions of men and women alike got off to images of a 15 year old girl. Many of them felt badly after they found out about it. Many of them hid their secret away, not wanting to admit to it. But you know what? They went right back to their local video store and got another movie with another girl in it, knowing full well that she might be a child. It is obvious to me that, for these people, it’s a sad thing that a young girl was used so terribly, but it is an Acceptable Loss. These folks have determined that their orgasm is more important than the lives of children that this industry takes. They put up wall after wall. Telling themselves that this stuff only happens in anything that isn’t the stuff they are watching. They make excuses, over and over again. And then, finally, when someone pins them to the wall and they are unable to move the attention from the Acceptable Losses fact they get angry and they lash out and they say cruel, cutting things. They call us ‘prudes’ they say we’re ‘rabid’ they say we want to ‘stifle their rights’ they say any combination of things to push the spotlight away from them. Away from the “What’s your number?” question. Why? Because, they are ashamed to admit that they don’t HAVE a number. They spin their wheels and they dance and they use buzzwords like “Empowerment” and “Free Speech” but they dance away like so many sprites in the night when you ask them “What’s your number?” They claim the question is irrelevant. If it were irrelevant then why not just answer it? They create big long arguments that basically amount to “Nuh uh! Not in MY porn” They discount the stories of the women and children themselves, they smear the women who have come forth and said that these things did happen to them. They insist that it’s those other porn manufacturers that do these things, not their porn manufacturer. Even when the proof is shown to them that Penthouse, and Playboy and Hustler have all seen their share of scandals, even when you point out that this does happen in ‘mainstream porn’ they dance and they jiggle and they do the Macarena but they won’t answer the question. They refuse to answer, “What’s your number?” and thereby show all those around them that they do in fact, value their orgasm over the lives of little girls, over the lives of women who are taken from their homes or coerced into leaving their homes for “A better life in America”, a life that consists of porn by day and prostitution by night. A life of an object a life of being gang-raped by men, by being forced to ‘service’ upwards of 20 men a day. Their screams aren’t silent to me. I hear them, I feel them, and I cry. I weep and I sob and I get angry and I scream, “Why?” to anyone that will listen. Why are we expendable? Why are the screams of a child not enough to turn the eyes of the man from the pictures? Why are the sobs of the slave not enough to turn his gaze from her rape? This is the main reason I despise Pornography. There are so many others, but this one fills me with a hopelessness I can barely articulate. How can a woman watch pornography and not hear the screams? How can they hear the numbers and tell themselves, “Not in my Porn!” How can a woman, who labels herself “Feminist” walk with the blood of slaves on her hands, the screams of children in her soul, and leave them behind? I will not patronize an industry that enslaves people in ANY number. I will not show them that there is a market for their brutality, even if that brutality is only one woman in a far away land. I am confused by the number of people who believe that their orgasm is more important than life. For that is what they are saying, even if they dance, even if they build walls. What they are doing is showing the pornographers that there is more of a market for it. Showing them, very clearly, that they Accept the Losses. That the losses are ‘inevitable’ and therefore, acceptable. It confuses me that someone can place so much value on a titillating picture. That a living, breathing human being who is part of the same race as I am, the race of humankind, can so completely ignore the screams of the innocent for something as mundane as an orgasm. It falls beyond my capability to understand, I ask my partner all the time, “How? How can they know the numbers, how can they know the abuses and continue to watch? Continue to go to their favorite website, or eagerly rip open that new copy of Penthouse knowing that THAT publication has used children. Has photographed the RAPE of children? How?” And my voice cracks and my eyes grow cloudy as my mind seeks to grasp the mechanism by which they rationalize it. It also occurs to me that, in these people, these people who continue to watch Pornography even after knowing the statistics there is a more insidious implication there. Something that is grotesque in its honesty. In believing that there are Acceptable Losses in the making of Pornography (and they do believe it, they prove it each and every time they look at it) they are also, by default, saying that rape is also acceptable. How? Why? It’s simple. Nobody denies that there are honest to goodness sex slaves that are used to make pornography. They may dance and say that it’s not in their porn, they may build walls and insist that THEY don’t fuel a demand for pornography when they look at it, but they won’t deny that it exists. Even they can’t deny this fact. In accepting the idea of sex-slavery in pornography they have accepted the idea of rape in Pornography. When they acknowledge that a 15 year old child starred in 77 movies by well known Pornographers they are admitting that there is rape involved on some level in the making of mainstream porn. And Tracy Lords’ porn WAS mainstream porn. A 15 year old child is unable to legally consent to sex, therefore, it’s rape. When they go back to look at their porn, after having all these facts, after knowing and acknowledging that rape does occur they foster an acceptance of rape, even IF they insist that it’s not in THEIR porn they understand that rape does occur in porn and that the industry, as a whole, should not be banned just because of a ‘few’ rapes. They have bought the idea that some rape is acceptable. Taken to its logical conclusion, this mode of thinking would have us set a number of rapes each year that were ‘free’ rapes. Rapes that should be legal. If nothing is wrong with accepting a few rapes in our quest for Pornography, then what is the difference in accepting a ‘few rapes’ throughout the year? Acceptance of Pornography is Acceptance of Rape. If, after hearing the facts, you decide to look at porn you are saying that those women, those children, and their rapes, are acceptable. If your number is more than zero, if you think that even 1 rape is acceptable to bring you your XXX pictures then it should also be legal to rape one woman per year. When the ball drops in Times Square the first rape of the year should be free and clear. If you believe that sex-slavery is acceptable to create Pornography you believe that rape is acceptable. If you think it’s NOT acceptable but you continue to look at porn you are telling the world that it IS acceptable. It really *is* that simple. It doesn’t matter what you want to believe. It doesn’t matter if you say you are adamantly against rape. If you look at porn, knowing that rape occurs in the industry, knowing that slavery occurs as part and parcel, as an inherent THREAD in the industry, then you are saying that Rape is Acceptable. Your actions are showing your values, your actions are showing just where you place rape and slavery at on the scale of what your orgasm is worth. I can’t help but wonder how quickly our Government would act if we found out that the tobacco companies kidnapped and raped people in their manufacturing of cigarettes. I can’t help but wonder just how quickly the Government would act if it found out that 45,000 to 55,000 men were being kept as sexual slaves in the good ol’ U.S. of A. How quickly would Bush organize a task force to shut down the tobacco companies? How quickly would they create a “Anti-slavery taskforce” if it were for anything BUT the sex industry? These women are considered expendable by men, women and even self-labeled Feminists. They are a nasty little thought that we don’t like to dwell on when we discuss how “empowering” and how “harmless” the Pornographic industry is. When we run to our keyboards and masturbate to their images we are masturbating to their collective screams, their collective rapes and we LIKE it. We FIGHT to continue to allow them to be raped and abused. We fight like hell to keep it, just like the anti-gay people fight like hell to say gays are bad; we fight because we LIKE it. We fight because we don’t CARE, sure, we may tsk and shake our heads and say, “I don’t agree with the abuses in Pornography” but it’s empty and it’s hollow because we run right back home and make sure the kids are in bed and we look up, “Wet sluts take it all” and we touch ourselves and when we are done we may feel badly, but not quite badly enough. We distance ourselves from their horror like we distance ourselves from so many horrors in our world. And when we hear about another child who was featured in Penthouse, another child who got paid less than $50,000 for the total of 4 years that she made her living fucking adult men when she, herself, was a mere child we tsk and we shake our heads and we say, “I don’t agree with it” but then we say, “I never saw HER perform, I never saw HER movies, therefore I have clean hands” and we go home and rip open our new copy of Penthouse which, at one time featured HER body posed and spread as a buffet of 15 year-old flesh, and we jerk off to it and we silence her screams once and for all. And then we get angry and we scream and we cry out in indignation to those prudish, holier-than-thou Feminists who proudly say, “My number is zero”. I have never been able to figure it out. And it terrifies me because we, as a society, have determined that there are Acceptable Losses to orgasm. And that thought scares me shitless, because I have hope that I can someday live in a world in which the screams are gone. That’s the reason that I am so adamant and why I harp so loudly and so rudely on Pornography. Because I don’t accept rape, and I refuse to accept the logic that it’s worth it, that there are Acceptable Losses for me to achieve my orgasm. ~Biting BeaverTraining camp is a time for experimentation, so it shouldn’t come as much of surprise when pretty odd line combinations show up. Of course, once you get closer to the end of training camp, you normally start to see lineups that resemble what they will be on opening night. In fact, experimenting for too long risks drawing the ire of some of your veterans. So it came as a bit of a surprise when the Canucks were still experimenting during the final game of the preseason. In an effort to accommodate 19-year old centre Jared McCann by flanking him with top 9 wingers, while Adam Cracknell centered the fourth line, the Canucks coaching staff moved career centre Brandon Sutter to right wing. On the top line. With the Sedins. The results were disastrous, apparently. Sutter’s 38% CorsiFor percentage was pretty damning. Fans were not impressed, yet evidently head coach Willie Desjardins liked what he saw – on Monday morning, Sutter was again skating with the Sedins at practice. Like it or not, it looks like the Sedin-Sutter combination will be making another appearance. So we have to ask: how bad was Brandon Sutter with the Sedins? Preamble No, it is not. However, if there’s one caveat to be made, it’s that little issue of sample size. Sure a -10 is terrible.. but it is only a single game. And if there’s one bit of advice that readers are always giving the writers at Canucks Army, it’s watch the games, nerd! So, I did. Here’s a little something I’m calling Visual Corsi. Basically, I’ve compiled all of Brandon Sutter’s even strength shifts from the Edmonton game on Saturday. This should allow to relive how he looked with the twins, as well as give some context to his horrendous Corsi score. Also, a bit of pretext: as anyone who has ever manually tracked an NHL game knows, the official NHL Play-by-Play that #fancystats websites gather their data from is rife with mistakes. Over the course of 1230 games per season, no one really bothers to worry about these errors – it still beats manual tracking. However, since I’m just working with this one game, I am using my own tracked shot attempts. This won’t change the final tally much, but it will explain any discrepancy between what it is written here, and the official reported numbers. Let’s walk through the game and see if Sutter’s game had any redeeming qualities. First Period Things started off rather poorly. The first period was characterized more by ineptitude on the part of the entire first line, rather than Sutter’s abilities. While the clip here is of Sutter taking a bit of a soft tumble, each member of the top line took turns falling down while trying to apply offensive zone pressure, usually resulting in the Oilers escaping the zone quickly thereafter. Defence was not a big issue for Sutter and the Sedins either. They had occasional difficulty clearing the zone, but Edmonton did not generate any chances as a result, usually because they tried to force passes into crowded areas and turned the puck over. As a result, there were few shot attempts directed at either net when Sutter was on the ice during the first period. Daniel Sedin had a shot off the wing just under six minutes in, and Alex Edler fired a puck into a defender’s shin pads in the waning seconds, followed by Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins firing a shot wide on a 2-on-1. That was it. Sutter ended the first period with a Corsi differential of +1. Second Period During an early shift in the second period, Sutter got – for lack of a better word – screwed in the Corsi department by coming on to the ice just as the Oilers broke into the offensive zone and fired a number of pucks into Ryan Miller as the Canucks broke down defensively. Sutter replaces Jake Virtanen as the Oiler forward Benoit Pouliot splits the Vancouver defence far a partial breakaway, which Miller saves, though there are two rebounds in quick succession. After a scrambly 10 seconds, Matt Bartkowski manages to clear the zone, though he then misplaces a pass in between Adam Cracknell and Brandon Sutter. Sutter reaches desperately back to grab it, but Nugent-Hopkins is too fast for him. Again the Oilers get off multiple shots on net while Sutter is returning from the zone. This time, Sutter clears the zone successfully. Failing to get the puck deep however, the Oilers regroup and attack again. This time Sutter gets beaten relatively easily by Taylor Hall and the Oilers get a couple more chances on net. Sutter bears significantly more responsibility for this last sequence than the first two. All told, the Oilers managed 9 shot attempts (8 on net) in under a minute with Sutter on the ice. The vast majority of them were beyond his ability to prevent, but such is life when it comes to on-ice stats. Sutter’s glaring Corsi differential got a lot of flack, but in reality this one minute was responsible for the entirety of that – he was roughly even for the rest of the game, both before and after this series of sequences. Well maybe you can a little. Maybe his Corsi looked worse than it should have. That’s a neat excuse, but Corsi isn’t the only thing that matters (shocking, I know). Visually, the top line did look much better in the second than they did in the first. They had trouble sustaining offensive zone pressure, and were occasionally lost in their own zone. Towards the end of the period, something started to click, and the passes started getting through. There was some borderline Sedinery taking root, but unfortunately, there was no finish. Whoops. Frustrating, I know. There were improvements in Sutter’s personal play as well. For one thing, his forechecking improved from hitting the boards and falling down, to executing a proper pin on Justin Schultz in the Oilers’ end. Shortly after that, he also showcased his speed by breaking free of defenders and getting a breakaway. He didn’t score, but another positive thing I noticed here was his ability to recover from a stumble and not lose speed. This happened a couple of other times during the game as well, and it’s certainly not as easy as it looks. I’m a little suspicious that he only tripped over the blueline here because he’s wearing #21 on his back. Hopefully it doesn’t become a habit. We’ll monitor this going forward. Third Period During an interview with TSN1040’s Midday Show on Tuesday morning, Henrik Sedin was asked about how he felt his first game with Brandon Sutter went. The captain was frank in his answer. “I was a little surprised. In the first game, I thought the first two periods, it wasn’t very good. But after that we got our legs going and I thought in the third it felt really good.” Hank does have a tendency to lean towards the positive side of things, but he might be on to something here. The third period was a noticeable improvement for the first line – largely because the Sedins played better. Like many of the veterans, the Sedins had been taken it easy in the preseason, and while Sedinery had showed itself from time to time, there were long stretches of uninspired play. The first two periods of the final preseason game fell under that category. That isn’t to absolve Sutter of any blame for the nothingness that was coming from the top unit. All three of them had trouble staying on their skates and were giving the puck away at a Sbisa-like rate. Plus, Sutter is already substantially less skilled with the Sedins, so he looks even more pedestrian when he’s shaking off the cobwebs. In the third period though, as the Sedins looked better, Sutter looked better – and by extension the line looked better as a whole. They got scored on early in the period, though it was on a rush play that the forwards were not a part of – rookie defenceman Ben Hutton got walked by Nugent-Hopkins and fed the puck to Pouliot, who was not at all being covered by Luca Sbisa. The goal itself was a backdoor play that looked frighteningly reminiscent of the goals that were scored on Miller in Game 6 of the Calgary series – but that’s a whole other thing. Offensively, they cycled well, and managed to set up chances. They just couldn’t hit the net. There were still some unfortunate moments, picked off passes and turnovers. It’s possible that some of this stuff will shake itself out during the regular season. Or it could get worse, who knows. Within the last few minutes of play (overtime included), the Canucks scored two goals: both with the Sedins on the ice, and both with Sutter on the bench. Leading to speculation (some jokingly, some serious) that the Sedins need only be liberated from Sutter to produce offense. That seems unlikely, considering that these guys can make Byron Bitz score a goal, they can probably squeeze some out of Sutter. Onward So maybe you hated the Sedin and Sutter combination – you wouldn’t be alone – and you were just thankful that it was over. Then, you saw this on Monday morning. Oh god they’re actually sticking with Sutter with the Sedins?? https://t.co/WviHQvqd3Z — Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) October 5, 2015 That’s how it would appear. Regardless of whether it was visually pleasing, it’s not shocking that they would give this another shot, for a few reasons. First, the coach apparently liked it. He thought it was real good. “Honestly, I really liked it,” he said in the post-game interview. “I thought it was good. They had some good chances.” Second, Henrik apparently liked it, at least towards the end of the game and since then. “In practice the last couple of days, it feels like the chemistry is there,” Henrik said Tuesday morning. “We’ll see once the game starts, but so far, so good.” Finally, the biggest reason – the reason that likely led to this move in the first place – is that it is what’s best for the other centremen, particularly rookie Jared McCann. Since McCann has made the team, the goal is to put him in situations where he is likely to succeed, as well as where he is least likely to hurt the team. The solution to both of those requirements is to place him on the third line with Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen – two of the team’s best defensive wingers, with offensive instincts to go along with that. McCann on the fourth line between Derek Dorsett and Brandon Prust may be a little tricky for his debut – he showed some difficulty when placed with less talented wingers in preseason. The shift of Sutter also allows Bo Horvat to take the second line centre position – a spot he likely would have grabbed from Sutter in short order any how. There’s also the possibility of placing Sutter on the fourth line and shuffling the wingers, but you can see where management would be resistant to that – what with his recent extension and declaration as a “foundational player”. While Sutter is primarily a defensive centre and many have spoken of his low offensive production (by rate, not raw numbers), he is not bereft of offensive talent. The Sedins should at least be able to bounce some pucks in off of him, while the Canucks are able to ice three other respectable lines. There’s also a strong possibility that he will return to the middle in the event that McCann is swapped out for Jake Virtanen. It seems likely that the coaching will alternate the two 19-year olds in and out of the lineup, without them overlapping – at least to start the year. This will likely have Sutter as the third line centre and grant you a temporary reprieve from the Sutter-on-the-wing experiment. Until then, here’s hoping that any cringeworthy displays from the preseason finale can be accounted for at least in part by Sutter’s unfamiliarity on the wing, and that he can overcome this unfamiliarity. While it’s less pleasing than having Vrbata or Burrows on that line, I would suggest that it at least beats Jannik Hansen standing at the blue line waiting for one-timers. Plus, it allows for some better lines down the depth chart. In any case, Willie D is gonna do what he’s gonna do. We’re still waiting for the time when he listens to twitter or blogs rather than the opinion of his players – especially Henrik Sedin. So we’re just going to have to suck it up for now. I would encourage you to give it another go, as it seems that the line wasn’t as bad as the numbers or select glaring incidents made it look.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Veritas Pharma Inc. (CSE:VRT) (OTC:VRTHF) (Frankfurt:2VP), (“Veritas” or the “Company”) announces its research arm, Cannevert Therapeutics Ltd. (“CTL”) filed a provisional patent application to US Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”) on September 13, 2017 for use of a specific cannabis strain to enhance the actions of opioid analgesics. An acknowledgement letter from the USPTO was received recently which provided a filing number of US 62/558,021 for this application. Opioids are substances that are derived from the opium poppy plant. They bind to the human body’s own opioid receptors to provide pain relief or ‘analgesia’ for patients with acute or chronic pain when prescribed legally; morphine is an example opioid analgesic. Use of these drugs for a brief time is considered safe for pain management. However, when they are overprescribed and/or frequently misused, they produce a sense of euphoria along with relieving pain. Hence, drug dependence can occur despite using them as prescribed over prolonged periods with the potential of fatal overdose. Opioid overdose contributed to more than 33,000 deaths in 2015 according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heroin and fentanyl are the most widely known opioids for their illegal, recreational use, abuse potential and fatal overdoses. Cannabis contains substances called cannabinoids that appear to bind to human body’s own cannabinoid receptors to also produce similar effects to those of the body’s opioids in mediating analgesia and behavioral effects. However, they do not have the same drug dependence or overdose potential. When cannabinoids and opioids are combined, they appear to augment each other’s effects synergistically. Therefore, the combination may allow for opioids to be used at lower doses with fewer side effects for the treatment of pain and related addiction. According Coherent Market Insights*, the global opioids market was approximately USD $17b in 2015 and is forecasted to moderately increase to near USD $26b in 2024. It indicates that legal cannabis is expected to impact the opioids market growth as it gets adopted as a safe alternative pain relieving therapy to opioids and it is increasingly being used to address related addiction. According to the World Drug Report 2016, approximately 17 million people suffered from opioid drug abuse. Veritas CEO, Dr. Lui Franciosi stated, “We are pleased with Cannevert’s latest submission to protect its discovery of a cannabis strain that could potentially reduce the dose and side effects of clinically used opioids while maintaining a good pain relieving effect for patients.” Dr. Franciosi goes on to say, “This strain could be also potentially useful in addressing the current fentanyl crisis throughout North America. If we’re targeting pain or opioid addiction, we want to deliver a scientifically tested, standardized product that clinicians can rely upon.” Also of note, Veritas Pharma has granted options to purchase 1.1 million shares to consultants of the Company under the stock option plan at an exercise price of 81 cents for a period of one year from the date of being granted. *Global Opioids Agonist Drugs Market, By Product Type (Codeine, Fentanyl, Meperidine, Methadone, Morphine, Hydrocodone), Therapeutic Application (Pain Management, Cough Treatment, Diarrhea Treatment), and Geography - Trends, Analysis and Forecast till 2024 (Market Report – March 2017) https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/opioids-market-135 About Veritas Pharma Inc. Veritas Pharma Inc. is an emerging-stage pharmaceutical and IP development company, who, through its 80% owned Cannevert Therapeutics Ltd. ("CTL"), is advancing the science behind medical cannabis. It is the Company aim, through its investment in CTL, to develop the most effective cannabis strains (cultivars) specific to pain, nausea, epilepsy and PTSD, solving the critical need for clinical data to support medical marijuana claims. CTL’s unique value proposition uses a low-cost research and development model to help drive shareholder value, and speed-to-market. Veritas investment in CTL is led by strong management team, bringing together veteran academic pharmacologists, anesthetists & chemists. The company's commercial mission is to patent protect CTL’s IP (cultivars & strains) and sell or license to cancer clinics, insurance industry and pharma, targeting multi-billion dollar global markets. Veritas Pharma Inc. is a publicly traded company which trades in three countries including Canada, on the Canadian Stock Exchange under the ticker VRT; in the United States, on the OTC under the ticker VRTHF; and in Germany, on the Frankfurt exchange under the ticker 2VP. For more information, please visit our website: veritaspharmainc.com On behalf of the Board of Directors " Dr. Lui Franciosi" Dr. Lui Franciosi President and Chief Executive Officer Further information about the Company is available on our website at www.veritaspharmainc.com or under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the CSE website at www.thecse.com. Investor and Public Relations Contact Veritas Pharma Inc. Sam Eskandari Telephone: +1.416.918.6785 Email: [email protected] Website: www.veritaspharmainc.com The CSE has not reviewed, nor approved or disapproved the content of this press release.Dean Holland The Perfect Offer Best Free + Shipping Review 2017 How Can I, Make Money By Giving Stuff Away For Free? Toiling away all day at your job, regularly dreaming of where you wish your life would go. You finish off yet another shift, as you head for the homestead you are counting down the days until your next Friday rolls around. Waking up most mornings is a struggle and nearly takes an act of God to get you out of bed, because, your job is so tiring and monotonous and it feels like a dead end. Your days are blending as you are always going through the same motions day after day after day after day after day. And now after all of these years you have spent working for the man and attempting to save enough for retirement, you’re still left with virtually zilch. (more…) Local Search Engine Position Monitoring & Video Rank Tracker Pro Rank Tracker Demo Tutorial Walkthrough Try Pro Rank Tracker For FREE! The Ultimate Pro Rank Tracker Review There is an old saying that you need to measure things to improve them. That is also true of search engine optimization. You need to track your keyword rankings in order to optimize your SEO campaign. There are several tools available today to track rankings, but one of the oldest and one of the most well-known and trusted rank tracking tools is Pro Rank Tracker. (more…) Should I Use The GetResponse Email Autoresponder Free Trial? How to Build an Email Marketing List By Giving Away Lead Magnets Get GetResponse Now! A Review of GetResponse Getresponse is a piece of online marketing software that can help you to grow your business through effective and efficient communication. The tool offers email marketing features, the ability to run webinars, to create sophisticated, high conversion rate landing pages, and more. It supports automated marketing and has some great tools for analytics as well. Getresponse is a tool which many different industries can use. It is flexible and multi-purpose, but there are examples of email marketing being successfully applied by e-commerce marketers that are doing real estate, affiliate marketing, creative work, online coaching and more. Let’s take a look at the features one by one. (more…)The 5.1-channel AVR-X1200W is the entry-level model of the range. Official information is a little low, but we do know it offers six HDMI ins and one out, built-in wi-fi, Bluetooth streaming and 4K 60Hz pass through. Pricing is TBC, but we’d guess it to be around the £399 mark like its predecessor, the AVR-1100W. READ: Best home cinema receivers to buy in 2015 Next up is the AVR-2200W, which comes in at the AVR price sweet spot of £499. A 7.2-channel amp, expect 95W per channel (8ohm, 2ch driven), and all of the features above, plus DSD streaming support. As for connectivity, there are eight HDMI inputs (one front facing) and two outs, with two optical inputs, one USB port and two subwoofer preouts. Legacy connections are covered by four analogue inputs and two each of composite and component video inputs. MORE: Denon AVR-X2100W review The AVR-3200W takes a step-up in power at 105W per channel (8ohm, 2ch driven) and offers more by way of connections, adding two coaxial inputs and upping the legacy options to five analogue, three composite and two component inputs. There’s also the option of 7.2-channel pre-outs. It boasts higher quality video upscaling, up to 4K 60Hz, and offers the option for a second zone. It’ll cost £749. Also announced was the AVR-4200W, a 7.2-channel amp with 125W of power per channel (8ohm, 2ch driven) and a new 32-bit/192kHz DAC. You’ll get three HDMI outs here and once again legacy connections get a bump too, with six analogue ins, four composite ins with two out and two component ins with one out. There’s also a phono stage. Finally, last year’s flagship model, the 9.2-channel AVR-X7200W, returns this year, but with an added ‘A’. The only change here is that the AVR-X7200WA now supports HDCP 2.2 for 4K 60Hz pass through, but everything else remains. That means 150W of power per channel and Atmos support up to 7.1.2 (the others only support 5.1.2). Owners of the previous models can upgrade for £180, but new buyers should expect to pay £2499 for the new unit. It’s available now. The rest of the models will be available in August. We'll bring you our thoughts on them as soon as get them in our testing rooms. See all our Denon news and reviewsMINNEAPOLIS -- In Feburary 2016 -- four months before the Minnesota Vikings agreed to a five-year, $51.25 contract with safety Harrison Smith -- the notion that a deal would eventually get done was obvious enough that general manager Rick Spielman said as much in a press conference. It was noteworthy at the time, given Spielman's long-stated preference not to discuss contract matters in public. Spielman did it again at the NFL combine in March with the Vikings' other Pro Bowl defensive back, Xavier Rhodes. The prospects of a Rhodes contract extension in the coming months are nearly as obvious as the ones for Smith's deal last summer, given Rhodes' development into a Pro Bowl cornerback at age 26 and his emergence last season as a shutdown corner capable of quieting some of the game's best receivers. When the Vikings do get a deal done, though, they can expect to pay dearly. The New England Patriots gave former Buffalo Bills corner Stephon Gilmore a five-year, $65 million deal in March, tapping the 26-year-old with Malcolm Butler still not signed to a restricted free-agent tender. And over the weekend, the Atlanta Falcons struck a deal that might have even greater bearing on Rhodes' price, signing Desmond Trufant to a five-year, $68.75 million deal that includes $42 million in guarantees. Xavier Rhodes is about to hit it big financially for the Vikings. AP Photo/Jim Mone Trufant, who was picked four spots ahead of Rhodes in 2013, was set to play for the Falcons in 2017 on the same $8.026 million, fifth-year option that Rhodes currently has with the Vikings. He's 83 days younger than Rhodes, and his statistics through four seasons are so close to the ones Rhodes has put up with the Vikings, it seems a virtual lock Trufant's name will be on the lips of Rhodes' agent, Sunny Shah, during negotiations (if it hasn't been already). Trufant has started all 57 games he's played in four seasons; Rhodes has played 59 and started 52. Both players have seven career interceptions; Rhodes has 133 return yards to Trufant's 28, thanks largely to his 100-yard return TD last November against Arizona. Rhodes has 49 career pass breakups; Trufant has 48. Rhodes trails Trufant in forced fumbles (three to two), fumble recoveries (four to zero) and sacks (three to zero) but has 11 more tackles. While Trufant plays the Richard Sherman role in Dan Quinn's defense, locking down one side of the field, Rhodes' camp can make the argument he's been asked to do more in coverage. The Vikings often ask him to shadow one receiver, like they did with Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins in back-to-back games last October. Whether Rhodes gets a little less or a little more than Trufant -- and in the usual order of things, the player who signs later gets more -- he's likely to become one of the game's highest-paid corners in the near future. His value to the Vikings, and the scarcity of top-end cover corners in the NFL, makes his impending raise relatively plain to see. The deal wouldn't have to affect the Vikings' 2017 cap picture -- in Smith's case, the team added five years beyond his fifth-year option, keeping his first-year salary the same as in his option -- but it's about to become a fact of life for a team that has some big decisions to make
one assistant of her core member. “She loved me, without any accomplishments, without anything I thought made me lovable. It is how God loves me.” There is a human tendency to recoil from fragility. But we are humanized by closer acquaintance with the intellectually disabled. Cook speaks of his friend Fritz with admiration: “He has the gift of companionship. He is very attuned to distress and overtly comforting. He gives people a blessing by putting his forehead against their forehead. And people come away feeling moved, like something powerful has happened to them.” At church, Hazel sits at the front by the aisle. During Communion, she greets each congregant as they come forward, receiving a kiss on the cheek, as much a part of the service as the bread and wine. Those interested in the most efficient provision of social services would probably not design L’Arche — a program that lavishly invests a single life in a single life. Whether this is viewed as wasteful depends upon your ultimate goal. “It is a matter of ends,” says Cook. “If your end is the greatest good at the least financial cost, then some get favored and some discarded. If your end is a place where everyone has a place of honor, and where everyone lives in love, then L’Arche is experiencing it. People who get pushed to the margins are intentionally placed at the center.” This small community accomplishes many outsize things. It vindicates the ideal of human dignity, which does not depend on normal measures of human accomplishment. It lays bare the illusion that ability means superiority. It displays the lavishness of grace, which, in Christian theology, is needed by and granted to us all. And it shows — amazingly, inspiringly, accusingly — that the beloved community might be created on any suburban street. Read more from Michael Gerson’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.The Daily Show’s Hasan Minhaj is heading to Netflix. Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, an hour-long stand-up special for Netflix, is being filmed tonight at the Mondavi Center in Minhaj’s hometown of Davis, CA. Chris Storer is directing and Rick Famuyiwa (Dope, Confirmation) is executive producing with Jennie Church-Cooper, Art & Industry, Michelle Caputo and Shannon Hartman. Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, the story of “New Brown America,” is based on true events from Minhaj’s first generation Indian-American experience. Navigating between two worlds, it follows Minhaj’s arrival in the U.S., interracial love, racism, bullying, and his family’s quest to achieve the elusive American Dream. No word yet on a premiere date. Minhaj has been a correspondent on The Daily Show since 2014. His other TV credits include appearances on Netflix’s Arrested Development revival, HBO’s Getting On and @midnight on Comedy Central. Minhaj is repped by Haven Entertainment, WME, and Hansen Jacobson.Are Cryptocurrency Exchange Rates Indeterminate? Eli Dourado Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 11, 2014 Last week, I was chatting with Garett Jones about Bitcoin, and he asked about exchange rate indeterminacy. It’s an issue that Tyler Cowen has raised as well. What is exchange rate indeterminacy? Do cryptocurrencies suffer from it? Here’s my rough sketch of an answer. The classic paper on exchange rate indeterminacy is by Kareken and Wallace. Suppose, they say, we have two countries, two fiat currencies, no capital controls, and floating exchange rates. Each currency is, in expectation, just as good as the other, since they are both fiat currencies not redeemable for any assets, and some version of interest rate parity holds. Why, they ask, would anyone prefer to hold one currency versus the other? The equilibrium does not need to be the one most commonly assumed in economics, that currency holdings will be split along national borders. Kareken and Wallace show that under these assumptions, there are actually an infinity of equilibria. For any given exchange rate, there is a valid equilibrium in terms of money holdings. In reality, I don’t think exchange rate indeterminacy holds between fiat currencies. One reason is that economies are still territorial, and therefore optimal currency area considerations still apply. Central banks, it is hoped, adjust the money supply of fiat currencies in an attempt to optimize against the local business cycle. Ex ante, I am somewhat better off holding the money that will respond countercyclically for my actual physical location. In addition, governments still accept and make payments in particular currencies, and this helps bootstrap a local network that prefers to accept those currencies, in part because it is costly to accept multiple currencies. These modest frictions perhaps explain why exchange rate indeterminacy doesn’t hold between fiat currencies. We can adopt flexible exchange rates and laissez-faire for capital movements without too much trouble, contrary to Kareken and Wallace’s predictions, at least in countries with reasonably competent central banks. However, those frictions disappear when we’re talking about exchange rates between multiple cryptocurrencies. We have multiple currencies, no capital controls, floating rates, no countercyclical policy (indeed, cryptocurrencies are not generally used as units of account, so they have no macro effects), no government acceptance, and it is super-easy for merchants to accept multiple currencies. Shouldn’t we then expect cryptocurrency exchange rates to be indeterminate? I’m still working out a full answer, but I’ll start with two points. 1. Fiat currencies are basically all the same — paper money, for instance, has the same basic properties whether it is stamped with Andrew Jackson or Elizabeth Windsor. You can spend, store, and transport it the same way. The major cryptocurrencies, however, tend to have different properties from each other. Bitcoin, for example, is zero-trust, uses a proof-of-work system (SHA256), produces a new block every 10 minutes or so, and so on. Litecoin uses scrypt instead of SHA256 (which is supposed to make in less susceptible to ASIC mining) and produces blocks more often. Ripple is an entirely different beast: users must extend trust, there is no proof-of-work system, and the system can be used to exchange other cryptocurrencies. Ethereum, which hasn’t formally launched yet, uses a totally different mining system, and a much more powerful (Turing-complete) scripting language. And Zerocoin, one of the most interesting prospects, is a lot like Bitcoin, except it features automatic mixing — transactions using Zerocoin are truly anonymous, not just pseudonymous as with Bitcoin. Since all of these currencies differ along multiple dimensions, the basic Kareken and Wallace observation that all money is basically the same doesn’t really apply to them. If mining collusion turns out to be a big deal, you’re going to want to hold Litecoin instead of Bitcoin. If, on the other hand, bugs turn up in both Litecoin and Bitcoin that require rapid coordination of mining pools, you’d rather hold Bitcoin since the pools are more concentrated. If you value private transactions, you would have greater demand for Zerocoin, whereas if you favor the law enforcement seal of approval, you would rather hold Bitcoin. Because these currencies differ in their technical characteristics, they are not perfect substitutes. That non-substitutability should be able to pin down exchange rates between them. 2. This doesn’t solve the problem of perfect cryptocurrency clones. Suppose that I create a Bitcoin2 network using the Bitcoin source code. I don’t change any of Bitcoin’s technical characteristics, I just launch a new network that is exactly the same. Bitcoin and Bitcoin2 operate in exactly the same way. What pins down the exchange rate between Bitcoin and Bitcoin2? I think the answer is governance. Bitcoin is developed by a rather competent and conservative group of core developers. They don’t take a lot of stupid risks, they make changes to the core protocol very deliberately, they have responded well to the handful of governance crises that have occurred to date, and the miners seem to trust them. Even if I, as Bitcoin2 lead developer, simply copy their behavior, who is going to trust me in a crisis if I don’t really know what I’m doing? Unless there is some other advantage to using Bitcoin2, which is ruled out by the assumption of identical protocols, then no one is going to use Bitcoin2 when they could simply use Bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies of a given set of characteristics seem like a winner-take-all market. Once I have decided on the set of characteristics I want in my currency, I am going to choose to hold and use the currency with those characteristics with the best governance institutions and the most competent leaders. Because there are no macro effects or optimal currency area considerations, the network effect for cryptocurrencies may be stronger than it is for fiat money, just as the network effects for credit cards appear to be stronger than those for fiat currencies. If given-characteristic cryptocurrencies really are winner-take-all, then exchange rate indeterminacy will never apply because the major cryptocurrencies in circulation are always going to be imperfectly substitutable. So my first reaction to the question of exchange rate indeterminacy is that it probably won’t play as much of a role in the economics of cryptocurrency as most economists might imagine. Nevertheless, I am interested in reading analyses that go beyond the above, so if you have or see one, send it my way.The cops shot 16-year-old Mariam in the back on 28 January, a live round fired from the roof of the Saida Zeinab police station in the slums of Cairo's old city at the height of the government violence aimed at quelling the revolution, a pot shot of contempt by Mubarak's forces for the homeless street children of Egypt. She had gone to the police with up to a hundred other beggar boys and girls to demand the release of her friend, 16-year-old Ismail Yassin, who had already been dragged inside the station. Some of the kids outside were only nine years old. Maybe that's why the first policeman on the roof fired warning bullets into the air. Then he shot Mariam. She was taking pictures of the police on her mobile phone, but fell to the ground with a bullet in her back. The other children carried her to the nearby Mounira hospital – where the staff apparently refused to admit her – and then to the Ahmed Maher hospital, where the bullet was removed. Ismail was freed and made his way to Tahrir Square, where the pro-democracy protesters were under attack by armed men. He was wandering up Khairat Street – drawn towards violence like all the homeless of Cairo – when an unknown gunmen shot him in the head and killed him. Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent Without the ads – for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month They are everywhere in the capital, the 50,000 street children of Cairo, Mubarak's shameful, unspoken legacy, the detritus of the poor and the defenceless, orphans and outcasts, glue-sniffers, many of them drug-addicted, as young as five, the girls often arrested and – according to the children and charity workers – sexually molested by the police. Egyptian government statistics claim that only 5,000 beggar children live on the streets, a figure which local non-governmental organisations and Western agencies say is another Mubarak fantasy to cover up a scandal 10 times as big. Children interviewed by The Independent on Sunday, however, have also revealed how Mubarak supporters deliberately brought children to the outskirts of Tahrir Square to throw stones at the pro-democracy supporters, how they persuaded penniless street kids to participate in their pro-Mubarak marches. Swarms of other children forced their way into the square itself because they discovered that the protesters were kind to them, feeding them sandwiches and giving them cigarettes and money. According to one local Egyptian charity, as many as 12,000 street children were caught up in the opposing street demonstrations of the past three weeks. "They were told it was their duty – a national patriotic act – to throw stones at the demonstrators, to do violent actions," said an Egyptian doctor in Saida Zeinab. According to the same woman, many children were hit by police rubber bullets when they found themselves on the side of the pro-democracy demonstrators. At least 12 from this district alone were taken to hospital with wounds caused by police weapons. Ahmed – he is not sure if he is 18 or 19, but is probably much younger – saw Mariam shot. Dressed in an orange T-shirt, faded jeans,plastic sandals and a blue baseball hat, he was shy and frightened, even though the Saida Zeinab police station was burned down by angry crowds later on the same night of 28 January – when the cops fled. "It was just before Friday prayers and we heard the police were beating people in the street," he said. "I went out and saw lots of people throwing stones – so I started throwing stones at the police. "Everyone was throwing stones, my family, every family, because everyone hated the police. "Mariam was taking pictures on her mobile and the police were on the roof. She had her back to the police station, but they shot her anyway. People took her to the hospital and she came out bandaged, but she said the wound still hurt and she thought someone had stolen one of her kidneys. I saw her on the street afterwards, in the Abu Riche area. Now I don't know where she is." Children's hostels – operating with British as well as other European donations – have tried to find Mariam, but to no avail. Ahmed was in Khairat Street when Ismail Yassin was shot. "I was beaten and hit by a 'cartouche' from a police stun gun. A lot of the young people went into the streets to steal – from houses or anywhere. They hit the people in the houses and took whatever they wanted." Ahmed cleans cars for money – at traffic lights, in traffic jams and at blocked road intersections – and sleeps on the streets, staying awake at night in case thieves assault him, snatching a few hours of sleep after sunrise. Ahmed's parents, like those of many other street children, are alive, but he fell out with them long ago and refuses to go home. Mohamed is only nine and has confused memories of the revolution that overthrew Mubarak. He and another child were assaulted by three men who threw them into a sewer – apparently in an attempt to take money from them. Then, with his brothers, he went to watch the demonstrations in the Gayar district of Cairo. "I started throwing stones at people who said 'no' to Hosni Mubarak. I went on my own with people who said they wanted Mubarak. "They told me to throw stones. The people were older than me." Mohamed is originally from Guena in upper Egypt, from a family of three sisters and three brothers. "I went back to stay with a friend who was sleeping in a garden," he said. "Then another friend started living in Tahrir and told me to come there. So I went with Karim and Ali and Mohamed and we got food there and we sat with the people. I liked going there. I sometimes begged from the people. And the soldiers always said 'hello' to me and sometimes they gave me food." These children – often much younger than they claimed – sometimes avoided questions about police behaviour; they were obviously still afraid. Hostel workers spoke of policemen forcing female street children to sleep with them, even stealing money from the girls. Several children said that most of their friends were on drugs. One young man was clearly addicted and spoke almost incoherently of police violence, of carrying knives, of being repeatedly beaten in the Saida Zeinab police station by two cops, whose full names were given to The Independent on Sunday. Many of the children were sucked into the vortex of the revolution, following crowds out of excitement and a sense of adventure. "People started walking in demonstrations and I just started walking with them," said Goma. He is barefoot and in filthy trousers, and claims to be 16. He is originally from the oasis city of Fayoum and admitted that he didn't know at first whom the people supported. "Then they started saying they liked Mubarak and they walked to Tahrir," he said. "But when we got into Tahrir, some other people came and threw stones at us. I just threw stones with the Mubarak people. They told me that I should like Mubarak because if he went, some people would come from other countries and become president of Egypt. I got hit by a stone in my back ­ it still hurts. The enemy threw the stone" – presumably democracy protesters – "so I left because I didn't want a stone in my face or my eye." The street children of Cairo move in packs, turning up for free lunches with their friends when hostels open their doors, adopting puppy dogs and trying, like well-educated children, to learn how to use computers donated by foreign charities. But none I met could read – most did not know how to write their own name in Arabic. Some were obviously orphans or semi-abandoned by their parents, but there was a strong theme of fathers forcing their sons and daughters to work the streets for money to buy drugs. The sick go largely uncared for. The dead don't matter. The body of Ismail Yassin, now a martyr of the Egyptian revolution, remains in a hospital mortuary. Unclaimed. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowChristie: Donald Trump Is Not A Racist, Lindsey Graham "Has Lost Any Credibility" New Jersey Governor Chris Christie defends presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump for his comments about a Hispanic judge involved in the Trump University lawsuit. The NJ Governor took issue with Paul Ryan calling Trump's comments "textbook racism" and slammed Sen. Lindsey Graham for unendorsing Trump over this issue. REPORTER: Sen. Graham described these comments as an "off ramp," are there any things [Trump] could say to make you unendorse him? CHRISTIE: Lindsey Graham has changed his mind about who he is endorsing and not endorsing so many different times that it si hard for me to keep track. I think Sen. Graham has lost any credibility he may ever have had. The fact is that Sen. Graham is for himself, then he was for Jeb, then he was for Marco, then he was for Ted, after he told everybody that Ted could be murdered on the floor of the senate and he wouldn't get one vote for conviction. I heard he said some nice stuff about Donald, now he is saying something else. Sen. Graham should go back to South Carolina and worry about his base in S.c. or he won't be in the U.S. senate much longer.ES News Email Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in or register with your social account A bar in Brixton has blamed black people for violence which it claimed has contributed to London clubs being forced out of business. In a rant posted on its Facebook page, Fridge Bar said young black people should "learn to conduct themselves in a civil manner" or face being barred from music venues. It claimed around 15 clubs had been forced to close in the capital in the past two years as a result of violence or the threat of violence, adding: "The absolute majority of people who have disrupted theses venues are black men and increasingly some black women. "Unless and until young black people (18-35) learn to conduct themselves in a civil manner then the night time economy will be closed or severely restricted to you." The bar, in Brixton Hill, describes itself as a 300 capacity venue with a "relaxed atmosphere" and a "modern, intimate dancefloor". It regularly hosts House, R 'n' B and Disco nights, often lasting until 6am. In the message, introduced as a "controversial post", it appeared to rule out the possibility that the violence was a result of a minority of people. "The minority know that they have the support of the majority who fail to call them out when their behaviour becomes awful," the post said. It continued: "Chris Rock said in a comedy skit that there is a difference between 'black people and niggas'. There is, but it seems that the decent black people of whom there are many are losing the fight." The post received more than 150 'likes' and was met with support by people commenting on it below. One user wrote: "Sometimes the truth hurts but its [sic] got to be said.” But another said: "It would be more reasonable to put a drinking time law in place then put a ban on young black ppl [sic]". Nobody from the bar was immediately available for comment.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Ronald Reagan once famously said that a stack of $1,000 bills equivalent to the U.S. government’s debt would be about 67 miles high. The National Debt Clock, which displays the current United States gross national debt and each American family's share, hangs on a wall next to an office for the Internal Revenue Service near Times Square, in New York, May 16, 2011. REUTERS/Chip East That was 1981. Since then, the national debt has climbed to $14.3 trillion. In $1,000 bills, it would now be more than 900 miles tall. In $1 bills, the pile would reach to the moon and back twice. The United States hit its legal borrowing limit on Monday, and the Treasury Department has said the U.S. Congress must raise the debt ceiling by August 2 to avoid a default. The White House is trying to hammer out a deal with lawmakers to cut federal spending in exchange for a debt-limit increase. Most people have trouble conceptualizing $14.3 trillion. Stan Collender, a budget expert at Qorvis Communications, said the biggest sum most Americans have ever handled — in real or play money — is the $15,140 in the original, standard Monopoly board game. The United States borrows about 185 times that amount each minute. Here are some other metrics for understanding the size of the national debt and United States borrowing: * U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said the United States borrows about $125 billion per month. With that amount, the United States could buy each of its more than 300 million residents an Apple Inc iPad. * In a 31-day month, that means the United States borrows about $4 billion per day. A stack of dimes equivalent to that amount would wrap all the way around the Earth with change to spare. * In one hour, the United States borrows about $168 million, more than it paid to buy Alaska in 1867, converted to today’s dollars. In two hours, the United States borrows more than it paid France for present-day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and the rest of the land obtained by the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. * The U.S. government borrows more than $40,000 per second. That’s more than the cost of a year’s tuition, room and board at many universities. “That usually gets their attention,” Doug Holtz-Eakin, who was chief White House economist under President George W. Bush, said in an email. “I have two kids, so every 10 seconds, the feds borrow more than I paid lifetime.” * The Congressional Budget Office projects the total budget deficit in fiscal 2011 at about $1.4 trillion. “The net worth of Bill Gates, roughly around $56 billion, could only cover the deficit for 15 days,” said Jason Peuquet, a policy analyst with the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “The net worth of Warren Buffet, roughly around $50 billion, could only cover the deficit for 13 days.” (Editing by Mohammad Zargham) Corrects last paragraph to say Jason Peuquet, not James PeuquetA general view of the West Bank city of Hebron July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel on Monday approved building plans for 31 settler homes in Hebron in the West Bank, a spokeswoman said, a first such move in the Israeli-occupied area for some 15 years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has felt increased pressure for settlement expansion from the rightist flank of his coalition, though construction is not imminent as a bureaucratic process must still run its course. His government has made numerous announcements of settlement building recently, angering Palestinians seeking a state on land Israel captured in a 1967 war but no longer eliciting serious U.S. criticism with President Donald Trump in the White House. Still, settlement advocates say that despite a string of announcements for construction of thousands of settler homes in the West Bank, only a fraction might be built eventually. Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank with a population of some 216,000. About 1,000 Israeli settlers live in the heart of the city, which for decades has been a focus of religious friction between Muslims and Jews. Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now detailed the project’s plans in an area of Hebron where the settlers live and its web site showed a graphic of what the prospective four-storey, stone-clad apartment block would look like. It said that the last time settler homes were built in this area was in 2002. Hadar Horen, a spokeswoman for the Israeli body that runs civilian affairs in the West Bank, could not confirm the details issued by Peace Now and said the planning committee decision would be published later.Nothing written in fine print is ever good news. That’s true if you’re a credit card holder wary of hidden fees, a Facebook user navigating a maze of privacy settings, or a vegetarian looking for a bagel that’s not made with duck feathers. Wait, what?! Many people who choose to eat vegan or vegetarian are doing so for health or personal ethical issues. So it’s shocking that food manufacturers often sneak animal parts into foods that the average herbivore thinks will fit in with his or her vegetarian lifestyle. From OJ to bananas, even the most seemingly safe and uncomplicated of foods can hide bizarre animal products capable of making a carnivore cringe. Ladies and gentlemen: these are the foods that make the vegetarian black-list—because they aren’t actually vegetarian. But don’t worry; there are still plenty of other good options out there, like these 26 Best Vegetarian Sources of Protein! 1 White Sugar If you’re eating … White Sugar You’re also consuming … Animal Bones Refined white sugar is bleached in a process that entails running the sugar through “bone char” or “natural carbon”—both fancy terms for charred cattle bones. Confectioner’s and brown sugar can also be culprits, as they are variations of white sugar. Stick to organic cane or turbinado sugar; or consult this list of char-free sugars. 2 Vanilla Ice Cream If you’re eating … Vanilla Ice Cream You’re also consuming … Beaver Butt Juice The “natural flavor” you see listed on your favorite vanilla ice cream may actually come from a beaver’s rear end. Castoreum is the technical term for the all-natural ingredient—a fragrant, brown slime that beavers use to mark their territory, and food scientists use to give products a musky, vanilla scent. The FDA has ruled that because there’s no harm in eating castoreum, food manufacturers are not required to list it in the ingredients. Your best bet is to stick to vegan-approved ice creams like Soy Delicious or to look for real flavors and avoid the generic “natural flavoring.” And if you’re pregnant, be sure to avoid these 7 Worst Ice Creams When You’re Pregnant! 3 Orange Juice If you’re drinking … Orange Juice You’re also consuming … Fish Oil & Sheep’s Wool Oranges, however nutritious, aren’t naturally “heart-healthy.” In order to market a juice as such, manufacturers add omega-3s, which are sourced from anchovies, tilapia, and sardines. (The exception to this is if the omegas are synthetic.) Also, the vitamin D in some fortified juices comes from lanolin, a waxy substance from sheep’s wool. Tropicana and PepsiCo escape the blacklist, but steer clear of Coca-Cola juices, which contain lanolin-derived vitamin D. Better yet, juice your own! 4 Refried Beans If you’re eating … Refried Beans You’re also consuming … Pork Fat Beans can be a great source of protein for our veggie-focused friends, especially when coupled with whole grains. (Hello, complete protein!) However, many traditional Mexican restaurants have a secret: Their refried beans are made with lard (pork fat). 5 Non-Organic Bananas If you’re eating … Bananas You’re also consuming … Shellfish Your banana has crabs. According to Science Daily, Chitosan, a bacteria-fighting compound derived from shrimp and crab shells, has made its way into spray-on preservatives that extend the shelf life of bananas and can infiltrate the fruit. That’s bad news for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone with a shellfish allergy. Watch for new warning labels that read: “This product may contain shellfish by-products.” Or just buy organic. Speaking of, find out the 17 Organic Foods That Are So Cheap There’s No Excuse Not to Get Them! 6 Bagels If you’re eating … Bagels You’re also consuming … Bird Feathers Here’s what it takes to make a plain bagel: flour, water, salt, yeast. Unless you’re a popular bagel chain. Then you throw in some duck and chicken feathers. Many processed bagels and bread products contain the enzyme L. Cysteine, a “dough conditioner” sourced from duck and chicken feathers. (It can also be made from human hair.) Einstein Bros. and Dunkin Donuts have both confirmed using L. Cysteine in all of their bagels. Poultry feathers also make an appearance in the garlic bread at Pizza Hut and in Mickey D’s cinnamon rolls and apple pies. 7 Red Candies If you’re eating … Red Candies You’re also consuming … Crushed Beetles Watch out for “Natural Red #4.” Not only does it give most red candies their coloring, it refers to carmine, a pigment extracted from the female Dactylopius coccus Costa insect. It’s sometimes listed as “cochineal,” “carminic acid” or “carmine.” Guys, it’s crushed-up beetles, and it’s more pervasive than you might think; wine, vinegar, and colored pasta also boast the beetle juice. DON’T MISS: 23 Worst Food Additives in America 8 Hard-Coated Candies If you’re eating … Hard-Coated Candies You’re also consuming … Bug Juice Most candy coatings are made from shellac, a resin secreted from the rear end of the female lac bug. It’s usually listed as “confectioner’s glaze” in the ingredients. You may have heard of shellac before, like when you get a manicure that lasts several weeks. Yeah, it’s the same stuff. Shellac is also found in furniture polish, hairspray, and agricultural fertilizer. Yummy. Do your research before indulging, as not all hard-shell candies are culprits (M&Ms are safe!). Here’s a list of confections to pass up. 9 Imported Beer and Wine If you’re drinking … Imported Beer or Wine You’re also consuming … Fish Bladders Mmm, this cab has notes of currants, vanilla, and…sturgeon? Some brands of beer and wine, particularly those made in Britain, are clarified using isinglass, a gelatin from the air bladder of certain freshwater fish. (Guinness is a specific example that uses isinglass.) Vegetarian clarifiers can be made from clay or algae. 10 Salted Peanuts If you’re eating … Salted Peanuts You’re also consuming … Pig Hooves Some brands use gelatin as an additive to help salt and other spices adhere to the peanuts. Gelatin is derived from the collagen in cow or pig bones, hooves, and connective tissues. (Think: bone broth) Always buy plain peanuts in the shell. Plus, a study published in the journal Appetite found that eating shelled nuts can save you up to 22 percent or your calories! 11 BBQ Potato Chips If you’re eating … BBQ Potato Chips You’re also consuming … Chicken and Beef Fat Many chips, especially barbecue flavor, contain chicken fat (or schmaltz). Always read the food labels carefully. For example, while Lay’s “Country Flavor” BarBQ chips are vegetarian-safe, Lay’s KC Masterpiece Barbecue chips and BBQ Baked Lay’s are not. We did some legwork for you BBQ lovers and found that Fritos and Boulder BBQ varieties are also vegan-OK. In fact, we dug up the 11 Best Brand Name Chips for Weight Loss, too. 12 Cake Mix If you’re eating … Cake Mix You’re also consuming … Pork Fat Believe it or not, it’s common for pork fat (lard, as mentioned earlier) to find its way into the dry ingredients of boxed cake mixes. Simply check the label for “lard”! 13 Some Cheeses If you’re eating … Some Cheese You’re also consuming … Calf Stomachs It ain’t easy being cheesy if you’re a strict vegetarian. Many cheeses are made with rennet, an enzyme derived from calf stomachs. Traditional Parmesan, for example, always has rennet. Most British cheeses do, too. (U.S. cheesemakers often use cheaper alternatives.) To complicate things, brands aren’t obligated to state whether or not they use the enzyme. Alternatives include cheeses made from a liquid vegetable rennet and soy and rice alternatives. Also, look for kosher cheeses—orthodox Jews do not eat milk and meat together, so you’re guaranteed to get a calf-free slice. 14 Lucky Charms If you’re eating … Lucky Charms You’re also consuming … Animal Bones Those marshmallow moons, clovers and horseshoes are made with gelatin, derived from animal collagen (aka cartilage, skin, tendons, bones). True veg-heads—and those who keep kosher, and cannot mix milk and meat—have known this for years, staring regretfully at the taunting leprechaun. Also containing gelatin: Smorz, Fruity Marshmallow Krispies, and Rich Krispies Treats Squares. 15 Twinkies If you’re eating … Twinkies You’re also consuming … Beef Fat These undying, suspiciously shelf-stable things are made with beef fat. But vegetarian or not, you don’t eat these anyway, right? 16 Jell-O If you’re eating … Jell-O You’re also consuming … Animal Bones Now that you know what gelatin is, this probably makes sense that Jell-O wouldn’t be animal-free. For a pigskin-free version, try Lieber’s kosher brand. 17 Worcestershire Sauce If you’re eating … Worcestershire Sauce You’re also consuming … Anchovies Everyone’s favorite unpronounceable condiment isn’t a favorite of vegetarians: Many varieties are made with anchovies, along with malt vinegar, molasses, sugar, and spices. Certain brands even list the fish on their labels, although they may contain less than 1/60th of the little guys. Speaking of condiments, don’t miss our exclusive 25 Best and Worst Condiments! 18 Peeps If you’re eating … Peeps You’re also consuming … Animal Bones The fluffy Easter favorite only looks harmless to vegetarians. He’s actually made with—yep—gelatin. Keep this in mind this Halloween season, when the orange Peeps return to trick cautious customers and treat everyone else. 19 Pesto Sauce If you’re eating … Pesto You’re also consuming … Calf Stomachs Wait! Pesto is just pine nuts, basil, and olive oil, right? It’s an easy mistake to make and quite common, but people frequently forget about that last traditional ingredient—parmesan cheese. Remember what we discussed above? Parm is made with rennet and, therefore, not a calf-free food. There are plenty of recipes out there for vegetarian and vegan versions, so just whip up a batch at home to be safe. 20 Vegetable Soups If you’re eating … Vegetable Soups You’re also consuming … Beef or Chicken Stock Always, always, always read the label. Store-bought soups frequently use chicken or beef stock as a base, even if they’re called simply “vegetable soup.” Watch out for split pea soups as well, which frequently use ham in the cooking process, even if there aren’t pieces in the finished product. And don’t miss our 36 Best and Worst Canned Soups & Soup Products so you know you’re picking up the best soup possible!Mumbai/New Delhi: SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son, who had committed to invest $10 billion in India over a decade, on Friday said that he remained bullish on the country and would expand on his existing Internet investments. “I have the funds, we are looking for opportunities," Son, 59, said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. He added that he is expecting to surpass his commitment of $10 billion that he made in October 2014. Son-led SoftBank has already invested $2 billion in India in the last two years. E-commerce marketplace Snapdeal (Jasper Infotech Pvt. Ltd), cab aggregator Ola Cabs (ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd), budget hotels aggregator Oyo Rooms (Oravel Travel Pvt. Ltd) and hyperlocal start-up Grofers India Pvt. Ltd were among the recipients. Son spoke about what the world would be like in 30 years. “Computer intelligence will surpass mankind intelligence by 2018," he predicted. Son claimed his investment in ARM Holdings will lead this change. ARM is a UK-based chip maker, which Son acquired for $32 billion early this year. He claims to have paid a 40% premium for the publicly listed company. “I told myself, I am the luckiest man, I got the company so cheap," he said. Thirty years on, Son envisions it will be a trillion-dollar bet. “ARM sold 15 billion chips last year… and it will sell one trillion chips over the next 20 years. If one
or one and a half hours of sun beams. Using the sensor to measure eye pressure and the radio to communicate with an external reader, the system will continuously track the progress of glaucoma, without those pesky contacts. Of course, the mad scientists behind it look forward to a day when the tiny device will do much more, with each of us toting hundreds of the computer implants all over our bodies -- looks like a bright future for cyborgdomSource: http://world-of-kwg.livejournal.com/212699.html Hello, everyone. Well, Storm just issued errata on Evilly’s answers. Looks like Evilly screwed up again. *sigh* Here’s the corrected info from yesterday’s “Odessa” answers: - regarding the Superpershing: Superpershing gun was only discussed, no changes are planned, only maneuverability and terrain passability will be buffed (Storm states in comments that there is simply no reason for that and that they don’t want actually buff the tank) - IS-7 armor IS in fact historical at this moment - tanks don’t roll over on their back not only because it’s unplayable, but also because the game is not prepared, for example the bottoms don’t have textures and there are no normal models of track and suspension destruction - Waffentrager E-100 will get a 128mm and a 150mm gun, with 3-6 round autoloaders (this hasn’t been decided and balanced yet) on E-100 chassis - there is in fact no guarantee that the economic model won’t be revisited before Fall 2013, there might be some changes, depends on statistics - regarding the “reward” T10 tanks for random battles, WG has in fact not yet found suitable candidates for this role, all the suitable tier 10 tanks belong to regular branches. WG is searching, but no promises. - French premium medium tank will in fact NOT come in 2013, it was a mistake - Chinese TD branch will definitely come in 2014 - regarding the ingame clanwars: in fact, there will be some new clanwars functions, that will be accessible from within the game, but the old clanwars will remain as web-based interface - roaming New Year release is in fact not confirmed, it’s a complicated feature and tests might take long - garage battles will definitely not come in 2013, but the developers decided to actually try to implement them in random battles, as they found interesting variants (no details) - historical battles issues do not concern only balancing, but also implementation – the interface - 30vs30 battles will not be delayed, they just require a huge number of technical issues and solutions, that are being implemented gradually. Well, that’s it. Some comments: - 7/42 will come this year (but patch number is not yet known) - T-44 premium Soviet tank won’t come before Fall - Sturmtiger will come in 2014 - Waffenträger Panther mockup picture: - M60 (907 and VK7201) will NOT be obtainable thru random battles - the 128mm is NOT the L/75 and the 150mm is NOT the L/68. In other words: expect autoloaded Jagdtiger (in worse case Maus, as there was a project to equip the Maus with autoloader) and E-100 guns. This is why we can’t have nice things…The blog may operate with the motto "The strongest visual birth control on the market today," but S___ My Kids Ruined feels less like a compilation of scowls than smirks. Touting dizzying images of destroyed houses and cars and broken electronics and toys — and the occasional poop disaster — which are submitted by horrified mothers and fathers, the blog offers definitive evidence for just how careless, and costly, kids can be. But look closer at many of the woe-is-me captions and there's a lighter side — a cheery recognition that boys will be boys and girls will be girls. Beyond all the stuff that was destroyed, what is a parent to do but shrug, laugh it off and share the pics with fellow parents who can nod along in bemused sympathy? See the top 10 children's books of 2009. Next Deadline HollywoodIn October 2016 Nazi Paikidze-Barnes, a Georgian-American is the U.S. Chess Champion and Olympic team member and she has made good on her decision to boycott the World Championship competition. She announced in October that she would boycott the Women’s World Chess Championship 2017 in Tehran, Iran due to its hijab dress code. Iran demanded foreign women submit to their dress code. The best-ranked female chess player in the United States said she would rather sacrifice her career than submit to demands to wear a hijab at the next world championship. Her actions are heroic, and it exposes the National Organization for Women for what they are. We hear crickets from NOW. They are nothing more than window dressing and tools of the far-left. Paikidze-Barnes said that she has received a lot of positive feedback and appreciation from Iranian women who have to face this type of oppression every day. No matter how anyone tries to make excuses for Islam, the hijab is a sign of oppression of women. This will harm her career but doing the bidding of an oppressive regime is not a price she will pay. In an interview with the founder of My Stealthy Freedom, a campaign against Iran’s hijab laws, she said: “I will NOT wear a hijab and support women’s oppression. Even if it means missing one of the most important competitions of my career.” She received support for her stance from the United States Chess Federation, as well as prominent players Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov. Her online petition asking for the championship to be moved or the hijab laws to be relaxed received over 15,000 signatures to no avail. It has been pointed out in this context that the U.S. Department of State has issued a warning that there is a “risk of arrest and detention of U.S. citizens,” and also states that travelers “should very carefully weigh the risks of travel and consider postponing their travel.” At the FIDE General Assembly during the 42nd Chess Olympiad in Baku in September 2016, the organizational rights to the event were awarded to Iran, who holds the Championship in Tehran from February 10th to March 5th 2017. They are currently underway. No other city put in a bid. England and Canada sit on the FIDE assembly but didn’t step in. Kateřina Němcová, a foreigner who plays for the U.S. team, travelled to Iran in Paikidze-Barnes’ place. But Paikidze-Barnes is not alone. One other woman is standing up for women’s rights – the former world champion. Former World Champion @MariyaMuzychuk takes a stand & withdraws from WWCC 2017: “Iran – not a suitable country for such an event” #truechamp pic.twitter.com/RMslbqQoPI — Nazi Paikidze-Barnes (@NaziPaiki) January 8, 2017 The safety issue is also a major concern. @nigelshortchess It’s very upsetting that I have to miss my first Women’s World Championship. For many reasons. pic.twitter.com/eGS64dK1Y5 — Nazi Paikidze-Barnes (@NaziPaiki) September 27, 2016The far-right British National Party is reportedly facing financial ruin after agreeing to pay up to £170,000 in compensation after infringing Marmite’s copyright. Unilever launched Hight Court proceedings after the BNP launched an election broadcast that ripped off the Marmite brand’s ‘Love it or hate it’ strapline. The TV stunt featured party leader Nick Griffin next to a huge jar of Marmite with a strap line reading “Love Britain Vote BNP”. Griffin defended the election broadcast by saying it was meant as a humorous response to a Marmite campaign that allegedly mocked the BNP. The far-right party claims Marmite’s online and TV ads, featuring a ‘Love Party’ and an opposing ‘Hate Party’, overtly based the leader of the Hate Party on Griffin. Insiders report the BNP have agreed to pay Unilever between £70,000 and £170,000 after settling out of court. Unilever confirms a settlement has been agreed but will not reveal the terms of the confidential agreement. It is believed the large settlement could spell financial ruin for the controversial party after former national organiser Eddy Butler revealed the BNP is “on the brink of bankruptcy”. This story first appeared on pitch.Even as the Democratic Establishment is backing Hillary Clinton, much of the party’s liberal grassroots is lining up behind Sen. Bernie Sanders. On Thursday, Sanders won the support of Democracy for America and the Communication Workers of America, two major organizations that will lend Sanders broad grassroots support in the Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton. The Vermont Senator also reached 2 million contributions to his campaign on Wednesday night, a mark of broad support among liberals, and last week won the endorsement of the Working Families Party, another grassroots Democratic group. “The activist base—the committed base—is decidedly for Bernie,” said Larry Cohen, the former president of CWA who is now a surrogate for Sanders’ campaign. Politics Newsletter Sign up to receive the day’s top political stories. View Sample Sign Up Now Sanders remains a distant longshot for the Democratic nomination, lagging Clinton by about 25 points in national polls and in all the early primary states except his neighboring New Hampshire. The country’s biggest unions have chosen to endorse Clinton and the vast majority of Democrats in Congress support her as well. Clinton has paved a clear path to winning the primary, racking up delegates and building large organizations in the primary states. But Sanders’ support among the party’s grassroots marks a divide among Democrats, many of whom are aligning behind Sanders even as Clinton seems inevitable. Democracy for America, a grassroots group started by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean which has about one million members nationwide and a motivated base, voted overwhelmingly to support Sanders, the group announced at noon on Thursday. Nearly 90% of the group’s 270,000 members who voted in the endorsement poll said they supported Sanders. The group helped lead the push last year to get Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run for president, and the group’s support for Sanders indicates that the “Warren Wing” of the party has coalesced around him. The CWA, a 700,000-member union, is Sanders’ biggest union endorsement yet. The group has a strong base of union members in early voting states including Iowa, Nevada, South Carolina as well as states in the south like Texas and Georgia, where Sanders is thus far lagging far behind Clinton. Unlike many of the union endorsements for Clinton, the CWA’s endorsement for Sanders was decided by a direct member vote, not the executive leadership of the union. Last week, the Working Families Party, a growing coalition of labor-aligned activists in New York and more than half a dozen other states endorsed Sanders by a large margin. The WFP helped Bill de Blasio get elected mayor in New York City. De Blasio has endorsed Clinton. Read More: Sanders Attracts Some Big Campaign Money Despite Denunciations At a raucous union press conference in Washington DC on Thursday, CWA members broke out into chants, singing “This is what Democracy looks like” and cheered and whistled as Sanders delivered his remarks. “When we talk about grassroots democracy, this is exactly what I’m talking about,” Sanders said. “We have enormous amounts of support at the grassroots level which is reflected in fact we have received support from dozens of locals around the country.” Sanders said that he likely would have more support from unions than he does if other unions opened up the process to a member vote. “What I would have hoped that unions who believe in democracy would create a wide open process,” Sanders said. Clinton has been endorsed by major unions including the American Federation of Teachers, representing some 1.6 million members, the National Education Association with 3 million members, as well as the American Federation of State County and Municipal employees, the Service Employees International Union and many others. The endorsements will matter when it comes to mobilizing voters, particularly in the early states to come to the polls. “CWA will do everything possible, every single thing possible in primary states and non-primary states, in places across this country we will use folks to contact their families and neighbors all working people,” CWA President Chris Shelton said. DFA said it plans to make phone calls and help raise money to support Sanders. “With today’s endorsement, DFA members are joining Bernie’s ‘political revolution’ and working to take it both to the White House and up-and-down the ballot, in races coast to coast,” said Charles Chamberlain, executive director of Democracy for America. Read Next: Hillary Clinton Faces Unrest Among Organized Labor Contact us at [email protected] Full title: Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders: A Writer’s (& Editor’s) Guide to Keeping Historical Fiction Free of Common Anachronisms, Errors, & Myths. I’m going to put this in bold type so it’s very, very clear: If you are an author, editor or aspiring author of historical fiction of any genre, this book should be in your reference library. Divided into chapters on various useful topics, beginning with the aforementioned underpants and their usage (or rather, lack of) in history, Alleyn directs the attention to various pitfalls found while writing historical fiction. From grammar and colloquialisms to Americanisms and the origin dates of French words in the English language, anyone studying this book should quickly realise writing historical fiction isn’t as easy as it might first appear. Readers are often knowledgeable and will pick up on anachronisms quickly. They can be merciless to an author who hasn’t done their research meticulously, and even on one who has made a relatively minor mistake. Alleyn hammers home, time and again, that there is no substitute for research, and most particularly, that you cannot rely on movies, TV shows or fiction of any kind as a source of research. Even top quality shows like Downton Abbey get things wrong, and Alleyn points out any number of factual errors from the mild to the disastrous to illustrate her point. The book has chapters devoted to (among others) currency (and relative values and purchasing power thereof), travel times and distances by various methods of transport, foodstuffs and their availability, guns, hygiene, servants, daily life and habits, and a particularly excellent chapter on the English Aristocracy. This was definitely my favourite, and as a devoted reader of Regency romance, something I see authors get wrong far too often. If only this chapter, if not the whole book, could be required reading before an author was permitted to publish in the genre! Yes, all the advice in this book can basically be boiled down to ‘do your research properly’, but the examples and specifics given here are really helpful in pointing out specific errors where it’s easy to make mistakes. Alleyn also includes an excellent list of reference books for various periods and places, a good starting point for any author looking to start research for a project. I can only give this five stars, but I am recommending in the strongest possible terms that anyone even THINKING about writing historical fiction, whether romance or otherwise, should buy it and study it. Even if it only helps you identify the facts in your own work you need to verify, it’s an invaluable addition to your reference shelf. Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders is available now, it’s only US$3.99 in ebook, and if you’re even THINKING about ever writing anything set more than 30 years in the past, you should go and buy it right now. GO. NOW.How To Choose Which Social Media Channels To Use For Your Business When To Use Facebook For Your Business Every business should be on Facebook. Whether you are Vons Grocery Store or a drapery cleaner, you all should have a Facebook page. Why should your business be on Facebook? It boost the score of your SEO and the “Like” and “Share” buttons are viewed more than 22 billion times a day, not only on the network itself but across millions of websites worldwide! If you do not have one get one! If you don’t know how to get one? CLICK HERE Don’t know what to post on your business Facebook page? CLICK HERE When To Use Twitter For Your Business If you are trying to reach a broad audience that has been known to be receptive of marketing messages, Twitter is for you! Here you can post a short text of 140 characters, a photo or links to other websites. The posts on Twitter are short and concise. If you have lots to say and not a lot of time to do it in, then try twitter. Twitter is best used on your smartphone for the busy business owner. Check out our Twitter page for examples: @mgf_805 When To Use Google Plus For Your Business Google Plus is main competitor of Facebook- or so they try to be. Google Plus is a great option for every business with a website. If you link your Google Plus profile to your website it acts as an SEO booster. Posting is optional, it does not effect your new SEO boost. Just remember to set up your profile completely before ditching it. Then post a link to your Google Plus profile on your website. TADA! Check out Google Business as well, you need it! Our Google Plus Profile & Our Google Business Page When To Use LinkedIn For Your Business Retail and leisure businesses (like a spa) do not thrive on this platform. You can set up a LinkedIn profile for your customers, but do not expect it to drive traffic. This social media platform is meant for technology services, public management experts, self-employed creatives and consultants. These types of businesses can actually benefit a lot from sustained activity on LinkedIn. Our LinkedIn Profile When To Use Instagram For Your Business Instagram is a social media platform for people and businesses that take a lot of interesting pictures. Whether you like to or not, some businesses really should use this platform. If you have something unique or interesting to sell, you will thrive on Instagram. Antique stores, boutiques or Antique Malls please snap some photos! Don’t forget to hashtag though. Our Instagram PageIt’s been roughly one full year since word started to surface that running back DeAngelo Williams would eventually be released by the Carolina Panthers. That ultimately happened after the start of the 2015 league year and Williams quickly signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Monday morning, Williams shared the lettter he received last year from the Panthers that officially notified him that his contract was being terminated along with the reason which I have transcribed below. “In the judgement of the Club, your skill or performance has been unsatisfactory as compared with that of other players competing for position’s on the Club’s roster.” Well, that’s pretty blunt and as you can see by his tweet, Williams apparently keeps that letter where he can see it everyday to use as motivation. In his first year with the Steelers, Williams rushed for 900 yards and 11 touchdowns on 200 carries. He also chipped in another 367 yards on 40 receptions. A foot injury suffered in the regular season finale, prevented Williams from playing in the team’s two playoff games. Because of that, I would say that his skill and performance was certainly satisfactory. Assuming starter Le’Veon Bell makes a full recovery from the knee injury that he suffered midway through the 2015 season, Williams will go back to being his backup once again. Even so, the veteran running back should be used quite a bot in 2016 in order to save some wear on tear on Bell.Why did Netflix pay Comcast to stream its videos faster? Because Netflix was losing customers. That's according to a petition Netflix filed to the Federal Communications Commission this week in opposition to Comcast's (CMCSA) proposed mega-merger with Time Warner Cable (TWC). In February, Netflix reluctantly agreed to pay Comcast to directly connect to its network. Prior to the direct connect, Netflix delivered its videos to Comcast customers via third parties, including Cogent Communications (CCOI). But Comcast customers experienced abysmal Netflix speeds -- among the worst in the country. Netflix speeds became so slow in December 2013 and January 2014 that customers grew irate, Netflix said in its petition. Calls made to Netflix's customer support center about slow-loading videos more than quadrupled during those months. "For many subscribers, the bit rate was so poor that Netflix's streaming video service became unusable," the company said. "Some of them canceled their Netflix subscription on the spot, citing the unacceptable quality of Netflix's video streams and Netflix's inability to do anything to change the situation." Related: Netflix to increase subscription prices "We had to do something to make the congestion stop," the company added. After its February agreement, Netflix speeds have soared on Comcast's network. The company has since entered similar deals with AT&T (T), Verizon (VZ) and Time Warner Cable. Netflix and its CEO Reed Hastings have become outspoken critics of those direct-connect deals, accusing the Internet service providers of shakedown tactics. Writing in Wired last week, Hastings said that Internet users will "never realize broadband's potential if large ISPs erect a pay-to-play system that charges both the sender and receiver for the same content." He has called on the FCC to ban broadband companies from charging content providers like Netflix to connect to their networks. The Internet companies counter that Netflix plays an outsized role in network congestion, accounting for around a third of data consumption online during peak hours, and Netflix should therefore help foot the bill for delivery.Bludgeoning the senses with the same barbarism as its creator’s name would suggest, Stoical is a nastily and invasively compelling proposition that leads to a greed for more. The release is the debut album of UK band Sealclubber, a tempest exploring the potential found in the band’s first release back in 2013 whilst breeding new intrigue and promise to get wound up in. As their sound, the album is as corrosive as it is adventurously imaginative and certainly not going to be for everyone, but with its ferocious blending of sludge metal with crust infested hardcore and post metal ambiences, it is a proposal confirming Sealclubber as an impressively challenging incitement for ears and emotions. Hailing from the Black Country, the Sealclubber stepped forward late 2012 and swiftly sparked attention and acclaim in the underground scene the following year with their Witch Hunter Records/ Carnage Club released Sticky River EP. Also nudging mainstream media focus in certain quarters with their first offering, the Stourbridge quartet backed up their potent emergence with a praise luring live presence which soon spread across the UK. 2015 was a quieter affair with line-up changes and setbacks but now the foursome of vocalist/guitarist Simon Blewitt, guitarist Joe Parkes, bassist Stephen Williams, and drummer Simon Ingram are ready to infest the world with their sludge punk trespasses through Stoical which is unleashed courtesy of North American label Medusa Crush Recordings. Band and release consume the senses in epic style with its nine minute opener Tales of a Romanian Horse Whisperer. Instantly an atmospheric bitterness confronts ears as climate and guitars boil with their relative intent until it all explodes in a ravenously rousing hardcore/punk ‘n’ roll onslaught led by the throat bred squalls of Blewitt. No mercy is given by the raging yet it is soon showing another side to its nature by twisting and turning in on itself with stabbing rhythms and a creative discordance which is not that far removed from post punk and math core agitation. The track continues to masterfully and enthrallingly roar through a host of flavours infused into its volatile hardcore trespass; every new turn the giver of mouth-watering enterprise and imagination and a ferocity of heart and attack. At one point the guitars are spiced with a spicing which is best described as Devo-esque but as everything, rabid through to atmospheric, it evolves into another freshly magnetic intrusion in the blink of an intimidated eye. The outstanding start is matched in sonic kind and rhythmic antagonism by Haima; a predatory violation led in, amidst a collage of guitar cast venom, by the dirtiest primal bassline likely to be heard this year. Tar thick yet blisteringly athletic, the track infests body and psyche with its creative vehemence and raw vocal animosity. It too provides a horde of riveting hooks and anthemic turns from within a destructive fever before stepping aside for Catalogue of Failings which uncages its own doom seeded depression of tone and emotion. Like a hungry bog on Dartmoor, the song sucks the senses and imagination into an unforgiving animus of emotionally corrupted sound, proceeding to prowl around them with hostility thereon in whilst suffocating any light or hope which might make a defence to the thrilling creative pestilence. Leaving a lingering impact, the song slips into St Jude’s Waiting Room, Dead For 12 Days and a haunting imagination sparking interlude/detour resembling a limbo-esque netherworld which inspires different ideas to its presence with every listen. It in turn flows into the stark and cold landscape of Vows of Silence and initially another great post punk like coaxing before the track descends on the listener with rancor and corrosive intensity. The song takes a moment out as the wake from its initial assault continues to resonate before exploring a tempestuous and emotionally provocative post metal/ambience sculpted landscape which in turn only builds itself up into another fearsome outpouring. I Only Desire The Things That Will Destroy Me In The End completes the release, its twelve minute instrumental a darkly cinematic and emotional flight through sinister atmospherics and melancholic ambience. It too is a canvas for the imagination to adventurously explore whilst closing Stoical with a fiercely dramatic yet seemingly accepting embrace of emotional suffering and turbulence. In some ways Stoical is an incitement of two halves; its first trio of tracks are a gloriously and creatively volatile theatre of craft and virulent enterprise with the final three immersions into dark and debilitating depths and emotions. They are two plateaus though which thrill and increasingly impress as Sealclubber more than live up to their early promise and the more demanding expectations bred within the anticipation for its release. Stoical is released on February 5th via Medusa Crush Recordings on CD, limited cassette form, and digitally with a vinyl version possibly on the cards later. https://www.facebook.com/sealclubbersludge https://sealclubber.bandcamp.com/ Pete RingMaster 05/02/2016 Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com/CLOSE Thousands have flooded into Austin, Texas to experience the 31st Annual South by Southwest Convention and Festivals. Check out some of the sights and sounds from the first day. Jarrad Henderson, USA TODAY Tim Berners-Lee (Photo: Web Foundation, for USA TODAY) Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web, now wants to save it. The computer scientist who wrote the blueprint for what would become the World Wide Web 28 years ago today is alarmed at what has happened to it in the past year. "Over the past 12 months, I’ve become increasingly worried about three new trends, which I believe we must tackle in order for the web to fulfill its true potential as a tool which serves all of humanity," he said in a statement issued from London. He cited compromised personal data; fake news that he says has "spread like wildfire"; and the lack of regulation in political advertising, which he says threatens democracy. "Even in countries where we believe governments have citizens’ best interests at heart, watching everyone, all the time is simply going too far," he said, in an allusion to WikiLeaks' disclosure of what documents claim is a vast CIA surveillance operation. "It creates a chilling effect on free speech and stops the web from being used as a space to explore important topics, like sensitive health issues, sexuality or religion." Berners-Lee, 61, who was knighted, founded Web Foundation in 2009 to improve the web as part of a five-year plan. When Berners-Lee submitted his original proposal for the Web, he imagined it as an open platform that would allow everyone, everywhere to share information, access opportunities and collaborate across geographic and cultural boundaries. But his faith, and those of privacy advocates and cybersecurity experts, has been badly shaken by a series of high-profile hacks and the dissemination of fake news through the use of data science and armies of bots. Front and center: The WikiLeaks bombshell. The treasure trove of more than 8,000 pages reads like a John Le Carre spy novel overrun with Edward Snowden-like protagonists. The CIA, with sophisticated hacking tools, has been angling to turn popular consumer devices such as iPhones, Samsung TVs and Android smartphones into surveillance devices, the documents indicate. Imagine that Big Brother scenario extended to the millions of smart devices such as digital thermostats and fire alarms feeding the Internet of Things ecosystem, and you have a problem that could eviscerate the privacy of billions of people, say security experts. Berners-Lee is just the latest high-profile technologist to share concerns over what former Cisco Systems executive Monique Morrow calls a fundamental assault on privacy and cybersecurity, with critical infrastructure — banking systems, the grid — hanging in the balance. "How do we use technology responsibly?" she asked at a SXSW talk in Austin Saturday. Former Cisco Systems exec Monique Morrow is worried about privacy and cybersecurity. (Photo: Jon Swartz, for USA TODAY) More from SXSW The scourge of fake news, a topic of several panels here, has prompted plenty of tech types to brainstorm on solutions. One idea is to apply a simple rating system to stories based on their news value and accuracy, says Amar Lalvani, CEO of hotel chain Standard International. "We could apply the same model to stories as we do to travel sites," he said here Sunday. Proliferation of cyberweapons pose a significantly greater threat — especially smartphones in the hands of unwitting consumers, and eavesdropping TVs in their living rooms — because they spread at a faster rate than physical weapons, says Phil Reitinger, CEO of the Global Cyber Alliance and a former director of the National Cybersecurity Center. "It's already happening," says Sean Smith, a professor of computer science at Dartmouth College and author of The Internet of Risky Things. He says many of the same security vulnerabilities exploited in phones, TVs and computers outlined by WikiLeaks apply to IoT devices. "If the CIA is working on breaking into phones like other hackers, you can bet it's working on other devices, just like hackers," Smith says, pointing to malware that was wormed its way into some medical devices at major healthcare providers across the globe. The security breach put tens of thousands of patient records at risk, says TrapX Security. The same flaws can apply to cars, as proved by a Wired report on how hackers remotely hijacked a Jeep Cherokee's digital system over the Internet and disabled its brakes at low speeds in 2015, Smith says. "What WikiLeaks said is Shakespearean when you think about it: It's much ado about nothing," says Vince Steckler, CEO of computer-security firm Avast Software, "What was revealed has been an open secret for years in the security community. If anything, (the disclosure) informs the general public how exposed infrastructure really is. And that might be a good thing." More: Follow USA TODAY's Jon Swartz @jswartz at SXSW on Twitter. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2me9EPzQuestionable research ethics have gotten Facebook in trouble in recent years, but the company says it now has a system in place to prevent that from happening again. Before they can use information about you in science projects, Facebook’s data scientists must run their research proposals through a formal review process to make sure the research is ethical and sound in the areas of privacy and security. Some details of the process, which the company says has been in place for two years, were revealed in a new paper published in the Washington and Lee Law Review. The research practices of companies that collect and analyze enormous amounts of data about their users—Facebook being the most prominent—represent a growing area of concern to policymakers. Last month the White House called on users of “big data” to create better systems for tackling challenges related to data ethics, security, and privacy. Two years ago Facebook drew heavy criticism after publishing a research paper describing an experiment in which company scientists manipulated the news feeds of users to test whether they could influence their emotions. It has faced a backlash from academics critical of the methods used in other studies as well. The review process described in the new paper is in large part a “response to feedback we’ve received,” Molly Jackman, Facebook’s public policy research manager, said Tuesday at a meeting about big data research ethics at the Future of Privacy Forum in Washington, D.C. The crux of it is a standing committee of five employees, including experts in law, ethics, communications, and policy. This is inspired in part by the federal model for institutional review boards, which vet academic research proposals and identify ethical concerns. Much of the research that Facebook does is the type that is generally exempt from an academic institutional review board, said Jackman. Other projects that involve more sensitive subjects or populations warrant further review. The suicide prevention program the company launched Tuesday is an example of a project that falls in that category, she said. Senior managers decide whether proposals should either be expedited or reviewed by the committee. Jackman said the process is vital because the company’s vast data about human behavior puts it in a position to “push on the boundaries of science.” But while Facebook’s data may contain insights that could help society, company-led research inevitably raises tricky questions. For instance, how will the members of the review board separate the company’s interests from the interests of the research subjects or the greater public? “You need someone on that review board who can’t get fired,” Rey Junco, a professor of education and human computer interaction at Iowa State University, said at the Future of Privacy Forum meeting. Another controversial issue is consent. Whereas subjects taking part in federally funded research must provide “informed consent” before they can be included, Facebook users consent to research when they sign up for the service. Junco said researchers should place a greater emphasis on consent, so that users have the opportunity to “self-determine what they are going to be engaging in.”The game begins with the gravelly tones of the familiar voice of Rutger Hauer reading text as it scrolls slowly down the screen. The words are jittering and poetically blunt and it sets us up for the initial scene, but I don’t think it prepares us for the horrors that await in Observer. The cyberpunk horror game is truly a beautiful and chaotic journey into a run down and miserable world that has dissolved from disease and plague. Set in 2084 Krakow, the lines between good and evil are more than blurred, they are overwritten, by the soft gentle voice of the main character Dan Lazarski, a neural police detective known as an Observer who detects and invades suspects minds. Sitting in a car as the rain trickles down outside, the dazzling neon lights cut through the greying towers and dirty pavements. This is where you learn the game’s controls and you’re introduced to who you are, what you’re doing in this world and how you take on missions in this futuristic hellhole. Your character is beat down by mind-hacking and you have to top up on synchronisation pills which seem to keep you from going off the deep end. When you need to top up, you’ll know it. There will be a dizziness, the feeling of stress and anxiety will surge through you with force and then you’ll be okay, with a little pill. You can pick up these pills as you make your way through the game, so be on the lookout. Your first mission is a little closer to home as you receive a strange message from your son, Adam. After identifying a caller address, you make your way to the ominous tower of flats. The game does a superb job of thrusting you in and out of intense holographic imagery and into what feels like a normal setting, with crowds of birds chirping in a brick lined courtyard. It’s disorientating, but that’s okay. You enter the apartment block and at the front desk is a half human, half robot man who feels like an immediate threat, but he is helpful, sad, maybe scared himself and it’s our first reminder that not everything in this game will be as it first appears. As you make your way to Adam’s apartment, it’s difficult not to notice the robot janitor that scuttles down the hallway, with its foul and bolshy attitude. Then, you’re in the courtyard and the front doors are glowing a holographic off-white, surrounding what could be the back streets of a modern day Krakow. Nothing about this extremely polished game actually feels polished, it’s full of grime and grit and disease pulses through the setting like the thin holographic lines that guide the way. Yes, it does have a lot of similarities to Blade Runner, but it’s impending, insidious feel burns into the gameplay and it’s not as easy as Blade Runner, it’s not as clean. What is clever, is that Observer is a disguised detective game and it’s a mechanic I really didn’t expect. As you enter Adam’s apartment and you’re met with the stench and bloody abomination of a decapitated body, it’s easy to be afraid, but you’re not… yet. Dan knows in his heart, that this body is not his son’s, a paternal instinct that brings him into a new light. This is when I really felt for Dan, he, like the rest of the game, has rough edges that can be heard in the breaks in his voice. The way Dan speaks to people feels genuine, because he is quick to disregard someone’s comments if he feels it is wasting his time. At the scene you will learn about the two investigative modes; one for mechanics like a ComPass (a device which people must carry to identify them) and the other for forensic evidence, such as blood spatters and in this case, claw marks. There is so much to interact with, that at first it feels slightly overwhelming, but once you’ve moved drawers and searched cupboards, you learn about the game and what you need to look for. Objects will start standing out and the game will prompt you if you can pick up certain items. Once you’ve finished scrounging for clues, the entire building is now on lockdown and you have to find a way out. It’s clever, I love puzzles and they’re easy enough to not distract from the fluidity of the game. Now you’re out of the apartment, there are a lot of doors to other apartments and it’s at this point I let go a little. You’re able to
in its first few days has produced 1 million refugees? "The peace and security of the world"? Whose world? On his return from his consultation with Obama in Washington, the brownshirted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that it was Israel’s responsibility to "eliminate" the "nuclear threat" from Iran. What nuclear threat? The U.S. intelligence agencies are unanimous in their conclusion that Iran has had no nuclear weapons program since 2003. The inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency report that there is no sign of a nuclear weapons program in Iran. Whom is Iran bombing? How many refugees is Iran sending fleeing for their lives? Whom is North Korea bombing? The two great murderous, refugee-producing countries are the U.S. and Israel. Between them, they have murdered and dislocated millions of people who were a threat to no one. No countries on earth rival the U.S. and Israel for barbaric, murderous violence. But Obama gives assurances that the U.S. will protect "the peace and security of the world." And the brownshirt Netanyahu assures the world that Israel will save it from the "Iranian threat." Where is the media? Why aren’t people laughing their heads off? Read more by Paul Craig RobertsDo you think you’re smarter than most? Chances are, your children will feel the same way about themselves. A new study of thousands of twins suggests that intellectual confidence is genetically inherited, and independent from actual intelligence. Moreover, these genetic differences predict grades in school, says Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a psychologist at Goldsmiths University in London, whose team found that 7- to 10-year-old children who achieved the best marks in school tended to rate their own abilities highly, even after accounting for differences due to intelligence and environment. Nature or nurture? Psychologists have long known that intelligence isn’t the only predictor of scholastic achievement and that intellectual confidence does a good a job of predicting grades as well. Advertisement “There has been a very, very big lobby within educational psychology against the notion of IQ,” says Chamorro-Premuzic. “And part of this lobby has been based on the idea that self-perceptions matter more than actual ability.” Most of these researchers assumed that environmental factors – the influence of parents, teachers and friends – explained why some students think more of their abilities than others. That’s only partially true, says Chamorro-Premuzic. About half of differences in children’s self-perceived abilities can be explained by environment. The other half seems to be genetic. For comparison, genes can explain about 80 per cent of the differences in height. ‘Challenges convention’ Chamorro-Premuzic’s team drew this conclusion by comparing intelligence, grades and personal ratings of 1966 pairs of identical twins and 1877 pairs of non-identical or fraternal twins. Identical twins share nearly all their genes, while fraternal twins just half. This allowed researchers to calculate how much of the differences in intellectual confidence were due to genetic versus environmental factors. Determining what specific genes affect self-perceived ability won’t be easy, Chamorro-Premuzic says. Many of them should be linked to actual intelligence, but some will not. Genes that are linked to personality, which is another partially heritable trait, could also explain why some children think more highly of themselves than others. “The findings challenge conventional thinking on student psychology and may suggest that the assumptions underlying student academic attainment are erroneous,” comments Timothy Judge, a psychologist at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Journal reference: Psychological Science (DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02366.x)L.A. County expands no-cost healthcare Hoping to establish new programs before Medi-Cal takes over in 2014, it plans to register as many as 550,000 patients and assign them to medical clinics for free services. In L.A. County, the stakes are high. In 2014, the newly insured county residents will be able to seek treatment wherever they want. To keep them with the county, health leaders recognize that they must make the system one of choice rather than of last resort. Otherwise, the only patients left will be illegal immigrants and others still ineligible for public coverage. Under President Obama's controversial healthcare overhaul, millions more uninsured Californians will be eligible for Medicaid — the healthcare program for the poor — beginning in 2014. Even as the debate over the law continues in Washington, California is starting that expansion now and using federal dollars to do so. Altogether, the state expects to receive $2.3 billion to expand and modernize its Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, now available only to certain low-income residents. The county hopes to register as many as 550,000 patients and is assigning them to medical clinics for services at no cost to them. At the same time, the county is transforming its healthcare system to be less focused on acute care and more on primary care. The changes are expected to reduce costs, streamline care and attract patients. In one of the largest expansions of health coverage to the uninsured, Los Angeles County is enrolling hundreds of thousands of residents in a publicly funded treatment program and setting the stage for the national healthcare overhaul. "Our survival depends on it," said Mitchell Katz, director of the county Department of Health Services. Unless the healthcare system improves, he said, "if people have choice, they won't choose us and the system will implode." Health departments across the nation are watching L.A. County, where nearly one-quarter of the 9.8-million population is uninsured. If the county is successful in expanding coverage and revamping its healthcare system, observers say, it could become a model for others. But that won't be easy. "The scale here is just mind-boggling," said Andy Schneider, a consultant to the Kaiser Family Foundation. "And there are so many changes that have to occur simultaneously.... It's like trying to reorganize the health system of Michigan." Health workers began signing patients up for a program called Healthy Way L.A. in July and so far have enrolled 24,000, many of whom are receiving services. County residents are eligible if they are between the ages of 19 and 64, citizens or permanent residents of five years and earn less than 133% of the federal poverty level (about $14,500 for an individual and $29,700 for a family of four). The coverage is not insurance and cannot be used outside of L.A. County, but it does give patients the ability to receive free primary and specialty care, mental health services, chronic disease management, medication and emergency treatment. Most of the enrollment is being done when patients go to the county's network of hospitals and clinics. Advocates are closely tracking the expansion and said they have found several problems, including lack of translated documents, delays in setting up appointments and extensive patient paperwork, said Barbara Siegel, managing attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles. "We have to get it right so that in 2014, the county continues to play that critical role in providing healthcare to our indigent population," she said. Over the next two years, the county will pay half the cost for Healthy Way L.A. — or about $300 million — and the federal government will pay the other half. By 2014, when the patients become eligible for Medi-Cal, the federal government will pick up the entire tab, which will help bolster the financially strapped county's health system. The county also expects to receive about $300 million more for other changes. "It's the county's job to provide care for the uninsured," Katz said. "If I have an opportunity to get half of that paid for by the federal government, I'd be a fool not to take it." Healthy Way L.A. and other programs throughout the state will ensure that there isn't a flood of new patients or any delay in receiving federal dollars for their care in 2014, said Anthony Wright, executive director of the California advocacy group Health Access.Written by A.G. Billig Love is a conscious choice even though it might not look so. The handiest example is Christmas time when even Grinch’s heart melts. Don’t we all say let’s be kinder, nicer, more loving and giving? Prompted by the winter holidays’ spirit, we are less afraid to open up, reach out to other people, spread joy around us. We no longer care about how much we receive because we are so happy to give. Not only a face glowing with happiness becomes the most precious gift but, as by a miracle, the Universe keeps sending us rewards. Serendipity starts working and fulfills our deepest wishes. The law of attraction never ceases to work. Doesn’t feel wonderful? Getting undressed of fear, misconceptions, limiting beliefs. Just following your heart and letting the kindness in your soul surface. Not minding what other people say, but acting according to the authentic you. Doesn’t it feel like you are suddenly able to breathe freely as if you’ve got out of a tight corset? The freedom of allowing love to guide your life every day of the year, not just during Christmas, is within reach. All you need to do is to cultivate the love within until becomes a way of being. As Neale Donald Walsch said, our actions are driven by fear or love. Those two can’t coexist in one heart. People governed by fear will not be able to experience true love. It will always be something off in their relationships. Romances will fade, and friendships will go stale. No worldly success will fill the void in their soul. Here are six easy steps that will help you replace fear with love. You can work with one or more at a time. Know yourself. Know who you are beyond your social status, job title, other people’s opinions, and demands. Be completely honest about your strengths and weaknesses, about your dreams and gifts. Become aware of what Debbie Ford called our shadow – those things we don’t accept in ourselves and push under the rug. Find out what are your deepest fears and see if there is any foundation for them. Boost your self-confidence. Not having enough self-confidence is one of the major setbacks in living the life of our dreams. It prevents us from imagining that life, in the first place. Stop listening to the voice in your head saying you’re not good enough or reliving your childhood experiences. Make a list of your accomplishments so far and have a good look at it every day. Have a good look in the mirror and see how beautiful you are. Connect with your heart. Your heart is the place to learn and practice self-love. It is also an Oracle that always has the right answers, the compass that will point you in the right direction to your life purpose. Daily meditation and yoga practice are two of the best tools you can use to connect with your heart. Conscious breathing, exercise, a healthy lifestyle are also mandatory for being able to hear your heart’s voice. Connect with nature. We are one with the Universe and everything around us. Our lives get so much better when we stay in tune with nature. Think about how rejuvenated and energized you feel after a walk on the beach or hike in the mountains. Connecting with nature doesn’t mean moving in a forest hut. It is about spending time outdoors, enjoying a spectacular sunset and seeing nature as a precious ally instead of a dreadful enemy. Connect with people. If our body is our home on Earth, humankind is our big family. There is beauty in connecting with other people. It is great to discover that, underneath the cultural differences, lies a soul resemblance. Travel to unknown places and interact with the locals. Join Meet-Up groups and make new friends. Help someone in need even when they are strangers. Create your safe place. Whether it’s in your heart or house, create a safe place where you can experience the authentic you. A corner where you can utter your wildest dreams, express your talent, allow love to pour freely from your soul. Love is the safest place on Earth, the best shield against predators and adversities. Once love starts manifesting in your life, add some fertilizers to help it blossom. Try some gratitude, joy, passion, excitement, compassion, kindness, and faith and every day will feel like Christmas. Ready to embark on your journey to true love? I kindly invite you to read I Choose Love, an Amazon Bestseller. Based on my personal journey from fear to love and spiritual encounters with Neale Donald Walsch and John of God this book provides practical and empowering information on how to attract true love in your life. You will also learn how to master your sexual power, boost up your self-confidence and attractiveness factor, feel and look younger and healthier, overcome your fear, and enjoy every minute of your life. You May Also Want to Check: Love is a Choice by A.G. BilligA year later, two now widely quoted studies were published that pushed aside the fairly obscure academic papers they corroborated: University of Chicago geophysicists Eshel and Martin produced an econometric analysis of U.S. emissions, and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization released its global analysis, "Livestock's Long Shadow." They used very different data sets and approaches, but both made a strong case that the food system (broadly defined) contributed more to climate change than the transportation sector. Weren't our cars the main culprits? How could the food system matter more? An ideological war thus engaged. On one side, vegetarian and animal rights activists had a new reason to call on consumers to shun meat. On the other were individuals who saw these calls as attacks on their personal right to eat whatever they wanted. And the beef industry—for a while anyway—was absent from the debate. The beef industry is silent no more. Voluntary rancher fees from an industry association's advocacy program have underwritten pro-meat marketing campaigns, stipends for researchers to raise doubts (but not conclusive evidence) about scientific studies, and dissemination of talking points that are misleading at best. "Reducing intakes of meat and dairy would only lead to hunger," I read recently, and the headline of an industry newsletter stated, "Meat and dairy intakes not linked to climate change." These news items represent a disturbing trend: raise doubts, obfuscate the facts, and misinform. I debated a rancher on Fox News in January 2009 who claimed that his cows didn't contribute to global warming "because they eat grass." This is similar to a claim put forth in a grass-fed cattle rancher's newsletter that his beef "is carbon neutral" because cows "are part of the carbon cycle.... They are born, they eat, they die, they return to the soil." Well, so are humans, and our choices matter too. There are lots of reasons to support small-scale, pasture-raised beef versus CAFO-produced, but carbon neutrality sure isn't one of them. The FAO report held livestock emissions responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gases, more than the transportation sector. This percentage has been criticized recently as being too high. The FAO is re-evaluating its calculations—for the transportation sector—in response to complaints that they were understated. In other words, despite the headlines that would have you believe otherwise, what's at stake are the livestock and transportation sectors' relative percentage contributions to climate change, not the total amount of livestock emissions. Perhaps our cars are equally culpable, but where's the good news in that conclusion? I applaud the ranchers who are genuinely working to improve waste management (the biggest variable in emissions) or trying different animal forages that might lead to fewer emissions (nothing is yet conclusive). But an increasing number of independent studies continue to show that beef imposes a higher climate-change burden than plant-based foods we can eat directly, regardless of production methods (pasture- or feedlot-based) or many ranchers' honest efforts at land stewardship. One study equated the emissions associated with each American's three and a half pounds of weekly meat consumption with the emissions of driving an efficient car 200 miles.Blue Angels come roaring back for Fleet Week Blue Angels jets fly in front of the Golden Gate Bridge during practice in San Francisco, in this Oct. 4, 2007 file photo. Blue Angels jets fly in front of the Golden Gate Bridge during practice in San Francisco, in this Oct. 4, 2007 file photo. Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Blue Angels come roaring back for Fleet Week 1 / 5 Back to Gallery It’s not too late to stock up on earplugs or buy doggie Xanax for other members of your household. The Blue Angels come roaring back over the San Francisco skyline this weekend as part of a long list of events happening around Fleet Week. The F/A-18 Hornets start practice runs at noon on Thursday, Oct. 8 (go ahead and postpone that meeting now), and the clamor gets into full swing on Friday, Oct. 9, with the opening of the Marina Green Festival (which runs through the weekend), the Parade of Ships under the Golden Gate Bridge and official air show. Along with the Blue Angels’ death-defying sky acrobatics, it also features demos by parachute teams, stunt pilots and — why not? — a United Airlines 747. The program repeats on Saturday and Sunday, with even more fanfare — and larger crowds. — Aidin Vaziri Fleet Week 2015 Events: 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, and Friday, Oct. 9. 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11. Marina Green; SF Piers 15/17, 30-32, 50, 80; and other locations. For a full listing of events, visit www.fleetweeksf.org.… such stuff as madmen Tongue, and brain not; either both, or nothing, Or senseless speaking, or a speaking such As sense cannot untie. Cymbeline, Act 1, scene v All doctors have noticed that when one of their colleagues, goes over to the other side “€“ Management, I mean “€“ he soon begins to speak a kind of language that is neither colloquial nor technical nor philosophical nor literary nor precise nor poetic nor even quite human, howsoever clearheaded and lucid he may have been beforehand. The transformation usually takes about two weeks, but is then complete. A man becomes a talking robot. A puzzle attaches to this. Do such a man’s utterances correspond to what is going through his mind, or does he have to translate his thoughts into this simulacrum of language? Or has some kind of virus entered his brain that has disarranged its language centres, rather as a stroke does, though in a rather more subtle way? (Has anyone performed post-mortem examinations on the brains of such people as a separate class?) And if his words correspond to his thoughts, how can he, as a man of education and feeling, bear the tedium of it? “Managerialese is both a symptom and a sustainer of a social revolution.” Medical managers are not, of course, the unique victims of this malady. It is pretty widespread in the public service and for all I know (and suspect) in the commercial sector as well, at least in companies large enough to function as bureaucracies. Indeed, it is quite probable that the ultimate source of the malady was those companies, and perhaps the business schools that trained their managers, as primates in the forests of Central Africa were the source of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Infection often escapes its original nidus to infect the surrounding population of the susceptible, in this case (managers in and of the public service) made susceptible by Mrs Thatcher’s ill-fated notion that the public service could be some kind of replica of private business. I was on my way back by train from a murder trial in Manchester when two managers, who began to talk loudly in fluent managerialese, sat down opposite and next to me. Wanting to read, I thought at first to ask them to keep their voices down, but then I decided to take part in what scientists call a natural experiment: I would see how long they could keep it up. In the event, they were still going strong an hour and a quarter later, when I alighted the train. I felt slightly dizzy and relieved to get off. They were either unaware of or unconcerned by the effect they were having on people around them. This was so even though I started to take down what they were saying, without in the slightest disguising what I was doing or that I was listening to every word that they said. The woman in particular spoke almost without stopping: her male interlocutor (and apparently junior in the hierarchy) barely managed more than a few words of incomprehensible jargon at a time. At least a quarter of an hour before I realised what they were managers of I realised that they were managers in the public sector. Their vocabulary, their syntax, their intonation was unmistakable, at least to those who have had previous exposure to it. It could have been the NHS, but equally a local council, a school, the police, the social services: the world was their ring-fenced, blue-skies-thinking, passionately-committed oyster. In fact they worked for the National Union of Students in some bureaucratic capacity. I don”€™t feel guilty about identifying them in this way because they were clearly not trying to keep either what they said or their identity secret, rather the reverse, if they were conscious enough of their behaviour to have been trying anything at all. In short, it was impossible not to overhear them. Pay to Play - Put your money where your mouth is and subscribe for an ad-free experience and to join the world famous Takimag comment board.Update: Following the posting of the original version of this blog the news agency ZENIT updated the transcript of Cardinal Raymond Burke's interview, changing the relevant sentence concerning Catholics who focus on social justice ministry. Instead of referring to a perceived division between ornate liturgies and social justice ministry as a "Communist misconception," the revised text refers to that perceived division as a "common misconception." ZENIT has made the change without adding any additional notes. Edward Pentin, ZENIT's interviewer of Burke, said in a Twitter exchange he had "simply misheard" the cardinal. The original version of the blog post follows. Original story: The cardinal who heads the Vatican's Supreme Court has apparently called Catholics who focus on social justice ministry instead of ornate liturgies akin to communists. Cardinal Raymond Burke, a former archbishop of St. Louis known for a preference for Latin Mass and long robes during liturgies, makes the comments in an interview posted Thursday by the Catholic news agency ZENIT. Sign up for NCR's Copy Desk Daily, and we'll email you recommended news and opinion articles each weekday. Sign Up Now "Some argue the liturgy is mostly about aesthetics, and not as important as, say, good works done in faith," the interviewer asks Burke. "What is your view of this argument that one often hears?" "It’s a Communist misconception," Burke responds. "First of all, the liturgy is about Christ. It’s Christ alive in his Church, the glorious Christ coming into our midst and acting on our behalf through sacramental signs to give us the gift of eternal life to save us." "It is the source of any truly charitable works we do, any good works we do," he continues. "So the person whose heart is filled with charity wants to do good works will, like Mother Teresa, give his first intention to the worship of God so that when he goes to offer charity to a poor person or someone in need, it would be at the level of God Himself, and not some human level." Burke currently serves as prefect of Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and is a member of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, responsible for helping recommend what men should be appointed Catholic bishops around the world.Skip to comments. (Vanity) What's the deal with the GOP blocking the 9/11 First Responders Senate bill? Fox News on YouTube ^ | Dec 17 2010 | Shepard Smith Posted on by VictoryGal I first heard the following on Fox. I am no Shep Smith fan but I was outraged to hear this: "We can't give health care to Ground Zero first responders who ran right into the fire? Went down there to save people? Do people know what this city was like that day? People were walking over bridges, they were covered in ash, they were running for their lives, they were crying, their family members were dead. And these people ran to Ground Zero to save people's lives. And we're not going to even give them medicine for the illnesses they got down there? It's disgusting, it's a national disgrace, it's a shame and everybody who voted against should have to stand up and account for himself or herself." Now, I haven't heard anything about this from Rush, or Sean, or Beck, The Great One, etc. So I looked into it and I was expecting the dumb Democraps, in their race to multiculturalize the military and spend our grandchildren into ChiCom servitude, were blocking this important bill to take care of the heroes. I was SHOCKED to find that it was REPUBLICANS blocking the bill.!!! http://theerant.yuku.com/topic/36730 And I don't know why! We need to call out jerks on OUR side of the aisle when they disrespect American heroes just as we would for treasonous Dims. I am very disappointed in Rush, etc. for not dealing with this bill -- either fighting for its passage or saying why it is a bad deal. FRiends, what in the WORLD is going on? My volunteer firefighter friends back in my native Long Island -- solid conservatives all -- are furious. So am I. TOPICS: KEYWORDS: 911 gop senate Also, can someone explain why NO ONE (I know the MSM won't talk about the heroes -- but our guys??) is talking about this? To: VictoryGal We talked about this days ago when it happened. Sheperd is scum. Should be on MSNBC. This was basically a grandstanding fake bill. Others have more details than I. To: VictoryGal And we're not going to even give them medicine for the illnesses they got down there? I don't know the details of this issue, but I do know hyperbole when I hear it. I suspect there's another side to this story. by 3 posted onby ElkGroveDan (He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!) To: VictoryGal 58,000 people have applied for free lifetime health care and cash payments. To: VictoryGal The expenditures need to be justified by cutting less important spending. yitbos by 5 posted onby bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds." -- Ayn Rand) To: VictoryGal I don't know a lot about what is in the bill. However, I don't think it's really about health care to Ground Zero first responders. After all, these are unionized government workers that have great health care. I think it's about another unfunded payout. To: VictoryGal What else was in the bill or, what piece of undigestible crap legislation was this attached too? To: VictoryGal I just saw something about that on Fox awhile ago. Forget who they were talking to one of the republican Senators. He said it’s because it’s like all the other bills. No one has had time to go through it and look at it as it is written. He said they would take it up when the new congress came in. by 8 posted onby MsLady (If you died tonight, where would you go? Salvation, don't leave earth without it!) To: VictoryGal Is it constitutional for Federal money to go to employees of a city? Yeah, we’re all for state and municipal sovereignty and rights, until it’s feedin’ time from the Federal pig trough. To: VictoryGal Were they federal responders? If not, then the money shouldn’t come from the federal government. That is a city/state responsibility. Let the unions take the money they set aside for political purposes and put it to better use. To: VictoryGal Read elsewhere that this bill is supposed to cover 60000 people (not just first responders) - does anybody know how many first responders make up this list? I think the Dims want to pass a “Socialized Care for NY Unions” using 911 first responders as an excuse. To: Carley Oh so similar to the black farmer payoff debacle. The devil is in the details, and the details are where the evil demorats lurk. It’s there where the answer is. To: Christian Engineer Mass Okay, I missed this when it came out, then. Work has been crazy lately and I have only now caught up with politics today (calling my Senators... not that it did us any good, sadly) If someone has a link as to why this is a bad bill I would like to see it. by 13 posted onby VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender! REMEMBER NEDA) To: ElkGroveDan It had something to do with the fact that no one had read the bill and they didn’t want to vote on it before the Republicans had time to go through the bill. Sounds like another dem trick of cramming another bill through that hasn’t been read yet. Probably full of pork and another way for the dems to blame the reps for being hard hearted. by 14 posted onby MsLady (If you died tonight, where would you go? Salvation, don't leave earth without it!) To: VictoryGal Nobody begrudges legitimate first responders legitimate medical bills being paid. But this is Carte Blanche beyond sanity. Being New York,, it will be scammed 6 ways from sunday and exploited to the hilt. A “first responder” (definition: half of New York State) gets a skin cancer in 15 years later,,, it will be because of 9/11. They all get depression and medically retire. Heart attack,, 9/11. Shingles,,9/11. People are sick of NY milking this for all its worth IMO. This from the people that still haven’t rebuilt it a decade later. Besides, there is another issue. New York state needs to pay their own workers comp claims. And they should sue the Saudis. Wounded soldiers get nothing like the gold plated deal the first responders scam would give. Just my opinion. Ditto for the people like the widows of investment bankers,,etc. Some got millions because their husband died in WTC. If a Lance Corporal died in Afghanistan,, his family might get 50k and a funeral. First reponders deserve not one iota more than a private in the infantry would get. But they would never see that as enough. by 15 posted onby DesertRhino (I was standing with a rifle, waiting for soviet paratroopers, but communists just ran for office) To: VictoryGal Please, they all have health care. They all got paid and were lauded. These are the same guys that worked three or four days straight and would not allow anyone else from other parts of the country to come and relieve them. All for the overtime and now they want more. by 16 posted onby raybbr (Someone who invades another country is NOT an immigrant - illegal or otherwise.) To: VictoryGal This is NOT a First Responders bill....this bill is NOT for the Fireman or Police. It is basically a Union bill. The bill would give free healthcare for life for ANYONE who was near Ground Zero, no proof, no time frame, nothing. It is also a bill for those who were involved in the clean up months afterwards. This bill is so loose with who qualifies that it is a mockery to those who were first responders. Look, my brother was a first responder, NYPD, he was there when the towers fell and for months and months afterwards. By the Grace of God he survived and has few physical medical problems. Some emotional, yes, although not enough to disable him....more to the point that the horror of that day and the months after are so very hard in his head to make anyone actually understand the depth of it. To: VictoryGal If Shep is crying, something good must be happening. Shep’s such a loser. What wrong with you that you watch that flamer? by 18 posted onby ConservativeMind ("Humane" = "Don't pen up pets or eat meat, but allow infanticide, abortion, and euthanasia.") To: VictoryGal I think the argument against is a slippery slope one. Of course, there has never been anything like 9/11, but running into fire is what these people got/get paid for. It is their job. If we start singling out people doing their jobs in difficult circumstances, where does it stop? Coasties rescuing hurricane victims getting special treatment? Cops in NOLA who didn’t take the opportunity to take 5 finger discounts from WalMart getting special consideration? I am sorry if this seems cold, but deciding to be a cop or fireman (or any in many other types of safety-related professions) is acceptance of being in hazardous situations. The word “hero” is already devaluated to the point of having no meaning at all. Let’s not devaluate those who have chosen safety-related professions as well. by 19 posted onby freedumb2003 (Nothing sharpens the mind like not being able to get a job. /Nonstatist) To: VictoryGal My volunteer firefighter friends back in my native Long Island -- solid conservatives all -- are furious. So am I. Did they go to ground zero? by 20 posted onby raybbr (Someone who invades another country is NOT an immigrant - illegal or otherwise.) Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works. FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794 FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John RobinsonPROVO — The BYU Cougars got a nice victory over conference foe Gonzaga Thursday night, giving the Cougars a much better resume as they make their case for a bid to the NCAA tournament in March. While the game was quite the accomplishment for the program, it’s the video that was shown during one of the timeouts that is probably the bigger accomplishment. BYU Hoops got university President Cecil Samuelson and athletic director Tom Holmoe to lip sync to the tune of Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual.” On first take, you have to think that Samuelson is going to dispel some wisdom of truth as he turns his office chair around. Instead, a brilliant lip sync — something not seen every day. The video is a promotion for Saturday’s game against Portland, but who cares about that. Bring on the music. However, I think Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air does the best dance to this song. Maybe put him in the Cosmo outfit and you’ve got yourself one fine video clip. × Related Links“The country’s total wheat production was 3.5 million tons this year, and about 75 percent came from the Syrian Kurdish region,” said Muhammad Omer, agriculture engineer from Derek. Photo: skynewsarabia ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Blessed with good rains but beleaguered by a civil war against the regime that is in its third year, Syrian wheat farmers have managed to pull off the biggest bumper crop in 10 years. Wheat farmers said that yields this year were significantly high in Kurdistan’s Syrian regions, the country’s breadbasket, which were stricken by a severe drought last year. So far, Syria’s Kurds have managed to officially stay out of the war between the regime and opposition forces, largely sparing their fertile regions in the country’s north and east from destruction. “The country’s total wheat production was 3.5 million tons this year, and about 75 percent came from the Syrian Kurdish region,” said Muhammad Omer, agriculture engineer from Derek. The country’s ongoing conflict has shifted the government’s focus toward war, instead of agriculture, and farmers complained that authorities had not provided seeds or fertilizer this year. Muhammad Isa, a Kurdish farmer, said that even with the plentiful rains, it still was a challenge to grow crop without government help. Omer said that, “Farmers couldn’t grow cotton because they didn’t receive seed from the government.” With the country gripped by war and the government in chaos, many farmers sold their crops to private businessmen instead of the government. “Twenty-five percent of the farmers refused to sell their crop to the government, because they were not sure if they would receive payment,” said Isa. Omer said that some farmers still took the risk and sold to the government, afraid that the longer the crop remained unsold, the more it was in danger of being looted by fighters of al-Qaeda’s al-Nusrah Front, which has been fighting Assad’s regime but has also clashed with the Kurds. Isa said that the government had pardoned farmers’s debts in order to encourage them to sell their crop to the government instead of to local businessmen. “The Kurdish businessmen only paid 34,000 lira per ton, whereas the government paid 37,000 lira per ton,” Omer explained. He said that farmers who sold to the government had to also bear the risk of transporting their crops through unsafe regions, and pay the high cost themselves.It’s been six years, but William North can finally say he’s broken the Facebook cycle. The 28-year-old now lives by a strict regime: His iPhone is always in “Do Not Disturb” mode, he only checks his newsfeed three times a week, and he ignores it while out with friends. “If I use it a lot, I find myself becoming a slave to it,” he says. North has a story that will be familiar to many: Tics and habits weaved their way into his life. Some time after he bought the iPhone 4, back in 2010, he started compulsively checking his app notifications. When he realized what was going on, he felt compelled to kick the addiction-like behavior. These habit-forming processes are central to the design of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. There are probably even folks who compulsively check the social feeds for LinkedIn or payment app Venmo. Those endless scrolls are the first things you see in the morning, and one of the last before you go to bed. “People begin to believe that they’re powerless, that the technology is somehow the demon that keeps them doing things they don’t want to do,” explains Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. If it’s not apparent from the title of his book, Eyal doesn’t quite see the problem with
plan to privatize the program. Dorcas Hardy, a commissioner of the SSA during the Reagan administration, is on the Trump administration’s SSA transition team, according to an email The Intercept obtained. Hardy called for privatizing Social Security while at the libertarian Cato Institute in 1995. The Social Security Administration, the federal agency that processes Social Security claims and sends out benefits, does not have the power to reshape the program. It’s up to Congress and the president to make changes such as change benefits. But as Korbey’s 2005 activism shows, SSA’s political appointees can use their perch to advance a sitting administration’s agenda for the program. Naming officials like Leppert, Korbey and Hardy suggests that the Trump administration does not consider Social Security cuts off limits, no matter how many times Trump promised not to touch it on the campaign trail. The Trump transition did not respond to a request for comment on whether Leppert, Korbey or Hardy’s roles indicated that Trump would not be keeping his campaign promise. And Republicans in Congress have long embraced cutting benefits, including by raising Social Security’s retirement age, tinkering with the benefit formula, or privatizing the program. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Vice President-elect Mike Pence both supported George W. Bush’ privatization push in 2005. The effort fizzled amid tepid popular support and Democratic charges that it would leave seniors vulnerable. For his part, Ryan has said he wants to prioritize privatizing Medicare, indicating that addressing Social Security is less urgent. That is not stopping Democrats and their allies, however, from sounding the alarm about the threat a Trump administration poses for Social Security as well. Brad Woodhouse, director of Americans United for Change, an advocacy group that supports Democrats, said in an email the transition team makeup indicated Trump would favor cutting Social Security. “If Trump’s new ‘point man’ on shaping policy for the Social Security Administration is any clue, the American people will be surprised with a plan they didn’t vote for to privatize the system and let Wall Street gamble away their hard-earned benefits, just as President Bush did in 2005,” Woodhouse said.Reddit Post: http://goo.gl/31w6P Firstly, apologies for this mix jumping around this week. My favourites have been a bit eclectic. About this mix: Charles Chaplin seems to belong in the first song, a mashup with Mord Fustang. Afterwards, the mix gets a bit progressive with some Adam K. I finally remembered to put Slam The Door in the weeks mix, so enjoy. Star Wars remix's seem to be getting popular with a remix of Duel of the Fates. Netsky released a new song called Give & Take and gives this mix a DnB flair. The last couple of song stick around 100bpm but none of them seem to sound similar. From Bit Beat to Funk House, I hope you enjoy it. Promotion time: If you've been enjoying the mix's I've been releasing, I ask that you take some time to listen to my Ultra Festival competition entry. And if possible, favourite and share it with your friends. Any help at getting me to UMF would be much appreciated. http://goo.gl/CYJ6bJoe Scarborough lashed out at some conservatives, particularly pundits, for "destroying" the Republican party on Monday. The MSNBC host was reacting to Bill Kristol's recent op-ed, which alleged that parts of American conservativism have become "a racket." Scarborough could not agree more. "You have a lot of people running around, saying harsh things that sell books and push ratings and lose elections," he said on Monday. “Conservatism is a racket for a lot of people to get very, very rich. With no thought of winning elections." He blamed the "anti-intellectualism of the past decade" for what he said were the views that the GOP has become known for, as well as the lack of "intelligent" ideas coming from the party. "These type of people who have the ability to make... the compassionate conservative argument — they're thrown to the side because they don't sound enough like Glenn Beck or a blogger," Scarborough opined. Mike Barnicle wondered if it was possible for someone to break through the "loudness and the shrillness" of voices on both sides. "Do you think any of these people in talk radio, if they're punched in the face by a Republican nominee, do you think they would push back?" Scarborough said. "No, they're cowards, they're bullies. Punch them in the face and they'll back off."In 2009, I published an oddball little piece of nightmare fiction entitled “Acquisition as Deterrent.” In this admittedly oddball story, the unnamed main character has a terrible dream in which he discovers a disturbing secret … That the schedule delays, cost overruns, excessive complexity and ineffective performance frequently associated with American military technology projects are deliberate, not accidental. “Decades ago, we made a strategic decision that American military weapon development projects should be expensive, complex and lengthy,” an imaginary 12-star general explains. “The more time and money we spent, the better. We did this in order to discourage other nations from imitating us.” “It’s a brilliant strategy, really,” the general continues. “By spending billions of dollars and countless decades building hugely complex weapons systems—some of which never work and others of which barely work—we send a not-so-subtle message to our adversaries. ‘You can’t do this.’” “Heck,” he concludes, “we can barely do it—and we’re the United States of America.” Five years later, I’m beginning to wonder if it wasn’t a dream after all. What if American military strategy involves deliberately overspending for the sole purpose of placing weapons out of reach of the rest of the world? What if we spend decades and billions on cancelled and troubled projects, creating the appearance of difficulty and incompetence, in order to deceive our enemies and dissuade them from building advanced jets, tanks and ships? Making the unaffordable status quo appear inevitable creates a strong disincentive to hostile actors, so there is a genuine national benefit to convincing the world advanced weapon systems cannot be built in less than 25 years, even if we could actually do it in 18 months. I like to think this brilliant strategy has a cool codename like Operation BLOAT, short for Budgets Limit Opponent’s Acquisition of Technology. If BLOAT is real—and I hope it is—it explains why Allied pilots never had to engage Taliban pilots in dogfights over Afghanistan and why Al Qaeda never built a fleet of stealth bombers and submarines. In fact, Operation BLOAT ensures the U.S. military will never again face a Soviet-size opponent equipped with a full set of tanks, jets and ships. Any large nation who tries to follow America’s example will have great trouble fielding new gear, particularly if they steal our designs and try to build knock-offs. Meanwhile, smaller nations and assorted terrorist groups won’t even try in the first place. Thus, instead of confronting massive militaries, U.S. forces only have to fight small units equipped with little more than AK-47’s and improvised explosives. Such combat is ugly to be sure, but it’s better than a full-scale World War III. If BLOAT is not our actual strategy, it should be. The defense acquisition community has a longstanding track record of development projects that “require more than 15 years to deliver less capability than planned, often at two to three times the planned cost,” according to a 2011 Harvard Business School report. Since that’s how things are going anyway, why not do it on purpose and reap the strategic benefits? I don’t see any problem with that logic. Also, as my original nightmare story pointed out, BLOAT is entirely consistent with Sun Tzu’s dictum to “appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.” Who am I to argue with Sun Tzu? Just as nuclear missiles accomplished a Cold War deterrent mission without ever launching, today’s wildly expensive and delayed acquisition programs make the world safer without ever delivering a thing. The trick, of course, is to make sure nobody suspects the real motive, which is much easier than it sounds. All the Pentagon has to do is inject enormous delays and cost overruns into otherwise top-priority projects—done! The risks inherent in these delays are tolerable because nobody else can even attempt to build a comparable system—and if they did, they’d fail too. No need for the U.S. to deliver the latest weapon system on time, because nobody else will have one either. In fact, the safest approach is to never deliver anything at all, leading the way for friend and foe alike to also deliver nothing. Acquisition malpractice? More like acquisition best practice. You’re welcome, America.Nov 1 2013 Personae by Sergio de la Pava J.W. McCormack web exclusive Personae: A Novel by Sergio De La Pava University Of Chicago Press $17.00 List Price For more info visit: Amazon • IndieBound • Barnes & Noble "The ensuing is the report of one Detective Helen Tame. I am Helen Tame, the ensuing is my report, and it is not true that this second sentence adds nothing to the first." So begins Personae, the second novel by Sergio De La Pava. Whereas the famous sleuths of golden-age television and airport mystery novels were preeminently concerned with justice, Detective Tame's obsession with "Truth in its multifarious instantiations," and her infatuation with this capital-T subject goes well beyond the letter of the law. Tame's report, concerning the apparent murder of a 111-year-old Colombian writer named Antonio Arce, "ensues" for all of ten pages. After that, we may as well say goodbye to conventional plot and mystery for the duration of the novel. The remainder of the book consists of the following exhibits, clippings, and curios: (1) Three excerpts from the introduction to an article on Johann Sebastian Bach and Glenn Gould by the young Helen Tame, who was a pianist, musicologist, and monographer before she joined the NYPD's homicide division. (2) The fragmentary contents of a notebook salvaged from the crime scene, largely consisting of Arce's line revisions of Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. (3) A short story by Arce scrawled in the margins of an old TV Guide. (4) A play, also by Arce, called Personae, which is by far the largest section of the book. (5) A brief return to Helen Tame, this time in the third-person, which dispenses with her "frame story," such as it is. (6) Two obituaries. (7) A novella entitled Energias: Or Why Today the Sun May Not Rise in the East, Set in the West about existential violence and the superiority of Colombian coffee that is indisputably Arce's (and perhaps De La Pava's) masterpiece. So, Personae is by composition less a novel than it is the kind of manifesto a crazy person binds with a rubber band and mails to NASA or the Library of Congress. It is also the most galvanizing meditation on the possibilities and ramifications of artistic process that I have read in recent memory. The novel proposes whole poetic stratagems in its quest for fuller philosophical understanding, and burrows into the question of how we are bound to each other through music and words—or as De La Pava calls them, "tools that will ultimately tame the world." De La Pava's first novel, A Naked Singularity, was a wildly digressive, dialogue-driven Bush-era social novel about a public defender named Casi in New York City. Originally self-published in 2008 before getting a deluxe re-launch from University of Chicago Press last year, A Naked Singularity was a work of gargantuan ambition, big ideas, and progressive politics that proved to be book-critic catnip. When Casi wasn't sounding out the natural basis of justice with his legal-world cronies, he was pondering Hume while trying to start his car, or lapsing into sustained meditations on the career of welterweight boxing champ Wilfred Benítez. By contrast, Personae, which De La Pava self-published in 2011, and which came out this year from the University of Chicago Press, offers exactitude and pithy axioms. Where just about every move De La Pava made in Naked Singularity felt more or less unprecedented in contemporary fiction, Personae positions itself in the existing canon with its pageant of prose styles that reference (and occasionally improve on) narrative conventions. The baroque continuity of De La Pava's first book is here broken into disparate pomo techniques. Neither naked nor singular, let's call Personae a clothed multiplicity. Most of that multiplicity comes from Arce's writing, which riffs on literary styles like a pianist oscillating between classical and modern. The resulting medley doesn't just mediate on the anxiety of influence, it dramatizes the relationship between reader and writer—in particular, the writer who creates other writers by compelling his readers to take up the pen and respond with their own output, forming a kind of correspondence that transcends death and the passing of time. The piece Arce wrote in the margins of the TV Guide, called "The Ocean," is a modernist reverie about water and sand that recalls Woolf; his play is an absurd piece of theatre a là Beckett or Ionesco wherein interchangeable characters blunder about a universe that deprives them of taking decisive action or gaining concrete knowledge. And his amendments to the English translation of One Hundred Years of Solitude seem like a grammarian's carping until we discover via an obituary that Arce lived through the Colombian Violencia that Márquez fictionalized. (Arce even wrote about the period in his own autobiographical novella, Energias.) Knowing that Arce's writing intersects with influence does nothing to diminish its impact. Instead—in Tame's words— it "order[s] our chaos by sweetening our air," and illuminates an order of artistic succession that harkens back to the earliest aesthetes, who established the concept of beauty through "the accidental melody of wind through gaps in wood." Though Arce—like De La Pava, when he first composed Personae—had "no agent, no prizes, no editor, no book deal," Tame becomes his posthumous disciple and proves perfectly suited to catch the confluence of voices that animate his writing. The younger Tame perhaps best captures the intent behind Arce's work—and De La Pava's—in her article about Bach and Gould, when she writes: Glenn Gould obliterated the line that seeks to separate interpretive art from its creative superior. Consequently, it can be accurately stated that these two men showed Time for the mockery it is and collaborated artfully despite the impediment of more than three centuries' distance and how many intervening people since? Such collaborations exist outside of time, or at least, in persisting over centuries, become a chorus made up of influence, adjustments, and improvements. They become an ongoing conversation between the living and the dead. Perhaps this is why De La Pava was content to self-publish: He knows the living are not the only ones worth writing for. Art, according to Arce's notebooks, is a "purposeful form of play that seeks to illuminate Life," and Segio De La Pava is not fooling around. Eons from the “aw-fuck-it-anyways” tone of other maximalist males like David Foster Wallace or Thomas Pynchon, Personae is serious even when it is droll. De La Pava wants to arm the reader with ideas that can stand up to time (Arce's nemesis) and chaos (Tame's), or at least meet them with heroic composure. I don't think I'm giving much away to say that it doesn't turn out to be much of a murder that Tame is solving. Instead, Personae is a love story about a writer who finds his ideal reader. What's more, the novel suggests that every act of reading can live up to the same standard, and that this futile pursuit qualifies as beauty. JW McCormack is a senior editor at Conjunctions. His articles and book reviews have appeared in Bookforum, The Brooklyn Rail, Publishers Weekly, n+1, and Tin House, among other places. He teaches at Columbia.JuJu Smith-Schuster is back. Ramon Foster and JuJu's teammates celebrated his return in the photo below. Smith-Schuster was not allowed at the team's facility last week after his hit on Vontaze Burfict last Monday night resulted in a one week suspension. The Kid Free. #JuJuFree Chains off A post shared by Ramon Foster (@theramonfoster) on Dec 12, 2017 at 7:24am PST Get your OFFICIAL Pittsburgh Steelers AFC North Champions gear HERE! Despite JuJu's absence, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 506 yards and two touchdowns in Pittsburgh's 39-38 victory over Baltimore. Along with Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell combining to catch 20 passes for 290 yards, the Steelers' tight end duo of Jesse James and Vance McDonald combined to catch 14 passes for 149 yards, as the Steelers consistently took advantage of the middle of the Ravens' defense. Pittsburgh's second round pick out of USC, Smith-Schuster leads all rookie receivers with 33 receptions for 585 yards and five touchdowns.Lord Burns says change would be first step towards an alternative way of funding the corporation Channel 4 chairman Lord Burns has said the BBC should encrypt the iPlayer for licence fee payers only as a first step towards subscription with the licence fee unsustainable in the long term. Burns criticised the corporation for being too wedded to the £145.50 licence fee and said it had ignored alternative forms of funding such as subscription - or “conditional access” - because it could “get away with it”. The Channel 4 chairman was speaking on Thursday after BBC director general Tony Hall outlined his vision for the future of the BBC, saying he had “real confidence in the licence fee. Whatever reform people come up with, they need to answer that question, is there a better way [of funding it] than that 40p a day? I don’t think there is.” But Burns said political downward pressure on the level of the licence fee meant it was unsustainable in the long term. He said the BBC should begin to look at alternative methods of funding, beginning with the iPlayer. “You can either say you can only watch the iPlayer if you have a licence fee, or you can watch the iPlayer without a licence fee if you pay some money,” said Burns, speaking at the Future of the Licence Fee event in London on Thursday. “This is the first big opportunity to move towards conditional access - no pay, no play - but they won’t even think about it because they think it is the first step towards subscription. They will not even think about it because they are so wedded to the licence fee. “All the young people who are watching on their computers [without a licence fee] and don’t realise they are breaking the law, these are the first people who are showing us what is going to happen. The BBC have said they want the iPlayer to be at the centre of the future. Down the road, later in life, everything will be internet based.” The BBC has fiercely resisted any moves towards subscription, saying it would cost £500m to implement and would lead to “first and second class” licence fee payers. But Burns, who oversaw a review of the BBC’s governance a decade ago as an adviser to the then culture secretary Tessa Jowell, said: “The licence fee is effectively a tax … and I am very pessimistic about the ability of the BBC to fund itself long term through a tax. I think the political process is just too difficult. “I spent the best part of 10 years in the Treasury, I know what it is like from that side of the fence. When it comes to the issue of what should happen to BBC income and the licence fee, the pressure is only one way.” He added: “It is not so much about framing present strategy as where you think this is going to be in the long term. Instead of just taking it licence period by licence period and hoping you will get away with it again, it is to look further ahead. We should take opportunities as they emerge, and the iPlayer is the obvious first step.” Burns said he did not expect the licence fee to disappear within the next 10 years because of the problems of adapting existing set-top boxes to take conditional access. James Purnell, the BBC’s director of strategy and digital, said the BBC was “up for a discussion about the modernisation of the licence fee”. But he warned against charging a fee for the online delivery of BBC services. “Online delivery is the future of television, if we were to start charging a subscription that would be locking ourselves into a ghetto of the past,” he said. An estimated 500,000 UK homes do not have a television but watch BBC programmes on-demand on the iPlayer. Hall used a speech in February to say that the licence fee should be extended to iPlayer users without a TV set. Burns’ comments were echoed by former Ofcom chairman, Colette Bowe, who also spoke at the event on Thursday. “It seems like a no-brainer to have a look at conditional access funding for people using certain devices. I mean, why not?” she told the conference. “I haven’t heard a single argument that conditional access for something like the iPlayer would not be a good thing to try. This is the moment the BBC needs to put itself ahead of the argument.” Bowe also said that the BBC should do more in partnership with other public service broadcasters, such as Channel 4. “What I don’t see from Tony Hall is any openness to alternative funding models [or] partnerships with other public service broadcasters,” she said. Documentary maker Roger Graef warned against “tampering with the BBC and the licence fee at your peril”. But Bowe said: “There isn’t a choice with tampering with the licence fee at the moment. The political pressure on licence fee funding is going to be intense. Whether we like it or not there is going to be downward pressure on the licence fee, I don’t think there’s a choice, you have to internalise that and say what do we do about it.” • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook.MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings began the year with a carefully-manicured plan for Teddy Bridgewater's development. They would let him mature as Matt Cassel's backup, away from the pressure that comes with starting as a rookie. Perhaps at some point they would hand him the job -- after their bye week in November, maybe -- but they certainly wouldn't be rushed into anything. That plan lasted all of 2 1/2 weeks until Cassel broke several bones in his left foot. Thrust into the starting job, Bridgewater thrived. Playing with no Adrian Peterson, a depleted offensive line and a receiver group in flux, Bridgewater improved steadily throughout the season, finishing the year with the seventh-highest passer rating (85.2) and third-highest completion percentage (64.4) by a rookie in NFL history. After all that, Bridgewater was voted the NFC North Rookie of the Year by our merry band of NFL Nation writers covering the division. He finished with 14 points, claiming four of the five first-place votes, and beat out teammate Anthony Barr, who received the other first-place vote and wound up with seven points. Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller finished third, Green Bay Packers center Corey Linsley was fourth and Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was fifth. Bridgewater's improvement at the end of the season, and his poise through both the good and bad moments during his rookie year, might be the biggest reasons why the Vikings have so much hope for their future. After his calamitous pro day caused him to drop to the end of the first round, he'd resolved many of the concerns about his accuracy and arm strength by the end of the season. Bridgewater showed a veteran's command of the Vikings' offense, checking into a screen pass that went for a game-winning 87-yard touchdown in overtime Dec. 7 after he used a hard count to get the New York Jets to show their blitz. He already seems to have the confidence of the Vikings' veterans, in addition to their front office and coaching staff. The identity of the team, it seems, will be in his hands. "I think it's no secret in the NFL that the quarterback is the big difference," safety Harrison Smith said Dec. 30. "It's what they talk about on TV all day. Having that position, having a guy like Teddy, who's got all the tools to do it, who's got the mindset, the way the guys feel about him -- he's a guy that's not doing things off the field -- it's huge." Bridgewater has already talked about getting all of his receivers together to work out with him in South Florida this offseason, and the Vikings have plenty of confidence he'll take the next step in Year 2. The way he handled a chaotic rookie season made believers of many in the organization. "Somebody asked me, 'Is he going to take charge?' and all of these things," Zimmer said on Dec. 28. "All I know is, the players on the football team, the coaches, the organization, hopefully the fans, believe in this kid. He gives them hope. The thing that I get impressed with, with him, is he makes other people better around him." Here are the final results from the ballot (first-place votes in parentheses): Teddy Bridgewater 14 (4) Anthony Barr 7 (1) Kyle Fuller 5 Corey Linsley 3 Ha Ha Clinton-Dix 1Just a few days ago was the 24th anniversary of the first X-Files broadcast. I’ve been tinkering with starting my eight or ninth re-watch of the show and this seemed like a good enough motivation to do it. So without further delay, here is my rambling review/recap of The Pilot. Recap Dana Scully, a young, poorly dressed female FBI agent/rational scientist has a meeting with some of her superiors, including a nicotine addict. Said superiors assign her to monitor/spy on Fox Mulder, an eccentric male FBI agent/psychopath who speaks in a bizarrely wooden and high pitched manner and inexplicably is named “Fox”. They are tasked with investigating a bunch of teenagers who appear to really love running into windstorms/light shows in the forest while sporting some wicked lower back mosquito bites. Also they enjoy dying. Mulder suspects/knows it was aliens while Scully has the more rational explanation of “something else happened”. After dealing with some standard issues like turbulence on a plane (which causes Agent Mulder a ridiculous amount of pleasure) and Scully being unable to recognize the sound of a truck, our intrepid agents find themselves driving down the highway when some aliens takes a picture of them with the flash on. Having been so disoriented that they both black out simultaneously for nine minutes, Mulder celebrates this moment by dancing around in the rain. Probably the least odd thing he does all episode. Scully notices some bug bites on her lower back. Deciding that she’s at a certain point in her life that she can’t take the two minutes to get dressed and that she so values the opinion of the lunatic who was just dancing around in the rain after almost having a catastrophic car accident, she heads over to Mulder’s hotel room half-naked. Mulder responds to this attractive woman stripping down for him after three days of knowing her by talking about his sister. Now that Mulder and Scully have skipped about fifteen steps in going from friendly colleagues to ridiculously intimate confidantes, Mulder decides to one-up this by skipping about thirty-three routine investigative steps in solving the mystery. Mulder makes the natural transition from “some bodies were dug up” to “the only POSSIBLE person who could have done this was the boy in a waking coma”. They head back to the woods, Scully gets knocked down for the count, and Mulder witnesses Billy Miles dragging Theresa around to the windstorm/light show because apparently the aliens can summon Theresa to the forest but once there, they need manual laborers who are willing to work the nightshift to physically carry people to a much more specific spot in the forest. Mulder runs into Billy’s father, who’s known all along what’s going on but can’t accept that his son has grown up and gotten a job. Mulder gives him a long and impassioned speech (21 words) about Theresa being in danger from Billy. Heeding his sage words, Billy’s father is now appropriately prepared to murder his son. However, Mulder tackles him which apparently is the one thing the aliens didn’t count on. Having had their plans foiled by seeing their manual laborer’s father being tackled, the aliens release their hold on the land and return to whence they come With the world a safer place, Billy Miles undergoes hypnosis while Mulder, rather than paying any sort of attention, stares at himself in a one-way mirror. Scully, thinking this odd behavior, brushes it off as Mulder being an imbecile and goes to debrief with her superiors. She unknowingly hands them a piece of evidence that the nicotine addict then nefariously hides in the Pentagon. My Take The Pilot is not the X-Files at its best but at least it shows that Chris Carter knew the general layout he wanted for his show. All of the elements are there that the show would fine-tune later; its just things are a bit creaky early on. We have a legitimately intriguing mystery which brings Mulder and Scully to “Ore-Gone” as Duchovny pronounces it. There is an air of menace and foreboding to everything and for the first 35 minutes or so, things are really looking good. But then, its like Chris Carter realized he didn’t have anyway of connecting the dots he wanted to and has Mulder come to an epiphany that doesn’t make sense. (Seriously…watch the scene of them at the graveyard in the rain again and tell me if you can actually track why Mulder thinks its Billy Miles.) Then we have the final set-piece but its like CC didn’t know what to do with it. So he just had the aliens…abandon their plans arbitrarily? Seriously, the last 10 minutes or so in Ore-Gone feel really rushed. “That ending makes no sense.” Grievous plot-holes aside, the characterization is good even if not fully-formed. Scully is a little bit more exuberant than she is later (see her stripping down in a panic for Mulder) and Mulder is a bit more insane than he is later (see his o-face when the plane hits turbulence) but the essence of their characters is there from the beginning. Though in Mulder’s defense, Scully enjoyed the turbulence just as much. Mulder for his part is constantly testing Scully and seeing how she reacts to his bizarre theories and their banter is helped by the fact that David Duchony and Gillian Anderson have great chemistry from the start. Mulder opening up about his sister is well done and Scully shows her integrity in the way she handles her assignment to Mulder; her superiors may want her to just slam Mulder but she objectively recognizes that he is a great investigator. But damn some of the acting this episode is terrible. Thank god Duchovny stopped pitching his voice so high as soon as this episode ended. Gillian is way better but she’s not quite up to her future levels of excellence. Shout-out to the scene of her blatantly flubbing a line (right before she starts laughing in the rain). And the girl who plays Theresa is horrible. All in all, a good episode that lay a strong foundation. By itself, the case becomes confusing towards the end and not in a good way but the episode does a lot of good setup work. Plus the last shot of the Smoking Man is all sorts of awesome. Would CSM be this casual if he was missing his favorite TV show? 65/100 (good)Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world Office Depot, the US stationer that has partnered with Lady Gaga’s ground breaking Born This Way Foundation has been accused of helping the popstar to turn children gay. The bizarre claims have been made by the Florida Family Association following a $1m donation by Office Depot to the foundation. Office Depot is the parent company of the UK’s Viking Direct. The Florida Family Association said that Office Depot is delivering an “irresponsible message to many teens who would have eventually chosen to be straight.” The right-wingers continued: “The one million dollar pledge from Office Depot to the Lady Gaga Born this Way Foundation will influence many teens to embrace homosexuality for their lifetime who may have otherwise worked through their crisis with straight results,” “Thousands of kids who might have otherwise worked through their pubescent sexual identity issues will be inspired to accept the wrong choice based upon this unscientific, emotionally charged propaganda. What’s brave or kind about telling thousands of sexually frustrated teens that they were Born This Way when a high percentage of them would have ended up taking the straight heterosexual path for life?” Bob Moore, Chief Marketing Officer for Office Depot, praised the Born This Way Foundation as “an inspirational organization that has the power to make a difference in the lives of today’s youth.” The store will sell limited edition Born This Way branded goods including bravery braclets among other items. The popstar announced the launch of the foundation last November. She founded the foundation with her mother Cynthia Germanotta, and a number of partners including the John D & Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, the California Endowment and the Berkman Centre for Internet & Society at Harvard University. In a statement at the time Lady Gaga said: “My mother and I have initiated a passion project. We call it the Born This Way Foundation. Together we hope to establish a standard of Bravery and Kindness, as well as a community worldwide that protects and nurtures others in the face of bullying and abandonment.” She added that the foundation will work towards “youth empowerment and equality by addressing issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development and will utilise digital mobilisation as one of the means to create positive change.” Her single Born This Way was hailed as ”the new gay anthem” by Elton John and features lyrics including: “No matter gay, straight, or bi/ Lesbian, transgendered life/ I’m on the right track, baby” and “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen.” Gaga has long been a campaigner against bullying. In September she met with US president Barack Obama to talk about the issue of bullying. The meeting came after a gay teenager, Jamey Rodemeyer killed himself after being bullied. He had previously recorded an ‘It Gets Better’ video and shortly before killing himself posted a line from a Lady Gaga song on his Facebook wall: “Don’t forget me when I come crying to heaven’s door. Paying tribute to the teenager, Gaga told the audience at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas: “I just wanted to take a moment because we lost a little monster this week. Jamey, I know you’re looking down on us and you’re not a victim, you’re a lesson to all of us.”The device, known as a quantum accelerometer, is actually based on a discovery made in 1997. Back then, scientists realized that when you trap a cloud of atoms in a vacuum with lasers, it can be cooled to just above absolute zero. Fast forward to 2014, and a group of researchers at the UK Defense Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down found the frosty atoms can be easily disturbed by an outside force. When you point another laser in the vacuum, you can track the atoms and determine their location based on the force of their movements. In the case of that submarine we mentioned, the "force" it's tracking is the sub rocking back and forth under the sea. The group will test a prototype of the device, which is about the size of shoebox, on land in a stripped-down form in September of 2015. If those trials are successful, we could eventually see the technology used in future vehicles, planes and even smartphones. Image source: GettyUKMasters.gg UK Masters Weekly Cups We here at the UK Masters team are happy to be able to finally announce our new UK Masters Weekly Cups. Jon Kelly Blocked Unblock Follow Following Oct 25, 2017 Starting next week we’ll be welcoming two new titles to the family and bringing back an old favourite in a more laid-back and player-focused environment than our main UK Masters series. The driving force behind these weekly cups is to help drive the online grass-roots esports scenes in the UK, especially during the quiet periods of the domestic tournament circuit. Hopefully these cups will be a platform for bringing new blood into the UK competitive scenes and potentially help some less popular games develop as esports within the community. We’re bringing back an old favourite on Thursday nights with League of Legends. With a successful full season of UK Masters LoL finishing in late August we’re adding a bit of continuity with our open cups as something to tide you guys over, hopefully this will be a great opportunity for old teams to keep their skills sharp and newer teams to get a taste of competitive LoL in the UK. We’ve picked Thursday for League of Legends as it coincides with Belong’s League of Legends Community Night, a great place to either play together with your team or even meet new people to play with in a space designed specifically for gaming. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has become a huge hit in such a short time and we’d be lying if we said the team haven’t dumped a few hundred hours into it already. We’ve toyed around with some custom matches before with different modes and formats and we’re looking foward to being able to run some games as a part of these UK Masters cups each Wednesday evening. As it stands we will be running DUOs only for UK Masters but this may be subject to change, keep your eyes out for news! Let’s put this to rest — Dota 2. Dota’s been a game close to our hearts and with recent successes in the UK regarding the game we’re looking to do our part and measure interest in the game again. There’s literally no reason to not play in our Dota cups starting Tuesday 31st October at 7pm. The prize-pool for League of Legends and Dota 2 is a cool £100 per night, with £70 to 1
D3D9 could ever get. The D3D9 backend was annoying to keep around. Direct3D9 traces its roots all the way back to Direct3D5, the version of DirectX released in 1997. It's loaded with layer after layer of legacy code, making it a pain in the ass to work with. It's old fashioned, complicated, and ugly. Because of this, developers simply didn't want to work on it. And as D3D9 became increasingly different than the other backends due to its incompatibilities, more and more D3D9 bugs popped up requiring more and more of their attention. It was extremely frustrating for the developers. Because of the incompatibility and limitations of Direct3D9, any attempt to fix these bugs would involve complex hacks and messy code, or simply couldn't be done. Furthermore, the D3D9 backend was the oldest backend in Dolphin. D3D11 was written in 2010, and OpenGL was rewritten in 2012/2013. The D3D9 backend, on the other hand, has its roots going all the way back to closed source releases in 2004. It has been patched up, hacked up, beaten and battered all that time. Dealing with all of this old code only adds to the complexity and difficulty of D3D9 support. D3D9: Why the Other Backends Aren't Better¶ Since abandoning plugins in r6996, Dolphin has used a shared videocommon. This massively reduces redundant code in the emulator and makes things easier when adding new features. Unfortunately, this also means that any change in one video backend will affect all of them. With Direct3D9's incompatibility, features added for OpenGL and D3D11 would regularly break the D3D9 backend. Hacks would be written, limitations worked around, or the devs would simply ignore D3D9 altogether and let it break. Worse yet, some features cannot even be added because they would break D3D9 entirely, allowing no such workaround in the meantime. Such features would improve both the accuracy AND speed of Dolphin. The following features are all possible because of the removal of D3D9. e.g. TEV: The most important piece in the Wii's pixel processing pipeline is TEV (Texture EnVironment). Failing to emulate it correctly will make lots of games show up with completely incorrect colors or missing graphics due to incorrect alpha test results (and other things). In particular, most TEV calculations are integer-based. GPUs traditionally used to do all their calculations with floating points and only recently added support for advanced integer math. D3D9 doesn't support many of the features needed for TEV, and such it was required to emulate integer math with floating points. It worked well enough for simple cases, but its slow and doesn't always work (Cf. issues 2098, 5325, 6683, 4570, 6442, 540 just to name a few, there are a lot more) and completely fails for more complex things (e.g. signed 24 bit integer emulation). Direct3D 10.0 and OpenGL 3 work with integers by default, but to implement integer shaders would require a complete rewrite of the shader generators, completely breaking D3D9. TEV working properly in an experimental branch TEV is currently broken in latest master, showing glitches like this in a number of games. With D3D9 around, this would be impossible to fix. Transform Feedback: Vertex Loading is an annoying bottleneck in Dolphin's rendering pipeline, but it could be vastly improved by transform feedback. Which Dolphin can't use it because D3D9 doesn't support it. Compute Shaders: Dolphin could move all texture decoding to compute shaders on the GPU for a nice speed boost; but that's not possible in D3D9. It has no support for compute shaders, and the regular shader pipeline is useless with the D3D9 feature set. TONS of Direct3D11 and OpenGL specific optimizations are blocked by D3D9’s legacy feature set. While it could be possible to implement many them without removing D3D9, it would be far too much work for any of the developers to attempt. Since the removal, a ton of these options are being worked on thanks to the decreased difficulty. Backwards Compatibility¶ A lot of people think that dropping the D3D9 backend means that Dolphin will lose compatibility with Windows XP. That's not true; Windows XP has full OpenGL 3.3 support. The OpenGL backend will continue to work on Windows XP. But the reality is, the developers have no obligation to support a twelve year old operating system. When a deprecated OS is significantly holding back the progress of Dolphin, then it should be dropped. The oldest version of OS X Dolphin currently supports came out just two years ago! Furthermore, the D3D11 backend will work on any graphics card that supports Direct3D10. That means Geforce GTX 8xxx and Radeon 2xxx or newer can all use the D3D11 backend. For the Future¶ Ultimately, the developers are the ones who have to maintain the emulator. They spend hour upon hour of their own time to maintain and improve Dolphin. There is only so much they can do. Removing D3D9 will make Dolphin better, fixing bugs and giving some speed improvements; but most importantly, it will make it easier for the developers to continue to develop Dolphin for years to come. Special thanks to neobrain and degasus for mountains of technical information, Matt_P for clearing site headaches, JMC47 for writing help and proofreading, and Shonumi for help with the imagesThe presidency of Thomas Jefferson began on March 4, 1801, when he was inaugurated as the third President of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1809. Jefferson assumed the office after defeating incumbent President John Adams in the 1800 presidential election. The election was a realigning election in which the Democratic-Republican Party swept the Federalist Party out of power, ushering in a generation of Democratic-Republican dominance in American politics. After serving two terms, Jefferson was succeeded by Secretary of State James Madison, also of the Democratic-Republican Party. Jefferson took office determined to roll back the Federalist program of the 1790s. His administration reduced taxes, government spending, and the national debt, and repealed the Alien and Sedition Acts. In foreign affairs, the major developments were the acquisition of the gigantic Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803, an embargo against trade with both Great Britain and France, and worsening relations with Britain as the United States tried to remain neutral in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars that engulfed Europe. He established a military academy, used the Navy to protect merchant ships from Barbary pirates in North Africa, and developed a plan to protect U.S. ports from foreign invasion by the use of small gunboats (a plan that proved useless when war came in 1812). He also authorized the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory and the Pacific Northwest. During his second term, Jefferson's attention was focused on the trial of then former Vice President Burr for treason, which resulted in an acquittal, and on the issue of slavery, specifically the importation of slaves from abroad. In 1806, he denounced the international slave trade as a "violation of human rights" and called upon Congress to criminalize it. Congress responded by approving the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves the following year. Rising tensions between the United States and Britain dominated the final years of Jefferson's second term, as the Royal Navy began impressing sailors from American ships and attacking American shipping. Jefferson rejected war and instead used economic threats and embargoes that ultimately hurt the U.S. more than Britain. The disputes with Britain continued after Jefferson left office, eventually leading to the War of 1812. Jefferson, whose reputation has ebbed and flowed through the years, has been memorialized in numerous ways. He is, as a result of his contribution in shaping the nation's republican political philosophy, consistently ranked—in surveys of academic historians and political scientists or popular opinion—as one of the nation's most esteemed presidents. Election of 1800 [ edit ] 1800 Electoral College Vote results by state explicitly indicating the number of votes received by top two candidates in each Jefferson ran for president in the 1796 election as a Democratic-Republican, but finished second in the electoral vote to Federalist John Adams; under the rules then in place, Jefferson's second-place finish made him the Vice President of the United States.[1] Jefferson strongly opposed the Federalist program, including the Alien and Sedition Acts, and the nation became increasingly polarized.[2] Jefferson and Adams were once again the major presidential candidates of their respective parties in the 1800 presidential election, and Aaron Burr was the Democratic-Republican Party's vice presidential nominee.[3] Adams's campaign was weakened by unpopular taxes and vicious Federalist infighting over his actions in the Quasi-War.[4] The Democratic-Republicans accused the Federalists of being secret monarchists, while the Federalists charged that Jefferson was a godless libertine in thrall to the French.[5] Under the election system in place at the time, the members of the Electoral College were permitted to vote for two names for president; any tie would be decided in a contingent election in the United States House of Representatives. Jefferson and Burr each received 73 electoral votes, while Adams finished in third place with 65 votes. The House of Representatives, still controlled by the Federalists, held a contingent election in February 1801 to decide whether Jefferson or Burr would accede to the presidency. Though some Federalists preferred Burr, Federalist leader Alexander Hamilton strongly preferred Jefferson. On the thirty-sixth ballot of the contingent election, enough Federalists congressmen abstained from the vote to allow Jefferson to win the presidency.[6] Jefferson regarded his victory as "America's Second Revolution," and he hoped to transform the country by limiting government and weakening the power of elites.[7] Inauguration [ edit ] Jefferson's first inauguration, on March 4, 1801, was the first to be held in the nation's new capital, Washington, D.C.[8] That morning an artillery company on Capitol Hill had fired shots to welcome the daybreak, and in a first for a newspaper, Jefferson gave a copy of his speech to the National Intelligencer for it to be published and available right after delivery.[9] He delivered a 1721 word speech in the United States Capitol's Senate Chamber. He was not a strong speaker, and the audience could barely catch his words, which called for national unity. The speech was widely reprinted and celebrated by Democratic-Republicans across the country as a clear statement of the party's principles.[10] The presidential oath of office was administered by Chief Justice John Marshall.[8] Outgoing President Adams had left the capital earlier that day, and did not attend the ceremony.[11] Administration [ edit ] Cabinet [ edit ] By July 1801, Jefferson had assembled his cabinet, which consisted of Secretary of State James Madison, Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, Secretary of War, Henry Dearborn, Attorney General Levi Lincoln Sr., and Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith. After his decision to pursue the presidency in the contingent election, Burr was excluded from any role in the Jefferson administration. Jefferson sought to make collective decisions with his cabinet, and each member's opinion was elicited before Jefferson made major decisions.[12] Gallatin and Madison were particularly influential within Jefferson's cabinet; they held the two most important cabinet positions and served as Jefferson's key lieutenants.[13] Patronage and the Federalists [ edit ] When Adams took office in 1797, he carried many of outgoing President George Washington's supporters over into his new administration. As a result, there was little change in the federal government during the transition between Washington and Adams, the first presidential transition in U.S. history. With Jefferson's election in 1800, there was a transfer of power between parties, not simply a transition between presidents. As president, Jefferson had the power of appointment to fill many government positions that had long been held by Federalists. Jefferson resisted the calls of his fellow Democratic-Republicans to remove all Federalists from their appointed positions, but he felt that it was his right to replace the top government officials, including the cabinet. He also replaced any lower-ranking Federalist appointees who engaged in misconduct or partisan behavior. Jefferson's refusal to call for a complete replacement of federal appointees under a "spoils system" was followed by his successors until the election of Andrew Jackson in 1828.[14] Judiciary [ edit ] In the final days of his presidency, Adams had appointed numerous federal judges to fill positions created by the Judiciary Act of 1801. Democratic-Republicans were outraged by the appointment of these "midnight judges," almost all of whom were Federalists.[15] Jefferson and his allies sought to reverse the Judiciary Act of 1801, partly because they did not believe the new judicial positions were necessary, and partly to weaken Federalist influence on the courts. Federalists vehemently opposed this plan, arguing that Congress did not have the power to abolish judicial positions that were occupied. Despite these objections, the Democratic-Republicans passed the Judiciary Act of 1802, which largely restored the judicial structure that had prevailed prior to the Judiciary Act of 1801.[16] The Jefferson administration also refused to deliver judicial commissions to some Adams appointees who had won Senate confirmation but had not yet formally taken office. One such appointee, William Marbury, sued Secretary of State Madison to compel him to deliver the judicial commissions. In the 1803 Supreme Court case of Marbury v. Madison, the court ruled against Marbury, but also established the precedent of judicial review, thereby strengthening the judicial branch.[16] Still unhappy with Federalist power on the bench even after the passage of the Judiciary Act of 1802, the Democratic-Republicans impeached district court Judge John Pickering and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase. Federalist congressmen strongly opposed both impeachments, criticizing them as attacks on judicial independence. Pickering, who frequently presided over cases while drunk, was convicted by the Senate in 1804. However, the impeachment proceedings of Chase proved more difficult. While serving on the Supreme Court, Chase had frequently expressed his skepticism of democracy, predicting that the nation would "sink into mobocracy," but he had not shown himself to be incompetent in the same way that Pickering had. Several Democratic-Republican senators joined the Federalists in opposing Chase's removal, and Chase would remain on the court until his death in 1811. Though Federalists would never regain the political power they had held during the 1790s, the Marshall Court continued to reflect Federalist ideals until the 1830s.[17] Jefferson appointed three people to the Supreme Court during his presidency. The first vacancy of Jefferson's presidency arose due to the resignation of Alfred Moore. Determined to appoint a Democratic-Republican from a state unrepresented on the Court, Jefferson selected William Johnson, a young attorney who had previously served as an appellate judge in South Carolina. After the death of William Paterson in 1806, Jefferson appointed Henry Brockholst Livingston, a justice of the New York Supreme Court. After Congress added another seat to the Supreme Court with the Seventh Circuit Act of 1807, Jefferson asked individual members of Congress for their recommendations on filling the vacancy. Though Representative George W. Campbell of Tennessee emerged as the most popular choice in Congress, Jefferson was unwilling to appoint a sitting member of Congress. Jefferson instead appointed Thomas Todd, another individual popular among members of Congress, and who served as the chief justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Jefferson hoped that his appointments would weaken Chief Justice Marshall's influence on the Court, but, with the partial exception of Johnson, his Supreme Court appointments tended to support Marshall's decisions.[18] Jefferson also appointed seven United States circuit court judges and nine United States district court judges. Domestic affairs [ edit ] Jeffersonian democracy [ edit ] After the American Revolution, many Federalists hoped that society would remain largely as it had been during the colonial era, but Jefferson wanted to upend the social order.[19] He advocated a philosophy that historians would later call Jeffersonian democracy, which was marked by his belief in agrarianism and strict limits on the national government. In a world in which few believed in democracy or egalitarianism, Jefferson's belief in political equality for white men stood out from many of the other Founding Fathers of the United States, who continued to believe that the rich and powerful should lead society.[20] Under pressure from Jeffersonian Republicans, states achieved universal white manhood suffrage by eliminating property requirements. Expanding suffrage and the mobilization of ordinary people ensured that individuals outside of the elite class had the opportunity to become government officials, especially in the North.[21] Prior to the 1790s, campaigning was considered an interference on each citizen's right to think and vote independently. Without competition for office, voter turnouts were often low, sometimes fewer than 5 percent of eligible men.[22] With the rise of the two-party system, many regions saw voter participation rise to approximately 20 percent in the 1790s and to 80 percent during Jefferson's presidency. Wood writes, "by the standards of the early nineteenth century America possessed the most popular electoral politics in the world."[23] The egalitarianism of the age extended beyond voting rights, as the practice of indentured servitude declined and traditional hierarchies in employment and education were challenged.[24] In a reflection of his own belief in egalitarianism, Jefferson broke with many of the precedents set by Adams and Washington. Jefferson accepted visitors without regard to social status, discontinued the practice of delivering speeches to Congress in person, and enforced a less formal protocol at White House events.[25] In reaction to the expansion of the franchise, even Federalists began to adopt partisan techniques, such as party organization, newspapers, and the establishment of auxiliary societies.[26] The Federalists peacefully accepted the transfer of power to the Democratic-Republicans in 1800, but most party leaders hoped that it would be just a temporary anomaly. Many Federalists continued to serve in state or local office, though prominent Federalists like John Jay and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney retired from public life. Reflecting the fears of other ambitious young Federalists, John Quincy Adams wrote that the Federalist Party had been "completely and irrevocably abandoned....it never can and never will be revived."[27] As Jefferson's presidency continued, Adams's prediction proved accurate, and the Federalists struggled to compete outside of New England.[28] Fiscal policy [ edit ] Much of Jefferson's early agenda focused on undoing the Federalist program of the 1790s. Upon taking office, he repealed the remaining provisions of the Alien and Sedition Acts and pardoned all ten individuals who had been prosecuted under the acts.[29] He also began dismantling Hamilton's fiscal system with help from Secretary of the Treasury Gallatin.[30] Jefferson's administration eliminated the whiskey excise and other taxes after closing "unnecessary offices" and cutting "useless establishments and expenses".[31][32] After the repeal of these taxes, over 90 percent of federal revenue came from import duties.[33] Despite Jefferson's earlier opposition to the national bank, Gallatin persuaded Jefferson to retain the First Bank of the United States.[34] With the repeal of the Federalist program, many Americans had little contact with the federal government, with the exception of the postal service.[35] Jefferson's ultimate goal was to abolish the national debt, which he believed to be inherently dangerous and immoral.[33] Though Gallatin and Jefferson did not find as much Federalist governmental waste as they had expected, their fiscal cuts and the benign economic conditions that persisted for much of Jefferson's presidency allowed them to run budget surpluses.[36] Jefferson shrank the army and the navy, deeming them largely unnecessary in peacetime.[37] He transformed the navy into a fleet consisting of inexpensive gunboats used only for defense, with the idea that they would not provoke foreign hostilities.[31] His administration discharged numerous soldiers, leaving the army with 3,350 officers and enlisted men.[33] At the end of his two terms, Jefferson had lowered the national debt from $83 million to $57 million.[38] In 1806, believing that the country would soon abolish its national debt, Jefferson proposed enlarging the army and passing a constitutional amendment to explicitly allow Congress to spend funds on internal improvements and education, but these proposals were not acted on by Congress.[39] That same year, Congress authorized the construction of the National Road, a route designed to connect the East Coast to St. Louis, although construction on the road did not begin until 1811.[40] Yazoo controversy [ edit ] In the early 1800s, much of the American frontier was subject to the competing claims of settlers, land speculators, and Native Americans. The Yazoo lands of western Georgia were no exception, and they emerged as point of major tension during Jefferson's administration. In what became known as the Yazoo land scandal, Georgia had engaged in a massive real estate fraud by selling large tracts of Yazoo land before passing a law retroactively invalidating the grants. With the Compact of 1802, the federal government purchased western Georgia (now the states of Alabama and Mississippi), agreed to seek to extinguish all Native American claims in the region, and also agreed to settle all claims against the land from those who had been defrauded in the scandal.[41] In 1804, Jefferson sought to compensate those defrauded in the Yazoo land scandal by giving them some of the lands acquired in the compact, but Congressman John Randolph successfully mobilized opposition to the proposal, castigating it as a giveaway to land speculators. The incident marked the start of a factionalism within the Democratic-Republican Party that would prove problematic for Jefferson and his successors, as Randolph's "tertium quids" freely criticized presidents of their own party.[42] Controversy over the Yazoo lands would continue until 1814, when Congress finally agreed to compensate the claimants.[43] Lewis and Clark and other expeditions [ edit ] Even before the 1803 purchase of the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson had begun planning for an expedition to the lands west of the Mississippi River.[44] Jefferson considered it important for the United States to establish a claim of "discovery" to Oregon Country by documenting and establishing an American presence there before Europeans could establish strong claims.[45] Jefferson also hoped the expedition would discover the long-sought-for Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean, which would greatly promote commerce and trade for the country.[46] In 1804, he appointed his personal secretary Meriwether Lewis, along with William Clark, as the leaders of a western expedition, dubbing it the Corps of Discovery.[47][48] Jefferson chose Lewis to lead the expedition rather than someone with only the best scientific credentials because of Lewis' military experience in the woods and "familiarity with the Indian manners and character." Jefferson possessed the largest collection of books in the world on the subject of the geography and natural history of the North American continent, and before the expedition he tutored Lewis in the sciences of mapping, botany, natural history, mineralogy, astronomy, and navigation.[49] Detailed map drawn by Clark showing route taken by the expedition from the Missouri River to Pacific Ocean depicting rivers, mountains and locations of Indian tribes. In May 1804, the Corps of Discovery, consisting of about 40 men, departed from St. Louis and traveled up the Missouri River.[50] Guided by Sacagawea and various Native American tribes along the way, the expedition, traveling on the Columbia River, reached the Pacific Ocean by November 1805. After the winter thaw the expedition began their return trip on March 22, 1806, and returned to St. Louis on September 23 that year, adding a wealth of scientific and geographical knowledge of the vast territory, along with knowledge of the many Indian tribes.[51] Two months after the expedition's end, Jefferson made his first public statement to Congress giving a one sentence summary about its success before asserting the justification for the expenses involved.[46] The American Philosophical Society ultimately became the repository for many of the expedition's findings, including seeds, fossils, plant, and other specimens.[52] In 1808, businessman John Jacob Astor established a transcontinental fur trading company, and in 1811 his company established Fort Astoria, the first American settlement on the Pacific Coast.[53] In addition to the Corps of Discovery, Jefferson organized other western exploration expeditions, some of which traveled through Spanish territory.[54] William Dunbar and George Hunter led an expedition on the Ouachita River, Thomas Freeman and Peter Custis led the Red River Expedition, and Zebulon Pike led the Pike Expedition into the Rocky Mountains and the Southwest.[55] All of the exploration expeditions sent out under Jefferson's presidency produced valuable information about the American frontier.[55] National military academy [ edit ] Jefferson strongly felt the need for a national military university that could produce a competent officer engineering corps that would not have to rely on foreign sources for top grade engineers.[56] An academy would also help to replace many of the Federalist officers who Jefferson dismissed when he took office.[57] Jefferson signed the Military Peace Establishment Act on March 16, 1802, thus founding the United States Military Academy at West Point. The Act documented in 29 sections a new set of laws and limits for the military.[58] Twelfth amendment [ edit ] In reaction to the Electoral College tie between Jefferson and Burr in 1800, Congress approved an amendment to the United States Constitution providing a new procedure for electing the president and vice president, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification in December 1803. The Twelfth Amendment was ratified by the requisite number of states (then 13) to become part of the Constitution in June 1804.[59] Admission of Ohio [ edit ] One new state, Ohio, was admitted to the Union while Jefferson was in office. The exact date upon which Ohio became a state is unclear. On April 30, 1802 the 7th Congress had passed an act "authorizing the inhabitants of Ohio to form a Constitution and state government, and admission of Ohio into the Union." On February 19, 1803 the same Congress passed an act "providing for the execution of the laws of the United States in the State of Ohio." Neither act, however, set a formal date of statehood. An official statehood date for Ohio was not set until 1953, when the 83rd Congress passed a Joint resolution "for admitting the State of Ohio into the Union", which designated March 1, 1803, as that date.[60] It was the first state created from the Northwest Territory. Foreign affairs [ edit ] Barbary War [ edit ] The Barbary Coast of North Africa 1806. The map left is Morocco at Gibraltar, the center map is Tunis; right, Tripoli stretches east For decades prior to Jefferson's accession to office, the Barbary Coast pirates of North Africa had been capturing American merchant ships, pillaging valuable cargoes and enslaving crew members, demanding huge ransoms for their release.[61] Before independence, American merchant ships were protected from the Barbary pirates by the naval and diplomatic influence of Great Britain, but that protection came to end after the colonies won their independence.[62] In 1794, in reaction to the attacks, Congress had passed a law to authorize the payment of tribute to the Barbary States. At the same time, Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794, which initiated construction on six frigates that became the foundation of the United States Navy. By the end of the 1790s, the United States had concluded treaties with all of the Barbary States, but weeks before Jefferson took office Tripoli began attacking American merchant ships in an attempt to extract further tribute.[63] Jefferson was reluctant to become involved in any kind of international conflict, but he believed that force would best deter the Barbary States from demanding further tribute. He ordered the U.S. Navy into the Mediterranean Sea to defend against the Barbary Pirates, beginning the First Barbary War. The administration's initial efforts were largely ineffective, and in 1803 the frigate USS Philadelphia was captured by Tripoli. In February 1804, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur led a successful raid on Tripoli's harbor that burned the Philadelphia, making Decatur a national hero.[64] Jefferson and the young American navy forced Tunis and Algiers into breaking their alliance with Tripoli which ultimately moved it out of the war. Jefferson also ordered five separate naval bombardments of Tripoli, which restored peace in the Mediterranean for a while,[65] although Jefferson continued to pay the remaining Barbary States until the end of his presidency.[66] Louisiana Purchase [ edit ] The 1803 Louisiana Purchase totaled 827,987 square miles (2,144,480 square kilometers), doubling the size of the United States. Jefferson believed that western expansion played an important role in furthering his vision of a republic of yeoman farmers. By the time Jefferson took office, Americans had settled as far west as the Mississippi River, though vast pockets of land remained vacant or inhabited only by Native Americans.[67] Many in the United States, particularly those in the west, favored further territorial expansion, and especially hoped to annex the Spanish province of Louisiana.[68] Given Spain's sparse presence in Louisiana, Jefferson believed that it was just a matter of time until Louisiana fell to either Britain or the United States.[69] U.S. expansionary hopes were temporarily dashed when Napoleon convinced Spain to transfer the province to France in the 1801 Treaty of Aranjuez.[68] Though French pressure played a role in the conclusion of the treaty, the Spanish also believed that French control of Louisiana would help protect New Spain from American expansion.[69] Napoleon's dreams of a re-established French colonial empire in North America threatened to reignite the tensions of the recently concluded Quasi-War.[68] He initially planned to re-establish a French empire in the Americas centered around New Orleans and Saint-Domingue, a sugar-producing Caribbean island in the midst of a slave revolution. One army was sent to Saint-Domingue, and a second army began preparing to travel to New Orleans. After French forces in Saint-Domingue were defeated by the rebels, Napoleon gave up on his plans for an empire in the Western Hemisphere.[70] In early 1803, Jefferson dispatched James Monroe to France to join ambassador Robert Livingston in purchasing New Orleans, East Florida, and West Florida from France.[71] To the surprise of the American delegation, Napoleon offered to sell the entire territory of Louisiana for $15 million.[72] The Americans also pressed for the acquisition of the Floridas, but under the terms of the Treaty of Aranjuez, Spain retained control of both of those territories. On April 30, the two delegations agreed to the terms of the Louisiana Purchase, and Napoleon gave his approval the following day.[73] After Secretary of State James Madison gave his assurances that the purchase was well within even the strictest interpretation of the Constitution, the Senate quickly ratified the treaty, and the House immediately authorized funding.[74] The purchase, concluded in December 1803, marked the end of French ambitions in North America and ensured American control of the Mississippi River.[75] The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States, and Treasury Secretary Gallatin was forced to borrow from foreign banks to finance the payment to France.[76] Though the Louisiana Purchase was widely popular, some Federalists criticized it; Congressman Fisher Ames argued that "we are to spend money of which he have too little for land of which we already have too much."[77] Burr conspiracy [ edit ] Having been dropped from the 1804 Democratic-Republican ticket, Burr ran for the position of Governor of New York in an April 1804 election. Following his defeat in that election, Burr challenged Federalist Party leader Alexander Hamilton, whom he accused of having made defamatory remarks, to a duel.[78] On July 11, 1804, Burr mortally wounded Hamilton in a duel at Weehawken, New Jersey.[79] Hamilton had been a key factor in Burr's defeat in running in the 1804 New York gubernatorial election.[79] Hamilton had made callous remarks regarding Burr. Believing his honor had been offended, Burr had challenged Hamilton to a duel in which Hamilton was mortally wounded. Burr was indicted for Hamilton's murder in New York and New Jersey causing him to flee to Georgia, although he remained President of the Senate during Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase's impeachment trial. The two Burr indictments were "quietly allowed to die".[79] After Aaron Burr was disgraced in the duel of 1804 and his own presidential ambitions were ended, he was reported by the British ambassador as wanting to "effect a separation of the western part of the United States [at the Appalachian Mountains]". Jefferson believed that to be so by November 1806, because Burr had been rumored to be variously plotting with some western states to secede for an independent empire, or to raise a filibuster to conquer Mexico. At the very least, there were reports of Burr's recruiting men, stocking arms, and building boats. New Orleans seemed especially vulnerable, but at some point, the American general there, James Wilkinson, a double agent for the Spanish, decided to turn on Burr. Jefferson issued a proclamation warning that there were U.S. citizens illegally plotting to take over Spanish holdings. Though Burr was nationally discredited, Jefferson feared for the very Union. In a report to Congress January 1807, Jefferson declared Burr's guilt "placed beyond question". By March 1807, Burr was arrested in New Orleans and placed on trial for treason in Richmond, Virginia, with Chief Justice John Marshall presiding. On June 13, Jefferson was subpoenaed by Burr to release documents that favored Burr's defense.[80] Jefferson stated he had no loyalty to Burr and only released a few documents Burr had requested having invoked executive privilege.[80] Jefferson refused to appear at Burr's trial.[80] The weak government case led to Burr's acquittal, but with his reputation ruined he was never able to mount another adventure.[81] Burr later died on his Staten Island residence in October 1836.[82] Florida and Haiti [ edit ] The Prairie Dog is an anti-Jefferson satire, relating to Jefferson's covert negotiations for the purchase of West Florida from Spain in 1804. is an anti-Jefferson satire, relating to Jefferson's covert negotiations for the purchase of West Florida from Spain in 1804. After early 1802, when he learned that Napoleon intended to regain a foothold in Saint-Domingue and Louisiana, Jefferson proclaimed neutrality in relation to the Haitian Revolution. The U.S. allowed war contraband to "continue to flow to the blacks through usual U.S. merchant channels and the administration would refuse all French requests for assistance, credits, or loans."[83] When Jefferson's concerns related to the balance of power in the Caribbean, the "geopolitical and commercial implications" of Napoleon's plans outweighed his fears of a slave-led nation.[84] After the rebels in Saint-Domingue proclaimed independence from France in the new republic of Haiti in 1804, Jefferson refused to recognize Haiti as the second independent republic in the Americas.[85] In part he hoped to win Napoleon's support over the acquisition of Florida.[86] American slaveholders had been frightened and horrified by the slave massacres of the planter class during the rebellion and after, and a southern-dominated Congress was "hostile to Haiti."[87] They feared its success would encourage slave revolt in the American South. Historian Tim Matthewson notes that Jefferson "acquiesced in southern policy, the embargo of trade and nonrecognition, the defense of slavery internally and the denigration of Haiti abroad."[88] According to the historian George Herring, "the Florida diplomacy reveals him [Jefferson] at his worst. His lust for land trumped his concern for principle."[89] The United States in 1805, two years after the Louisiana Purchase Jefferson's non-recognition of Haiti did little to advance his goal of acquiring East Florida and West Florida, which remained under the control of Spain. Jefferson argued that the Louisiana Purchase had extended as far west as the Rio Grande River, and had included West Florida as far east as the Perdido River. He hoped to use that claim, along with French pressure, to force Spain to sell both West Florida and East Florida. In 1806, he won congressional approval of a $2 million appropriation to obtain the Floridas; eager expansionists also contemplated authorizing the president to acquire Canada, by force if necessary.[90] In this case, unlike that of the Louisiana Territory, the dynamics of European politics worked against Jefferson. Napoleon had played Washington against Madrid to see what he could get, but by 1805 Spain was his ally. Spain had no desire to cede Florida, which was part of its leverage against an expanding United States. Revelations of the bribe which Jefferson offered to France over the matter provoked outrage and weakened Jefferson's hand, and he subsequently gave up on Florida.[91] Native American relations [ edit ] In keeping with his Enlightenment thinking, President Jefferson adopted an assimilation policy towards American Indians known as his "civilization program" which included securing peaceful U.S. – Indian treaty alliances and encouraging agriculture. Jefferson advocated that Indian tribes should make federal purchases by credit holding their lands as collateral for repayment. Various tribes accepted Jefferson's policies, including the Shawnees led by Black Hoof and the Creek. However, Jefferson dreamed of a transcontinental nation, and he became increasingly skeptical of assimilation efforts. As his presidency continued, Jefferson prioritized white settlement of the western territories over peaceful assimilation.[92] When Jefferson assumed power, the Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leading raids against American settlements in the Ohio Valley, with munitions provided by British traders in Canada. Attempting to form a confederation of Indian people in the Northwest Territory, the two brothers would be a continual source of irritation to westward settlers. The Indian Nations followed Tenskwatawa (the Shawnee Prophet and the brother of Tecumseh) who had a vision of purifying his society by expelling the "children of the Evil Spirit" (the American settlers).[93] The success of the Indians gave Britain hope that it could create an Indian satellite nation in parts of the American territory.[94] The raids became a major cause of the later War of 1812.[95] Slave trade [ edit ] In the 1790s, many anti-slavery leaders had come to believe that the institution of slavery would become extinct in the United States in the foreseeable future. These hopes lay in part on the enthusiasm for the abolition of slavery in the North, and in the decline of the importation of slaves throughout the South. The Constitution had included a provision preventing Congress from enacting a law banning the importation of slaves until 1808.[96] In the years before Jefferson took office, the growing fear of slave rebellions led to diminished enthusiasm in the South for the abolition of slavery, and many states began to enact Black Codes
few if any have ever received a proper burial by the Western forces. In addition, many of the members of SEAL Team 6, the Navy Special Forces team that was involved in the Bin Laden raid, were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, thus eliminating many of the voices that could have corroborated or discredited the alleged operation in the future.[3] Hillary Clinton’s role in the operation is shrouded in political grandstanding. According to her book, Hard Choices, much of which centered around the Bin Laden killing, Clinton bragged about being one of the masterminds of the plan to assassinate the phantom Bin Laden. Her actual role may have been much less significant but, given the fact that the act of propaganda was so well-received by the American voting public, Clinton has aggressively attached herself to it. One need only consider how she was presented in the press prior to the release of her book. The Washington Post writes, Through weeks of sometimes heated White House debate in 2011, Clinton was alone among the president’s topmost cabinet officers to back it. Vice President Biden, a potential political rival for Clinton in 2016, opposed it. So did then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. “What she looks like is someone decisive, smart and risk-taking in the right way,” said Robert Shrum, a top strategist on the presidential campaigns of Al Gore and John F. Kerry. “This wasn’t about risking thousands or tens of thousands of American troops. This was about taking a risk that if it failed would hurt her and the president, but it’s the kind of thing you do if you are president or if you are secretary of state.” Privately, Republican strategists questioned whether Clinton is taking more credit than she deserves for the successful raid. But even America Rising, the leading Republican super PAC attacking Clinton in the run-up to 2016, stopped short of publicly criticizing her role in the bin Laden operation.[4] Yet much of Clinton’s involvement in the affair was urban legend. For instance, the famous photograph of a solemn Hillary sitting in the Situation Room along with Obama, Biden, and other members of the White House Security team was one which was repeatedly used by Clinton for political gain. The photo showed Hillary with her hand clasped over her mouth, appearing anxious, as if she were watching some horrible or important event. In true Hillary fashion, however, her recall shifted depending on the day and the audience being addressed.[5] For instance, early on, when American bloodlust was at its height, she attempted to make herself look stronger by insisting that she was not steeling herself for the horror she was watching, but merely covering up a cough. “I am somewhat sheepishly concerned that it was my preventing one of my early spring allergic coughs. So, it may have no great meaning whatsoever,” she said.[6] Later, when her campaign staff wanted to present a kinder more caring Clinton, she said “We watched it all in real time, the helicopters that landed in the courtyard of Osama’s compound, our SEALs that attacked the building, the helicopter’s tail that hit the wall, but succeeded in touching down regardless and I closed my mouth to keep my heart from coming out of my throat.”[7] Of course, there are some problems with the second statement because, according to CIA Director, Leon Panetta, there was no way that the individuals photographed in the Situation Room could have witnessed the attack live because the feed had been cut about 25 minutes or so before the SEALs even entered the building. In an interview with PBS, Panetta stated, “Once those teams went into the compound I can tell you that there was a time period of almost 20 or 25 minutes where we really didn’t know just exactly what was going on. And there were some very tense moments as we were waiting for information.” [8] While Panetta certainly did not intend to break with the rest of the Obama administration in their official narrative (which had been constructed carefully not to say that these “leaders” were watching the Bin Laden execution in real time but instead strongly implying it), the fact is the photos were entirely staged. Notes: [1] Griffin, David Ray. Osama Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive? Olive Branch Press. 2009. [2] Burke, Jason. “Frankenstein The CIA Created.” The Guardian. January 17, 1999. Accessed on August 31, 2015. [3] Berger, Judson. “House Panel Probing Chopper Crash That Killed SEAL Team 6 Members.”FOX News. July 25, 2013. Accessed on August 31, 2015. [4] Gearan, Anne; Rucker, Philip. “Bin Laden Raid Expected To Be A Centerpiece Of Hillary Clinton’s Memoir.” The Washington Post. June 2, 2014. Accessed on August 31, 2015. [5] Coscarelli, Joe. “Hillary Clinton Flip-Flopping On Bin Laden Raid ‘Cough.’” New York Magazine. June 20, 2014. Accessed on August 31, 2015. [6] Hall, Carrie. “Video: Clear Communications In Family Business Lead To Effective Governance.” Forbes. July 20, 2015. Accessed on August 31, 2015. [7] Horowitz, Jason. “Clinton’s Cough Was Really A Gasp.” The Caucus. June 20, 2014. Accessed on August 31, 2015. [8] Swinford, Steven. “Osama Bin Laden Dead: Blackout During Raid On Bin Laden Compound.”The Telegraph. Accessed on August 31, 2015. Via Activist PostRick Bowmer/AP OPB obtained audio of a conversation Friday morning from one of the four remaining occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The remaining militants inside are David Fry of Blanchester, Ohio, husband and wife Sean and Sandy Anderson of Janesville, Wisconsin, and Jeff Banta of Elko, Nevada. During the conversation, Sean Anderson said the group is not going to negotiate with the FBI at this time, and they are prepared to wait until all their supplies are depleted. He also said that the militants don’t plan to shoot at law enforcement unless they are shot at first. According to the conversation and other details obtained from Fry’s family members, a deal with the FBI seemed to be in place Thursday, but it required Sean Anderson to turn himself in to the police. His wife, Sandy, refused to leave him. Fry and Banta were said to have accepted the negotiated deal, but because of Sandy Anderson’s refusal, the four made a pact to stay together until the end of the standoff. In a new video released Friday, Fry said he and the other militants were testing the negotiation boundaries when they asked the FBI to be released without charges. “I wanted to see how flexible the FBI was. Could they make it possible for all of us to get out of here without charges?” Fry said in the video. “Obviously, that’s not going to happen.” Fry also brought up the idea of being pardoned if he and the other militants were arrested. He said if the militants were pardoned, they would go home. The FBI, according to the militants, is prepared to wait them out if necessary, and negotiations are not moving forward at this time.Today, the US Patent & Trademark Office published an official letter that was sent to Apple regarding their trademark application for "Touch ID" having been refused by their trademark examiner. Noteworthy is the fact that the letter was originally sent to Apple on May 7 and only made public today. That's over a two month delay. The case against Apple's Touch ID being registered seems to be solid and valid. Apple officially has six months to reply to USPTO with a work-around remedy or risk automatic trademark abandonment. With Apple likely to add their Touch ID feature to new iPads this fall, it'll be interesting to see how Apple reacts to this latest news. Refusal based on "Likelihood of Confusion" The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has refused to register Apple's "Touch ID" trademark based on there being a likelihood of confusion with the mark in U.S. Registration No. 2735480 as noted below. USPTO states that "Trademark Act Section 2(d) bars registration of an applied-for mark that so resembles a registered mark that it is likely that a potential consumer would be confused or mistaken or deceived as to the source of the goods and/or services of the applicant and registrant. In this case, the following factors are the most relevant: similarity of the marks, similarity of the goods and/or services, and similarity of trade channels of the goods and/or services. The overriding concern is not only to prevent buyer confusion as to the source of the goods and/or services, but to protect the registrant from adverse commercial impact due to use of a similar mark by a newcomer. Applicant's mark is "KRONOS TOUCH ID". Registrant's mark is "TOUCH ID." Applicant's mark is similar in appearance and sound to registrant's mark in that they both share the common terms TOUCH ID. The mere deletion of wording from a registered mark may not be sufficient to overcome a likelihood of confusion. Applicant's mark does not create a distinct commercial impression because it contains the same common wording as the registered mark, and there is no other wording to distinguish it from the registered mark. In this case, applicant's mark merely deletes "KRONOS" from the registered mark. In this case, both the individual components and the composite result are descriptive of applicant's goods and/or services and do not create a unique, incongruous, or non-descriptive meaning in relation to the goods and/or services." All in all, USPTO's letter (Office Action Outgoing) to Apple covered the following: 1a. Likelihood of Confusion; 1b. Applicant's mark and Registered Mark are Similar; 1c The Goods are Related; 2a Refusal – Merely Descriptive; and 2b Identification of Goods – Infinite Wording. An interesting point made by USPTO was in regard to "Infinite Wording." According to USPTO "In the identification of goods, applicant must use the common commercial or generic names for the goods, be as complete and specific as possible, and avoid the use of indefinite words and phrases. If applicant uses indefinite words such as "accessories," "components," "devices," "equipment," "materials," "parts," "systems" or "products," such words must be followed by "namely," followed by a list of the specific goods identified by their common commercial or generic names." This is a point that we've made on several of Apple's trademark applications. They file some trademarks under International Classes with infinite wording. Everything is thrown at the trademark class with no distinction. Some classes would throw in everything but the kitchen sink and use descriptive terms like electric socks, dog whistles, and electrified fences when dealing with something such as "maps." In most cases the trademark is unique enough that USPTO will register it in spite of the "infinite wording" clause. However, in a case such as this current one, this particular practice of Apple's has to be called into question. Apple has six months (up to Nov.7) to either fix their fingerprint trademark Touch ID problems as outlined by USPTO – which would likely require renaming this feature – or make Kronos an offer that they simply can't refuse to take ownership of the trademark. Time will tell which direction Apple will take. Patently Apple presents a basic summary of new trademark filings with their associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each such trademark is revealed by the U.S. and/or other foreign Patent & Trademark Offices. This category covers a few Industrial Design reports each year while others could be found in our granted patent archives. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any trademark application should be read in its entirety for further details. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments.Is Russiagate as big as Watergate? One thing is certain: The truth is out there, to quote just one T-shirt. Amid all the chaotic struggles and cataclysmic disasters that dominate the news cycle, Robert Mueller’s investigation of the ties between Donald Trump’s presidential run and Russia is forging ahead, as inevitable as the tide. Mueller has already seated two grand juries, one in Virginia and one in Washington D.C. The consensus seems to be that the grand juries point to the inevitable endgame in which more than one person will be indicted from this investigation eventually. If Trump and his team are not guilty of collusion with Russia, then a stunning number of actions on their part over the past year are impossible to explain. Here are events and actions by Trump and his staff which defy all logic, unless they came out of an intent to use Russian influence to sway American Democracy: #1: Why did Trump fire FBI Director James Comey? James Comey, while investigating the ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, was fired May 9th, 2017, in a news event that casts a long shadow over the Trump administration even now. Official White House statements initially claimed that Trump fired Comey based on recommendations from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, centering on Comey’s alleged botched handling of a Clinton investigation and claims the FBI was in “turmoil.” Later Trump himself contradicted these stories, most notably in a May 11th interview with NBC News, where Trump admits he was going to fire Comey regardless of recommendation, and that it was over “this Russia thing.” Later Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee citing numerous incidents where Trump attempted to persuade Comey to drop his investigations into Russia ties. #2: Why did Trump fire Acting Attorney General Sally Yates? Sally Yates, Acting Attorney General, was one of the first to blow the whistle on National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s ties to foreign influence and the first career casualty of the Trump administration. The official White House statement claimed Yates was fired for opposing Trump’s Muslim travel ban. Yates would go on to likewise testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, pointing out that her concerns that Flynn was compromised were never honored. #3: Why did Trump tweet threats against both Comey and Yates when they were scheduled to testify before the Senate? Hours before both Senate hearings for Yates and Comey, Donald Trump posted cryptic tweets which could amount to attempts at witness intimidation: Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Counsel. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017 James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017 This second tweet led James Comey to utter the famous phrase before the Senate “Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” which spawned its own Internet meme. #4: Why did Michael Flynn offer to testify in exchange for immunity? When Michael Flynn was forced to resign after his numerous shady dealings with foreign countries came to the fore, Flynn made the shocking jump to offering to testify in exchange for immunity. In his attorney’s words, Flynn “certainly has a story to tell.” In Michael Flynn’s own words, immunity “means you probably committed a crime.” To this day, we still do not know all of that story Flynn has to tell. Various investigative bodies seem to be confident that they can find out everything without Flynn’s cooperation, and they’d rather have the door open to prosecuting Flynn. #5: Why is Carter Page now refusing to testify before the Senate? Trump Foreign Policy Advisor Carter Page is the darling star of the infamous Steele Dossier, as an alleged courier between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Page has spent the time since then just about doing somersaults to flip-flop on his degree of cooperation with the investigation. First he said he would testify. Now he won’t and will ask for immunity. He also denies that he refused to testify. And that’s not mentioning the lawsuit he’s filed against the Steele Dossier claiming slander. Which may be a tough charge to prove since the FBI has had a FISA warrant to monitor Page’s activity all this time. #6: Why did Jared Kushner try to set up a back-channel with Russia? Jared Kushner, whose sole point of qualification for working on the taxpayer dime right now is that he’s the son-in-law of Donald Trump, failed to disclose countless Russian ties and contacts on his security clearance applications. Since then we keep finding out more things Kushner didn’t tell us, including his personal email account, his investments with Goldman Sachs, and, most shockingly, his attempt to set up a back-channel phone line with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Calls for Kushner to step down have so far gone unheeded, even from Trump’s own legal team. #7: What happened at the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Don Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya? The June 9th Trump Tower meeting has become so notorious that it gets its own Wikipedia page. After the story broke, initial claims were that the meeting was to discuss nothing but Russian adoption policies. It’s since become apparent that Trump’s son Don Jr., Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort attended, and the meeting was arranged, according to the infamous “I love it” email exchange, to share dirt on opponent Clinton. #8: Why hasn’t Trump enacted any of the Russian sanctions directed by the Congressional bill? Back in August of 2017, Trump was all but held at gunpoint by Congress to sign a new bill enacting further sanctions against Russia. He did, but Trump and his White House staff loudly protested the bill to anyone who would listen. Trump has since blown off the deadline to enact the sanctions. Oddly enough, he seems to not have gotten around to it. #9: Why did the FBI raid Paul Manafort? Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort could generate a list of twenty questions all by himself, if not a book or two. But the FBI no-knock raid on Manafort’s home is as good a place to start as any... Manafort himself has been the subject of so many charges and allegations that it turns out over eleven years of activity is being investigated just to address the scope of it. Manafort was also the subject of an FBI FISA warrant that even included secretly wiretapping him, both before and after the election. We haven’t come close to finding out everything that raised suspicions about Manafort, so we’ll have to wait for it to come out in court. But the words of his own daughter, calling her father’s earnings “blood money,” are chilling. #10: Why did Mike Pence ignore warnings on Michael Flynn’s foreign connections? Along with the rest of the issues everyone seemed to be raising to everyone else about Michael Flynn, Mike Pence was personally warned, yet later denied knowing anything about Flynn. The story around Pence has since prompted the old Watergate meme “What did he know and when did he know it?” That’s because Pence was in charge of the White House transition team when the Trump administration was moving in. If Flynn, Manafort, Trump, and all go down over Russiagate, this ensures that Pence goes down with them. #11: Why did Jeff Sessions meet with Russian ambassador Kislyak and then lie about it? At Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ Senate confirmation hearing he insisted “I did not have communications with the Russians.” That turned out to not only be false, but caught-on-camera-false: #12: Why did Russia run an ad and social media campaign to influence the general election? Most recent news is still developing over Russia’s massive media involvement with the 2016 US election, in YouTube ads, GMail ads, and a Facebook campaign. This turns out not to be a case of a few casual online trolls, but a massive, coordinated propaganda mission. #13: Why did Devin Nunes try to derail the investigation with his “unmasking” claims, only to be later recused? House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes was caught up in his own investigation by the House Ethics Committee for his numerous attempts to sideline the Russiagate story. He started the great “unmasking” hunt which wasted a lot of energy during the early Senate and House Committee investigations. Nunes has since been forced to recuse himself from involvement in Russia-related investigation matters. #14: Why did Roger Stone know so much about Wikileaks dumps before they happened? Trump Campaign Advisor (and Paul Manafort business partner) Roger Stone has a career in politics on the wrong side of history going back to Watergate itself, as a Nixon “dirty trickster.” Throughout the Trump campaign, Stone seemed to have a crystal ball when it came to predicting Wikileaks dumps that would harm the Clinton campaign. It later came out that Stone communicated with Russian hacker “Guccifer 2.0,” which has since been downplayed by Stone and the White House. No matter, Stone is now getting subpoenaed. #15: Why did Donald Trump repeatedly deny even doing business with Russia on the campaign trail? Here’s Donald Trump in a David Letterman interview in 2013: “I’ve done a lot of business with the Russians.” Trump in 2016: What me, Russia? Never heard of them! Note also that Kelleyanne Conway in this video denies anybody involved in the Trump campaign had any contact with Russians, at all at all. A claim which by now has been blasted to shreds. #16: Why has Trump put so much pressure on recused Jeff Sessions since Mueller was appointed? Attorney General Jeff Sessions was once seen as Trump’s closest ally, being the first to endorse his presidential run. But then this course of events has played out: Trump fired Comey, the Justice Department had to replace Comey, they appointed Special Council Robert Mueller (himself a former FBI Director) to take up Russiagate investigations where Comey left off, and Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself from Russiagate matters. This means Trump can’t fire Mueller directly; he’d have to go through Sessions. Since that turn of events, it seems mysterious that Sessions’ name is mud in Trump’s book, to the point that the GOP rises nearly unanimously to his defense. #17: Why has nothing to date been dis-proven in the Steele Dossier? The famous Steele Dossier contains startling allegations against Donald Trump and the Trump campaign, now familiar with anyone keeping score in political news. Mueller has since given the report enough weight that he’s even met with the author, former British M16 Intelligence officer and a co-founder of Orbis Business Intelligence. While it’s the hottest point on Republicans’ radar in their desperate bid to discredit it, none of it has so far been proven untrue. You’d think if the 35 pages of information were simply a whopping pack of lies, there’d be something easy in their to prove false. But so far, every word of it has jibed with every step of the investigation and the facts that have been uncovered. #18: Why has Trump’s administration blown off US Intel warnings of Russian cyberattacks? While we’re all scratching our heads over the Steele Dossier, there’s an even more credible report that never seems to break the news. Way back at the beginning, the US’s own Director of National Intelligence released a report on “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in recent US Elections,” (full PDF). Among the very clear and urgent findings of the report are items such as... “Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency.” “We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.” “We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes.” ...all of which adds up to a Russian operation to undermine US Democracy and the democracies of the world. Never mind “fake news,” partisan bickering, or trying to verify a British dossier, we have US taxpayer-funded intelligence experts telling us right now that our democracy is under attack. Anybody concerned out there? #19: Why did Trump deny knowing Felix Sater despite his friendship with Ivanka and Jared and his having offices in Trump Tower? Felix Sater doesn’t get much press, but he ought to, because he is the eye of the Russiagate storm. Both a member of the Russian Mafia and an FBI informant, Sater, like Trump, is also a real estate developer in New York. His company, Bayrock Group LLC, has had a long-standing business collaboration with Trump that produced Trump SoHo, Trump International Hotel, and other properties. Sater has an office in Trump Tower to this day. Bayrock also partnered with Don Jr. and Ivanka. When Trump signed a letter of intent to build a Trump tower in Moscow, Sater himself responded "Buddy our boy can become President of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putin’s team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.” Sater is so cozy with the whole Trump family that he’s their host whenever they visit Russia. And now we come to the capstone of Trump’s Russian business deals, The Moscow Project: Trump once stated under oath that he wouldn’t know Felix Sater if he saw him face to face. #20: Why have so many Trump associates changed their story about Russian collusion? A continuously developing, daily question.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. May 29, 2015, 1:11 AM GMT / Updated May 29, 2015, 4:02 AM GMT By Tracy Connor The journal Science has formally pulled a widely reported study on changing attitudes toward gay marriage, saying a lawyer for one of the co-authors had admitted it contained lies. Michael LaCour, the UCLA grad student accused of faking the data, did not agree to the retraction even though his attorney conceded there were false statements in the study, the journal said. In a statement before the retraction, LaCour said he stood by the overall findings of the research and would respond to the allegations by Friday. The study reported that people's views on same-sex marriage could be changed by short one-on-one conversations with gay canvassers. It came under scrutiny after a Stanford University research team tried and failed to replicate the findings and tipped off the lead author, Donald Green, to the irregularities. They said the firm LaCour supposedly hired to carry out the field work didn't know anything about the project. Green said that when LaCour was confronted, he refused to turn over contact information for the survey respondents and claimed the raw data had been accidentally deleted. Since then, LaCour's lawyer has confirmed two false statements in the published study: that survey respondents were given cash incentives to participate, and that funding was provided by a number of well-known non-profits. "In addition to these known problems, independent researchers have noted certain statistical irregularities in the responses," Science said. "LaCour has not produced the original survey data from which someone else could independently confirm the validity of the reported findings."By: Nolan Lawson Published: 26 October 2014 In the spirit of Paul Irish, here's a list of some surprising things I learned while reading (and writing) the PouchDB source code. To set the stage: I first joined the project around December of last year, at which point PouchDB was already fairly mature. (The first commit from Mikeal Rodgers is already 4 years old!) My own background was mostly in Android development, but I had some knowledge of Web SQL thanks to a PhoneGap app I had worked on. The main goals I had with PouchDB were to increase its performance and browser compatibility. And having dealt with that ugly F-word that haunts the Android ecosystem ("fragmentation"), I figured compatibility in the web dev world couldn't be much worse. Could it? Warning: graphic content ahead. If you've ever been a soldier on the front lines of the browser compatibility war, the following may make you relive some of those past horrors. Be prepared to weep. Also, if you're not familiar with LocalStorage, Web SQL, or IndexedDB, you may want to read up on those first. 1. Nobody can agree on what the Web SQL "estimated size" means When you open a Web SQL database, you use openDatabase(), e.g.: var db = openDatabase ( 'documents', '1.0','some description', 5000000 ); That last parameter is the so-called estimated size. And here's how we set it in PouchDB: function getSize ( opts ) { /*... */ var isAndroid = /Android/. test ( window. navigator. userAgent ); return isAndroid? 5000000 : 1 ; } User agent sniffing! Yes, we should be ashamed of ourselves. But here's why we do it: In modern Chrome and Android 4.4+, the size is simply ignored. The browser calculates the remaining size on disk and sets a limit based on that. and, the size is simply ignored. The browser calculates the remaining size on disk and sets a limit based on that. Aha, but in Android < 4.4, this is actually a hard limit! So if you ask for 5000000, you'll only ever get 5 MB. , this is actually a hard limit! So if you ask for 5000000, you'll only ever get 5 MB. Oh, but in Safari/iOS, it gets trickier. If you ask for > 5000000, then it will show an annoying popup when the app is first loaded, which is a great way to spook your users. But if you ask for less, then there's another popup when the database reaches 5MB, and beyond that there's a bug in iOS 7.1 where the browser will no longer show any more popups, so you're forever capped at 10MB. To store more than 10MB, you need to ask for more than 10MB up-front. , it gets trickier. If you ask for > 5000000, then it will show an annoying popup when the app is first loaded, which is a great way to spook your users. But if you ask for less, then there's another popup when the database reaches 5MB, and beyond that there's a bug in iOS 7.1 where the browser will no longer show any more popups, so you're forever capped at 10MB. To store more than 10MB, you need to ask for more than 10MB up-front. Additionally, if you specify anywhere between 0 and 5000000, Safari and iOS will use that size as a hint for when, precisely, to show the popup. And in the case of PouchDB, we need to avoid the popup in our automated tests, because Selenium doesn't give us a way to press the "OK" button, meaning our tests would just fail if we request too much. So the ideal size to request is 0. However, in PhantomJS and older WebKit (Safari ~5), if you request 0, then it will blow up. For the recored, here's what the dreaded Safari popup looks like: So that's why we sniff for Android and only bump the size to 5000000 in those cases. In all other cases, we set it to 1. Additionally, the W3C has done everyone a disservice by using 5*1024*1024 in their sample code, because this has no relation to the 5MB limit in iOS/Safari. The actual cutoff to avoid the popup is 5000000 (i.e. 5 megabytes, aka 5MB), not 5*1024*1024 (5 mebibytes, aka 5MiB). And yet, if you read blog posts and Stack Overflow comments about Web SQL, you'll see the mistaken 1024*1024 repeated all over the place. 2. IE has race conditions in IndexedDB Microsoft has a very fast implementation of IndexedDB – it's a bit slower than Chrome's, but much faster than Firefox's (here are some tests). However, to get that speed, they must have taken some shortcuts, because both IE10 and IE11 have some nasty race conditions. Due to that, you'll often see PouchDB code like this: //Close open request for "name" database to fix ie delay. if ( IdbPouch. openReqList [ name ] && IdbPouch. openReqList [ name ]. result ) { IdbPouch. openReqList [ name ]. result. close (); } Or code like this, where we ensure all "open" and "destroy" operations on the databases are done sequentially: taskQueue. queue. push ({ action : function ( thisCallback ) { destroy ( name, opts, thisCallback ); }, callback : callback }); Or code like this, where we keep a cache of all databases by name, since IE will not allow us to open two databases with the same name at the same time: var cached = cachedDBs [ name ]; if ( cached ) { idb = cached. idb ; /*... */ } To their credit, though, the IE team has been very responsive to our bug reports, so this might be fixed soon. 3. Binary data in Web SQL is a mess At the time the Web SQL spec was hammered out, nothing like Blobs or ArrayBuffers had been standardized. SQLite of course has support for the binary BLOB type, but in order to store binary data in WebSQL, you need to do it the old-fashioned way, and pass in a JavaScript binary string. This produces two interesting problems: There is a bug in both WebKit and Chromium, where the \u0000 character is treated as a null terminator, and although you can insert and sort on the full string, when you retrieve it, it will be truncated. And since BLOBs must be inserted as binary strings, this means any binary data containing the 0 byte will be truncated. The only workaround is to use SELECT HEX(columnName), which returns the full binary data in hexadecimal format. character is treated as a null terminator, and although you can insert and sort on the full string, when you retrieve it, it will be truncated. And since BLOBs must be inserted as binary strings, this means any binary data containing the 0 byte will be truncated. The only workaround is to use, which returns the full binary data in hexadecimal format. However, HEX() presents its own problems, because Safari < 7.1 and iOS < 8 coerce all strings to UTF-16, meaning that the hexadecimal format must be parsed differently in UTF-8 browsers (Chrome/Opera/Android as well as modern Safari/iOS) vs. UTF-16 browsers (early Safari/iOS). Thus you will see fun code like this: function parseHexString ( str, encoding ) { var result = '' ; var charWidth = encoding === 'UTF-8'? 2 : 4 ; for ( var i = 0, len = str. length ; i < len ; i += charWidth ) { var substring = str. substring ( i, i + charWidth ); if ( charWidth === 4 ) { // UTF-16, twiddle the bits substring = substring. substring ( 2, 4 ) + substring. substring ( 0, 2 ); } result += String. fromCharCode ( parseInt ( substring, 16 )); } result = encoding === 'UTF-8'? decodeUtf8 ( result ) : result ; return result ; } (That "twiddle the bits" comment is a bit inaccurate; the technical term is, of course, nibble-swizzling. In the future we will correct this gross oversight by finding some way to work the word "swizzle" into the source code.) You'll also see us detect UTF-8 vs. UTF-16 encoding like this: function checkDbEncoding ( tx ) { // check db encoding - utf-8 (chrome, opera) or utf-16 (safari)? tx. executeSql ( 'SELECT dbid, hex(dbid) AS hexId FROM'+ META_STORE, [], function ( tx, result ) { var id = result. rows. item ( 0 ). dbid ; var hexId = result. rows. item ( 0 ). hexId ; encoding = ( hexId. length === id. length * 2 )? 'UTF-8' : 'UTF-16' ; } ); } In this code, we know based on the length of the hexadecimal string returned whether the database is UTF-16 or not. So thankfully, because it's feature-detected, this "just works" in Safari 7.1+ and iOS 8+. As of PouchDB 3.1.0, we will also avoid hexing entirely for large binary attachments, because it causes performance problems. The new workaround will be to just remove \u0000 characters while preserving enough information to put them back in later. 4. Binary data in IndexedDB is a mess too IndexedDB, as Web SQL's younger, hipper sibling, is supposed to have native support for Blob objects. In practice, though, Blobs were not supported in Chrome until v37, and assuming Apple fixes the more fundamental problems in IndexedDB, they also apparently will not support them. In those cases, PouchDB falls back to storing Blobs as base64-encoded strings. And we use feature detection to test it: try { var blob = utils. createBlob ([ '' ], { type : 'image/png' }); txn. objectStore ( DETECT_BLOB_SUPPORT_STORE ). put ( blob, 'key' ); txn. oncomplete = function () { /*... */ blobSupport = true ; /*... */ }; } catch ( err ) { blobSupport = false ; /*... */ } Ah, but if only it were so easy! It turns out that Chrome v37 also implemented Blob support incorrectly, returning the wrong MIME type when you fetch it. So in Chrome v37, we need to detect the broken blob support, whereas in v38 we can finally start treating it like the other browsers: var storedBlob = e. target. result ; var url = URL. createObjectURL ( storedBlob ); utils. ajax ({ url : url, cache : true, binary : true }, function ( err, res ) { if ( err && err. status === 405 ) { // firefox won't let us do that. but firefox doesn't // have the blob type bug that Chrome does, so that's ok blobSupport = true ; } else { blobSupport =!! ( res && res. type === 'image/png' ); } }); And yes, Firefox has a tiny bug here as well! Luckily, it's fixed in the nightly build. So for those keeping score, PouchDB has three different strategies for each of Chrome v36, v37, and v38. And since Android represents different versions of Chromium frozen in amber, all three variations will be out there in the wild for the near future. 5. IE doesn't support complex keys CouchDB is one of the grandaddies of No
that are semantically associated with positive and negative expressions about hotel features. Those terms are automatically obtained with statistical algorithms within MonkeyLearn. If you want to look at the finished classifier, we created a public classifier with the hotel sentiment analysis. 7. Testing our Sentiment Analysis And voilá, we have our sentiment analysis classifier with zero lines of code. We can test the model directly from the GUI within MonkeyLearn. Go to the API tab, there you write or paste a text, submit and you’ll get the prediction, for example: The results shows what a call to the classification endpoint from MonkeyLearn’s API would respond. What is important now is to take a look at the “result” entry that shows the predicted label, in this case “Good”, and the corresponding probability: 1. The label in our case will always be Good or Bad, and the probability is a real number between 0 and 1. 1 means that is 100% sure about the prediction. You the classifier may still have some errors, that is, classify good reviews as bad, and vice versa, but the good thing is that you can keep improving, if you gather more text data with tools like Kimono (in our example, by getting reviews from more hotels), you can upload more texts to the classifier, retrain and improve the results. Also, you can try different configurations on the advanced settings of your classifier, and retrain the algorithm. Usually different settings work for different classification problems (it’s not the same to do topic detection or sentiment analysis). 8. Integrating the model with MonkeyLearn’s API You can do the same but programmatically, so you can easily integrate any MonkeyLearn model within your projects with any programming language. For example, if we are working with Python programming language, you can go to a bit down to the API libraries, select the corresponding programming language and copy and paste the code snippet: Conclusion We combined Kimono and MonkeyLearn to create a machine learning model that learns to predict the sentiment of a hotel review. Kimono helped us to easily retrieve the text data from the web and MonkeyLearn helped us to build the actual sentiment analysis classifier. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s much more we can do. If you are a Kimono user, you can use MonkeyLearn pre-trained models to easily enrich your Kimono APIs and add sentiment analysis, topic detection, language detection, keyword extraction, entity recognition (and others) to the information you extract from the web with Kimono. If you have a specific need, you can create a custom model with MonkeyLearn to process the information you extract the way you need. If you are a MonkeyLearn user, you can use Kimono to easily extract texts to train your custom models and create powerful machine learning models in just a few minutes. Have any cool ideas on how to combine Kimono and MonkeyLearn? Share them with us in the comments.Vladimir Putin is a little man with a penchant for big catches. Just a few days ago he reeled in a huge pike, weighing 21 kilograms, if the Kremlin press service is to be believed. Then he kissed it. On August 1 he hooked another. Edward Snowden slipped quietly out of the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and disappeared into the Russian capital, there to pursue his reading of Dostoyevsky. He has apparently already read Crime and Punishment. Snowden is the man who leaked the NSA's global spying secrets and is being sought by the U.S. government. It wants him extradited back to face trial on charges that presumably would be similar to those Private Bradley Manning has just faced for sending over 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks. Manning was convicted of 20 counts of espionage and theft but not of the most serious charge of "aiding the enemy." Washington expressed its anger and disappointment at President Putin. Snowden expressed his thanks at being given a one-year Russian asylum visa. "Over the past weeks we have seen the Obama administration show no respect for international or domestic law, but in the end the law is winning," he said. A show tool The law is winning? These words have a distinctly bizarre ring in the shadow of the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin's big pike, from his fishing holiday last month. Some Kremlin critics have dared challenge its size. (Reuters) The little man who presides there treats the law like his fishing expeditions: as a tool for show. And the show is designed to intimidate. There were the two trials of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once one of Russia’s richest men, now in prison for a tenth year and facing four more. His second trial, for theft and embezzlement, was described by the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute as "flawed." There was also the recent conviction of Alexei Navalny, the emerging face of the opposition protests against Putin last year. The U.S. and the European Union both said the trial raised questions about the rule of law in Russia. Both men were seen by Putin as political threats, threats to be removed. The trials merely added the window-dressing of legality. Tit for tat The most grotesque of Russia's recent trials was that of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian accountant and auditor. On July 11, while Snowden was sitting in the transit lounge at Moscow's airport, Magnitsky was found guilty of fraud and tax evasion. He did not attend his trial; he had been dead for three and a half years. Magnitsky's real crime, according to his family and business associates, was to have unearthed a massive fraud scheme run by Russian tax officials themselves, and then to have reported it to the police. For this he was thrown into prison, beaten, mistreated and denied proper medical treatment. He died in prison. The world's reaction surprised and infuriated the Kremlin. The U.S. Senate passed the so-called Magnitsky Act, and President Barack Obama signed it into law. It lists Russian officials declared complicit in the imprisonment, mistreatment and death of Magnitsky and bars their entry into the U.S. and their use of American banking institutions. The Kremlin and the Russian parliament reacted with measures of their own. All Russian aid or human rights' groups receiving subsides from abroad were ordered to register as "foreign agents." Americans were barred from adopting Russian children. And then came Snowden. Putin's first reaction was to speak soothing words; Snowden's presence in Moscow's airport was not to be allowed to damage relations with Washington. But as the weeks dragged on and the revelations of NSA snooping kept coming, the reaction, particularly in Europe, was increasingly unsettled and angry. Privacy loving Germans take to the streets in Berlin last week as the pro-Snowden, anti-state-spying sentiment grows. (Reuters) In Russia itself, Snowden was seen almost as a hero, according to opinion polls. Almost half polled said he should be given asylum. For Putin, there was little to worry about, perhaps a cancelled meeting with Obama. He would be twisting no law; there is no extradition treaty with the U.S. Trade sanctions would be harmless. Russia's trade with the U.S. is small. It does four times more business with Germany (where there has already been large pro-Snowden rallies). It has the fourth highest foreign currency reserves in the world — $525 billion. And on the Middle East, particularly over Syria, the two countries are already in open opposition. Thus the temporary asylum visa. Snowden, in the Putinesque scheme of things, is not a small fish, but neither is he a huge pike. He is a medium fish, hooked, on the line and allowed to roam until he exhausts his usefulness. He doesn’t need to be kissed; the medium fish, swimming semi-free, has offered a kiss of his own with words of praise for the rule of law in the shadow of the Kremlin.In a few decades, we might get all our power from nuclear fusion. Researchers have been working to build functional nuclear fusion reactors, which mimic the fusion reactions that occur in the sun to generate power. Once we figure out fusion power, we could use these generators to power our lives for decades. But every technology has a lifespan, and eventually something will replace even fusion power. Thanks to new research published in Nature from Tel Aviv University and the University of Chicago, we may have the first look at what that far-future technology could be: quark fusion. Quarks are the tiny particles that make up protons and neutrons, making them sort of sub-subatomic particles, also known as elementary particles. There are six kinds of quarks which combine to form all kinds of larger particles. For instance, protons and neutrons are made of different combinations of the two lightest particles, up and down quarks. In particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider, protons and neutrons are smashed together hard enough to split them apart into quarks. According to the researchers' analysis, these quarks could combine together again, releasing large amounts of energy. By combining the light quarks from proton and neutron collisions with heavier quarks, quark fusion could release incredible amounts of useful energy. An illustration showing quarks splitting and combining, releasing energy through quark fusion. Nature According to the researchers' calculations, quark fusion could produce eight times as much energy as nuclear fusion with hydrogen atoms, which means even cheaper energy in the future—at least if we ever figure out how to do it. There are plenty of challenges to overcome first, such as figuring out how to reliably make the heavier quarks, keep them from becoming too unstable, and of course proving that quark fusion is actually a real physical process instead of just some math on a chalkboard. The researchers say that the Large Hadron Collider is capable of testing quark fusion right now, but it might be a while before the collider actually gets around to doing that testing. When it does, we may get a small glimpse of what our next-next-generation power sources will be like. Source: Phys.orgThe multibillionaire businessman and mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is pushing ahead with plans to throw himself into the US presidential contest as an independent candidate this spring. Bloomberg, who has a personal fortune that would allow him to mount the most expensive campaign in US political history, could seriously damage the chances of the Democratic candidate. Bloomberg is waiting to see the outcome of the Republican and Democratic races before deciding whether to announce his candidacy in March. But his staff want him to run and there is a blueprint drawn up for contesting the 50 states. Journalists who cover Bloomberg, a member of the Democratic party before switching to the Republicans - from which he has now also resigned - say that if Barack Obama is the Democratic choice, he will not stand. The same is true if John McCain, the most moderate of the Republican field, wins his party's nomination. Bloomberg, while denying he intends to run, spent this week raising his political profile. He used the annual state of the city address on Thursday to make the usual city-specific announcements, such as 500 more beds for the homeless, but also to talk about national issues, such as immigration, tax relief and crime. He is travelling to other states to raise his political profile and to engage in national policy debates. Yesterday he visited Texas to make a health announcement with the Tour de France hero and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. Today, he will be appearing in California for a meeting with the governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to discuss infrastructure. Although it has been confirmed he is paying out millions to pollsters to test support in the 50 states for a presidential run, he snapped at a reporter who questioned him this week about whether he would be a candidate. "Miss, no matter how many times you ask the question, I'm not a candidate. That's the answer. I can't go into nitpicking. This is ridiculous," he said. Independents have never won in recent US political history but they have influenced the contests. Ralph Nader, who ran as an independent in 2000, is often blamed for taking votes from Al Gore and allowing victory to George Bush. Ross Perot, who stood in 1992, spending $65m, had a disastrous campaign but still managed to win 18.9% of the popular vote. Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia, said a Bloomberg run could have enormous influence. "Normally, independents do not have much impact but this one is worth between $11bn and $20bn and he would be willing to spend at least $1bn [about £510m] on this. If he spends a billion, he would have outspent the Democratic and Republican candidates combined. It is bound to have an impact." Stephen Hess, a political analyst at the Brookings Institution who served in the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations and was an adviser to presidents Ford and Carter, said yesterday that he would be surprised if he stood, given the risk that he would prevent a Democrat taking the White House. "I know he is considering the race. I think he has been a great mayor and philanthropist and I do not know why he would want to go down in history as the Great Spoiler," Hess said.Introduction In The Crew you can use perks to improve your car, gain more xp and money, get discount on cars and upgrades, get driving assists and much more. The higher your level the more you can spend. After the first mission called Driving test you will be taken to the Detroit HQ and meet Zoe. Here you can spend your first perk-point. At the start of the game you only have 5 different perks from Zoe to choose from. While progressing through the game you will unlock other characters, each with their own set of perks. Normally you will earn one perk-point if you level up till you hit the level capacity (level 50). The Crew Perk overview Overview of all the available characters and their perks categorized by person of interest. In total you will unlock perks from 6 different cities. Zoe (Detroit) Perk Maximum Perk Points Effect On a Dime 5 1%-5% increase in car’s braking Double Down 10 2% – 20% chance of 2 perk points at each level up Word on the Street 10 3% – 30% off the cost of all street parts Missionary 5 2% – 10% more xp and bucks from missions The Crew 5 Increase coop bonus (bucks+xp) in missions and faction missions by 2% – 10% Omar (Chicago) Perk Maximum Perk Points Effect Like a Glove 5 1% – 5% increase in your car’s handling Insurance 10 5% – 50% off the cost of car repairs The Inside Track 3 Satellite navigation/Visual racing line/Visual racing line with color coded speed data, for Checkpoint runs and races Dealer Discount 10 3% – 30% off the cost of a new car in any car dealer Harry (New York) Perk Maximum Perk Points Effect Mobile Mechanic 10 Repair your car anywhere at 200% – 100% of HQ repair cost The New World 10 Reveal everything within 550m – 1km of the player Skills Pay Bills 5 2% – 10% more XP and Bucks from skills Dirty Deals 10 3% – 30% off the cost of all Dirt parts Alita (Miami) Perk Maximum Perk Points Effect Holeshot 10 10% – 100% Nitrous available at the start of any Mission or PvP Event Light the Fires 10 2% – 20% increase to your car’s acceleration under Nitrous Daredevil 5 2% – 10% more Bucks from Stunts A Perfect Price 10 3% – 30% off the cost of all Performance parts Roxanne (Las Vegas) Perk Maximum Perk Points Effect Shifting Gears 5 1% – 5% increase to your car’s acceleration Friends with Benefits 3 2 – 4 friends can be sent on Faction Missions at the same time Notorious 5 2% – 10% more Reputation Points from Faction Missions and PvP Events It’s a Steal 10 3% – 30% off the cost of all Raid parts Vincent (Los Angeles) Perk Maximum Perk Points Effect Highly Skilled 5 3% – 15% faster scoring in any Skill Redline 5 1% – 5% increase to your car’s top speed MVP 5 2% – 10% more XP and Bucks from PvP Events The Bottom Line 10 3% – 30% off the cost of all Circuit parts The best perks in The Crew The best way to spend spend your perk-points sort of depends on your level and how you are playing the game. The best perks while leveling It will be useful to put points in XP raising perks, the moment you unlock them, this will help you to level faster and reach the level cap sooner. I recommend to spend the maximum amount of points in the “Double Down”-perk. The Double down perk is very interesting because it gives you the ability to unlock multiple perks points each time you level up. After you reach level 50 additional perk points can only be purchased with crew credits. The “Missionary”-perk gives a decent XP bonus. When I played The Crew, I often played it with a friend. We did all the story missions together so I went for the “The Crew”- perk as well which increases your co-op bonus money and experience. Keep in mind that resetting your perks is not that expensive. Therefore it can be useful to “respec” and to take the 30% discount from the “Dealer Discount” perk when purchasing a new car. Because resetting your perks is so cheap, you will save money even if you reset your perks before and after purchase. The best perks at level 50 At level 50 you will probably be looking for some PvP action. Therefore I recommend to put the maximum amount of points in every performance enhancing perk; On a Dime Like a Glove Shifting gears Red Line Holeshot Light the Fires You will probably want to max the “Dealer Discount”-perk too; it will save you a lot of money. When maxed out it will provide a 30% discount on all car purchases. So you can save 300.000 bucks (when you have 30% discount) when buying expensive cars like the LaFerrari or the KoeningsEgg Agera. The “Highly Skilled”-perk is a must have perk. It enhances your scoring by 15% in any skill challenge, which greatly enhances your ability to earn a platinum medal. Platinum level 50 parts become essential in the end-game to reach the maximum car rating of 1299. You probably have to do a lot of skill challenges to earn a level 50 part for all 11 upgrade slots. This perk will make it a lot easier! An overview of the easiest skill challenges where you can quickly earn a platinum medal are summarized in this article: The Crew Guide – Fastest way to level your car rating. Interesting perks in The Crew There are a few perks that require a closer look. The Inside Track perk First I came across this perk I put 3 points in it, but after playing a while I realized it was just holding me back in my performance. The racing line, blocks your field of view ahead of you, and also the colors from the racing line are not accurate. It often turns red (which means you will have to brake), when I could get through the corner with full power and no braking. I recommend to put 1 point in it, so you will have satellite reference overhead for directions. Friends with Benefits For making some fast money the “Friends with Benefits”-perk is very handy to have. It will allow you to send more friends in a faction mission, so you have a higher chance of achieving it and collect the cash and reputation from it. You can read more about the best ways to make money in this guide: The Crew Guide – How to make money in The Crew (Updated).by Paul Gardner, Mar 15, 2012 By Paul Gardner Poor Seattle! Did they really deserve that 6-1 pounding that Santos Laguna inflicted on them on Wednesday? On the night, looking strictly at the way the Sounders played, yes they did. Poor Seattle indeed -- very poor. Yet you have to feel that Seattle is nowhere near as bad as that -- that it is, in fact, a pretty good team. So what’s the problem here? Sigi Schmid doesn’t sound massively sure of himself: “We have to look at why we started the game slowly, why we started the second half slowly. I have to look at that and see what I can change to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” All of which makes a certain amount of sense, but leaves one wondering how on earth such things can happen in a game that was surely one of the most important on this season’s Seattle schedule? And for sure, everyone knew it was a big game. “We know the importance of the game,” was Schmid’s pre-game assertion, and his players chimed in with warnings like “We know it’s going to be a very, very intense match down there,” from Servando Carrasco, and “When their crowd gets rowdy... nerves become a factor,” from Jeff Parke. Yet a collective failure seemed to grip the whole team. Schmid remarked “Defensively, I thought we had a poor game,” which was true enough, but there were equally big problems up front, where several pretty straightforward scoring chances were wastefully spurned. Sherlock Holmes would have an answer for this conundrum. “When you have eliminated the impossible...” -- and I’m taking it as impossible that Schmid and his team failed to recognize the importance of this game - “... whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Well, the improbable -- though not that improbable -- is this: that the abysmal record of U.S. teams playing Concacaf games against Mexican opponents exerts a mysterious power over the Americans’ ability to play their normal game. You could call that a curse, or a hex, or simply an invisible wall. But such psychological barriers evidently do exist. Remember the 4-minute mile? There was a time when that was widely believed to be an impossibility, something beyond the muscular capability of the human body. In the 1940s there was intense competition between two wonderful Swedish runners, Arne Andersson and Gunder Hagg, who kept alternately chipping away at the mile record. In 1945, Hagg got it down to 4:01.4. And there it stayed, unassailable, for nine years while the myth of the 4-minute barrier flourished. Until 1954 when Roger Bannister flung himself, half-dead, over the finishing line with a time of 3:59.4 The barrier, the intimidating myth that it couldn’t be done, was shattered. But this was a barrier that had seemed to hold all runners back for nearly 10 years. After Bannister, sub-4-minute miles were commonplace -- in 1966 high-schooler Jim Ryun could do it. (To round this out: we’re now down to 3:43.13, thanks to Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj. And, so far, there’s no talk of a 3-minute barrier). So, do we have an improbable factor here in the Concacaf games, a Mexican barrier for US teams? Seems quite possible, to me. What is revealed here, yet again, is that we still don’t understand all the psychological factors that go into a winning, or a losing, performance. If there is a Mexican barrier, it is certainly not a hidden one. The dominance of the Mexican teams over MLS teams is well-known, the intimidating stats are frequently quoted. Bruce Arena has a non-mysterious response to those stats -- he believes that the lack of success comes because MLS teams probably do not schedule the Concacaf Champions League “as a priority.” That may well have been the case in the past, but not so much nowadays, I think. Arena certainly contradicted his assertion on Wednesday night, by putting out a full team against Toronto. And, as the quotes given above demonstrate, Schmid and his Sounders were fully aware of what they were up against. I’m not about to argue that the Sounders should, or could, have won the game in Mexico. Santos Laguna is a good team, and deserved its win. It’s that 6-1 scoreline that takes some explaining. Could it be that all the self-bolstering “we know it’s going to be tough” talk and the constant references to how difficult it is to play “down there” and how intimidating “their” crowds can be, plus (though I didn’t hear any from the Sounders) the occasional complaints about contrary referee decisions, while making sure that a team doesn’t underestimate its task, at the same time undo that positive effect by making the task loom ominously larger in the players’ minds? I suppose there are plenty of theories available that will detail how athletes -- or anyone, I guess -- can overcome the detrimental effects of an imaginary barrier. The only one I can offer is for MLS teams -- indeed, for American players in general, so that includes the national team -- to deconstruct the myth about the dire perils of playing south of the border. That should be possible, for this is mainly a myth that the Americans themselves have created -- you know, the urine bags and all the other nasty stuff that gets thrown, the poor hotel accommodation, the deliberately lousy locker rooms, the bent referees and, of course, the sneaky, dirty play from their opponents. Even if every one of those accusations is true, or has been true at some moment or other, the assembly of them has created a burdensome myth -- the myth that Americans are at an enormous and unfair disadvantage before they even step off the plane. (This feeling of victimization, almost of martyrdom, is doubly felt, because American teams, even playing at home, are quite likely to be confronted with a stadium dominated by hostile fans). It is a myth that serves only two purposes: the questionable one of demonstrating what a tough guy you have to be to play soccer, and the evidently effective one of undermining confidence. The myth must be destroyed; it has, to put it another way, to be outgrown. Not so easy, no doubt, but as long as it persists I see no reason to look any further for an explanation of aberrations like the Seattle Sounders’ unlikely implosion in Torreon.Whatever Bernie Sanders thinks of Hillary Clinton's presidential qualifications, the former secretary of state is "uniquely unsuited" to the task of stopping climate change, author and activist Naomi Klein writes in a new op-ed for The Nation. Combating climate change "requires a willingness to go head-to-head with the two most powerful industries on the planet—fossil fuel companies and the banks that finance them," she writes. "Hillary Clinton is uniquely unsuited to this task." Among all the uncertainties in the presidential race this year, one thing is certain, Klein says: "The Clinton camp really doesn't like talking about fossil fuel money." Following her viral face-off with a Greenpeace campaigner last week, Clinton was asked by another climate activist at a Pittsburgh rally on Thursday night if she would reject money from fracking lobbyists—to which Clinton laughed and said, "Read the articles," likely referring to recent reporting by the New York Times and the Washington Post which seemed to debunk the idea that Clinton had taken campaign contributions from oil and gas companies. "We've done our research," the activist, Sage Lincoln, responded. Watch: Greenpeace has previously reported that Clinton took more than $300,000 from people working for fossil fuel companies and an additional $1.4 million in "bundled and direct donations" from registered fossil fuel lobbyists. Lincoln, a Pittsburgh native, told the climate group 350 Action on Thursday that she was particularly concerned over Clinton's ties to fossil fuels because "despite having no family history of asthma, me and two of my siblings have developed it." "One of the reasons for the bad air quality is clear: there is fracking occurring everywhere in Southwestern Pennsylvania," Lincoln said. "It's in our country parks, our backyards, and even within a stone's throw of the nearby Mars School District. Climate change is dramatically impacting us globally and locally, and we must do everything in our power to curb emissions." SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts And, as Klein explains at The Nation, that's exactly where Clinton falls short. Klein writes: While Clinton is great at warring with Republicans, taking on powerful corporations goes against her entire worldview, against everything she's built, and everything she stands for. The real issue, in other words, isn't Clinton's corporate cash, it's her deeply pro-corporate ideology: one that makes taking money from lobbyists and accepting exorbitant speech fees from banks seem so natural that the candidate is openly struggling to see why any of this has blown up at all. Days after world leaders at the COP21 climate conference in December finalized a deal to curb worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, Clinton vowed to look into the donations to her campaign. However, 350 notes, she has yet to follow through—and voters have noticed. "While Clinton laughs this off, voters who care about our climate and the influence of money in politics are still really disturbed by her continued acceptance of these industry donations," said Yong Jung Cho, spokesperson for 350 Action. "If Clinton wants to prove she is a climate leader that will keep fossil fuels in the ground, she needs to pledge to refuse these donations, and she needs to do it now." Yet as Klein writes, Clinton's historically "pro-corporate ideology" speaks for itself. Luckily, the primary "isn't over," she continues, "and Democratic voters need and deserve to know all they can before they make a choice we will all have to live with for a very long time."Prime Minister Stephen Harper's majority Conservative government has begun a push to make good on a major election campaign pledge Tuesday, with the introduction — or in many cases, reintroduction — of legislation bundling together a variety of crime-fighting initiatives. The cost of implementing the measures is a major concern for opposition parties, who have pledged to make it difficult for the government to pass the omnibus bill within 100 sitting days, as promised by the Conservatives last spring. Speaking to reporters, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson expressed the government's "deep appreciation" for the support of Canadians in the last election, who gave the Conservative government "a strong mandate to move forward." The minister said he was "very grateful" for the public's support for these measures. NDP critic Joe Comartin took issue with the interpretation of the government's mandate. "To see that election as being a support for any policy of the federal Conservatives, is misrepresenting the reality of what happened in that election," he said. The bill, styled as the safe streets and communities act, contains measures from nine bills that were before Parliament when the last federal election was called, including: Additional penalties to combat serious and organized drug crimes, particularly when they involve youth, including increasing the maximum penalty for possession and production of drugs such as marijuana from seven to 14 years, factoring in security, health and safety concerns arising from marijuana grow-ops. An increase in mandatory minimum penalties and sentences, including those for child exploitation. The elimination of house arrest (conditional sentences) for a new list of serious offences. A higher cost and more strict eligibility criteria for applying for a criminal pardon, and an elimination of pardons for some serious or repeat offences. New offences concerning the distribution of pornography or the use of telecommunications to facilitate sexual crimes against children. Measures to protect the public from violent young offenders, including in some cases adult sentences and the lifting of publication bans on the names of violent young offenders. Expanded criteria for the public safety minister to consider when granting a transfer for a Canadian offender back to Canada. Support for victims of terrorism by providing the means to launch a lawsuit in a Canadian court against an individual or organization that carried out a terrorism attack, including listed foreign states known to have sponsored terrorism. Changes to the parole system to give victims a greater role and "increase offender accountability" with new sanctions and powers for police when release conditions are broken. Immigration reforms to combat the exploitation and abuse of foreign exotic dancers, sex trade workers, low-skilled labourers and other potential victims of human trafficking. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney joined Nicholson at the news conference to release details of the latest bill. Kenney reminded reporters that the Conservatives met their 2006 election commitment to strengthen the RCMP and put "more police on the street," including more Canada Border Service Agency officers, "but they need the legal tools as well." P.O.V. Will the new legislation make Canada safer? Take our survey. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, speaking at a parallel news conference about the same legislation in Montreal, added that more than 1,800 new police officers had been recruited since 2009, thanks to the government's $400 million fund. Victims' advocates applaud changes Toews was joined by Quebec Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu as well as several advocates for victims' rights, including the mother of Sébastien Lacasse, a 19-year-old Quebecer stabbed to death by a group of youths at a house party in 2004. The omnibus bill introduced Tuesday includes measures contained previously in "Sébastien's Law," bill to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act to change the way the system treats repeat and violent young offenders. The other ministers at the news conference in Brampton were joined by former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy, who was the victim of childhood sexual abuse and has worked as a high-profile victims' advocate for the last 13 years. His abuser was released after 18 months, and given a "rubber stamp" pardon, Kennedy noted. "Victims are scarred for life, and are not rehabilitated in 18 months." Joe Wamback from the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation urged Parliament to pass the measures quickly. "I'm asking all MPs to put aside partisan politics and support this legislation that the great majority of Canadians want," Wamback said. Costs of longer sentences questioned By some measures, crime is at a historic low in Canada, and critics have argued tougher measures will hike the cost of the justice system while doing nothing to deter criminals. Their arguments don't deter the Tories, who argue that only about 30 per cent of Canadians who were victims of crimes reported those crimes to police. The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies and the John Howard Society of Canada raised their concerns about the bill "bankrupting Canada" at a news conference scheduled half an hour before the bill's unveiling. Catherine Latimer, executive director of the John Howard Society, said parts of the provincial and federal correctional systems are so stuffed they may already violate charter protections against cruel and unusual punishment. The omnibus bill will only exacerbate the problems and could send correctional costs through the roof, she said. Corrections Canada estimates the cost of the system will rise to $3 billion this fiscal year from $1.6 billion in 2006 when the Harper Conservatives took power. "These costs will be borne by the provinces and by taxpayers across the country and we believe that those need to be fully assessed and disclosed," said Latimer. The government's refusal to disclose the cost of previous justice legislation contributed to the contempt-of-Parliament motion brought forward by the opposition parties last spring. The government eventually offered documents that suggested 18 proposed measures would cost about $631 million in total. The independent parliamentary budget officer, by contrast, reported that one measure alone would cost the system billions. Many of the new provisions will increase the number of offenders facing sentences of less than two years, putting more strain on provincial facilities. On Tuesday, the justice minister again dodged requests for detailed costs associated with the new omnibus legislation, saying instead that crime costs the Canadian economy $99 billion annually. "Most of that is borne by victims," said the justice minister. "The people we’ll be taking off the street are people who should be off the street," Nicholson insisted. "There’s a cost when those individuals are out on the street and we’re prepared to meet the cost of detaining those individuals." Speaking at the news conference in Brampton, Tom Stamatakis from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said his organization is supportive of longer mandatory minimums and stiffer penalties for drug crimes, noting that "if you keep [offenders] in jail longer, you take away the opportunity to traffic in drugs." Opposition vows to fight on During previous minority Parliaments, the Conservatives struggled to pass crime measures without support from the Liberals, the NDP or the Bloc Québécois. Previous bills were left sitting on the order paper through several prorogations and dissolutions for general elections. When justice bills did make it to committee or the floor of the House of Commons or Senate, they often received a rough ride. Very few passed, although a few compromises did result in limited progress. Through it all, the Conservatives made political hay, labelling opposition parties as soft on crime and using these causes as a rallying cry for fundraising and re-election campaign efforts. On Tuesday, interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae said "Conservatives are taking us in an ideological direction that has nothing to do with increasing public safety." "We think that this legislation deserves real public scrutiny, it deserves a real public fight," Rae told reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons. "There will be a fight in the House of Commons about it," he vowed. NDP critic Comartin acknowledged that the omnibus bill does reflect a few amendments made to previous youth offender legislation. But he echoed concerns about the potential costs of incarcerating so many more people, and the potential burden on provincial jails, which could need to accomodate two-thirds of the 3,000 to 5,000 additional prisoners serving the proposed stiffer drug sentences alone. Comartin was part of committee hearings that called witnesses to examine the previous bills. "What [Nicholson] didn’t mention was that the evidence generally was overwhelmingly opposed to this legislation," he said. "The reality is crime is going down." With a Conservative majority in both the House of Commons and the Senate, the new omnibus bill can proceed with a higher likelihood of passing the measures all at once, though there are a number of tactics the opposition can use to attempt to stall or amend the legislation in both the House of Commons or the Senate in the days to come. In addition to this bill, Nicholson pledged Tuesday that other justice legislation would be introduced soon, including new measures for citizen's arrests. Later on Tuesday, the justice minister's office also confirmed that the government intends to reintroduce legislation with new measures for Internet surveillance "in due course."The renaissance-man has enjoyed a remarkable return and sold out his first live dates in over seven years within thirty seconds. They put arena shows on sale – and tickets
while Dr Taylor is attacked for being vulgar and tasteless? I think his critics should go to the National Gallery and look at the Rokeby Venus by Velázquez. Or look at the stuff by Rubens. Are we saying that these glorious images should be torn from the walls? Bang on. These prudish sartorial commissars are the daughters of the women who wore out their welcome back when they wailed about sexism in the workplace and then declared that Bill Clinton must get a pass for sexually exploiting a deluded intern. They’re quickly overreaching, again. UPDATE II: Speaking of Deluded Overreach and being “used”…Netflix knows you. It knows that on some nights you have a plan to hunker down and watch an entire season of "The West Wing" and some nights you're just not sure what you want. For those indecisive moments, Netflix has introduced Max, a new feature that chats with you and plays games to help you figure out what you should watch. Max, available only on PlayStation 3 for now, is an alternative to the strangely specific categories (we're looking at you, "Canadian Made-for-TV Movies") for discovering new TV shows and movies on Netflix. "He" is chatty and spunky, offers a few different ways to pick what you want to watch and perhaps was given a male persona to make his recommendations seem more authoritative, as research on the subject suggests. In one experience, "The Rating Game," Max lets you choose a genre of movie or television you'd like to watch and then asks you to rate programs from that category. Max will then choose a show or movie for you, and will even give you a 30 second pitch if you're unsure. Another game is "Celebrity Mood Ring," where Max asks you to choose one (or neither) of two very different actors, and will suggest a movie or show based on your choice. A similar game pits two specific genres against one another, and you choose one. "Talking Animals or Tortured Genius?" It's fun to see Netflix recognizing the absurdity of their categories. Finally, there's "Max's Mystery Call." Here, you agree to let Max call the shots, and a movie or TV show will automatically play. If that feels too random and risky, know that Netflix has gathered an absurd amount of data on each subscriber's viewing preferences. It's exciting that Netflix is finally improving how it recommends movie and TV programs. While categories like "Critically-Acclaimed Slice Of Life Documentaries" and "Cool Moustaches" are entertaining in and of themselves, they can be useless in actually finding that next TV series you'll spend an entire weekend watching.Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher is three losses away from NFL infamy After a 49-21 beatdown in New Orleans, Fisher became No. 2 all time on the NFL losses list for head coaches, surpassing Tom Landry (162 losses) in 81 fewer games. MORE: Angry Texans fans should look to guy in charge It will take two to tie Dan Reeves at 165 and three to move past him and take the dubious record. Smart money says take the three losses over the next five games. Up next for the Rams: a visit to New England, followed by a home contest vs. Atlanta and a road game in Seattle. Yes, the Rams have won three straight over Seattle, but four straight? Highly unlikely, especially a second consecutive win in Seattle. The final two games come at home against San Francisco and Arizona. So, to think the Rams could go 2-3 over their last five games is rational. For historical context, Jeff Fisher has seven more losses in his career than Don Shula — and Fisher has coached 153 fewer games, roughly 10 full NFL seasons. That is some serious, efficient futility. MORE: Bears could keep Jay Cutler in 2017 Loss No. 163 was a disaster in the Bayou. It was an unspoken revenge game for Sean Payton and Drew Brees, who feasted on Gregg Williams' defense. Remember, it was Williams who was responsible for “Bountygate," which cost Sean Payton an entire NFL season and set the franchise back. In a game where the Rams offense actually scored three touchdowns, the defense was outsmarted and overmatched by New Orleans. It's a microcosm for the Rams under Jeff Fisher: creating new and different ways to acquire an “L." Challenge an NFL franchise and head coach to invent new ways to lose a football game and Fisher and his Rams will meet or exceed the challenge. Some examples from 2016: — In Week 11, the Rams shut out the Miami Dolphins for the first 55 minutes, 38 seconds of regulation, only to give up two touchdowns before the final minute expired. Dolphins 14, Rams 10. — Week 9, the Rams gave up 13 points and lost because the offense failed to score a touchdown for the first 59 minutes, 22 seconds of the game. Panthers 13, Rams 10. — In Week 7, our friends and neighbors in England witnessed Case Keenum throw four interceptions while the Giants defense scored as many touchdowns as the Rams offense. Giants 17, Rams 10. — In Week 6 in Detroit, the Rams squandered Keenum's historic afternoon. Keenum became the 57th quarterback in NFL history to complete 84 percent of his passes, throw three touchdowns and run for another one. He also became the only one of the 57 to lose the game. Lions 31, Rams 28. Yes, if you want find a new way to lose a football game, Jeff Fisher will get creative. Fisher is 31-43-1 as Rams head coach. If Stan Kroenke cared about a winning product on the field, Fisher wouldn't live to coach another season in Los Angeles. But let's face it, Kroenke cares about winning the financial game. With this bunch, retaining Fisher for 2017 isn't far-fetched. What is far-fetched is the notion that Fisher is a successful NFL head coach. Two more losses guarantees another losing season for Fisher in Los Angeles/St. Louis. In fact, Fisher has never had a winning season with the Rams — he's in year No. 5 right now. MORE: Raiders' Derek Carr returns after gruesome finger injury He has six winning seasons in 22 years as head coach, 21 full seasons assuming he finishes the 2016 season on the sideline. Fisher's offenses have been awful. He hasn't had an offense rank in the top 10 in scoring since 2003. Fisher has just two other seasons as head coach in which his offense has registered 10th or better in scoring (1999, 1996). Fisher's best scoring offense with the Rams? That would be the 2013 and 2014 seasons in which his Rams finished 21st overall. His offense ranked dead last in scoring entering Week 12. The moral to the story? Jeff Fisher is on the verge of becoming the NFL's biggest loser. Ever. And his offenses stink. Pat Imig is featured host of “We Are Live!” on 590 The Fan in St. Louis. He thinks Tecmo Bowl playbooks are more innovative than Jeff Fisher's offensive philosophys. Email him at [email protected] for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. In just seven weeks, a man known for being ill-tempered, thin-skinned, narcissistic, and erratic will take control of the US nuclear arsenal. Donald Trump will have the authority and power to launch any combination of the country’s 4,500 nuclear weapons. At any time and for any reason he deems fit, Trump could destroy a nation and, through miscalculation, the world. During the presidential campaign, he uttered several troubling statements about nuclear arms. At a Republican primary debate, he botched a question about the nuclear triad—America’s system of sea-, air-, and land-based nuclear weapons—suggesting he did not understand the most basic information about the structure of the US nuclear command. (He babbled, “For me, nuclear is just the power, the devastation is very important to me.”) At other points in the campaign, Trump noted he would support allowing Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia to obtain nuclear weapons and indicated he would be open to using such weapons against ISIS and in other conflicts. What makes Trump’s loose talk—and ignorance—about nuclear weapons particularly worrisome is that in the past, he has taken a fatalistic approach toward the notion of nuclear war. He has spoken as if he believed such a conflagration was almost inevitable. And now he is about to become one of the few humans on the planet who can decide the fate of the Earth. Trump’s fatalism regarding nuclear war goes back decades. During a 1990 interview with Playboy, he was asked about running for president (yes, even then) and to describe what “would be some of President Trump’s longer-term views of the future.” Trump replied, “I think of the future, but I refuse to paint it. Anything can happen. But I often think of nuclear war.” The interviewer, Glenn Plaskin, seemed surprise. “Nuclear war?” he asked. Trump explained: I’ve always thought about the issue of nuclear war; it’s a very important element in my thought process. It’s the ultimate, the ultimate catastrophe, the biggest problem this world has, and nobody’s focusing on the nuts and bolts of it. It’s a little like sickness. People don’t believe they’re going to get sick until they do. Nobody wants to talk about it. I believe the greatest of all stupidities is people’s believing it will never happen, because everybody knows how destructive it will be, so nobody uses weapons. What bullshit. Plaskin asked, “Does any of that fuzzy thinking exist around the Trump office?” The mogul replied: On a much lower level, I would never hire anybody who thinks that way, because he has absolutely no common sense. He’s living in a world of make-believe. It’s like thinking the Titanic can’t sink. Too many countries have nuclear weapons; nobody knows where they’re all pointed, what button it takes to launch them. The bomb Harry Truman dropped on Hiroshima was a toy next to today’s. We have thousands of weapons pointed at us and nobody even knows if they’re going to go in the right direction. They’ve never really been tested. These jerks in charge don’t know how to paint a wall, and we’re relying on them to shoot nuclear missiles to Moscow. What happens if they don’t go there? What happens if our computer systems aren’t working? Nobody knows if this equipment works, and I’ve seen numerous reports lately stating that the probability is they don’t work. It’s a total mess. So Trump fretted about both the prospect of nuclear war and nuclear weapons not functioning properly. But he did seem to think that a cataclysm was likely at some point. Five years later, Trump expressed a similar sentiment in a filmed interview aired this week on MSNBC. He was asked where he saw himself in five years. He answered, “In five years from now, who knows? Maybe the bombs drop from heaven, who knows? This is a sick world, we’re dealing here with lots of sickos. And you have the nuclear and you have the this and you have the that.” Did he really worry about that? Trump continued: Oh absolutely. I mean, I think it’s sick human nature. If Hitler had the bomb, you don’t think he would have used it? He would have put the bomb right in the middle of Fifth Avenue. He would have used Trump tower, 57th and Fifth. Boom. I mean, you have people that are sick and they are now having nuclear arsenals, and I think it’s one of the greatest problems of the world…So it’s always tough to say—I mean I like to project for the future but really live very much for the present. And I like to learn from the past, but it’s very very fragile, life is so fragile. Once more, Trump appeared to believe nuclear annihilation was coming one day. Maybe soon. In The America We Deserve, a book Trump published in early 2000 when he was considering running for president on the Reform Party ticket, he noted that the threat of nuclear terrorism was profound: My uncle John Trump was an MIT professor and a brilliant man. He had a clear and compelling view of the future, including a strong belief that one day the United States might be subjected to a terrorist strike that would turn Manhattan into Hiroshima II. I always respected Uncle John, but sometimes found myself wondering if maybe he wasn’t exaggerating just a bit. Today we know that John Trump knew exactly what he was talking about. So what are we doing about this threat? Are we getting tough with people who would wipe us out in a second? Hell no. In this ghost-written book, Trump came across as concerned, but he did not state that nuclear war was inevitable. After all, he was mulling a presidential bid, and the book was designed to demonstrate that he could be a strong leader and protect the United States. Yet in a 2004 interview—again with Playboy—Trump returned to expressing his fatalism. When he was asked by interviewer David Hochman why he was such a self-promoter, he responded: Because if you don’t, probably nobody else will. Whether I’m building the best buildings in Chicago, New York, California or wherever I happen to be building, I think I get credit for being a great promoter. Actually, what I am is a great builder. I build great things and become successful, and everybody talks about them. I’d like to be remembered as somebody with a high standard of taste who got the job done and also put lots of people to work, made lots of money for the poor and fed a lot of families. But then came this question: “Do you think Trump Tower and your other buildings will bear your name a hundred years from now?” Trump’s reply was chilling: No, I don’t think so…I don’t think any building will be here—and unless we have some very smart people ruling it, the world will not be the same place in a hundred years. The weapons are too powerful, too strong. Access to the weapons is getting too easy, so I think the landscape we’re looking at will not be the same unless we get smart people in office quickly. The interviewer responded, “That’s frightening.” And Trump said, “You don’t agree?” Hochman remarked, “It’s just surprising coming from you. Your whole world is bricks and mortar.” Trump went on: I had an uncle who was a great professor and a brilliant man—Dr. John Trump, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His whole life was devoted to the study and eradication of cancer, and sadly, he died of cancer. But he was a brilliant scientist, and he would tell me weapons are getting so powerful today that humanity is in tremendous trouble. This was 25 years ago, but he was right. The world is rocky, and some terrible things are going to happen. That’s why I lead the life I do. I enjoy it. I know life is fragile, and if the world looks like this a hundred years from now, we’ll either be very lucky or have found unbelievably good leaders somewhere down the line. That was 12 years ago. Trump was conveying a dark message about the future. He did note there was hope—but only if smart leaders emerged. As the world knows, Trump does think of himself as a highly intelligent person. During the Republican primary he said he was his own foreign policy consultant because he had “a very good brain.” And he did claim in a campaign interview last March that nuclear policy was a priority for him, saying, “It’s a very scary nuclear world. Biggest problem, to me, in the world, is nuclear, and proliferation.” Yet can a man who has said he views nuclear war as almost unavoidable but who couldn’t be bothered to learn the fundamentals of nuclear policy be the “good leader” who can steer humanity past the greatest of all threats? Trump’s campaign comments about nuclear weapons and the possibility of using them have not been reassuring. His previous remarks suggesting he believed nuclear war was all but inescapable are the stuff of nightmares.Guy Bentley During his regular phone in with LBC radio Nigel Farage gave it business secretary Vince Cable with both barrels. The Ukip leader slammed the Lid Dem cabinet minister saying we've got a "Marxist in charge of the business department". Farage was answering a question referring to the privatisation of Royal Mail. He added that Cable had "made an absolute pig's ear of the sale of Royal Mail" and he (Cable) "was not fit for purpose". Yesterday, Lord Myners released his report on the privatisation that was commissioned at the behest of the business secretary. The report concluded that the Royal Mail sale was undervalued by £180m. The conversation with LBC's Nick Ferrari may turn out to be one of Farage's more controversial after he defended former Ukip candidate Kerry Smith's use of the word "chinky" referring to Chinese women by asking the question: If you and your mates are going out for a Chinese, what do you say you’re going for? He said he was saddened by Kerry Smith's resignation and praised him as a "rough diamond" but added that Kerry was not fit to be a parliamentary candidate.NATO's new chief military commander in Europe, Curtis Scaparrotti, vowed to continue his predecessor's policy of opposing Russia. In Moscow he is seen as an even bigger warmonger by some officials. US Army General Scaparrotti assumed command of the NATO Allied Command Operations from Air Force General Philip M. Breedlove, who is retiring after a 39-year military career. Speaking at a ceremony at NATO's HQ in Brussels, Scaparrotti praised his predecessor's vision and leadership for the alliance. Read more NATO is facing a "resurgent Russia striving to project itself as a world power," Scaparrotti said, as cited by the Pentagon. Other concerns for NATO are terrorism, as well as a refugee crisis "being driven by instability in North Africa and the Middle East," he said. "To address these challenges, we must continue to maintain and enhance our levels of readiness and our agility in the spirit of being able to fight tonight if deterrence fails," he said. During his NATO tenure, Breedlove was a vocal advocate of putting greater military pressure on Russia, which he called an “existential threat” for the West. At various points he called for reviving Cold War spy missions by U2 planes against Russia, suggested arming Ukraine, claiming that it was being invaded by Russian troops, and accused Moscow of “weaponizing” the inflow of refugees to Europe from the Middle East, among other controversial statements. Breedlove's rhetoric was welcomed in countries like Poland, the Baltic States and Ukraine, where anti-Russian sentiment is popular in nationalist circles. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko even awarded the retiring NATO general the country's highest order that can be awarded to a foreigner. But NATO military pronouncements reportedly stirred controversy among some European members of the alliance, including Germany, where the general's words were perceived as “dangerous propaganda” by some officials. READ MORE: Germany slams NATO European commander’s comments on Ukraine as ‘dangerous propaganda’ – Spiegel Scaparrotti's pledge to continue Breedlove's policies was received with contempt in Moscow. “By stating that NATO should be 'able to fight tonight' with Russia the new chief commander of the alliance has surpassed his predecessor in warmongering,” said Aleksey Pushkov, the chair of the Russian parliamentary committee for foreign relations. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that “a resurgent Russia” posed military threat to no country and that the alliance should better seek points of mutual interest with Russia, like fighting terrorism. “Russia certainly cannot ignore any action that can potentially threaten its national security. In this regard Russia will continue to defend its interests,” he added. NATO is planning to deploy at least 4,000 additional troops on Russia's border, the Pentagon announced this week. Russia is responding by forming three new divisions in its west and south, each with some 10,000 troops.Brown has spent the week trying to rally support both publicly and privately for the final version of his proposal to extend the cap-and-trade program. Before Thursday's committee hearing, Brown made his pitch in a meeting with Assembly Democrats. The main legislation to extend cap and trade, Assembly Bill 398, requires a two-thirds vote, meaning Brown can't afford to lose Democratic votes in either house, unless Republicans sign on. Republicans Announce Opposition The possibility of a bipartisan agreement took a hit on Thursday morning, when Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes announced that members of his caucus, who had previously signaled some support for an extension, were against the proposal. "There are no Assembly Republican votes for the cap-and-trade deal in its current form," said Mayes, R-Yucca Valley, in a statement. "We will not support a deal that doesn’t cut taxes, roll back regulations and protect ordinary Californians." Republican Senate Leader Pat Bates also announced the opposition of her caucus in a letter to the governor, although GOP Sens. Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, and Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, did not sign their names. Brown told the two Republican senators on the Environmental Quality Committee, Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado, and Jeff Stone, R-Riverside County, that the alternative to cap and trade would be much worse. In that scenario, called "command and control," the California Air Resources Board could mandate specific emission cuts from companies in order to meet the state's overall emissions reduction goal. “The ARB will regulate the food processing, the oil industry, the cement industry in a way that is not efficient, that will be three to five times more costly," Brown said. "Yes, that will be noticed by your constituents.” Gaines said potential increases in the gasoline prices under cap and trade could amount to "a regressive tax on the poor in California." Local Air Districts Voice Concerns While Republicans on the committee criticized potential costs on consumers, expert witnesses and dozens of speakers told the committee the plan isn't tough enough on local polluters. Local air districts and members of the environmental justice community have focused on a provision in the plan that bars local air regulators from joining the state in limiting carbon dioxide emissions from factories and refineries. “We believe that as long as it’s done consistently and in support of the overall program, the air districts ought to be a part of regulating greenhouse gases from these sources," said Jack Broadbent, CEO of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The BAAQMD has been working on its own plan to regulate CO2 emissions from local oil refineries. Business groups have said that local regulators should focus on local pollutants, not greenhouse gases. Local air quality is addressed in Assembly Bill 617, which was also approved by the Senate committee on Thursday. Many Democratic lawmakers wanted a cap-and-trade extension to come with a focus on pollutants that disproportionately impact poorer neighborhoods in the state. "What I'm talking about is making sure that we show the world that we can take care of our global community, but that we're not going to do it at the expense of our own communities," said Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia. The Los Angeles Democrat is carrying AB 617. Brown took notes as speakers came forward to express environmental concerns about the cap-and-trade plan. Garcia promised that the work to reduce local air pollution would continue beyond this deal. “This is a down payment and not all that we need to be doing,” she said. The two bills now move the Senate Appropriations Committee, which will take them up on Monday morning, before an expected afternoon floor vote in both houses. The legislation does not detail how all the money from the state's cap-and-trade auctions (where businesses purchase the credits that allow them to release emissions) would be spent. A piece of the fund would go toward backfilling the state fire prevention fee, which AB 398 eliminates. The fee is paid mostly by rural residents, and is very unpopular among Republican lawmakers.Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. By Sue Lloyd Roberts BBC Newsnight, Saudi Arabia I took a taxi from our hotel at midnight on Thursday to find police cars with their lights flashing parked at five-metre intervals along all the main streets in Riyadh. Policemen standing guard outside a mosque in the capital today I was pulled over by the police for merely filming on my mobile phone. On Friday, the city woke up to the sight of more police on the streets than people, and the atmosphere was tense. The anti-government "day of rage" rallies calling for democratic reforms - not revolution - in this oil-rich kingdom were supposed to start after midday prayers, but people stayed away. It was hardly surprising, given that over the past few days there had been warnings in the newspapers of the punishments demonstrators could expect - lashings and imprisonment. And then there is the surveillance and intimidation. Yet demonstrations have been gathering momentum throughout Saudi Arabia. It was reported that police opened fire on protests in the eastern provinces - home to the Shia minority - on Thursday night. We went to the eastern town of Dammam to meet the families of political prisoners - some of whom have been held without trial for up to 16 years. Opposition activists say there are some 30,000 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, the government puts the figure at one third of that. My emails and mobile phone are being monitored. I cannot meet you. I am sorry. This is a sad day for Saudi Arabia Demonstrator We didn't know we were being followed by the security forces, and after we had finished filming we were arrested and our tapes taken from us. The message is clear - people should not protest, and if they do, journalists should not report it. On Friday, I was due to meet one of the demonstration organisers who said he would accompany me to see the protests. But an hour before the rally was due to begin, I received a text message. "My emails and mobile phone are being monitored. I cannot meet you. I am sorry. This is a sad day for Saudi Arabia." Demonstrations are illegal in the autocratic kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a country with no legal political parties or mass movements that has been governed by the House of Saud for 80 years. The government claims people have no need to demonstrate because they have a method of government that works. But one opposition spokesman described his country to me as "a police state masquerading as a theocracy". We journalists were herded into buses on Friday and taken to see the "day of rage" non-event. Helicopters hovered overhead, there were road blocks and cars being searched, hundreds of police cars and thousands of police - but not a demonstrator in sight. Suddenly, as we were all getting bored of filming each other, a solitary man in his 40s, dressed in casual Western-style t-shirt and jeans approached us. "We want freedom. We want democracy," he shouted. "Why are you saying this, in front of all the police?" I asked him. "I shall go to jail, I know," he replied, shaking with nerves and frustration. "But the whole country is a jail. I had to speak out." Within a few minutes, the man was surrounded by a dozen or more journalists, he was the only one in Riyadh on Friday giving a press conference. There were so many of us there that there was nothing the police could do except speak nervously into their mobile phones and then shepherd us all back into our buses. But I refused to go and accompanied the man to his car. I asked for his phone number and shall call him at home - but I don't expect him to answer. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionInterior Department Washington, D.C. 2:16 P.M. EST THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Diane. Thank you. (Applause.) Some of you in the audience who are survivors know how much courage it takes to do what Diane did. (Applause.) Some people who don't know will say, well, she’s just recounting what happened. But every single time you stand and recount what happened, it brings it all back. It brings it all back like a very bad nightmare. But your speaking out, Diane, and so many survivors like you are literally saving the lives of so many other women who, God willing, will be able to avoid the abuse that you had to put up with. I want to thank all the advocates who are here today. I got a chance to meet in my office with some of you a little bit earlier -- not only those on the stage who I, again, had a chance to meet with, but the many women out in the audience, as I look out and see some familiar faces like Pat Rouse and Ellie Smeal and Paulette Sullivan Moore from -- I’m being parochial -- Paulette Sullivan Moore from my home state, and so many others. (Applause.) Those of you who have been around a while with me know that I quote my father all the time who literally would say, the greatest sin that could be committed, the cardinal sin of all sins was the abuse of power, and the ultimate abuse of power is for someone physically stronger and bigger to raise their hand and strike and beat someone else. In most cases that tends to be a man striking a woman, or a man or woman striking a child. That's the fundamental premise and the overarching reason why John Conyers and I and others started so many years ago to draft the legislation called the Violence Against Women Act. It passed 19 years ago, and that's why we shortly thereafter instituted a hotline where women in distress could call for help. I remember, John, when we did that hotline, it was like, well, it will be useful, but I’m not so sure how much it will be used. Well, the truth of the matter is it’s been used a lot and it’s saved a lot of lives. Over 2 million women have had the courage -- the courage -- to try to get out of earshot of their abuser, escape from the prison of their own home, and pick up that phone and call to a line that you had no idea who on the other end was going to answer, and to say, I’m in trouble. Can you help me? Can you help me? I love those men who would say when we started this about why don't they just leave. Well, if they had one-third the courage that those women -- those 2 million women had who have picked up the phone and called, not knowing what to expect, it would be a whole lot better nation. We’ve built a network of shelters that are immediately available to women in need because we found out that the vast majority of children who are homeless on the street -- Nancy knows and others -- were there because their mothers were abused. Imagine fleeing for your life with only the clothes on your back and your child in your arms. The shelter was their only lifeline, and it’s worked. We also have specialized law enforcement units with trained prosecutors, victim advocates, court personnel who understand the unique challenges of the access. Because of all of you in the audience that are here today, we’ve been able to train judges and train intake officers, so when a frightened woman shows up at the family court and says to the intake officer, “I want to tell you” -- “Speak up, will you?” “Well, I just -- my” -- and they turn around and walk away, because there’s only a very brief window, as all of you know, a very brief window, again, after a woman screws up the courage -- the courage -- to ask for help. All these links in the chain have made a difference in the lives of women. It’s one woman, one girl, one person at a time, one case at a time. And you providers know that better than anyone. With all the law’s success, there are still too many women in this country who live in fear of violence, who are still prisoners in their own home; too many victims that we have to mourn. We knew from the outset in 1994 that there was much more we could have done at the beginning if we were able to get the votes. But we did what was necessary and important, but we knew more had to be done to reduce domestic violence, domestic violence homicides, to provide new tools, as was just spoken to, to protect Native American women, to address the perplexing rate of dating violence among young women, and so much more. But because of the people on this stage and in this room, every time we reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, we improved it. Every single time, we’ve improved it. (Applause.) And we did this again. First, we’ve given jurisdiction to tribal courts over those who abuse women on reservations regardless of whether or not they -- (applause.) We’re providing more resources to the states so they can be trained as to how to collect evidence, acquire convictions, particularly in prosecutions for rape. We’re going to increase the use of proven models to reduce domestic violence homicides. We’ve all focused on the tragic gun violence that has been in the news lately, but I want to point something out to you. From 2009 to 2012, 40 percent of the mass shootings in America, other than the celebrated ones you’ve seen -- 40 percent where there’s four or more people who have been shot, the target has been a former intimate partner or a close family member. So they go into the office, just like that young man who -- or woman who stood in front of you when your husband came with a loaded pistol to shoot you. Forty percent are a consequence of domestic violence. We created a strong -- strong -- anti-violence program. Campuses will have more tools to educate students about sexual violence. (Applause.) So when Congress passed this law that the President will sign today, they just didn’t renew what I consider a sacred commitment to protect our mothers, our daughters, our sisters. They strengthened that commitment. And I want to thank them. I hope I don’t leave anybody out. Starting off with my old buddy, Pat Leahy, who chairs the committee. Pat, thank you very, very much. (Applause.) And Mike Crapo. Mike, this wouldn’t have happened if you had not stepped up. (Applause.) Lisa Murkowski is not here. But my friend who -- I don’t want to get her in trouble, but I know she really likes me because I like her a lot -- (laughter) -- Senator Collins. Seriously, it was Republicans coming and standing up and saying this has to be done in the Senate. So we owe you. We owe you big. (Applause.) And by the way, if you ever want a partner to get anything important done, call Nancy Pelosi. Call Nancy Pelosi. (Applause.) And Steny Hoyer, and Congresswoman Moore -- (applause -- and my old buddy -- I hope I’m not leaving anybody out here -- but my old buddy, John Conyers. (Applause.) I’m sure I’m leaving someone out, for which I apologize. Look, we all know we have a lot more to do, but we’re going to continue to make progress. And one of the reasons we’re going to continue to make progress is we’re going to have for at least three more years the President of the United States, my friend, Barack Obama. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, everybody! Please, everybody have a seat, have a seat. I want to thank all of you for being here. I want to thank Secretary Salazar, my great friend, for letting us into the building. (Laughter.) Make sure, everybody, pick up their stray soda cans and stuff afterwards. (Laughter.) I want to thank Attorney General Holder for joining us. He’s doing a great job. (Applause.) We usually host these bill signings over at the White House. But there were just too many of you -- (laughter) -- who helped to make this happen. (Applause.) And you all deserve to be a part of this moment. I want to thank everybody on this stage. Joe just mentioned the extraordinary work that each and every one of these leaders -- both advocates as well as legislators -- THE VICE PRESIDENT: And I left out Congressman Tom Cole. THE PRESIDENT: Well, there you go. Give Tom a big round of applause. (Applause.) But everybody on this stage worked extraordinarily hard. Most of all, though, this is your day. This is the day of the advocates; the day of the survivors. This is your victory. AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Mr. President! THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Applause.) And this victory shows that when the American people make their voices heard, Washington listens. (Applause.) So I want to join Joe in thanking all the members of Congress from both parties who came together, got this bill across the finish line. I want to say a special thanks to Pat Leahy and Mike Crapo. (Applause.) Thank you, guys, for your leadership. (Applause.) And I want to give much love to Gwen Moore, who worked so hard on this. (Applause.) And I also want to take a minute before I begin to thank the Senators who, just a few hours ago, took another big step towards sensible gun safety reforms by advancing a federal gun trafficking bill. That’s real progress. (Applause.) Now, the Senate Judiciary Committee sent legislation to the Senate floor that would crack down on folks who buy guns only to turn around and funnel them to dangerous criminals. It’s a bill named, in part, for Hadiya Pendleton, who was murdered in Chicago earlier this year. You'll remember I told this story about how she had marched in the Inauguration Parade, and just a few weeks later had been gunned down about a mile away from my house. So I urge the Senate to give that bill a vote. I urge the House to follow suit. And I urge Congress to move on other areas that have support of the American people -- from requiring universal background checks to getting assault weapons off our streets -- because we need to stop the flow of illegal guns to criminals, and because Hadiya’s family and too many other families really do deserve a vote. (Applause.) Finally, I want to thank Joe Biden for being such an outstanding Vice President. (Applause.) That's right, you can stand for Joe. Stand for Joe. (Applause.) Give it up for Joe Biden. (Applause.) Joe is a hardworking Vice President. AUDIENCE: Yes, he is! THE PRESIDENT: And he told me when he agreed -- when I asked him to be Vice President, he said, well, I don't want to just be sitting
ickers to launder money, she explained. “I talk to people all over the world who have engaged in misconduct. They love Delaware.” –Philip Nichols Nichols noted that while only a few U.S. citizens and businesses are now linked to the Panama Papers, the Department of Justice is looking into anonymous companies. “The integrity of the U.S. system has been called into question,” he said. “Remember, we have states like Delaware or Wyoming or Nevada in which such things occur. Maybe while the Department of Justice is looking abroad, this will prompt investigation and scrutiny of similar occurrences within U.S. shores.” Confalone agreed with Nichols. “These anonymous companies after being set up have a license to open bank accounts in any country,” she said. “You are tapped into the global financial infrastructure and you can engage in all sorts of transactions which will frequently touch the U.S. or involve U.S. citizens.” Time for Action Confalone said much of the efforts to stymie tax evasion will depend on getting information on beneficial ownership from companies and the banks that set up accounts for these companies. “If you exchange information on bank accounts that will be relevant to tax authorities, you have to know who is behind the bank accounts and who is behind these companies,” she added. “When we talk of beneficial ownership, we are talking about the real, living people who are the owners or controllers of these companies. There needs to be significant work in this area.” About $1.1 trillion left developing countries in illegal financial flows in 2013, according to a recent report by Global Financial Integrity. About 80% of that is from a practice called trade mis-invoicing, where trade invoices on either side of the transaction are altered to move money into or out of a country without being seen, Confalone explained. “These anonymous companies are one of the key mechanisms that allow you to do that [type of deal],” she said. According to Confalone, international commitments have been made in the G8 and the G20 groups in the past several years to improve beneficial ownership transparency. In the European Union, its recent “fourth anti-money laundering directive” will require member states to collect and prepare central registries of beneficial ownership information for companies formed within their borders, she noted. The U.S. would fall in line after the passage of the Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act. With the U.S. as the largest incorporator of firms worldwide, actions taken by the American government will have “an outsized impact on the integrity of the financial system worldwide,” said Confalone. “We incorporate more companies than any country in the world and yet we do not collect beneficial ownership information.” Confalone recalled a colleague noting that a company formed in the U.S. gets “a patina of legitimacy” because it doesn’t have the stigma that some other jurisdictions have. However, a recent review by the International Monetary Fund showed that the U.S. had not made significant progress on dealing with beneficial ownership transparency since its last review in 2006, she added. “The U.K. perhaps needs to take greater ownership of the banking regulations in its dependencies rather than painting countries like Panama or Luxembourg [as violators],” said Nichols. He also called for similar reforms in U.S. states like Delaware and Wyoming. “Because of my work at Wharton, I talk to people all over the world who have engaged in misconduct,” he said. “They love Delaware. It is a destination of choice for the reasons [Confalone] said — it gives you the patina of legitimacy.” Nichols praised Panama for making “great strides in improving its banking climate.” He lauded the work of people like Enrique Arturo de Obarrio, general counsel to the Superintendency of Banks of Panama, the country’s banking regulator, and a legal expert who was instrumental in passing the Panamanian law on transparency and the Panamanian Business Ethics Compact. “Journalists are making it easy for prosecution, and governments need to start following their lead.” –Philip Nichols Mossack Fonseca gained its experience “at a time when Panama was pretty much a defunct place…. Panama has changed a lot since then,” Nichols said. “A lot of misconduct … occurs in Panama, as in Wyoming and Delaware, but Panama should be held up as an example of a country that we want other countries to emulate.” Confalone agreed with Nichols on Panama. She pointed out that Panama in February 2016 came off the so-called “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The FATF grey list is an international money laundering and terrorism financing watch list. The FATF cited “significant progress” in the country’s efforts in anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism and proliferation in a press release. Positive Spinoffs A positive outcome of the Panama Papers scandal is that it might spur countries that have been less aggressive in prosecuting wrongdoings by anonymous companies to now get tougher on them. “Given the easier access to information that a number of countries wouldn’t have had otherwise, I expect many countries to ramp up their investigation prosecution, gaining experience and pursuing other cases independently,” Nichols said. The ICIJ has said it would release the full list of companies and people linked to it in early May. “One of the great benefits of this [leak] is that it brings this into the public realm, making it possible for citizens to see the effects of these companies, to see policies that are enforced in their countries that enable these types of activities to happen and to engage with their governments to say, ‘This is no longer acceptable and we need to take action to fix it,’” said Confalone. She expected any changes the Panama Papers promise to pan out over several years. “Larger countries have greater prosecutorial resources so you may see greater action there,” said Confalone of the changes needed. “The U.S. could do its part by making the changes to its own incorporation processes that would provide fewer opportunities for people to obtain the companies that they use to engage in wrongdoing.” Nichols noted that journalists are on the forefront in unearthing such scandals. He pointed to a report recently produced jointly by The Huffington Post and Australia’s Fairfax Media group that investigated alleged corrupt practices at a firm in Monaco called Unaoil. “Journalists are making it easy for prosecution, and governments need to start following their lead,” he said.Key Points The show focuses on how onions tenderise meat for this recipe, my findings are that they do that slighty but its not crazy noticable. Its the same as with honey tenderising meat, its doesn’t make a whole world of difference. Other than that, this is so far the best dish ive made from the show. Its a simple dish of steak and onions on rice, whats not to like. The other ‘magical’ ingredient they use is umeboshi, or pickled plums. Soma uses these in a paste that he adds to the rice to make the dish more refreshing and to make you want to keep eating, did this magical paste do that? Yes, this surprisingly did work that way, these plums are super salty and sour, mixed with a little minced garlic and ginger then added to rice really makes you want to keep coming back for more. How Did It Go? So my dish didn’t come out looking anything like Soma’s, I believe this is because I followed his instructions instead of cooking it how I thought it should be done. My onions didn’t come out golden like his because in the show he says to add the onions to the sauce that you make in the pan that you cooked the meat in, so they dont go crispy and golden they go soft and translucent. This dish really is delicious and most people should give it a go, its pretty simple and only really takes as long as it does to cook the rice as long as you prep the oniony meat beforehand. To make it what I did was; prep the steak, cook it off on a high heat and leave to rest, make the sauce with soy sauce and red wine, fry the onions in the pan until cooked, mix your pickled plum paste with the rice and serve. For the sauce you want to deglase the pan with the soy sauce as the show points out its a burnt soy flavour, and I found adding it to the pan while its hot gives it that flavour. Then reduce some red wine with it and thicken with potato starch. The Stuff You Need In Order To Cook ThisRevolutionary Design The ground-breaking design of the Air-Pot container has been continually refined over twenty years and is now in its sixth generation. Every detail has been enhanced to guarantee healthy root development and maximise aeration. Additional oxygen in the growing medium leads to healthy bacteria and better nutrient release. At the same time the shape of the wall eliminates root circling and encourages the development of a mass of healthy fibrous roots. The additional roots mean better take up of nutrients and water leading to faster growth and healthier plants. Toughly constructed from recycled plastic Air-Pot containers can last up to ten years or more. Buy now Fantastic Roots For plants to thrive they need healthy roots, but standard pots deform roots and this seriously compromises the health of the plant. Air-Pot containers do the opposite, actively enhancing the plant by making it develop a mass of healthy fibrous roots. This maximises the ability to absorb nutrients and water leading to faster growth. For Growers who know For many years the Air-Pot container has been the choice of expert growers around the world who use it in all areas of horticulture from food production to growing the largest trees. Only trees grown in Air-Pot containers were used for the landscaping of London’s Olympic Park and the system is relied on by the world’s leading horticultural institutions for their vital programs of research and conservation. At the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew over three thousand species of plant are now grown in Air-Pot containers.Guacamole allows a Linux desktop to be accessed through a Web browser A new open source project dubbed Guacamole allows users to access a desktop remotely through a Web browser, potentially streamlining the requirements for client support and administration. Guacamole is a HTML5 and JavaScript (Ajax) VNC viewer, which makes use of a VNC-to-XML proxy server written in Java. According to its developers, Guacamole is almost as responsive as native VNC and should work in any browser supporting the HTML5 canvas tag. The Guacamole server requires a Java servlet container like Apache Tomcat, while the client side requires just a Web browser supporting HTML5 and Ajax. Features include CopyRect encoding and client-side cursor, if both are supported by the VNC server. With Guacamole, any Linux desktop should be accessible over the Web, without the need for dedicated client software. The HTML 5 canvas element allows for dynamic, scriptable rendering of two dimensional shapes and bitmap images. According to the W3C, the canvas element provides scripts with a resolution-dependent bitmap canvas, which can be used for rendering graphics or other visual images on the fly. Guacamole release 0.2.0 (testing) was released this week and adds clipboard and mouse scroll wheel support and a redesigned user interface. The only other requirement is a VNC server for X, the graphical display for Unix. X11vnc is recommended. The Guacamole project online at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/guacamole. The software is licensed under the AGPL.Jeffrey Hawkins Writer likes to say that the average drop of water entering the Mississippi River headwaters north of Minnesota will be used 11 times before it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. That drop might irrigate crops, flow through wastewater treatment plants, pour out of residential taps, move through digestive systems, arc into toilet bowls, swirl down into sewers, and then do it over again. Whatever its fate along its 2,300-mile journey South, this water will mix with all kind of chemicals, human metabolites, and unnatural compounds. Writer can attest to that. When he floated down the big river in the early 1990s on a government research boat measuring contaminants, he detected everything from heavy metals to pesticides to caffeine. But the waters of Colorado, Writer’s current base of employment, should be an entirely different matter. On a late September morning, Writer and I are driving along the outskirts of Boulder. The road is lined with picturesque stands of cottonwoods and willows; sheep graze lazily in sun-dappled fields. The seasoned environmental engineer points to craggy, snow-capped mountain peaks looming over the hills above us, a source of virgin water feeding into the Boulder Reservoir, the town’s primary source of drinking water, and eventually its main tributary, Boulder Creek. We are on our way to the heart of town, where Writer, a hydrologist at the United States Geological Survey (USGS), wants to show me a favorite local haunt near the University of Colorado, Boulder. It’s a bucolic spot on Boulder Creek where families swim, dogs frolic, and children go tubing in the summer. Upstream of Boulder’s central wastewater facilities, the crystal clear water is fed mainly by the runoff from the Arapaho Glacier and scores of streams like it, migrating down from the Rockies through waterways notched into the hills. So when we pull up and step out of the car, it comes as somewhat of a surprise when Writer tells me what’s in the water. Recently, he picked up significant traces of a drug called lamotrigine, a compound prescribed to treat epilepsy and manic depression. The metabolites, he speculated, came from the one source of treated wastewater upstream of the reservoir, located in a tiny 1,445-person mountain town called Nederland. “Even here in this pristine stream, there’s no running away from it,” Writer says. “What we’re seeing is how medicated our society is. These compounds are extremely persistent and show up wherever you look for them.” Also in Health The Immortality Hype By Adam Piore It’d be easy to miss the unobtrusive brown door to Joon Yun’s second floor office, tucked away next to a dry cleaners and a hair salon in downtown Palo Alto, California. But the address itself speaks loud enough. Four-hundred-seventy University...READ MORE In recent years, watershed studies across the United States have turned up eye-opening levels of antidepressants, butalbital (a barbiturate), sulfamethoxazole (an anti-bacterial), carbamazepine (an anti-seizure medication often used to treat bipolar disorder), as well as metabolites of caffeine, cigarettes, steroids, and lipid regulators. According to the USGS, pharmaceutical traces can be found in 80 percent of United States streams. Despite the ominous findings, the impact of all these metabolites on human health is not yet fully understood. A 2011 U.S. Government Accountability Office report “confirmed the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water throughout the nation,” though added “the human health effects of exposure to these pharmaceuticals is largely unknown.” The drug traces in the nation’s water supply cast into sharp focus an issue seldom discussed in environmental science, but bound to become prominent in the future: the increasingly outmoded state of wastewater treatment plants. For many years, wastewater treatment was a relatively simple proposition. Back in the old days, biologists assumed most pollution was tied up in solids or contained in bacteria and pathogens. So most wastewater treatment plants removed debris, separated solids from liquids, usually by using gravity or other physical means, and then disinfected the liquid that remained, before releasing it back into the watershed. Many plants exposed the water to chlorine gas, a cheap, highly reactive element that quickly oxidizes and kills microorganisms and bacteria carrying scourges like cholera, pneumonia, or typhus. Now, however, with improvements in the ability to detect tiny yet potent trace elements in the water, along with an explosion of highly medicated urban populations, biologists are finding plenty of things to worry about. (A 2005 to 2008 survey revealed that 1 in every 10 Americans over age 12 is taking antidepressants, a 400 percent increase over the previous survey, conducted between 1988 and 1994.) U.S. waterways are a pharmaceutical soup, and that soup is becoming more difficult to identify and filter everyday. One fear is “nutrient pollution,” a phenomenon caused by the release of too much nitrogen and phosphorous by wastewater plants and agricultural runoff back into the environment. Phosphorous is a common ingredient in most synthetic dish and hand soaps, laundry detergents, and disinfectants, while nitrogen is a key component of the metabolic byproducts produced by humans and livestock. Aquatic vegetation has reacted to the surge in nutrient-rich wastewater like a weightlifter on steroids, blooming into gargantuan oxygen-sucking fields of pond scum that blot out sunlight. Today, algae blooms are threatening a wide array of iconic watersheds, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Chesapeake Bay. More dramatic are hermaphrodite fish. In the past decade, numerous studies have shown that “endocrine disruptors,” or hormonal metabolites like birth control pills, tamoxifen, and steroids, are creating intersex fish. In studies done all over the world, normally male fish downstream of wastewater plants appear to be growing ovary tissue in their testes, while female fish have been found with sperm-producing nests in their ovaries instead of eggs. The chemicals also affect sexual differentiation in the womb, tilting the balance of male to female fish dramatically. In one study conducted downstream of Boulder’s wastewater treatment plant, researchers found a 10 to 90 ratio of male to female fish. Biologists are alarmed to learn that feel-good drugs like Prozac are making little fish recklessly apathetic to the dangers of the bigger fish who like to eat them. Blissing out on Prozac, after all, is a quality of life boon if you’re a neurotic New Yorker dealing with the stress of preschool tuition payments, angry cabbies, and demanding bosses. But it can prove fatal in the ruthless arena of nature, where hesitation can mean you’re someone else’s lunch. “If you want to draw the parallel to humans, it is like an impaired driver who is slow to pick up a threat and respond to it,” says Heiko Schoenfuss, a professor of Toxicology at Minnesota’s St. Cloud State University, who exposed larval fathead minnows to Prozac at different doses. Vance Trudeau, a biologist at the University of Ottawa, who has found evidence of “sexual side effects” in goldfish exposed to traces of Prozac in his lab, says “Prozac is the tip of the iceberg.” He adds that U.S. waterways are becoming a “pharmaceutical soup,” and he, along with Writer and other biologists, say that soup is becoming more difficult to identify and filter everyday. “Most sewage treatment plants have not been built with the removal of pharmaceuticals in mind because it wasn’t something people were thinking about,” Trudeau says. “To upgrade is prohibitively expensive. So pretty much anything we take ends up in the water.” Many pharmaceuticals are explicitly designed to break down slowly in the human body. But that has a downside. The active ingredients in delayed-release drugs are often tied up in a matrix of insoluble compounds that are expelled before they have released their load. In Colorado, it takes about two hours for raw sewage to travel from the toilet bowls of central Boulder to the North 75th Street Wastewater Treatment Facility on the outskirts of town. The sprawling plant sits on rolling green pastures, fronted by rows of solar panels, a half a football field up from the banks of the surging waters of Boulder Creek. On a clear morning, I follow Leigh Rickert, an affable, grey-haired maintenance manager into a boxy, concrete building on the edge of the compound. Rickert informs me that we have entered the gateway for the 13 million gallons of raw sewage expected to arrive that day. Already the stench is worse than a row of Porta-Potties at the end of a weeklong rock festival. Rickert motions to two oversized metal grates that rise up from depths of the bubbling mess flooding out of two massive intake pipes. The grates are the first step in the crude sorting process that transforms the refuse-choked, chocolate-brown incoming waters into treated outflow, as clear as a mountain spring. Stepping past an impressive array of detritus trapped by the grates, we head outside and into a complex of humungous basins. We walk over a vast web of metal catwalks and gaze down on three sets of massive, brackish, bubbling, stinky vats of water known as “aeration pools.” The pools, Rickert explains, are filled with billions of microorganisms that love nothing better than to feast on the nitrogen and carbon compounds in human waste. “That is called a floating mixer,” Rickert says, pointing to the top of an oversized, rotating metal disc poking out of the muck like an iceberg. “Basically it keeps the food coming to the bugs. The bugs eat shit and die, and when they die, their body is a more stable entity than what they ate.” We walk over a vast web of metal catwalks and gaze down on three sets of massive, brackish, bubbling, stinky vats of water. Five years ago, Boulder became one of a growing number of towns to install an “activated sludge” process, a cutting edge, $28.5 million upgrade, that takes nitrogen-rich human waste, feeds it to microorganisms, and transforms what would otherwise escape in water runoff to feed biosolids that can be carted away and used as fertilizer or released as a harmless nitrogen gas—the kind that constitutes 78 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere. Every day, plant operators feed hundreds of thousands of gallons of human waste into the three basins. The water resides in the basins for 24 hours, during which the microorganisms cleanse it of from 50 to 55 percent of its nitrogen, at which point it is allowed to migrate to the next stage in the process. Although the microorganisms prefer to snack on the simple nitrogen and carbon compounds excreted in human waste, once they are done, they will move on to more complex compounds. “Most of the microorganisms are common soil bacteria and are pretty good at adapting to whatever food is there,” explains Chris Douville, the plant’s wastewater treatment manager. “They’re like kids at the cafeteria. They’re going to hit the donuts and Pringles first, then move on to burgers and rice, and maybe have a salad at the end.” Douville says the process is removing some of the estrogens and other hormones present in the water, chemicals that for years were allowed to pass back into the Boulder watershed. Even so, many of the neurotropic substances are so exotic that the snacking microorganisms ignore them. Other substances take so long to break down in the vats that while microbes are munching on other compounds, they are flushed out of the system. “Antidepressants are atypical of most organic compounds that organisms typically encounter, and organisms may not have the requisite biochemical tools or enzymes to metabolize these compounds,” Writer had told me. “More research is needed to evaluate why, but many of the antidepressants seem to be quite environmentally persistent.” Cleansing those lingering drug compounds from the wastewater is an arduous and expensive process. “The only other options we know of at this time use advanced techniques, such as chemical techniques to oxidize and destroy them, or filtering out completely pure H 2 0,” Douville says. “But at this scale that would cost several hundreds of millions of dollars.” Nearly all the scientists I interviewed lamented the multiplication of drug compounds. “As soon as we find a compound in the water, pharmaceutical companies are saying we found a better one,” says Mike Thurman, a UC Boulder chemist who has been analyzing water samples for psychoactive pharmaceutics since 2008. “It’s hard to keep up; they’re already changing compounds.” The detection of pharmaceuticals in treated wastewater has led some researchers to take the next logical step—they have begun to search for evidence of illegal drugs in the water. And they have not been disappointed. In the U.S., about 22.5 million Americans aged 12 and older—or 8.7 percent of the population—used illegal drugs in 2011, according to a survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Survey Administration. That effectively means that while 11 percent of the population is flooding sewer systems with antidepressants and their metabolites, almost 10 percent are excreting metabolites from drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine into the nation’s water supplies. “Residues of illicit drugs can reach sewage treatment plants in substantial amounts, escaping degradation, and be released into surface waters,” wrote Ettore Zuccato and Sara Castiglioni, of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, in a 2009 survey. The Italian researchers identified drug traces in waterways in Italy, England, and Switzerland. “Environmental concentrations are low, but risks for human health and the environment cannot be excluded,” they wrote. “Morphine, cocaine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy all have potent pharmacological activities, and their presence as complex mixtures in surface waters may be toxic to aquatic organisms.” “Society has to ask the question—why are we finding such a variety of antidepressants at these levels?” In 2007, a team led by Oregon State Chemist Jennifer Field garnered nationwide headlines announcing they had tested the sewage of 10 major cities for drugs and discovering, among other things, that concentrations of methamphetamine in Las Vegas were 500 percent those in Omaha, and twice that of Oklahoma City. Some of these substances almost certainly make it in the drinking water. In 2009, a team led by Maria Huerta-Fontela of the Spanish company AGBAR-Aigües de Barcelona, examined the drinking water from a Spanish drinking water treatment plant. Most amphetamine-type stimulants and nicotine were completely removed by the processes. But 10 percent of caffeine and about 26 percent of Benzoylecgonine, the main metabolite of cocaine, survived and was still present in the filtered water. A number of experts agree that, for now, there is little evidence that trace elements of either legal or illegal drugs in the water are dangerous to human health. Daniel R. Dietrich, head of the Environmental Toxicology Research Group at the University of Konstanz, Germany, who has studied drug compounds in waterways, likes to tell a joke about aspirin—which routinely makes it way into sewage discharge—to drive the point home. Dietrich notes that he lives and works in a community on the border of Lake Konstanz, where Swabians are famed for being cheap. Some researchers have found small amounts of a popular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory known as diclofenac in the water. “We always make the joke that in order for one Swabian with a headache to avoid paying for a single pill, he would have to drink a million liters of water a day,” Dietrich says. “There’s no data that would suggest people could have adverse effects at those concentrations.” Similarly, Oregon State’s Field told one reporter in 2008 that you’d have to drink 1,000 liters of raw sewage to get a typical dose of cocaine. Some researchers remain wary of dangers. Thurman, the UC Boulder chemist, notes that comparable concentrations of pesticides are considered contamination and usually prompt government intervention. “We’re seeing these things in the water in parts per billion. When we get parts per billion on pesticides it’s a big deal. Society has to ask the question—why are we finding such a variety of antidepressants at these levels? We’re using pesticides, at least we know why we are using then.” It’s an issue that will only grow more pronounced, notes Bryan W. Brooks, Ph.D., director of the Baylor University Environmental Health Science Program, and one of the first scientists to identify Prozac in the water. While in the past great cities were built on great waterways, that is no longer the case for megacities emerging in the 21st century. Increasingly, populations are expanding into areas veined with seasonal water streams and rivers. In Texas, the population is expected to double in the next 40 to 50 years. With more people comes more wastewater, and that, Brooks says, is turning natural stream-flow patterns, often intermittent trickles, into steady flowing waterways deluged with millions of gallons of treated human wastewater. More people also means that wastewater, with its pharmaceutical traces, is being channeled into uses across society. “We depend on what was once wastewater for potable, for industry, for agriculture, and also to base flows to maintain coastal fisheries,” Brooks says. As the sun goes down in the Rockies, Writer and I stand on the banks of the Boulder Creek, watching a flood of wastewater gush out of a huge pipe from the treatment plant, merging with the alpine waters surging by. The water is headed to the St. Vrain River, where it will join a flow carrying wastewater from the town of Lyons. Just down from that confluence, the city of Longmont will siphon off the water for drinking, only to be expelled by a resident into a toilet bowl, sending it toward another sewage treatment plant, and then dumped back into the river again. There it will join the Big Thompson River, carrying pure streams and discharges from Rocky Mountain National Park, continue south, and merge into the mighty Mississippi. Writer draws my attention to our beautiful surroundings. The nearby cottonwoods are home to several bald eagles nests. “The eagles nest in the cottonwoods and prey on the fish,” Writer says. He points to several humongous carp in the foaming creek below us. “See those carps there? They’re swimming in 100 percent effluent.” I have to wonder if the carp seem so docile because they found the conditions so pleasant. Or because their apathetic daze is induced by imbibing too much Prozac. Adam Piore, a contributing editor at Discover, is a freelance writer based in New York. This article was originally published in our “Waste” issue in November, 2013.Poland will not agree with “imposed immigration,” according to president’s senior advisor Krzysztof Szczerski. Speaking at a news conference in Warsaw, Szczerski said: “The politicians of Civic Platform, seeing today to how dramatic situations leads the policy of the European Union which they supported, are ashamed of what they have said and of what they have done. I stake dollars against nuts that if the result of the elections in Poland had been different so we would have some Islamic districts in Poland”. Poland’s justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro had said on a television show that the country would now have so-called Islamic districts if the result of the Polish elections had been different.. “The politicians of Civic Platform, seeing today to how dramatic situations leads the policy of the European Union which they supported, are ashamed of what they have said and of what they have done. I stake dollars against nuts that if the result of the elections in Poland had been different so we would have some Islamic districts in Poland,” said Ziobro.Bangladeshi authorities have vowed to take “drastic” measures to reduce drug use, potentially including the creation of a list of "drug addicts" in the country. On 14 March, the Bangladesh Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) published a document proposing a study into the rate of drug use, which it viewed as an increasingly serious threat to the country. "Drug addiction... is turning in to a grave situation … The nation as a whole is in panic with the consequence of [the] increasing trend of using diversified additive [sic] items," it notes, "we need to do something drastic without any delay to come out from this evil situation. Otherwise, the whole nation may immediately start suffering so much [that it] will go beyond recovery and repair". At the time, the DNC claimed the study would be aimed at ascertaining the extent of "drug addiction" in Bangladesh, as well as developing an "understanding of both demand and supply" issues. However, in early June, a senior DNC official claimed that the study has taken an unprecedented twist: it will be used to create a list of all "drug addicts" in the country. The announcement - made by the DNC’s assistant director for the Dhaka metropolitan region, Mohammad Khorshid Alam - has been reported on by English-language Bangladeshi newspapers, the Dhaka Tribune and the New Nation. While it seems logistically unfeasible for the state to accurately create a list of all people with problematic drug use, the mere suggestion of doing so is suggestive of a ramp-up in the Bangladeshi war on drugs that may pose serious human rights risks. Alam did not elaborate on what the DNC or the government sought to do with such a list. A similar scheme whereby local officials were asked to submit lists of people who use drugs to the state was attempted in the Philippines in September. Over 9,000 people have been killed in the Philippines by police or vigilantes for alleged involvement with drugs during the past year, and the creation of such lists may have expedited the slaughter. The Bangladesh DNC’s announcement comes amid an apparent rise in problematic “yaba” (methamphetamine pills) use in the country, as well as increasingly authoritarian and moralistic rhetoric around drugs from state officials. Citing data from Youth First Concerns, a Bangladesh-based humanitarian organisation, the Dhaka Tribune recently claimed that there are an estimated seven million with problematic drug use in the country – an increase from an estimated six million in 2013. The total population of Bangladesh is around 164 million. The Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Tipu Munshi, recently claimed that there are 550,000 "drug addict children" in Bangladesh. In February, law enforcement, health experts, journalists, and other prominent individuals convened an emergency roundtable event to discuss the "epidemic" of problematic drug use in Bangladesh, particularly in regards to yaba. Speaking at the event, the DNC’s Director General, Khandakar Rakibur Rahman, warned that the mass criminalisation of people for drug offences was not sufficient to reduce use. “The drug offenders languishing in jail in Bangladesh constitute 30 percent of the total drug prisoners across the globe,” Rahman claimed, without citing a source. “[Arresting] the drug offenders … is not enough to eliminate the problem from the society. We have to create public awareness to fight the drug abuse effectively. The drug addicts should be treated well. They ought to be integrated into the mainstream society. Their employment is a must.” While Rahman’s remarks suggest potential for an increased focus on health rather than criminalisation, the country’s leader - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – has painted a different picture; linking drug use to violence and sin. "Youths must refrain from drugs, terrorism, extremism and militancy because these menaces never drive anyone to a healthy way, and these will never let anyone to go to heaven," she asserted in November. "[Drug use] destroys family and life of the people [and] when a man takes drugs he loses his potency and thinking ability, gets sick and dies", she has claimed. While it is yet to be seen how officials will attempt to create a list of people who use drugs, the DNC’s announcement – alongside remarks from the prime minister – highlight an apparent increase in the authoritarianism of the Bangladeshi approach to drug use.Steven Mnuchin’s confirmation hearing quickly went off the rails Thursday as Democrats and Republicans feuded over a GOP lawmaker's quip about giving antidepressants to the panel’s top Democrat. Mnuchin, President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE’s pick to head the Treasury Department, had yet to give his opening statement before the Senate Finance Committee when an offhand remark by Sen. Pat Roberts Charles (Pat) Patrick RobertsPompeo says he's 'ruled out' 2020 Kansas Senate run GOP senators offer praise for Klobuchar: 'She’s the whole package' The Hill's Morning Report - House Dems prepare to swamp Trump with investigations MORE (R-Kan.) riled up committee members. Roberts, who was permitted to ask a handful of questions before jumping to another hearing, jabbed at Sen. Ron Wyden Ronald (Ron) Lee WydenSenate reignites blue slip war over Trump court picks Overnight Health Care — Presented by National Taxpayers Union — Top Dems call for end to Medicaid work rules | Chamber launching ad blitz against Trump drug plan | Google offers help to dispose of opioids Top Dems call for end to Medicaid work rules after 18,000 lose coverage in Arkansas MORE (D-Ore.) after he gave a lengthy critique of Mnuchin’s experience. “Sen. Wyden, I’ve got a Valium pill here that you might want to take for a second round,” he joked. ADVERTISEMENT The crack did not go over well with Democrats. Sen. Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell BrownWorse than nothing's been done since the massive Equifax hack Dems face internal battle over budget On The Money: Dems set Tuesday vote on Trump's emergency declaration | Most Republicans expected to back Trump | Senate plots to avoid fall shutdown drama | Powell heading before Congress MORE (D-Ohio) pounced on the remarks, calling it an inauspicious start to the committee’s work for the year. And Wyden accused Roberts of wasting precious time. “I just can’t quite believe that the senator would say that,” said Brown. “I just hope that doesn’t set the tone for 2017.” Members of both parties quickly began talking over each other, with Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant HatchThe FDA crackdown on dietary supplements is inadequate Orrin Hatch Foundation seeking million in taxpayer money to fund new center in his honor Mitch McConnell has shown the nation his version of power grab MORE (R-Utah) struggling to regain control. Roberts said the comment amounted to a “little pinprick of humor,” and apologized “if I have, you know, uh, encouraged your wrath, sir.” Wyden again complained that Roberts was taking up valuable committee time with his comments. And in turn, Roberts expressed his own wrath. “Fine, Ron! I’m done!” he said angrily as he wrapped up his remarks.Tencent, the largest gaming company in the world in terms of revenue, has just nabbed 9% of Frontier Developments in a landmark deal worth $23 million. The developer, which is best known for its space exploration and trading game Elite: Dangerous, will join other companies like Paradox and Epic Games, as the Chinese corporation expands its portfolio. The investment from Tencent will, according to Frontier, be used to augment its cash reserves, which stood at around $15.7 million at the end of May. Tencent's Chief Strategy Officer, James Mitchell noted that the developer is a great investment thanks to the'scalable game engine' it used in games such
Babar sowed the seeds of hatred by destroying Ram Mamdir in 1528. “Everybody know that the Indian Muslims have no connect with Mongols,” she said adding that those who oppose the construction of temple really are not well wisher of Muslims.The BAP president Najma Parveen said that time has come when Muslims should present an example of communal harmony by contributing their share to the construction of Ram Mandir. “No one can play with the sentiment of crores of Hindus attached with Ram,” she said.It may be mentioned here that the Muslim women associated with MMF and BAP openly campaigned for Modi during the parliamentary election. Besides, these women had also sent Rakhi to Modi on the occasion of Rakshabandhan and prayed for his well being during the holy month of Ramzan.Yesterday, the Syrian Salafi group known as Ahrar al-Sham announced the death of one of its top commanders, Abu Khalid al-Suri. It seems he was killed in a suicide attack in the Aleppo region at the hands of the “Kharijites of this age,” as Ahrar al-Sham’s leader Hassan Abboud put it. The word “Kharijites” refers to a splinter sect among the early Muslims and is used by Abboud as a derogatory epithet for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the extremist group currently challenging al-Qaeda for hegemony over the jihadi movement in Syria. Abu Khalid’s death ends a long and storied career in jihadism, stretching back to the late 1970s or early 1980s. But it will only increase speculation about his exact political allegiance and his role within Ahrar al-Sham and, perhaps, al-Qaeda. Recently, analysts have claimed that Abu Khalid’s presence in the Ahrar al-Sham leadership shows that Ahrar al-Sham, and by extension the Islamic Front alliance of which it is part, has direct links to al-Qaeda. However, we still know precious little about the nature of Abu Khalid’s involvement with al-Qaeda, and most publicly available information seems to suggests a more nuanced relationship. Abu Khalid and Abu Musab Abu Khalid al-Suri, which means “Abu Khalid the Syrian,” was the nom de guerre of Mohammed al-Bahaiya, born 1963 in Aleppo. Before the Syrian war, he was best known as an associate of the Spanish-Syrian jihadi strategist Abu Musab al-Suri, another Aleppine whose real name is Mustafa Setmariam Nasar. Abu Musab’s life (and some of Abu Khalid’s) is best documented in a detailed biography by Norwegian historian Brynjar Lia. The two men fled Syria during a failed 1980s Islamist uprising against then president Hafez al-Assad. They later cooperated in establishing media groups and training centers for jihadi volunteers in Afghanistan in the 1990s. While in Afghanistan, both Abu Musab and Abu Khalid seem to have cooperated closely with Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda, and at times they appeared to be working for the group. But there were also periods of tension, with Abu Musab—and probably Abu Khalid—typically supporting Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar in his disputes with al-Qaeda leader bin Laden. In fact, both Abu Khalid and Abu Musab explicitly stated in 1999 that they were not members of al-Qaeda. Abu Musab repeated this refrain in later statements and interviews, although he would also routinely praise bin Laden and pride himself on their good relations. Both Abu Musab and Abu Khalid were linked through personal contacts and money transfers to the terror cell responsible for the Madrid train bombings in March 2004, and a Spanish court document referred to Abu Khalid as bin Laden’s “courier” in Europe. The same network was connected to the 2005 London terror attack, and Abu Musab would be known in the media as its “mastermind,” although this seems spurious at best. In 2005, Abu Musab was apprehended by Pakistani and U.S. intelligence, ending up in CIA custody. Some reports claim that Abu Khalid was also picked up in the same operation, or around that time. Abu Musab seems to have been rendered by the CIA to Syria, either as a bargaining chip or to allow for even more “enhanced” interrogation. Since then, little has been heard of either man. I was told by leaders of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood in 2009 that they had information that Abu Musab was being held in the Palestine Branch, a Syrian military intelligence compound in southern Damascus that has long been infamous for the torture of high-value political prisoners. According to some reports, both Abu Musab and Abu Khalid were released by the Syrian government in late 2011, but this has never been confirmed. Pending confirmation, there have been hints that Abu Musab may still be in prison. The Zawahiri Letter In May 2013, after conflict had erupted between the ISIL and the Nusra Front, bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, sought to settle the dispute (preferably in the Nusra Front’s favor). In a secret letter, he named Abu Khalid his delegate to the Syrian jihadis and told them to obey his rulings. Zawahiri said nothing about Ahrar al-Sham, but soon after that, information began to seep out to the wider public about Abu Khalid’s involvement with the group. The U.S. Department of the Treasury would later refer to Abu Khalid as al-Qaeda’s “representative in Syria,” and his name came to be mentioned as evidence of a link between al-Qaeda and Ahrar al-Sham. Abu Khalid and Ahrar al-Sham Ahrar al-Sham is a secretive group whichever way you look at it, but it seems to have been particularly eager to conceal Abu Khalid’s role in its ranks. Instead of working under his old nom de guerre, Bahaya adopted a new one for his work as Ahrar al-Sham’s leader in Aleppo: Abu Omeir al-Shami. While running Ahrar al-Sham’s northern front, Abu Khalid/Abu Omeir/Bahaya kept away from the media spotlight. Only after conflict erupted with the ISIL in winter 2013–2014 did he begin to make public statements. In one, he drew on his hardline credentials, name-dropping a list of personal acquaintances that included bin Laden, Zawahiri, Abdullah Azzam, a Palestinian scholar known as the “Father of Jihad,” Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Iraq, and of course Abu Musab al-Suri, in a rebuke to the ISIL’s holier-than-thou attitude. These statements were all released under the Abu Khalid name, with no mention of Bahaya’s cameo as Abu Omeir, the emir of Aleppo. Only after his death did Ahrar al-Sham leaders publicly link the names Abu Khalid, Abu Omeir, and Bahaya. Photos of him are now being circulated that show a heavyset and gray-bearded man, on the battlefield or seated alongside rebel leaders like Hassan Abboud and the late Abdul Qader Saleh of the Tawhid Brigade, an armed rebel group in Aleppo. Some of these pictures seem to have been taken during the talks that led up to the creation of the Islamic Front in November 2013. The Islamic Front: We Are Not al-Qaeda Some weeks before Abu Khalid’s death, I asked a person speaking on behalf of the Islamic Front’s Political Office about the relationship between Ahrar al-Sham and Abu Khalid, on the one hand, and between Abu Khalid and al-Qaeda, on the other. The Islamic Front representative would not comment on Abu Khalid by name, but he unambiguously denied the existence of an organizational link to al-Qaeda. “There is neither a secret nor a public link,” he said, adding: “there is no one who belongs to al-Qaeda within the ranks of the Islamic Front.” Asked about the Islamic Front’s view of al-Qaeda in general, the answer was a little more guarded: “Our opinion about al-Qaida is that they have announced their project and we have announced our project.” The second part of this article, which deals with the links between Ahrar al-Sham and international jihadism, will be published tomorrow.AP Colorado Democrat Jared Polis announced Thursday that he will begin taking contributions in Bitcoin. Polis' decision to start accepting the cryptocurrency came a day after the Federal Election Commission issued guidance for politicians who want to receive Bitcoin donations. "I am thrilled that the FEC has chosen to take a forward looking stance on digital currencies, recognizing the rights of individuals seeking alternatives to government backed currencies to participate in our democratic political process," Polis said in a statement. "Bitcoin, and other digital currencies, are just beginning to show the world what a tremendous tool they can be; whether it is reducing transaction costs in developing nations, giving people more options for engaging in commerce, or sending Representatives dedicated to advancing personal freedom to Congress." Polis' statement declared, "Jared Polis for Congress is the first campaign to begin accepting Bitcoin under the new guidance from the FEC." Texas Congressman Steve Stockman began taking Bitcoin contributions for his unsuccessful Senate bid late last year. In the announcement, the Polis campaign noted it would " continue to accept dollars."When you type 'North Indian masala' on Google images, you get the obvious results. A picture of butter chicken, chaat masala, and various spices. It's a strange and sexist world we live in. While a bunch of men on Quora are discussing Indian actresses in'skimpy clothes' and how their parents feel about it, Google is throwing up a strange search result, as discovered by a bunch of people on Twitter. However, that's not what shows when you type 'South Indian masala'. Instead, you get see pictures of South Indian actresses. To know the North-South divide, google images for 'North Indian masala' and then google images for 'South Indian masala'. Strange? Well, we will call it sexism on the internet. This, by the way, isn't a joke. Type 'South Indian Masala' and 'North Indian Masala' in Google Images and you actually get this variation 😐 pic.twitter.com/AYZ9wnUrBe Though a lot of people on social media are blaming Google for it, it's actually not their fault. Of course they are supposed to have a check in process, but the search engine is just a reflection of the cultural stereotypes and sexism that exists in our society. So why is Google showing this? Here's a brief explanation. When you type a keyword on Google images, it shows up photos that have meta tags as that particular keyword. Here it means, thousands of people have uploaded images of South Indian actresses with'masala' as a tag. Google has just put together these thousands of images, inadvertently making it look like 'South Indian masala' means women. Ugh. "Search isn't always perfect. Sometimes, the way images are described on the Internet can yield surprising results to specific queries," a spokesperson from Google told HuffPost India. In a statement, Google said that they are aware that this is not an ideal situation, but they are working to improve their algorithms. In fact, Google shows up very similar results when you type 'South Indian mirchi'. 'Masala','mirchi', 'item' are terms often used to describe women in a sexual context. And a search showing up these results just goes to say that it's becoming normalised. And that is extremely problematic. Also see on HuffPost:Irfan Karim in action during the World T20 qualifiers earlier this year © ICC/Donald MacLeod Irfan Karim - the son of former Kenya captain Asif Karim - starred in his campus team, Loughborough Marylebone Cricket Club University's, seven-wicket win against European University of Bangladesh in the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals on Tuesday. The 23-year-old Kenya batsman struck an optimistic note about the future of cricket in Kenya, despite his team's poor showing in the World T20 qualifiers, where they are currently placed joint-fourth with Oman, in Group B, behind Scotland, Netherlands and Afghanistan. "Teams like Kenya, Ireland and Afghanistan have shown that they can reach that level," Karim said. "Associate cricket has done well in the World Cups, and upsets therein are a case in point. We just need to have the right structure in place and a good pool of players. There's no reason why we can't succeed." His quick fire 48-ball 71, on Tuesday, helped LMCC emerge as strong title contenders in the Campus Cricket tournament currently being played in Dehradun. His performance isn't a one-off, as he has performed impressively in the ODI format, for his national team in his short career, as well. He currently has 396 runs at an average of 44 in his short career. His statistics in T20's are less impressive, his seven T20's yielding just 47 runs. "I enjoy playing on the international stage. My passion for the game came from my father. I saw him play for Kenya from a young age and that's how I got into it as a kid. It has stayed with me ever since and I am really enjoying pursuing cricket. Of course, my dad, for he inspired me to play cricket. I was always playing with him around me. " "I want to play at a higher level in England, particularly county cricket. That is why I am playing club cricket there as well. They have many opportunities, some good facilities and good coaching. They are very professional in their set up." Asif Karim, unlike his son, was more judicious of his assessment of cricket in Kenya. "Kenya cricket is dead. It is dead and buried. Your intent can be good but if you're not competent to do something, it doesn't happen. We've had an incompetent administration for the last ten years. The results are clear. Where is the cricket now? My prediction is that from being an Associate team having ODI status we will become an Affiliate," he told Tim Wigmore in September last year. "We've had an incompetent administration for the last ten years. The results are clear. Where is the cricket now?" he asserted. © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Picture it: You're in the middle of making a string of important decisions at work or with your family when—all of a sudden—you realize you really need to pee. Common sense would suggest that you should politely excuse yourself, attend to your business, and return so that you can make clear -headed decisions without being distracted by the need to go. But common sense is wrong. New research suggests that holding it in actually facilitates our ability to control our impulses and make the best decisions in whatever situation we find ourselves. For some time psychologists have known that visceral states such as and desire can affect the decisions people make: People buy more unhealthy food at the grocery store when their stomachs are empty, and they are more likely to engage in unsafe sexual practices when they are aroused, even when they are aware of the potential consequences. It's also been shown that these visceral states lead to more impulsive behavior in general—not just in the context of food or. So it wasn't such a big leap to think that, maybe, inhibiting your bladder might spill over and lead to better inhibition ability in all sorts of situations. To test this idea, researchers Mirjam Tuk and colleagues had people complete several different tasks after drinking a great deal of water (meant to increase the urge to urinate). In one task, known as "the Stroop task," people were asked to identify the color of the ink a word was written in. This is easy if the word is "green" and the ink color is green as well. It becomes more difficult if the word is "blue" but it's written in green ink. To successfully complete the task, people have to inhibit their automatic tendency to read the word and just name the color the word is written in. In another task, people were asked a series of questions in which they had to choose between getting a small reward soon, or a large reward later in time. For example, participants chose between receiving €16 the next day or €30 in 35 days. (The study was conducted in the Netherlands.) Inhibiting the desire for the immediate payout leads to greater earnings in the long run. What the researchers found was that the stronger people's urge to pee, the better they were at controlling their impulses. Folks were better at inhibiting reading the word and just naming the ink color in the Stroop task, and they were better at inhibiting their impulses in the monetary decision-making task. People who had to go were more willing to forego a smaller sum of money sooner and instead wait for the bigger payout later than people who didn't need to pee. Interestingly, people's was also better when the researchers primed their urge to go by having them search through a word puzzle for words like urination, toilet, and bladder before they completed the decision-making tasks. Visceral drives have an enormous impact on people's daily lives, but this new research shows that these states have even more of an impact than anyone previously thought. The next time you are trying to make a difficult decision, in which the best option may not be the most immediately rewarding or appealing, and you find yourself needing to pee, push common sense aside and finish your decision making with a full bladder. You are likely to make a better decision than if you don't have to go. For more on connections between the mind and body, check out my book Choke! Follow me on Twitter! Tuk M. et al. (2011). Inhibitory Spillover: Increased Urination Urgency Facilitates Impulse Control in Unrelated Domains. Psychological Science.Israel deceived the United States and hindered the country’s efforts to prevent the massacre by Christians of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps during the First Lebanon War, according to a U.S. researcher. In a New York Times op-ed, Seth Anziska, a researcher and doctoral candidate in international history at Columbia University, argues that Israel misled the Americans about events in Beirut, also leading them to think that “thousands of terrorists” were housed in the camps, when in fact the camp residents were civilians. Hundreds of the residents were murdered by Phalange Christians between September 16 and 18, 1982, while Israel Defense Forces soldiers were positioned around the camps. Anziska makes his claims based on research he conducted this past summer at the State Archives, where he found recently declassified documents that chronicle key conversations between American and Israeli officials before and during the massacre. “Working with only partial knowledge of the reality on the ground, the United States feebly yielded to false arguments and stalling tactics that allowed a massacre in progress to proceed,” writes Anziska. “The lesson of the Sabra and Shatila tragedy is clear. Sometimes close allies act contrary to American interests and values. Failing to exert American power to uphold those interests and values can have disastrous consequences: for our allies, for our moral standing and most important, for the innocent people who pay the highest price of all,” he writes. The IDF invaded Beirut in the summer of 1982, in an effort to remove Palestinian terror groups from the city. Members of the Christian Phalange militias cooperated with the IDF when it entered Lebanon. This support helped the Phalanges increase their political power, and in August of that year, Bashir Gemayel, a former Phalange commander, was elected president of Lebanon. After he was assassinated on September 14, the IDF allowed the Phalange militia into West Beirut, where the two refugee camps were located, and gave them permission to enter the camps and root out Palestinian fighters. Instead, the Phalange gunmen committed indiscriminate revenge, murdering hundreds – some say thousands – of the camps’ residents. On September 15, then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin told U.S. envoy Morris Draper that the reason the IDF had entered West Beirut was to keep the peace there. “Otherwise, there could be pogroms,” Begin said. But upon hearing that Defense Minister Ariel Sharon was considering allowing the Phalange militia into West Beirut, even Chief of General Staff Rafael Eitan acknowledged that he feared “a relentless slaughter,” according to Anziska. Another Israeli official who feared a massacre was Deputy Prime Minister David Levy. On September 16, during a cabinet meeting at which the ministers learned that the Phalange had been allowed into the camps, he said, “I know what the meaning of revenge is for them, what kind of slaughter. Then no one will believe we went in to create order there, and we will bear the blame,” according to the documents Anziska found. But Sharon told the Americans that the conquest of West Beirut was justified because there were “2,000 to 3,000 terrorists who remained there.” At a meeting on September 17 that included Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Sharon, several Israeli intelligence officials and Draper, Shamir did not mention the slaughter that had occurred in the camps the previous day, according to Anziska. A transcript of the meeting reveals that the Americans were browbeaten by Sharon’s false insistence that “terrorists” needed “mopping up,” Anziska writes. According to the researcher, Mr. Draper opened the meeting by demanding that the IDF pull out of Beirut right away. Mr. Sharon exploded, “I just don’t understand, what are you looking for? Do you want the terrorists to stay? Are you afraid that somebody will think that you were in collusion with us? Deny it. We denied it.” Later on in the meeting Sharon added, “Nothing will happen. Maybe some more terrorists will be killed. That will be to the benefit of all of us. After Draper argued that Israel will be blamed for letting the Lebanese kill the Palestinians in the camps, Sharon replied, “So, we’ll kill them. They will not be left there. You are not going to save them. You are not going to save these groups of the international terrorismIf you don’t want the Lebanese to kill them, we will kill them.” When Draper reminded Sharon that the United States had helped the PLO leave Beirut so that Israel wouldn’t have to enter the city, Sharon replied, “When it comes to our security, we have never asked. We will never ask. When it comes to existence and security, it is our own responsibility and we will never give it to anybody to decide for us.” According to Anziska, the documents show that Shamir and Sharon finally agreed to gradually withdraw from Beirut once the Lebanese Army started entering the city — but they insisted on until the end of Rosh Hashana, which started that evening. “By allowing the argument to proceed on Mr. Sharon’s terms, Mr. Draper effectively gave Israel cover to let the Phalange fighters remain in the camps,” Anziska writes. Based on the conclusions of the Kahan Commission, which investigated the massacres at Sabra and Chatila, Sharon was dismissed as defense minister. Twenty years later he was elected prime minister. According to Anziska, Draper, in an oral history he recorded a few years before he died in 2005, he recalled telling Sharon, “You should be ashamed. The situation is absolutely appalling. They’re killing children! You have the field completely under your control and are therefore responsible for that area.” Even so, the U.S. ambassador to Israel during that period, Samuel Lewis, told Anziska that it would have been difficult to prevent the massacre during that period, “unless Reagan had picked up the phone and called Begin and read him the riot act.” And even then, said Lewis, “Sharon would have found some other way” for the militiamen to take action.” A Palestinian woman screams at a Swedish United Nations officer on September 19, 1982 in the Sabra PLO Camp in Beirut, Lebanon. APMore than 440,000 people in Thailand are living with HIV as of 2013, but that isn’t stopping villagers in the small town of Lang Nern from looking to oust a hospice designed to care for patients with the autoimmune disease. Last month, 133 villagers voted to evict the Glory Hut Foundation—a charity caring for AIDS patients with six months or less to live—in a forum similar to a town meeting. Only 30 people in the community voted in favor of the hospice remaining in its current location, all of whom were health care workers, the Bangkok Post reports. Thailand has been largely successful at curbing the rate of transmission of HIV and AIDS. In 1990, there were 100,000 new cases of HIV, according to the World Health Organization. Comparatively, the U.S. reached its peak infection rate in the mid-1980s with 130,000 new cases each year—but Thailand’s population clocks in at less than a quarter of America’s head count. Through education and a free condom campaign, that rate has dropped to less than 10,000 new infections in 2013. But the stigma associated with the syndrome remains rampant. Town members are concerned that they can contract the virus through the air and fear contamination from medical waste, even though HIV and AIDS can only be transmitted through bodily fluids. This irrational fear has also translated into monetary concerns. The community’s chief, Wichien Weruwan, claims the charity organization’s presence has harmed local business owners, especially those with stakes in real estate. Part of the Chonburi province, the town of about 500 people was once an enticing alternative for those looking for a less-crowded area than neighboring resort town Pattaya. “Would you want to move into a house next to an HIV foundation? The people who live here want a nice environment,” Sudarat Lunbab, owner of 33 properties, told Reuters. Although the vote to evict Glory Hut is not legally binding, officials fear violence from the community if the hospice refuses to relocate. Eighteen patients have returned to their own homes, but Glory Hut still houses 25 people who are either too sick to move or have nowhere else to go. Changing locations is not an option, according to foundation spokeswoman Chanchanok Khamtong—they just don’t have the money to move. The organization has also done its part to make amends with the community, even donating excess goods and offering English lessons to local children. “We’re not disturbing anybody—we just want to take care of our patients,” said Khamtong. Since news of Glory Hut’s predicament broke, it’s received some financial assistance from sympathetic Thai and Norwegian business owners, as well as via social media. But officials from the Thai Network of People Living With Aids—which has stepped in to broker understanding and gain trust within the community—want the facility to stay put. Putting the financial burden aside, Network chairman Apiwat Kwangkaew fears the organization will only face similar scrutiny if it moves to another town, The Nation reported.Following the 10-day tour by Punjab officials to Brazil to study its indigenous cow breed ‘Gir’, the state government has now decided to import high quality Gir bull semen from the South American country. The move has, however, come under severe criticism from dairy farmers. Advertising A six-member delegation, including two dairy farmers, had gone to Brazil on the directions of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The government has been focussing on improving and promoting indigenous breeds in Punjab. Punjab’s dairy farmers, however, blasted the government’s latest move. “This is ridiculous. They are misleading the dairy farmers already trapped in debt,” said Daljit Singh, president of Progressive Dairy Farmers Association, the largest association of dairy farmers in Punjab. “First CM Parkash Singh Badal asked us to adopt Holstein Friesians (HF) cross breeds. We did so and now we have attained such expertise that farmers from Gujarat are coming to Punjab to buy them. The cows give 6,000 litres of milk per lactation compared to 2,000-2,500 litres of indigenous breeds like Sahiwal and even Gir. Now, when it is time for farmers to earn profits from HF, government is trying to lure them with other subsidies. CM is now on an entirely different track of promoting indigenous cattle. Even then, they had failed to improve our own Sahiwal and are now running after Gir.” Farmers also claimed that Gujarat itself had high quality Gir cows and what’s more, it is native to that state too. The focus of the Brazil tour was on Indian indigenous breeds including Gir, Tharpakar and Kankrej whose germplasm were imported by Brazil decades ago. It is now claimed that Brazil had achieved greater success with the breeds with higher milk yield and better animal health. Speaking to The Indian Express, Dr H S Sandha, director animal husbandry Punjab, said, “We visited various dairy farms in Brazil and noticed that they had fewer animals but larger grazing areas. Their milk productivity of Gir cattle is double than ours. So, we have decided to import high quality Gir bulls semen from Brazil. We will be working on improving Gir breed here and propagating it among farmers.” Advertising Gir is neither suitable for Punjab nor better than Sahiwal but if at all government wants to experiment, Gujarat should be the first stop not Brazil, said Sukhdev Singh, director of Progressive Dairy Farmers Solutions from Mohali. “The claim that Gir in Brazil is giving 45 to 55 litres of milk a day is false. It is only the elite animals that will come close to giving such figures. Else, the Gir gives only 18 to 22 litres, which is even less than our Sahiwal. But if at all the government wanted to experiment, it should get semen from Gujarat. That is from where Brazil took and developed it. It will be extremely stupid if Punjab goes to Brazil, not Gujarat for Gir semen,” he added.Concern about an armed confrontation between the United States and China is growing. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has stated that the United States should not be bound by the “One China” policy unless as part of a grand bargain of sorts, whereby China reduces taxes on U.S. exports, stops construction in the South China Sea, and cooperates more closely to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang has warned that if that policy “is compromised or disrupted, the sound and steady growth of the China-U.S. relationship as well as bilateral cooperation in major fields would be out of the question.” China recently flew a conventional bomber over the South China Sea to reinforce its claim to the “nine-dash line,” a demarcation that the United States claims is in violation of international maritime law. Growing strategic tensions offer a useful occasion to revisit well-trodden terrain: are the United States and China fated to repeat the mistakes Britain and Germany made a century earlier? Given that the two countries account for roughly a third of the world’s output, a fifth of its trade, and a quarter of its people, observers cannot pose the question enough. Merits of the Analogy: No matter how forcefully the United States and China may avow that they will devise an enlightened model of interaction, they, too, are subject to structural dynamics dating back to ancient Greece. Political scientist Graham Allison has encapsulated those dynamics with his famous term “Thucydides’s trap,” which journalist David Sanger defines as “that deadly combination of calculation and emotion that…can turn healthy rivalry into antagonism or worse.” At least three sources of tension between the two countries merit attention. First, as the following contrasts suggest, it is hard to imagine a poorer foundation for the world’s most consequential relationship: - The United States is not yet 250 years old; China’s history spans several millennia. - The United States is undergoing demographic shifts that could render non-Hispanic whites a minority by 2050; China remains about 90 percent Han. - The United States has two friendly neighbors and two security moats, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; China has 14 neighbors, some of which are unstable, and most of which fear its regional ambitions. - The United States extols its values as universal and seeks to spread them; China rejects such proselytizing as a form of interference in other countries’ internal affairs. - The United States seeks to advance the postwar order; China asks why it should be beholden to a system that it played so little role in constructing and molding. Indeed, the only two self-evident similarities between the two countries serve to reinforce the multiplicity and complexity of their differences: both are convinced of their exceptionalism, and both are inexperienced in sustaining world order with an approximate equal. Another source of tension is China’s self-perception: China considers itself not a rising power, but a returning one. It is accustomed not only to having the world’s largest economy, but also to being the center of an Asian-Pacific order in which its neighbors paid it tribute. It accordingly believes that its contemporary resurgence, far from disrupting world order, is merely redressing an historic aberration—Western preeminence since the Industrial Revolution—and enabling China to transcend the indignities it has suffered in recent centuries—including the Taiping Civil War (1851-64), the collapse of the Qing Dynasty (1911), the Great Famine (1958-61), and the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). A third source of tension involves the scale of competition: where hostility between Britain and Germany threatened merely European order, rivalry between the United States and China has implications for world order. Henry Kissinger notes that the “case of China is even more complicated [than that of Germany]. It is not an issue of integrating a European-style nation-state but a full-fledged continental power.” China is the world’s most populous country and possesses what will soon be its largest economy. Given the aforementioned sources of tension, we should be grateful that the United States and China enjoy robust economic ties. Two-way goods trade totaled approximately $600 billion last year, and China holds approximately $1.2 trillion worth of U.S. debt, more than any other country. Still, while economic interdependence can temper the dynamics that push countries to war, only human intervention can furnish the decisive restraint. In his (in)famous 1910 book The Great Illusion, British journalist Norman Angell argued that war “is futile…as a means of securing those moral or material ends which represent the needs of modern civilized peoples.” He explained that were Germany to attack Britain, the former’s credit would “collapse, and the only means of restoring it would be for Germany to put an end to the chaos in England by putting an end to the condition which had produced it.” “Germany’s [hypothetical] success in conquest,” concluded Angell, would only evince “the complete economic futility of conquest.” While his conclusions were tragically prescient—three empires and some 20 million people perished during World War I—they did not prevent war. In view of that outcome, it is not surprising that many contemporary observers caution against exaggerating the restraining influence of economic ties between the United States and China. Some contend that, while strong, those ties are more asymmetric, in America’s favor, than notions such as “mutually assured economic destruction” would imply. Colonel Mike Pietrucha contended last November, for example, that “China is the disadvantaged partner in terms of trade volumes, maritime geography, alliance structures, and the makeup of goods exchanged.” More recently, journalist Keith Bradsher noted that Chinese exports to the United States “represent about 4 percent of the Chinese economy; American exports to China are only about two-thirds of 1 percent of the United States economy.” Such observations invite two questions. First, are there circumstances in which the United States would conclude that it could confront China militarily without incurring unacceptable economic damage? Second, if there are, what triggers might introduce them? One of the most eerie lessons of World War I is that seemingly routine, manageable events can generate an escalatory spiral; no less than one of its leading historians, Margaret MacMillan, notes that observers “still cannot agree on why it happened.” One might object that we do, in fact, know its cause: the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. MacMillan reminds us, however, that “there had been many political assassinations in previous years,” none of which “had led to a major crisis.” Why, then, did the archduke’s murder prove catalytic? Political economist Richard Rosecrance explains that “‘little things’—contingent features of the situation prevailing in Europe on the eve of the First World War—were more responsible [for its outbreak] than endur­ing structural characteristics of the European or international system….The Great War was by no means inevitable, because there were so many contingencies that might have gone another way.” One can imagine a range of tinderboxes in the U.S.-China case: a Sino-Japanese clash in the East China Sea, a Chinese declaration of a new Air Defense Identification Zone, regime collapse in North Korea, or a Taiwanese declaration of independence, to name but a few. Deficiencies of the Analogy: While there is much, then, to recommend the analogy under review, observers should not overlearn the lessons. The late historian Ernest May warned that “[w]hen resorting to an analogy, [policymakers] tend to seize upon the first that comes to mind. They do not search more widely. Nor do they pause to analyze the case, test its fitness, or even ask in what ways it might be misleading.” It is important to appreciate, for example, that while Germany was an overt revisionist, China poses an incremental, nuanced challenge to today’s world order. While it often derides that system as an imposition, China has been its principal beneficiary for the past four decades. Moreover, as fiercely as it rails against U.S. interventionism, it would suffer from terminal U.S. decline. Beyond absorbing over a fifth of Chinese exports, the United States plays the decisive role in safeguarding the maritime commons through which energy flows to China; incidentally, China’s dependence on crude oil from the Middle East is projected to increase through 2035. While the United States and China are, and increasingly will be, competitors in many arenas, they are not pure antagonists; witness the impressive cooperation they have achieved on issues ranging from macroeconomic stability to climate change. In the emerging crucible of world order, meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific, the two countries have demonstrated that they can think imaginatively to circumscribe their competition: China’s neighbors have thus far increased their diplomatic and military relations with the United States while boosting their trade and investment ties with China.People all over the Ozarks took a moment to step outside to view the solar event of the century, including students in Willard. They got the chance to safely look at the eclipse, and the district didn't have to spend a dime for more than 3,200 of those special eclipse glasses. A local eye doctor pitched in to help. While some people have been frantically searching for eclipse glasses over the last couple of weeks, Willard's only eye doctor
have declared themselves on the matter – that the two-state solution is a viable concept. The underlying desire was a humanitarian desire to make life more livable there – not favoring one over the another, no boycotts, no sanctions.” The resolution reads in full: Resolved, That Community of Christ specifically declares its belief in the love of God for Muslims and Jews, and we denounce all Islamophobia and anti-Semitism; and be it further Resolved, That Community of Christ join with other Christian, Jewish, Muslim, ecumenical, and secular peace movements in the call for peace in Israel and Palestine. We, with other Christians, call for the right of the State of Israel to exist in secure borders; for the cessation of Israeli military occupation and illegal settlements in the West Bank; and for the recognition of the State of Palestine (in accordance with 1947 U.N. General Assembly Resolution 181/11, 1967 U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, and 1988 General Assembly Resolution 43/177).“You Turn Yourself into an Outsider”: An interview with Anita Desai by Joshua Barnes / January 14, 2014 / 1 Comment As a child in India, the only thing Anita Desai wanted was to see her books on the family bookshelf, sitting next to those by Nikolai Gogol, Thomas Hardy, and Virginia Wolf. Seventy years later, and living in New York, Desai is now a long way from her childhood home. But with a career that has spanned sixteen novels, and most recently, a collection of novellas entitled The Artist of Disappearance (2011), one could make the claim that, in a way, Anita Desai has fulfilled her childhood dream. This past October Desai came to Pittsburgh as a featured writer with the Prague Writers’ Festival‘s first appearance in the United States. On October 16 she also read selections from her novel Baumgartner’s Bombay at a salon-style reading hosted by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh. On the day of the Prague Writers’ Festival kick-off, Desai spoke with Sampsonia Way in the lobby of Pittsburgh’s William Penn Omni Hotel. In this interview she discusses her childhood of writing and reading, her creative process over the years, her state of hereditary exile, and the complicated perspective on India and the West that it has afforded her. Anita Desai Anita Desai was born in 1937 in Mussoorie, India. She was educated at Delhi University. She has been shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize, with Clear Light Of Day (1980), In Custody (1994) and Fasting, Feasting (1999). She has published several novels, children’s books and short stories. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the American Academy of Arts and Letters and Girton College, Cambridge. She teaches in the Writing Program at MIT. How did you discover you were a writer? From a very young age I knew that this was I what I wanted to do. Before I could even spell I was putting letters together to make words. We also had lots of books in our home and everyone read a lot. My family would see me sitting in a corner, scribbling all the time, so they used to address me as “The Writer.” I just wanted my books to be on the bookshelf too. What was the first thing that you wrote? A little piece that was published in a children’s magazine when I was nine. Looking back, I don’t know if it’s lucky or unlucky to have such a closed vision so early on in life. I see others trying many things before they set out on their life’s work, and I never had that. While I wish I could do more, I’ve been incredibly happy just being able to read. For me, as a child, the greatest joy was getting my pocket money for the month and racing off to the bookshop to see what I could buy. What were you reading at that time? In my early years I was influenced by the British classics of Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, and Thomas Hardy. Those are the ones we read, but as I progressed I also discovered Russian authors. It was a great revelation to learn that as a writer you could delve so deeply into the human mind and experience. People like [Fyodor] Dostoyevsky and [Leo] Tolstoy write with such a range of human experience, but the one I particularly love is [Nikolai] Gogol. He wrote some of greatest short stories that have ever been written. There’s an abstract element to his work that seems somehow mysterious, and a little vague, so I keep returning to try and discover those secrets. Your most recent work, The Artist of Disappearance, is a collection of three novellas that was published two years ago. Are you working on anything right now? I’ve been absorbed in [Kiran Desai] my daughter’s work, seeing her through the difficult stages of the novel she’s writing. But in the process I’ve been remembering that it’s hard to keep up my stamina through a long piece. I was very happy while working on The Artist of Disappearance because I restricted myself to the limited form of the novella and could do it with ease. In the future I’ll try to write more novellas. The novel takes a lot out of me. Do you have a routine when you write? I spend at least three hours at my desk every morning, whether I’m working on a book or not. I always told myself that a desk and a chair in a corner by myself is all I need. I like to have a window and a view too, but I mostly need to be alone when writing. I also write by hand and don’t use the computer until the end of the process. It’s fine for editing, but not for writing. “I always told myself that a desk and a chair in a corner by myself is all I need.” Can you describe what that writing process is like for you? I find the first stage of writing a book exhilarating. It’s absorbing, but also frightening. You don’t know where you’ll go, where you’ll end up, or if it’s going to work at all. You have to get through long periods of self-doubt. I find this stage very difficult; therefore, it’s also the most interesting stage. Following that, I put the text aside for a while to come out of being so deep in my characters’ stories. Then I can see what the errors are and try to put them right. I’ve also done a lot of research for many of the novels I’ve written, like Baumgartner’s Bombay. While writing books like that, I’m deeply absorbed in the research process. It takes a while before I can distance myself and prepare to go another round. Do you have an editor who sees this work mid-process? What has your relationship with editors been like throughout your career? When I started my writing career, there was no such thing as a fiction workshop in India and I had the sense that this was my work, it was for me to do. I was also afraid of taking it to be seen by anyone. I was afraid that their criticism or suggestions might deflect me from my path, lead me to throwing away what I’d done, or rewriting it the way someone else wanted me to. Also, I was reluctant to show it to family or friends because I couldn’t see how they could judge the work objectively. Now the first person I show my work to is an editor at the publishing house. I see this as a totally objective view that I should listen to. Sometimes an editor can be destructive if it’s somebody who doesn’t understand your work or what you’re doing, but over the years I’ve had some excellent editors who became good friends and whose views and suggestions I was keen to hear. Do you ever experience writer’s block? Yes, and I have one way of dealing with it: Turn to a book I love. It might be a book I read long ago, like Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, or it might be Nabokov’s Pnin. Also, I find it very helpful to read poetry, because poets have a particular receptivity to language and words. A prose writer can try to get away with an extra sentence or a paragraph, but a poet doesn’t allow a single line, a single bit of punctuation, to pass without being certain that it’s exactly what it needs to be. You read a bit of poetry, and it’s like hearing a tuning fork that strikes the right note. You wrote the majority of your output in the first 20 years of your career—at the same time that you were raising four children. Have your best books been written at tranquil moments in your life or do you write better under stress? I’ve always written better under stress. That’s when I feel compelled to write and tie my views and thoughts with reasons. It’s curious, but I did write more in those years. Then my children all grew up and I had much more time to myself without that constant feeling of guilt or needing to pay attention to them. As a result of that, I find I’m writing less. There’s just not a compulsion to write anymore. Anita Desai in conversation at the Sydney Writers’ Festival about her latest book The Artist of Disappearance. Video: ABCBigIdeas via YouTube. How do your early years of writing in India compare to the situation there for authors now? There were no writers’ groups in India when I was starting out and, in the group I would have belonged to, there were very few Indian writers writing in English. There were perhaps half a dozen like me, but we were scattered all over the country. So I didn’t meet them, I didn’t belong to the rest of society, and because of this I was able follow my own stream of consciousness, uninterrupted. I was very fortunate in that way. Now that’s not possible. When I look at Indian writers today, there are so many of them and they belong to such large groups in both India and the West. They have such an extensive social life, I don’t know how they maintain an equilibrium. Some manage to do it very well, but it’s not easy. Can you describe how the role of women in Indian society has changed over the course of your career? India is a tremendously complex country. Certainly there has been change. If you go out on the street you can’t help but be impressed with the number of women going to work, catching the bus, or riding their bicycles. Yet they continue to play a very traditional role in the Indian family. In India, tradition and modernity, tradition and change, go hand-in-hand. It isn’t that one changes the other. After all, Indian women have had role models like Indira Gandhi, who served as a female prime minister long before most countries had one. There have also been female poets and writers from India but they continue to work within a tradition. However, the latest news from India about the number of rapes that still take place is horrific. Instances of rape have reportedly doubled between 1990 and 2008, and that number has even increased since then. How can that happen? Men still don’t accept women as human beings who must live their lives. It may take generations before there’s any real change. Though, with that said, I don’t like to be a spokesperson for India, specifically for Indian women. If I meet people outside India, they usually ask me questions about my country that I can’t answer. Having lived outside for some time now, I find I’m not the right person to pronounce any judgments. “I’m interested in people who live in a kind of exile…from the rest of society.” Indeed you’ve lived in many places—Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mexico, and New York to name a few—since your novel Baumgartner’s Bombay was released in 1988. That was the last book that you wrote in India. Considering Hugo Baumgartner’s state of exile in the novel, I was wondering if you now see any parallels between yourself and your protagonist from 30 years ago? I’ve often written about people who don’t go along with the mainstream, who go against the current, who live outside of the current, or are stranded whilst everyone else just flows along. I think I’m drawn to such characters. Even in the last three novellas that I wrote, that same type of character surfaces again and again. I’m interested in people who live in a kind of exile; it may not be political exile, but in some sense it’s exile from the rest of society. It may have something to do with my upbringing and my parents. My mother, having been German, lived most of her life in India and never felt able to return to Germany. After the war, we would sometimes suggest, “Why don’t you go back and visit your country? See who is still alive, who survived.” It would bring her to tears, and she’d say, “Don’t make me do that.” To have lost your country, your family, your society, so wholly, must have been a devastating experience. Somehow she survived it. My father was, in a sense, in exile too. He was from East Bengal, which then became East Pakistan. So his family lost their land and everything else they had there. Then he came to Bangladesh, which was another loss, another change. He didn’t feel at home there either and lived in North India, which was a foreign country to him. They were outsiders, and while there’s no reason why I should be that too—I was born there—I was brought up with the same sense of being an outsider. I certainly absorbed it from them. Do you think that had anything to do with traveling throughout your life? Yes. I think if you’ve uprooted yourself once, you can uproot yourself over and over again. You learn how to do without, how to do with less, how to abandon and leave, but it does become a pattern. It’s as if I am following in my parents footsteps. But on a superficial level, by uprooting yourself, you experience the world from many different angles. With different eyes, through different experiences, you can see what you’ve taken for granted, what was given to you, what you were born with. On another level, it leaves you as an outsider for good. You’re always an observer rather than the participant, and that’s a big difference. I used to feel that, when I left India and came to live in the United States, I was just observing the States. It wasn’t for me to pass judgment on or comment on. But now I find that when I go back to India, I have become another type of outsider because the people I know have been through so much in my absence. They’ve had experiences that I didn’t share. It creates a distance. They know I didn’t participate; I can’t have the same feelings as them about certain events. So, in effect, you turn yourself into an outsider, but maybe that’s what a writer is to some extent. What is the thing that you miss the most about India? I love its sense of immense time. Once you arrive in India, time just slows down. One is so conscious of the past, even in the middle of a very modern city like Bombay. Every aspect of it is modern, but it’s built on the bedrock of the past. The past is at every turn; it’s in the manner in which you conduct yourself, the way you speak, the way you live. There’s a certain timeless quality to Indian life. There’s much more time for friendship, for thought. It’s what I miss most living in the West, which is why, ever since I came to in the States, I keep visiting Mexico. I recognize an Indian core there; it’s a very Indian country. I get the sense that every stone, every rock has a great history to it. “History, convention, conformity—all of these are very powerful elements in India.” As an outsider, what about India are you the most critical of? Its inability to look at itself with a critical eye, its tendency to be so accepting, so passive, which makes any kind of change impossible. That’s what I was trying to say when I was speaking about Indian women. They’ve been brought up to live, think, and be in a certain way, and therefore they continue with a great deal of what they could have changed. History, convention, conformity—all of these are very powerful elements in India. Despite the experiences you’ve had abroad, you still write about India. Has the perspective you have on the country ever limited your freedom of expression? Something that I mentioned is how reluctant I become to make comments on the society I find myself in, whether it’s Indian society or my new Western society. One tends to doubt oneself and question, “Am I getting it right?” I think that’s why I continue to write about India. I suppose I feel more sure of myself when I’m writing an Indian scene. I lived there, I know it, I know I’m getting it right.An estimated 100,000 people in India may have escaped HIV infection over five years thanks to one of the world's biggest prevention programs, an encouraging sign that targeting high-risk groups remains vital even as more donors focus on treatment, a new study suggests. While the initial findings regarding the $258 million Avahan project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, come with large uncertainty due to data limitations and methodology, the study's authors say the overall message is clear: that investing in prevention can make a dent in one of the world's largest epidemics, with an estimated 2.4 million Indians infected. Avahan: India AIDS Initiative Avahan Initiative fact sheet (pdf) The program was assessed from 2003 to 2008 in six Indian states, home to 300 million people and the country's highest HIV rates when it started. It involved needle exchanges, safe-sex counseling, condom distribution and other interventions to reach vulnerable groups, including truck drivers, injecting drug users, men who have sex with other men, and prostitutes, along with their clients and partners. The project's aim was to reduce the number of infections infiltrating the general population by targeting those who posed the highest risk. The assessment published Tuesday in The Lancet medical journal suggests that higher Avahan grants per infected person correlated with fewer HIV cases in the general population in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. However, that was not the case in southern Tamil Nadu and the small northeastern states of Manipur and Nagaland. Part of the difference may be linked to the epidemics, with sex the main mode of transmission in the crowded south and injecting drug use the top driver in the remote northeast, said co-author Dr. Lalit Dandona, a professor at the Public Health Foundation of India. In Tamil Nadu, the authors, who are also from the University of Washington, note that HIV levels were already lower there because other prevention programs were already running when Avahan began. In Karnataka, the program was linked to a 13 percent drop in overall HIV rates, the largest observed. Maharashtra saw the smallest decline, just over 2 percent. In all six states, an estimated 100,178 HIV infections were averted due to the program, which is the best possible outcome with the available data, Dandona said. The study, also funded by the Gates Foundation, explains that the conclusions do come with a degree of uncertainty, mainly because pregnant women from antenatal clinics were used as the data source even though corrections for this were factored into the calculations. Dr. Prabhat Jha, director of the Centre for Global Health Research in Canada, who has conducted large-scale HIV studies in India, said those data are typically used to monitor trends or changes in the epidemic, not to estimate infections averted in the general population. "Right from the start, it just doesn't work," he said. "I'm not going to judge how high my plane is flying by how many times my ears pop. It doesn't tell you where you're at." Jha also noted that other prevention programs were in place before Avahan began and that HIV infections were already in decline. Instead of focusing on infections averted, he said it makes more sense to assess the program more broadly. "There is substantial evidence that most new HIV infections in India arise from sex work, so taking sex work seriously means it will generate benefits," he said. "Even if these are hard to quantify." Avahan, which translates from Sanskrit as "call to action," has been criticized by some for throwing large sums of money at the problem and creating more waste than results. As the Gates Foundation's largest HIV prevention program in a single country, the organization donated an additional $80 million to the project in 2009. The Indian government is expected to take it over. In an accompanying commentary, World Health Organization experts Ties Boerma and Isabelle de Zoysa said that despite many remaining questions about the project's overall success, the findings are an encouraging first step. "However, seven years into the project, many questions remain unanswered," they wrote.Reconstructionist congregations say they’re ready for their movement’s seminary to become the first rabbinical school to accept students with non-Jewish partners, yet the fallout from the expected change could still fracture the troubled denomination. The new policy, which will face a final vote among members of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’s faculty at the end of the summer, would mark a radical departure for a mainstream seminary. None, including those connected to the Reform and Conservative movements and the nondenominational Hebrew College, currently allows rabbinical students to enroll if they are in committed relationships with non-Jewish partners who have no intention of converting. Of 31 Reconstructionist congregations that polled interested members on the issue, 20 supported the change, while only four came down against it, according to a report prepared for Reconstructionist leaders in April and obtained by the Forward. The other seven congregations could not reach consensus. Yet roadblocks remain. Some congregations have threatened to leave the movement over the change, and others said that they would not hire a rabbi with a non-Jewish partner. Even those that support the change worry that congregations that chose not to hire intermarried rabbis would face boycott from other rabbinical students. “I don’t want to leave the Reconstructionist movement,” said Rabbi Lester Bronstein, spiritual leader of Bet Am Shalom, a Reconstructionist congregation in White Plains, New York, and a prominent opponent of the proposed policy shift. “I want us to stay, and I hope like all get-out that the RRC finds a way to make a decision that [gives] people like me… a way to stay in.” The proposed policy change comes at a moment of turmoil for the Reconstructionist movement. Enrollment at the RRC is down: The school ordained just six students in 2014, its smallest class in at least a decade. Meanwhile, the movement has merged its rabbinical school and congregational arm into a single organization; that joint organization is projected to run a half-million dollar deficit in the 2015 fiscal year. Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz, who led the merger, left in 2013 in a move that surprised some. The current policy on rabbinical students’ partners dates to 1983, and explicitly bans prospective students from enrolling at RRC if they are “married to or in a committed relationship with a non-Jewish partner.” RRC’s faculty has already voted in favor of lifting the ban; a second vote, expected to be held late this summer, will be binding. A poll of current RRC rabbinical students found that 77% supported the change. The RRC has insisted that its faculty alone has the right to make changes to its admissions criteria. That insistence caused tension with some movement leaders who opposed the policy, and the RRC has slowed the process of changing the rules and sought further input from Reconstructionist rabbis and congregations. In a document prepared for Reconstructionist leaders in advance of a November meeting, the RRC laid out arguments in support of changing the policy. “Many younger progressive Jews, including many rabbis and rabbinical students, now perceive restrictions placed on those who are intermarried as reinforcing a tribalism that feels personally alienating and morally troubling in the 21st century,” the document read. The document also argued that rabbis with non-Jewish partners could “serve as positive role models.” “If we are on the record as a movement that supports full equality of interfaith families in our congregation, why should we stand on ceremony when it comes to rabbis?” said Reconstructionist rabbi Brant Rosen, who supports the change. Yet the opposition from rabbis who oppose the shift has been forceful. Bronstein caused a stir in the movement with a widely circulated letter arguing against the change, first reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in April, warning that his congregation could leave the Reconstructionist movement over the shift. Bronstein told the Forward that, initially, it felt as though the RRC was dictating major policy changes to the congregations through the congregational umbrella arm. “You don’t make changes in personal-status decisions without discussing it with the whole community,” Bronstein said. “I think the RRC has been very responsive to that complaint.” Bronstein said that he hoped for a compromise, by which the RRC would maintain its old policy of banning students in committed relationships to non-Jews, but allowing for flexibility to make exceptions. “I’m hopelessly from the 20th century in this regard,” Bronstein said. The report summarizing feedback from Reconstructionist congregations, based on input from roughly a third of the congregations in the Reconstructionist movement, offered new ideas for compromises. “Many” of the respondents, according to the document, asked for language in the policy by which rabbis commit to raising Jewish children and maintaining Jewish homes, even if their partner is not Jewish. Others proposed a compromise like Bronstein’s, reinterpreting the current policy to allow wiggle room for the school to admit some students with non-Jewish partners. Those proposals will be considered by the faculty amid further deliberations, according to the document. Congregations also worried that the change would “damage… the credibility of the Reconstructionist movement and RRC graduates,” that intermarried graduates might have trouble finding placements as rabbis, and that congregations that chose not to hire intermarried RRC graduates could face boycotts from fellow students. “The RRC faculty respects the autonomy of each congregation in determining its own boundaries about rabbinic spouses’ religious identity,” the document reads. “We will strongly advise interpartnered students to disclose their situation when applying for congregational jobs…. We have had no indications from students so far that they would ‘boycott’ congregations that would not consider interpartnered candidates.” Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis This story "Reconstructionists Open Door to Rabbis With Non-Jewish Partners — But at What Cost?" was written by Josh Nathan-Kazis.Introduction to RecyclerView RecyclerView has been introduced with Android 5, in the support-v7 package. It allows to display a collection of items in an arbitrary disposition (think of a ListView, but much more flexible). As the name of the support package indicates, it’s available from the API level 7 (Android 2.1). Its name comes from the way it works: when an item is hidden, instead of being destroyed and a new one being created for each newly displayed item, hidden ones are recycled: they are reused, with new data bound on them. A RecyclerView is split into 6 main components: an Adapter, providing data (similar to ListView ’s) , providing data (similar to ’s) an ItemAnimator, responsible on animations to play when items are modified, added, removed or moved , responsible on animations to play when items are modified, added, removed or moved an ItemDecoration, which can add drawings or change the layout of an item (e.g. adding dividers) , which can add drawings or change the layout of an item (e.g. adding dividers) a LayoutManager, which specifies how items are laid out (grid, list…) , which specifies how items are laid out (grid, list…) a ViewHolder, the base class for each item’s view , the base class for each item’s view the RecyclerView itself, binding everything together Default implementations are bundled in the support-v7 package for some of these components. You have an ItemAnimator and three LayoutManager s (a linear one, similar to a ListView, a static grid, and a staggered grid). The RecyclerView doesn’t need to be modified, and the ItemDecoration is optional. This leaves us the Adapter and the ViewHolder. Display a RecyclerView 1. Prepare your project To use a RecyclerView, you need a specific module of the support-v7 package. If you use Gradle, add to your dependencies: compile 'com.android.support:recyclerview-v7:21.0.3' This post will also use CardView s, so we reference them too: compile 'com.android.support:cardview-v7:21.0.3' That’s it! 2. The base item We’ll write a very simple list, containing items with a title and a subtitle. Item.java 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 public class Item { private String title ; private String subtitle ; Item ( String title, String subtitle ) { this. title = title ; this. subtitle = subtitle ; } public String getTitle () { return title ; } public String getSubtitle () { return subtitle ; } } 3. Item layout As mentionned earlier, our items will be displayed on a CardView. A CardView is just a FrameLayout with some decorations, hence having two TextView s to display is pretty simple: layout/item.xml 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <android.support.v7.widget.CardView xmlns:android= "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" xmlns:app= "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto" android:layout_width= "match_parent" android:layout_height= "match_parent" app:contentPadding= "8dp" app:cardUseCompatPadding= "true" > <LinearLayout android:layout_width= "match_parent" android:layout_height= "match_parent" android:orientation= "vertical" > <TextView android:id= "@+id/title" android:layout_width= "match_parent" android:layout_height= "wrap_content" android:singleLine= "true" style= "@style/Base.TextAppearance.AppCompat.Headline" /> <TextView android:id= "@+id/subtitle" android:layout_width= "match_parent" android:layout_height= "0dp" android:layout_weight= "1" style= "@style/Base.TextAppearance.AppCompat.Subhead" /> </LinearLayout> </android.support.v7.widget.CardView> 4. The adapter The first step is to define our ViewHolder class. It must extend RecyclerView.ViewHolder, and should store references to the views you’ll need when binding your data on the holder. Here, we have our two TextView s: Adapter.java 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 public class Adapter extends RecyclerView. Adapter < Adapter. ViewHolder > { @SuppressWarnings ( "unused" ) private static final String TAG = Adapter. class. getSimpleName (); public static class ViewHolder extends RecyclerView. ViewHolder { TextView title ; TextView subtitle ; public ViewHolder ( View itemView ) { super ( itemView ); title = ( TextView ) itemView. findViewById ( R. id. title ); subtitle = ( TextView ) itemView. findViewById ( R. id. subtitle ); } } } Now, what’s the simplest way to store a collection of objects? Well, a Collection. Sometimes, even Java gets it right. For the simplicity of this example, we’ll store our items in an ArrayList in our Adapter : Adapter.java 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 public class Adapter extends RecyclerView. Adapter < Adapter. ViewHolder > { @SuppressWarnings ( "unused" ) private static final String TAG = Adapter. class. getSimpleName (); private static final int ITEM_COUNT = 50 ; private List < Item > items ; public Adapter () { super (); // Create some items items = new ArrayList <>(); for ( int i = 0 ; i < ITEM_COUNT ; ++ i ) { items. add ( new Item ( "Item " + i, "This is the item number " + i )); } } // ViewHolder definition omitted } Then we should implement the actual RecyclerView.Adapter methods: onCreateViewHolder(ViewGroup parent, int viewType) should create the view, and return a matching ViewHolder, should create the view, and return a matching, onBindViewHolder(ViewHolder holder, int position) should fill the ViewHolder with data from item at position position, should fill the with data from item at position, getItemCount() should give the number of elements in the Adapter underlying data collection. The implementation of these methods is pretty straightforward in our case: Adapter.java 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 public class Adapter extends RecyclerView. Adapter < Adapter. ViewHolder > { // Attributes and constructor omitted @Override public ViewHolder onCreateViewHolder ( ViewGroup parent, int viewType ) { View v = LayoutInflater. from ( parent. getContext ()). inflate ( R. layout. item, parent, false ); return new ViewHolder ( v ); } @Override public void onBindViewHolder ( ViewHolder holder, int position ) { final Item item = items. get ( position ); holder. title. setText ( item. getTitle ()); holder. subtitle. setText ( item. getSubtitle ()); } @Override public int getItemCount () { return items. size (); } // ViewHolder definition omitted } 5. Bind everything together We defined everything we needed. Now, it’s time to give everything to a RecyclerView, and watch the magic happen! First step, add a RecyclerView to an Activity : layout/activity_main.xml 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 <RelativeLayout xmlns:android= "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" xmlns:tools= "http://schemas.android.com/tools" android:layout_width= "match_parent" android:layout_height= "match_parent" tools:context= ".MainActivity" > <android.support.v7.widget.RecyclerView android:id= "@+id/recycler_view" android:layout_width= "match_parent" android:layout_height= "match_parent" /> </RelativeLayout> We will use the simplest layout manager for now: LinearLayoutManager. We will also use the DefaultItemAnimator. MainActivity.java 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity { @SuppressWarnings ( "unused" ) private static final String TAG = MainActivity. class. getSimpleName (); @Override protected void onCreate ( Bundle savedInstanceState ) { super. onCreate ( savedInstanceState ); setContentView ( R. layout. activity_main ); RecyclerView recyclerView = ( RecyclerView ) findViewById ( R. id. recycler_view ); recyclerView. setAdapter ( new Adapter ()); recyclerView. setItemAnimator ( new DefaultItemAnimator ()); recyclerView. setLayoutManager ( new LinearLayoutManager ( this )); } } Compile, run, and… Now that we have a basic RecyclerView displayed, let’s see what we can do with it. Different kind of views on the same RecyclerView Let’s say you have two types of items you want to display. For example, you display a remote music collection, and only some albums are available offline. You can do specific actions on them, and display some specific informations too. For our example, we will add an active property to our items. Item.java 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 public class Item { private String title ; private String subtitle ; private boolean active ; Item ( String title, String subtitle, boolean active ) { this. title = title ; this. subtitle = subtitle ; this. active = active ; } public String getTitle () { return title ; } public String getSubtitle () { return subtitle ; } public boolean isActive () { return active ; } } We change our items creation to have some active ones, and change the subtitle to add an active/inactive indication: Adapter.java 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 public class Adapter extends RecyclerView. Adapter < Adapter. ViewHolder > { // Attributes omitted public Adapter () { super (); // Create some items Random random = new Random (); items = new ArrayList <>(); for ( int i = 0 ; i < ITEM_COUNT ; ++ i ) { items. add ( new Item ( "Item " + i, "This is the item number " + i, random. nextBoolean ())); } } // onCreateViewHolder omitted @Override public void onBindViewHolder ( ViewHolder holder, int position ) { final Item item = items. get ( position ); holder. title. setText ( item. getTitle ()); holder. subtitle. setText ( item. getSubtitle () + ", which is " + ( item. isActive ()? "active" : "inactive" )); } // … } Displaying a different string is a good start, but we need more. When we were writing the adapter, you may have noticed an argument that we didn’t use in onCreateViewHolder(ViewGroup parent, int viewType). This viewType is here to achieve exactly what we need: alter the ViewHolder creation. We must tell the Adapter how to determine the type of an item. We do this by overriding a new method, getItemViewType(int position) : Adapter.java 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 public class Adapter extends RecyclerView. Adapter < Adapter. ViewHolder > { // … private static final int TYPE_INACTIVE = 0 ; private static final int TYPE_ACTIVE = 1 ; // … @Override public int getItemViewType ( int position ) { final Item item = items. get ( position ); return item. isActive ()? TYPE_ACTIVE : TYPE_INACTIVE ; } // … } Now, you have multiple possibilities depending on your needs: create a different ViewHolder for each view type, inflate a different layout but use the
? Clearly sex on the beach presents graver threat to American society. The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), 47 states and the District of Columbia are expected to announce the settlements as soon as Wednesday, the people said. California Attorney General Kamala Harris sued in 2013, claiming the bank engaged in fraudulent and unlawful debt collection practices against 100,000 California credit card borrowers over some three years. The state claims the bank flooded state courts with questionable lawsuits, filing thousands every month, including 469 such lawsuits in one day alone. In September 2013, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ordered JPMorgan to refund $309 million to about 2 million customers for illegal credit card practices, including charging consumers for credit card monitoring services they did not receive. Thanks for playing suckers. Now go BTFD. For related articles, see: 90-Year-Old WW2 Veteran and Two Clergymen Face 60 Days in Jail for Feeding the Homeless in Florida The U.S. Department of Justice Handles Banker Criminals Like Juvenile Offenders…Literally New Report – The United States’ Sharp Drop in Economic Freedom Since 2000 Driven by “Decline in Rule of Law” DEA Agents Caught Having Drug Cartel Funded Prostitute Sex Parties Received Slap on the Wrist; None Fired TSA Agents Caught Gaming System so Male Screener Could Grope Attractive Passengers; No Criminal Charges Filed In Liberty, Michael Krieger Donate bitcoins: Like this post?Donate bitcoins: 3J7D9dqSMo9HnxVeyHou7HJQGihamjYQMN Follow me on Twitter.Are musicians born or made? What is the line between skill and talent in any domain, and can we acquire either later in life? That’s exactly what neuroscientist Gary Marcus explores in Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning — a fascinating journey into the limits of human reinvention. In an effort to reconcile his lifelong passion for music with his self-admitted chronic musical inaptitude, Marcus set out to debunk one of science’s longest-running theories about learning — that there are “critical periods” in which complex skills can be learned, and that they slam shut after adolescence. If critical periods aren’t quite so firm as people once believed, a world of possibility emerges for the many adults who harbor secret dreams — whether to learn a language, to become a pastry chef, or to pilot a small plane. And quests like these, no matter how quixotic they may seem, and whether they succeed in the end or not, could bring unanticipated benefits, not just for their ultimate goals but of the journey itself. Exercising our brains helps maintain them, by preserving plasticity (the capacity of the nervous system to learn new thing), warding off degeneration, and literally keeping the blood flowing. Beyond the potential benefits for our brains, there are benefits for our emotional well-being, too. There may be no better way to achieve lasting happiness — as opposed to mere fleeting pleasure — than pursuing a goal that helps us broaden our horizons.“ To his astonishment, however, Marcus found a dearth of scientific literature and research on music learning in people of his age. The problem, it turned out, wasn’t lack of scientific interest but, rather, a lack of subjects — studying the outcomes of adults who put in 10,000 hours of practice proved difficult since most people of that age have life responsibilities that prevent them from putting in that time in the first place. So, Marcus decided to turn himself into the guinea pig. For a glimmer of hope, he looked to a number of well-known musicians who arrived at their particular musical talent late in life — Patti Smith didn’t consider becoming a professional singer until she was in her mid-twenties, iconic jazz guitarist Pat Martino relearned to play after a brain aneurysm at the age of 35, and New Orleans keyboard legend Dr. John switched from guitar to piano when he was 21 after an injury, then won the first of his five Grammys at the age of 48. Having no such aspirations of grandeur, Marcus, aged 38 and with a documented lack of rhythm, still found himself desperately longing to learn to play the guitar. As he puts it, “Perhaps few people had less talent for music than I did, but few people wanted more badly to be able to play.” So he confronted the fundamental question: Could persistence and a lifelong love of music overcome age and a lack of talent? And, for that matter, how did anyone of any age become musical?” Curiously, one of the most influential experiments on critical periods comes from barn owls who, like bats, rely heavily on sound to navigate; but, unlike bats, they see better than bats do, and one of the first things they do after hatching is calibrating their ears with their eyes, attuning what they hear to what they see. But because this navigational mapping of auditory information depends on the exact distance between their eyes and ears, which changes as the owl grows, it can’t be hardwired at birth. To study how the owls calibrate their visual and auditory worlds, Stanford biologist Eric Knudsen devised a clever experiment, in which he raised owls in a kind of virtual reality world where prisms shifted everything by 23 degrees, forcing the owl to adjust its internal map of the world. Knudsen found that young owls learned to compensate for the distortion easily, and older owls could not — at least not in one go. But as soon as the 23 degrees were broken down in chunks — a few weeks at 6 degrees, another few at 11, and so forth — the adult owls were able to make the adjustment. Using this insight, Marcus turned to David Mead’s Crash Course: Acoustic Guitar, which broke guitar playing into the kind of bite-sized morsels fit for the human equivalent of adult owls. It gave Marcus the basics, and thus the first step in rewiring his own brain. This book is about how I began to distinguish my musical derriere from my musical elbow, but it’s not just about me: it’s also about the psychology and brain science of how anybody, of any age — toddler, teenager, or adult — can learn something as complicated as a musical instrument.” Along the way, Marcus explores the basic elements of music and how it evolved culturally and biologically. He dives deep into the popular “ten thousand hours” theory of mastery, developed by cognitive psychologist Anders Ericsson, “the world’s leading expert on expertise,” and examines Ericsson’s second, lesser-known prerequisite for expertise — the notion of “deliberate practice,” which describes the constant sense of self-evaluation and a consistent focus on one’s weaknesses rather than playing on one’s strengths. In fact, the practice of targeting specific weaknesses is known as the “zone of proximal development” and offers a framework for everything from education to videogames: [The “zone of proximal development” is] the idea that learning works best when the student tackles something that is just beyond his or her current reach, neither too hard nor too easy. In classroom situations, for example, one team of researchers estimated that its’ best to arrange things so that children succeed roughly 80 percent of the time; more than that, and kids tend to get bored; less, and they tend to get frustrated. The same is surely true of adults, too, which is why video game manufacturers have been known to invest millions in play testing to make sure that the level of challenge always lies in that sweet spot of neither too easy nor too hard.” But what makes Guitar Zero exceptional isn’t simply that it simultaneously calls into question the myth of the music instinct and confronts the idea that talent is merely a myth — at its heart is a much bigger question about the boundaries of our capacity for transformation and, ultimately, the mechanics of fulfillment and purpose.When you protest Scientology, you do it at your own risk. That's what members of the group Anonymous found out last Sunday when they picketed Gold Base, the Church's headquarters in Gilman Hot Springs, Calfornia. The small, peaceful assembly sported signs before one member received a beating from a group of the Church's hired goons. Gold Base is the center of the Church's production arm, and also features a nine-hole golf course. Oh yes, there's also a massive brainwashing operation there called Rehabilitation Project Force.As first reported on Mark Ebner's Hollywood, Interrupted, five members of Anonymous picketed the building with signs, a Church guard screws with their vehicle down the road to get them to trespass onto the Church's property, while setting up a flare to get them to come back to the car. After they dog-tie the member of the group that returns to the truck, the guards strike down another protester. Amazingly, two members of Anonymous were arrested afterwards by the Riverside Sheriff's Department, as they report in their account of the situation. This is typical stuff for the Church, who doesn't just counterattack on YouTube. But of course, as the guy holding the camera says, Anonymous thinks they win if they can bring home footage like this.The good news for the Buffalo Sabres in their coaching search is that there isn’t necessarily a bad choice among the three reported prime candidates. Rick Tocchet, the Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach, has NHL head coaching experience, is praised for his work as a teacher and motivator, and has experience working with new general manager Jason Botterill with the two-time Stanley Cup champion Penguins. Scroll to continue with content Ad Phil Housley, the Nashville Predators assistant coach, is a former Sabres player and a Hockey Hall of Famer who has earned respect for his work with the team’s defense. He’s a “one of the guys” coach who is known to have more fun in practice than many of his players. But he’s never been an NHL head coach. Todd Reirden, the Washington Capitals assistant coach, shares attributes with the other candidates: Defensive coach and power-play specialist like Housley, former Penguins assistant like Tocchet. He’s a future head coach in this league, for sure. So where should the Sabres turn? We’re saying Housley. Even though odds are it’s Tocchet. Let’s start with Tocchet. He’s coming off two consecutive Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins, coaching under Mike Sullivan. There’s something to be said for that. He has previous NHL head coaching experience, and there’s something to be said for that. His work with Phil Kessel with the Penguins has been widely praised within the organization, and Jack Eichel could use someone who can teach him and motivate him and inspire him like that – former NHL forward to current NHL forward. [Follow Puck Daddy on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr] Story continues When Terry Pegula made his comments about changing the way the organization communicates and the character of it, it was obvious from his hiring of Botterill that the Penguins were a team he wanted to emulate. So Tocchet would continue that emulation. So there are reasons to expect it will be Tocchet, which doesn’t mean it should be Tocchet. Housley’s only been a head coach once: The IIHF World U20 Championship in 2013, where the U.S. won gold. So his lack of head coaching experience is a little scary, but nothing a seasoned coach as an assistant or associate couldn’t help remedy. What Housley brings to the Sabres is a commitment to defense in the context of what defensemen should be doing in the NHL in 2017. And unless you have Sidney Crosby, usually you need a stout blueline to win in this league. Watch the way the Predators played: Smart, mobile, offensively oriented, defensively sound. Yes, you need the horses to play that way, but you also need a coach that can stress the proper way to utilize those talents, and Housley brings that. And he’s shown an ability to imprint on younger defensemen, which is obviously going to the task at hand as Sabres coach with the likes of Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe and others on the way. As Nashville radio analyst Chris Mason told us last season, “I just think defensemen want to play that style of play. If you have skill and you can skate, that’s the kind of hockey you really enjoy playing. It’s fun and he encourages that style of play so I think hand-in-hand with the way his experiences have gone and him having that credibility of being that type of player, I think it’s just a really relatable type of player with the defensemen.” Let’s pause on that word: “fun.” There’s always a danger in going back-to-back with players’ coaches. One gets the sense that Tocchet would have a firmer hand than did Dan Bylsma, while Housley would be more teacher than taskmaster. That said, being around the Predators for the last few weeks reminds you that “fun” is important. You want a reason to come to the rink and practice hard. This isn’t to say that Housley is going to be handing out orange slices after morning skate, but there’s no question his attitude is infectious. Then there’s the Sabres thing. He played eight years in Buffalo, and while Pegula’s slavish appreciation of bygone alumni has been sufficiently ridiculed at times, there’s something noble about a former great – drafted by the Sabres in 1982 – coming back home to lead the team to glory. Although, granted, nostalgia is a dangerous narcotic (see: Avalanche, Colorado). Seriously, Terry, your team just did the Penguins thing at head coach. Try something new. The typical trend in the NHL is for the guy running the defense to be the assistant coach. That’s the role Housley and Reirden and Jacques Martin and Scott Stevens and Larry Robinson and countless quality coaches have played. So hiring Housley as head coach bucks that trend a little bit. But you know what? When you’re the Sabres, bucking trends and outside-the-box thinking is what you need. Botterill takes over a team having waited years for someone to give him a chance to prove his worth as a general manager. He should extend the same opportunity to Phil Housley as the next head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. — Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold. MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTSMathematics is a science for weirdos. It is the basis for all the other branches of science, either directly or indirectly, it’s full of misconceptions, and often closer to philosophy than the scientific endeavour of describing nature. Mathematicians work in the abstract, in symbols, and set up their own rules and conditions whenever they want. They love thought experiments, and impossible situations that open up for interesting problems. Some say maths is anything that’s got numbers, or classical shapes, but if I’ve learned anything in my formal teaching, is that mathematics, above everything, is about relationships, connections, and bare logic, quite a lot like philosophy. As a student, I was fascinated by the story around Euclid’s Elements, and how we discovered spherical and hyperbolic geometry. Ancient Greeks, famous for their interest in this subject, constructed their mathematics exclusively on geometrical facts; no numbers, no algebra, no x to be found. Euclid was one of those Ancient Greek mathematicians who wrote the most reedited book in history, the Elements, which is quite like a textbook of geometry and some primitive number theory. Everything he states on those lines is proven basing himself on a collection of definitions, and five postulates. Those postulates, also known as axioms, are unprovable truths that we take for granted, really basic statements such as “you can draw a circle of any radius centered in any point of the plane” or “all right angles are the same”. Everything that follows is sustained only and exclusively on those lines. Ever since his book was published two and half millenia ago, there was a very large debate on whether one of his axioms was unnecessary. Many believed that it could be proven from the other four, even Euclid himself, though he kept it in place. The “fifth postulate” stated that “given a [straight] line and a point outside of it, you can draw one, and only one, parallel line to the former one that contains that point”. Euclid tried to make use of it as rarely as he could, and many mathematicians have given “proofs” that it wasn’t necessary. It was a Hungarian mathematician I the 19th century, Bolyai János, who finally decided to see what would happen if you rewrote Euclid’s Elements removing the fifth axiom altogether. After all, not taking it for granted doesn’t imply the conclusions aren’t true. His results were, not only unexpected, but significant: not only such a geometrical surface could exist without the axiom, but he obtained two of them, the hyperbolic surface, and the spherical one. Spherical geometry is the one in which parallel lines can’t exist, as any diameter line along the surface of a sphere will intersect an other in exactly two opposed points. The hyperbolic case is the one in which every line has infinitely many parallel lines going through any given point, and the hyperbolic plane can be pictured as a trumpet-like cone, which is infinitely long, becoming ever narrower and narrower. Bolyai’s work suggests that modifying one’s starting point, it’s axioms, can radically modify the outcome of one’s deductions, without those being less true, and it’s not only in mathematics where we see those kind of results, Albert Einstein’s Relativity starts in a very similar manner too. In Einstein’s case, several experiments in the late 19th Century seemed to indicate that light travelled at a finite speed, which given the current physical theory, such a thing went against the concepts of movement, and time. Einstein, in a similar way to what Max Planck had done in it’s time, threw away the existing theory, and started reasoning from a handful of postulates, in fact just three of them. He assumed light travelled at a finite speed, as experiments indicated, he assumed that there was no preferred frame of reference, as Galileo had done back in his day, and he assumed as well that you could swap frames of reference with it all making sense. The result of those postulates was the proof that the Lorentz Transformations, developed by Dutch physicist Hendrik Lorentz, did explain the changes between frames of reference, as well as the undermining reality of our universe by which space and time aren’t absolute, which is one of the deepest results in physics we’ve ever developed. All of those cases indicate us that the axioms we choose, the facts we take as starting points for our reasoning, are fundamental for our results. In fact, I’d say more than that: it’s all about that choice, because everything we develop out of them is done logically, thus we can all agree on the reasoning. Logic is common to all, we all agree upon it, and we all make use of it. Logic gates are at the heart of how we reason, regardless if it’s an exclusively human perception or universally common. Therefore, we can’t argue upon a logical conclusion, as it is inequivocal if properly obtained. In the same way that the criterion in mathematics is rigorous proofs, and the criterion in physics and experimental sciences is rigorous experimentation, the criterion in philosophy is no other than rigorous arguments. The most rigorous kind of argument to philosophers has traditionally been the deductive one, as it is the one that obtains the strongest conclusions, though it depends on previously verified truths. Back on our discussion, if we established a set of postulates and definitions to start with, and we proceeded exclusively deductively, all of our conclusions should be true if, and only if, our preestablished axioms are as well. The origin of those postulates, ironically, can be no other than inductive reasoning, or blind assumptions. Just like in Einstein’s case, his postulates were inspired in experimental evidence, and in Bolyai and Euclid’s case, their axioms were solely based on inductive intuition. They can’t be developed in a deductive way, as there is nothing prior, yet in fact, it doesn’t really matter what their source is. The whole idea of an axiom is assuming a truth that we can’t proof, quite like making an act of faith. Nevertheless, as everything developed from our original assumptions is done deductively, thus of common agreement, this suggests us that arguments in philosophy aren’t about the conclusions, nor how we obtain them, but really they’re all about our initial convictions, and of mistaken deductions, which we will not take into account, as they are not part of the subject of this essay. Putting that aside, most physicists will agree that, if known all the specific initial conditions, we could predict how a system would evolve at any point in time. Perhaps same happens here. Known the initial assumptions, we can deduce what conclusions will that individual achieve. Therefore, our ideology and opinion is essentially composed of some original convictions that we take for granted, either because we don’t question them at all, or because they can’t be questioned, as in the case of definitions. In essence, our diversity of opinion seems to only depend on our choice of what to use as our foundation, on what truths we understand as fundamental to start our reasoning. It’s all about the axioms, not only the ones you choose to believe, but also the ones you don’t choose matter, as in the case of Bolyai. This doesn’t mean that there is a single undermining philosophical truth of the Universe, but quite the opposite. The fact that you can obtain equally valid conclusions, beginning from different starting points, despite them being completely separate results, implies that there is no absolute truth but different points of view, and the only common universal thing, as far as we have been able to experience, is bare logic. This also makes many arguments impossible to settle, as much as absurd. Political ideologies’ differences radicate in a very simple question: what the point of a social order is. Fascism and similar ideologies will argue that the aim is the good of the nations, of the group, of the abstract union of the individuals. Socialist tendencies will argue that the aim is the good of the members of such society, the citizenship, of as many of them possible, regardless of their individuality. Liberals will argue that the aim is the good of individuals as such, who can’t be nulled of such condition. The good of the group, of the majority, and of the individuals. Everything after that are the implications of assuming one of those postulates. We fundament all of our knowledge in a series of postulates, which might be related to observations or not, but the simple fact that in doing so, depending on what choice we make, we can deeply change the logical conclusions of them, thus the outcoming opinions, indicates us both the lack and existence of absolute truth in the world we live in. We can say there is no absolute axioms, no absolute point to start, because if you start from anything that is true at some extent, you can only obtain true conclusions reasoning deductively from there, thus there is no central main truth of the universe, but many different things that are, depending on our frame of reference. However, there is an absolute, seemingly undeniable fact, which is the persistence of logic as an undeniable form or reasoning, yet it’s validity radicates only on the validity of the arguments of start, which we already mentioned. In the end, truth might not be about absolutes, but about what’s real, about what we perceive as naturally part of the world we live in. Perhaps our universe is absolutely relative from it’s starting point. AdvertisementsOnce a sure-fire way to printing money, Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock has been in free-fall. And investors' fears were confirmed yesterday, when the company posted a quarterly report that was below expectations. While revenues increased by 18%, the earnings were flat. So is Apple losing its magic? Or is this just a temporary bump in the road? To get some perspective on things, I reached out to some tech CEOs: Roman Stanek, CEO and Founder, GoodData "Apple reminds me of the phoenix - it maintains an impeccable ability to constantly regenerate itself. Over the years, the company has been considered 'dead' numerous times. I bought an iPad when all the analysts were saying it was one of the worst ideas ever. They referred to it as 'an oversized phone'. Well, the revenue from the iPad is about to surpass the entire revenue stream of Dell. "Apple is indeed at a crossroads of where it wants to focus its attention. It will need to rely on its roots: creativity and branding. As an investor and an entrepreneur, I would never bet against Apple being able to create innovative products with an ability to change how we work and play." David Lloyd, CEO, IntelliResponse “Apple’s continued success will be predicated on the next big consumer product in the pipeline while placing enough meaningful innovation in existing products that make the consumer feel they are getting real value not small incremental improvement at a premium price. Apple creates innovation by having the vision to meet and mold consumer demand. For example, while the virtual assistant Siri is based on technology Apple acquired from Nuance, Apple was still able to commercialize that technology and market it in a way that encouraged consumers to adopt it. Lest we forget, there are few companies as adept at tapping into, and creating, consumer demand for technology.” Jeff Maling, co-CEO, Roundarch Isobar “With the potential for Apple to invade the living room with a more advanced TV product and the predicted work that is ongoing around a wearable computer of some sort, Apple isn't done inventing game changing products. It is time for a battle though, and rivals like Samsung don’t appear to be resting on their laurels. In any case, perhaps a less-than-expected quarter will stir the spirit of Jobs and cause Apple to refocus on bringing consumers the future devices that they are hoping for.” Mona DeFrawi, CEO and Founder, Equidity "The minute Apple shifts focus to appease short-term focused penny-splicers, it will lose power and cease to be the innovator which investors have loved over the long-term. Apple became the most valuable company in the world through its unparalleled ability to innovate, and its absolute commitment to always delivering excellence. The Apple brand by itself is a unique strategic advantage that no other product can compete against through price." Todd DeYoung, CEO, FASTCASE "Clearly, in recent months it's being tested by competitors - especially in the mobile sector. But imitation is not innovation, as witnessed in the recent patent court battles. The takeaway for Apple here is: be careful how much you teach your suppliers about your business, as they may become future competitors." Tom Taulli is the author of How to Create the Next Facebook: Seeing Your Startup Through, from Idea to IPO. Follow him on Twitter at @ttaulli.An upbeat earnings report from Jabil Circuit (JBL) bodes well for Apple (AAPL), according to several Wall Street analysts. Contract manufacturer Jabil late Wednesday delivered better-than-expected sales and earnings for its fiscal second quarter ended Feb. 28 and guided to in-line results for the current quarter. St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Jabil makes casings for Apple's iPhone and iPad. Apple accounted for 24% of Jabil's revenue in fiscal 2016, Cowen analyst Timothy Arcuri said in a report Thursday. "Jabil's implied Apple results for the February quarter and guide for the May quarter reaffirm the contention that everything is fine with iPhone near term," Arcuri said in a report. "Most importantly, a bullish outlook for Jabil's August quarter is highly supportive of our long-held view that a supercycle is brewing for this iPhone launch (especially in China)." Arcuri rates Apple stock as outperform and does not cover Jabil. Jabil stock jumped 4.7% to close at 28.26 on the stock market today. Apple stock rose 0.2% to 140.69, after earlier hitting an all-time high of 141.02. IBD'S TAKE: Jabil stock broke out of a cup base with a buy point of 25.24 on Feb. 10, rallying ahead of the company's expected turnaround in the fiscal third quarter. For more information on Jabil stock, visit the IBD Stock Checkup. Needham analyst Sean Hannan raised his rating on Jabil to buy from hold and established a price target of 30 after the second-quarter report. Jabil is in the early stages of seeing at least moderate sales growth from a number of non-Apple customers, Hannan said in a report Thursday. UBS analyst Steven Milunovich reiterated his buy rating on Jabil and upped his price target to 30 from 28. "Jabil continues to be confident about its position with Apple and indicated capacity utilization in mobility could be high entering into fiscal 2018," Milunovich said in a report. RELATED: Jabil Circuit Beats Q2 Sales, Earnings Views; Guidance In Line Why You Need To Look At Apple, FANG Stocks Right NowDESCRIPTION: (from FOX's press release, March 2016) FOX has picked up comedies THE LAST MAN ON EARTH and BROOKLYN NINE-NINE for the 2016-2017 season, it was announced today by David Madden, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. Emmy Award nominee THE LAST MAN ON EARTH received a third-season order and Golden Globe winner BROOKLYN NINE-NINE was renewed for a fourth season. "We're so proud of these comedies. Each has its own unique voice, but they both boast terrific ensembles with stand-out characters and, of course, phenomenal writing, which are the hallmarks of all great comedies," said Madden. "We'd like to thank the executive producers, casts and crews of BROOKLYN NINE-NINE and THE LAST MAN ON EARTH for their tremendous work this season, and look forward to what's in store next year."Apparently we’ve arrived at the point in social media history, where not sending a congratulatory tweet about the legalization of gay marriage means you are anti-gay. On Thursday’s edition of ESPN’s Around the Horn, Kate Fagan went full-froth, denouncing the owner of the Washington Spirit, a team in the National Women’s Soccer League, for playing the National Anthem with the teams still in their respective locker rooms. Thus preventing Megan Rapinoe from following through on her pledge to kneel during the anthem. However, Fagan didn’t stop at merely attacking the Spirit’s owner for his stand on the Anthem: Tony: We will move on, the national anthem being played before the game last night. This was done on purpose by the Spirit so Rapinoe or any other player couldn't protest. The Spirit statement that followed said it was an extraordinary step to prevent the country and fans from being disrespected and from focus taken away from the game. The statement didn’t mince words, using a form of the word hijack to describe what Rapinoe’s protest has been, twice. Rapinoe, not mincing either, after the game, bleeping unbelievable. Kate, what do you make of what the Washington Spirit did last night? Kate: I make that what the Spirit, and what Bill Lynch, the owner, did, who by the way was the only NWSL owner who did not put out a tweet or any sort of celebratory statement when marriage equality was passed. So, you get a sense of who is running that franchise. Tony: Hold on a second, Kate. Rapinoe brought that up as well. Doesn't that sound like kind of like a grudge match between Rapinoe and this owner but has nothing to do with this particular issue? Kate: No it sound like now how often politics and sports, or maybe always have been, are dove-tailing together. And how you can't really extract one from the other in this case, and that is evidence of a certain political stance in the same way this kneeling issue with the National Anthem is certainly becoming divided along political lines. And as we’re doing that we’re also talking past one another because we have the American flag, which is a symbol, and for everybody it’s a symbol of certain things. Some for some people, as certainly Bill Lynch, a veteran, has said it means something to him. And Colin Kaepernick and Megan Rapinoe certainly have said they agree with some of that, but they also have these other issues of oppression. And so we are at this place now where we are not even listening to each other, and we’re not even willing to engage in the conversation. We’ve simply all dug in our heels. And, in this case, actually gone to a place of censorship, not allowing an athlete the freedom of expression. Her diatribe is so crazy that even the host had to interject. What does not sending a celebratory tweet about gay marriage have to do with not wanting the Anthem disrespected? She implies that every person that support the Anthem, is also against gay marriage. I thought we weren’t supposed to be stereotyping or generalizing anymore. Nor is it censorship to change the timing of the Anthem. If Megan Rapinoe has the right to protest the Anthem, and she does, then the owner of the soccer team also has every right to prevent demonstrations during the Anthem. If he feels those demonstrations are disrespectful. Moreover, this isn’t about two sides of a debate not listening to each other. The owner of the Washington Spirit, whose full statement on why he decided to change the timing of the Anthem can be read here, clearly listened to Megan Rapinoe’s side. He listened to her side, then he rejected her side. He thinks it’s bad and lacking merit. Which is why he preempted her clown show protest. Now, if only all the NFL owners would do the same…Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman was the first to mention the possibility and now Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has the deal confirmed. The Yankees have officially reached agreement on a seven-year contract with free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. The total value of the deal will exceed the seven-year, $142 million pact that Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox prior to the 2011 season. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports says this Ellsbury contract does not preclude the Yankees from being able to re-sign Robinson Cano, but it certainly puts the pressure on Cano’s new representatives at Roc Nation Sports. Ellsbury, 30, hit.298/.355/.426 with nine homers and 52 steals in 134 games this past season for the World Series-champion Red Sox. The Scott Boras client will likely lead off and play center field in New York. ************************* UPDATE, 8:55 p.m. ET: Ellsbury’s seven-year deal is worth $153 million, according to Feinsand. UPDATE, 9:02 p.m. ET: Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reports that there’s an eighth-year option. Follow @drewsilv(CNN) Russia has reacted with anger after its bid to have a ban on its track and field athletes lifted to allow them to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games ended in failure. The Court for the Arbitration of Sport rejected the appeal made by the Russian Olympic Committee and 67 athletes Thursday, a decision that has led to the country's sports minister calling for the disbanding of the world's athletics governing body. Russia was suspended from track and field events by the International Association of Athletics Federations -- known as the IAAF -- back in November 2015. "It's time to disband the IAAF," said Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko on Twitter, who also tweeted '"Corrupt judges! How can you deprive clean sportsmen of their dream, and what's more WADA didn't present either facts or evidence." Yelena Isinbayeva -- a two-time Olympic pole vault champion, has called on the IOC to have the final say after labeling the verdict as "purely political." "Thank you everyone for the funeral of athletics," she said. Russian pole vault star Yelena Isinbayeva was one of those appealing the decision. The IAAF suspension last year came after an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report which uncovered a culture of state-sponsored doping. "Today's judgment has created a level playing field for athletes," said the IAAF in a statement Thursday. "The CAS award upholds the rights of the IAAF to use its rules for the protection of the sport, to protect clean athletes and support the credibility and integrity of competition." Sebastian Coe, president of the IAAF, added: "While we are thankful that our rules and our power to uphold our rules and the anti doping code have been supported, this is not a day for triumphant statements. "I didn't come into this sport to stop athletes from competing. It is our federation's instinctive desire to include, not exclude. "Beyond Rio the IAAF Taskforce will continue to work with Russia to establish a clean safe environment for its athletes so that its federation and team can return to international recognition and competition." Photos: Battling drug cheats The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) new report is the latest twist to hit the Russian doping scandal, building on Professor Richard Mclaren's initial findings, published in July, which concluded doping was widespread among Russian athletes. Hide Caption 1 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheats More than 1,000 Russian athletes across 30 sports -- including football -- benefited from state-sponsored doping, according to the latest report. Hide Caption 2 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheats The doping program, across summer, winter and Paralympic sports, was in operation from 2011 to 2015, said Mr McLaren, who presented his latest findings at a news conference in London Friday. Hide Caption 3 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheats WADA's initial report on alleged widespread drug use in international athletics concluded that senior figures including IAAF president Sebastian Coe (pictured) "could not have been unaware of the extent of doping." Hide Caption 4 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheats Former WADA president Dick Pound chaired a press conference held in Munich on January 14, 2016 to present the 89-page report. It said "corruption was embedded" and "cannot be blamed on a small number of
cost and ecological impacts, received an “incredibly impoverished review in economic and environmental terms,” due to the constraints imposed on the Joint Review Panel that examined the project for the federal and provincial governments. “Site C is not cleaner or greener than the alternatives.” Hydro’s application for a licence to clear also includes protected Old Growth Management Areas, part of a larger area the B.C. government has set aside to become the Peace Boudreau Protected Area. Rod Backmeyer, the retired FLNRO biologist who wrote a management plan for the area, described the forest slated for Site C clear-cutting as even more important than the Great Bear Rainforest from a biodiversity viewpoint because “there’s far less of it.” BC Hydro’s Site C spokesperson Dave Conway did not respond to two calls and an email from DeSmog asking for additional details about the FrontCounter application and a timeline for clearing the Crown land. According to FrontCounter, BC Hydro’s application to allow the next phase of Site C clearing is “under review” following a public comment period. But the application process is merely a formality, as Premier Christy Clark has vowed to push Site C construction “past the point of no return” despite on-going court cases against the dam by Treaty 8 First Nations. Bakker said she didn’t want to be overly cynical but “BC Hydro and the provincial government want to be seen as going through the motions, and this is going through the motions.” A rare, ancient tufa seep within the Site C dam flood zone. Photo: Garth LenzPresident Mary McAleese has called for a meeting of the Council of State to examine new laws covering the multi-billion euro bailout and the banks. In an unusual move, the President is convening the body on Tuesday, made up of the country’s most senior serving and former office-holders, to discuss the Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill rather than simply signing it into law. It advises the president on whether a law is constitutional. But the president alone will make the decision on whether to refer the legislation to the Supreme Court after the meeting. The Bill details new laws to oversee the controversial €85 billion bailout from Europe and the International Monetary Fund. The Government plans to draw down €10 billion initially to pay into banks, with another €25 billion set aside as a contingency fund. The radical rules will impose so-called burden-sharing on global money markets, with some subordinated lenders forced to take a hit on loans made to Irish banks. The Department of Finance said the legislation allows the Minister to issue directions or prevent actions to support the Government’s banking strategy and to transfer assets and liabilities to facilitate restructuring. It will also set in stone how the Government can make subordinated liabilities orders, on a case-by-case basis and under particular conditions, to achieve burden-sharing with international lenders. Finance ministers will be given the power to parachute special managers into banks to oversee reforms. The Bill will also underpin Mr Lenihan’s pledge that much-needed money will only be given to Allied Irish Banks if the controversial €40 million bankers’ bonuses are scrapped. The Dáil passed the legislation on Wednesday by 78 votes to 71, despite being rejected by the Opposition. It all passed the Seanad yesterday. President McAleese signed the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009 and the Defamation Bill 2006 into law last year after referring them to the Council of State. PANotoriously foul-mouthed Donald Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women, but his hand-picked RNC chair teamed up with Fox News to complain about DNC chairman Tom Perez's language choices, right as Fox is suppressing its own latest sexual misconduct scandal. Donald Trump, the de facto head of the Republican Party, is infamous for his obscene language, his terrible treatment of women, and for bragging about sexual assault. Yet members of his party are purporting to be shocked and offended about a colorful but accurate attack from Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez. And their laughable attempt is aided by Fox News, the unofficial media arm of the party with an extensive history of enabling the abuse of women, covering it up, and rewarding the men who do so. Speaking to the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, Perez said that the people who showed up at the Women’s March were telling Trump, “You don’t stand for our values … You didn’t win this election.” He added, “When it came to health care … he didn’t want to call it TrumpCare. What do we call it? TrumpCare. Do we call it RyanCare? Well, I’ll tell you my idea because you know what embodies their program? I-don’t-care. Because they don’t give a shit about people.” This was just too much for RNC chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, who issued a statement complaining, “Mr. Perez should apologize and Democrats should denounce the rhetoric coming from this new leader of their Party.” Romney McDaniel continued her quest for contrition in an appearance on Fox & Friends, Trump’s favorite show on Fox News. Both McDaniel and the Fox hosts linked arms in fussing about Perez’s comments. Romney McDaniel said Perez’s comments were “deeply concerning,” and repeated her call for Democrats to “denounce” Perez, adding that his comments on Republicans and health care “should not be rhetoric that the head of the Democrat Party should be using.” Co-anchor Brian Kilmeade slammed Perez for “cursing” at “one of his first public appearances,” complaining that Perez was not showing enough “class.” PEREZ: Donald Trump, you don’t stand for our values. That’s what they said. Donald Trump, you didn’t win this election. When it came to health care, he didn’t want “Trumpcare.” So what do we call it? Trumpcare? Do we call it Ryancare? Well, I’ll tell you my idea, because you know what embodies their program? “I don’t care.” Because they don’t give a shit about people. DOOCY: Well, forget about going high. The new DNC chair Tom Perez says Donald Trump didn’t win the election and Republicans don’t care about people. HUNTSMAN: Here to respond, RNC chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel. Good to have you here. ROMNEY MCDANIEL: Great to be here. Thanks for having me. HUNTSMAN: A lot of anger coming from Tom Perez. What’s your reaction? ROMNEY MCDANIEL: Well, I think it’s deeply concerning to see the head of the Democrat [sic] Party continue to try and delegitimize this election. Not only President Trump, who did win this election by a lot, but also the voters. Voters like people from Michigan and my state who were so concerned about jobs and the economy, and Donald Trump came and presented a vision, and the Democrats are continuing to ignore what the voters said on November. That they feel like this country is going in the wrong direction. And the anger he just showed and delegitimizing their voices is very concerning. KILMEADE: Can I just underline the fact that is he cursing on one of his first public appearances? Terry McAuliffe, whether you agree with him or not, he was not handling it that way. Ed Gillespie and others who in this position should usually show a degree of class. Number two, this is the hand pick of President Obama. That’s the one they pushed forward. So he represents his school of thought, don’t you think? ROMNEY MCDANIEL: Yeah, and I think Democrats should be denouncing his behavior this weekend. To say that Republicans don’t give a blank about people, that should not be rhetoric that the head of the Democrat [sic] Party should be using. And he keeps talking about resist, and not working with the president. Are they going to resist better jobs? Are they going to resist a better economy? Are they going to resist better national security? President Trump continues to reach out to Democrats. He is saying let’s work together. We have to solve some big problems. This is the leader of the Democrat [sic] Party basically saying we’re not going to work with you on anything. Both the RNC and Fox News have stood behind Trump, even when his comments bragging that he can “grab [women] by the pussy” emerged. They did not demand condemnation or a reprimand for Trump after he launched his campaign by calling Mexicans “rapists,” nor were there mass defections from the right when Trump said he would “bomb the shit out of” ISIS, or that companies exporting jobs can “go fuck themselves.” Fox News has a long pattern of standing with Trump and other men accused of assaulting women. While they were building up Trump’s presidential aspirations, the network was under the absolute control of its founder Roger Ailes, who was exposed and ultimately forced out of the company for sexually harassing more than 20 female employees. Similarly, the network’s highest rated and most well known on-air personality, Bill O’Reilly, has a history of sexual misconduct, and new allegations recently surfaced about Fox and its parent company quietly paying a total of $13 million to settle claims against O’Reilly. At the same time the network was hosting the RNC chair to throw stones at Perez, it was doing its best to suppress those allegations about O’Reilly’s behavior under wraps by only airing one mention of the claims. And the fact is, Perez is right: The immediate, massive protest following Trump’s poorly attended inauguration was a sign of how badly he had done in the election, earning far fewer votes than Hillary Clinton. And his health care plan plainly did not care about people, as it would have stripped health insurance from 24 million. Romney McDaniel was Trump’s hand-selected party chair, while Fox News has been a Trump booster since before he launched his campaign. Their sudden concern about tough political language betrays everything they have supported in Trump (and in Fox’s case, as an institution). Their so-called concern is a sign that Perez’s unflinching comments landed a rhetorical punch to the GOP’s hypocrisy — or else they would not be pushing back so forcefully.Shakeel Begg is an influential extremist who is also chief Imam of the Lewisham Islamic Centre. His radical views are readily available and well-known. But despite these downsides a chap like him also possesses certain considerable advantages. Not least is the fact that he lives in a society which is only very slowly waking up to the threat that people like him pose. If Begg were a Protestant preacher from Northern Ireland then he would not have been able to make any public appearance for years without being forced to bake the biggest, gayest cake possible right there and then. If he refused, the whole of civilised society would round on him to explain what a great big ‘phobe’ he was. But Shakeel Begg is not a Protestant preacher and nor would he draw the line in his perfect society at merely not baking the cake for one’s gay nuptials. As such, he is also lucky enough to live in a country where many people who should be in the business of investigation and inquiry fail in their obligations. Many of them do so because they are understandably put off by being called names such as ‘racist’. In these cases, such names are insincerely but deliberately used as a smokescreen to allow extremist behaviour to continue. Another advantage for the Beggs of this world is living in a country where useful idiots from the other monotheisms are always on hand to play ‘interfaith’ games and in the process either wittingly or unwittingly provide further cover for some seriously bad people. However, despite all of this, the Beggs do have a problem. Like a bigamist dashing between their wives, he must perforce to keep two sets of books. For although most of his interlocutors – like his beards at the interfaith councils – don’t know what they are doing or what questions to ask, he knows that were they to find out, even they may look askance at one of their peaceful members telling his audiences, for instance, to go abroad and fight Jihad. They may even eventually recognise that the Imam in question means ‘Jihad’ in a very real sense and not in the sense of going and finding a Jew somewhere and then having a really intense personal struggle in front of them. How to keep these two worlds apart? Well here is where the extremists have their final advantage. Which is that they can always revert to the law. Not the law of Allah – immutable and all powerful though they claim to think it is – but the good old English legal system. And unlike most of the rest of us, these chaps can generally find some low-grade legal team to represent them in their vexatious complaints. The aim is clear. They never really want to get to court, because they know if they do, they might be caught telling the truth on the record. But they do want to make the cost of questioning their views exceptionally high. Their long-term hope is that journalists get so fed up of the bother that they give up discovering stories about people who are trying to subvert our societies and report instead on what the Kardashians are doing today. So three cheers for the BBC. For our national broadcaster refused to give in when – in the wake of an edition of the Sunday Politics in November 2013 – Andrew Neil of this parish mentioned on air that Begg had described jihad as ‘the greatest of deeds.’ Begg sued for libel. And while most papers and broadcasters worry about the extraordinary financial and reputational cost and try to settle when something like this comes up, the BBC fought Begg all the way. Earlier today the judge in the case dismissed Begg’s case and his judgement is damning. Mr Justice Haddon-Cave described Begg as ‘something of a Jekyll and Hyde character.’ He went on: ‘He appears to present one face to the general, local and inter-faith community and another to particular Muslim and other receptive audiences. The former face is benign, tolerant and ecumenical. ‘The latter face is ideologically extreme and intolerant.’ The Judge also went on: ‘The various core extremist messages which emerge from the claimant’s speeches and utterances would, in my view, have been quite clear to the audiences. ‘The claimant’s ostensible cloak of respectability is likely to have made his [extremist] message in these speeches all the more compelling and seductive. For this reason, therefore, his messages would have been all the more effective and dangerous. ‘It is all too easy for someone in the claimant’s position of power and influence as an Imam to plant the seed of Islamic extremism in a young mind, which is then liable to be propagated on the internet.’ Happily Shakeel Begg will now face a very large legal bill. I for one will be opening a bottle to celebrate that fact tonight. What the viewing and reading public often do not know is that because of two-faced Imams like Begg, for every tiny piece about some Islamist nutcase that does go on air, there are now often weeks or even months of costly work behind the scenes to respond to the resulting barrage of legal claims from the Islamists who use the law cost free most of the time. This is how they operate. And for once that fact has been exposed. There are now some very serious questions for a set of institutions to answer. The first is Lewisham mosque. How can Imam Begg remain in place? How can an institution led by a man proved in court to be a liar and an extremist possibly retain its charitable status? Perhaps readers would like to ask the Charity Commission themselves. Complaints to the Charity Commission can be registered here: The Lewisham Islamic Centre’s Charity number is: 285641. There are also serious questions to ask of the Muslim Council of Britain. Imam Begg’s mosque is a member of the MCB. Why are the MCB happy to continue to have an affiliate member who is now so thoroughly exposed and disgraced? If the Imam remains in place and the mosque remains a member of the MCB there will be very serious questions to ask of the MCB. And what, finally, of all the Rabbis and Vicars and others who have given cover to Shakeel Begg all these years? Have they no shame? In my experience such people plead ignorance about the extremist connections of some of their Muslim counter-parts. Well thanks to the BBC they can claim ignorance no longer.Originally posted in Kevin Walsh's blog, MyMediaDiary. I've often wondered about the emotional hitching post that is a ballpark. And when anyone says "ballpark", we all know that it's not referring to any other sports field besides baseball's. I only live a few miles from five little league fields that I spent five summers of my childhood praying that the ball wouldn't be hit to me in right field. (That, of course, was in the final two innings, when the coach decided it was safe to take me off the scorebook.) After a brief try at second base where I smoothly fielded a grounder and sent it sailing 15 feet over the first baseman, into the startled bleachers, I decided that the slower-paced outfield was probably my calling. Unfortunately, with the leisure of right field came its lunar surface that could easily send the ball to the right, left, straight up, between my legs -- or worse, right at my glasses or teeth. I drive by these parks and am immediately whisked into the nostalgia of those games. My anxieties and prayers that the game end quickly without my disastrous involvement are minor compared to the the actual thrill of catching a fly ball, getting a hit but most importantly the friends I made at practice, the jokes I heard on the bench and the feeling that I was part of a group of people that accepted me. So when junior high began and our six elementary schools were merged into one pool, I actually knew a few guys in my English class when I walked into the strange room. The down-time, the moments that happen when the game isn't occupying all of your attention, seems to make a ballpark special. For 10 years, there were some ancient ruins a few miles down the road from Comerica Park, an escape from the modern facility for families with restaurants, amusement park rides, museum kiosks, piped in radio broadcasts in the bathroom and flat-screens over the concession stands. A couple years ago, when they were finally tearing down the last sections of Tiger Stadium, I was able to get some pictures almost from the same angle that I saw the most exciting game of my life, a 1-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on the last day of the 1987 season. (Here's a link to Ernie Harwell's call of the final inning.) For me, the magic of a ballpark is the green field when you emerge from under the stands. I stood in a two hour line for all three games of the series to be mashed into the lower-deck bleachers, hoping Detroit would sweep the Jays and get a shot at the Minnesota Twins in the playoffs. It was an incredibly stressful game as I watched surrounded by hundreds of fans from Windsor, Ontario who certainly weren't wearing the old English D. But as Frank Tanana prevailed and held Larry Herndon's lone solo homer in place, I realized by that ninth inning what was perhaps the greatest part of the game was the amazing time I was having with twenty total strangers that I knew I would never see again. The razing of Tiger Stadium for Detroit fans was like seeing a terminally ill friend slowly leave. It took place over a few years. Now the bleachers are gone, but they've allowed the center field flagpole, the pitcher's mound and the entrance gates to remain. A group of Samaritans, the Navin Field Grounds Crew, keeps the grass mowed and there are often pickup games where fans like me can run the same base path as Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Al Kaline, Reggie Jackson and 85 percent of the rest of the Hall of Fame. The haunting memories are tangible as you slowly drive around the Michigan and Trumbull block, rewinding your vision to see the game the way you did at numerous times. In 1999, the last season at Tiger Stadium, they offered afternoon tours. My family was finally able to walk the field and sit in the Tigers dugout. But the tour guides were more compassionate, knowing that the real pull of all the people on the tour was to walk the entire circumference of the seating area as the ghosts replayed themselves. Wherever you walked, you could remember a certain game, who you were sitting with and of course key moments of the game. I spent $3.50 20 different times in 1984 to sit in the upper-deck bleachers and absorb as much as I could of that magical team. I hopped on a train to make it to Game 4 of the World Series and was once again in those same bleachers as "Fat Bob" sang the national anthem below me. When the lineup was announced, I was able to zoom in through the chain link fence to capture this shot... But it was also who I was with. That World Series Game, we car pooled down with our great friend and lifetime Tigers fan (and sufferer) Shirley Simmons along with my sisters Katie, Colleen and our friend Sue Fisher. We, of course, parked in my dad's favorite parking spot by the church. Alan Trammell hit two homers that afternoon and the next day, Kirk Gibson would hit his memorable home run off Goose Gossage to cement the series. My dad told me that his father once had gone to every home game in a season of the 1930s. Grandpa Walsh was such a fan that he would keep score as he listened to the game on the radio. I found his scorebook a few years ago and a schedule fell out of it. It's funny what you hang on to. The last night I spent with my father, we arrived at the game late and finally used rain-checks from April on a cold September 23rd evening. The Tigers were one-game under.500--which is as close to the World Series as we had come since that Blue Jays game 10 years earlier. We almost didn't go, but decided to brave the cold for a few innings and not let the tickets go to waste. The stadium was nearly empty, so we were able to sit anywhere we wanted--and I was finally able to go to a unique spot that had intrigued me all my life--this weird overhang down the right-field line. (I took this picture two years later, the second-to-last game ever played here.) While we walked to the seats, my dad pointed out where his father had spent the entire summer of 1938, just under the press box down the third base line. When we got to the seats they offered a spectacular view that made us feel like we were hovering over the action. We left early, it was freezing, we both had to work the next day and my dad was fighting a bad head cold. But we stayed long enough to see some good hits and one player reach 100 RBI. More importantly, we talked about both of our rough days at work and compared notes. By the fourth inning, we weren't thinking about work anymore but instead were laughing with the fellows sitting in front of us. One guy looked just like the golfer, Tom Kite. I remember Dad laughing about that when I mentioned it. Three days later, my father was killed in a car accident. But one dear friend actually gave me the videotape of the game and on a foul ball, the camera actually caught us and I was able to get a screen-shot of it. (It's a little Zapruder-like, but I'm very glad I've got this last shot of us together.) When we were walking around the stadium on that tour in 1999, I was able to return to our final night together simply by looking up at our seats. And I guess that's what makes a ballpark different than an arena, a stadium or a field. It's the leisure time that you have between pitches when the outfielders are playing catch before the batter steps up. In a way, it's a break in your life where you spend time with folks you care about and it doesn't even really matter who won the game.Following yesterday's eventful release of the "Moonrock" Yeezy Boost 350, adidas continues proving to be the most popular brand in footwear. The sportswear giant's surge to relevancy is primarily a result of two factors – boost technology and Kanye West. Both factors come together in the form of an exclusive new colorway of the adidas Ultra Boost, an already widely popular silhouette. West's personal barber Ibn Jasper took to Instagram to preview a new Friends and Family adidas Ultra Boost. The sneaker features a heather grey and cream colorway, which looks somewhat like a mix of the "Grey" and "Triple White" Ultra Boosts. Jasper stunted by using the hastags #YouCantBuyThese and #NotForSale, but a search on Grailed shows a pair for $700. For nearly as much as Yeezy Boost 350s resell for, buying an either the "Grey or "Triple White" Ultra Boosts might be a more realistic option. While there's no sign of a retail release to follow, stay posted for any additional information.You have to admit: Liberals are good at playing the victim. Former President Obama’s executive amnesty hasn’t even been around along enough for the Supreme Court to declare it unconstitutional, but as President Donald Trump prepared to announce its end, you’d think the world was ending. My favorite part was the CEOs, now thoroughly addicted to cheap labor, acting shocked and disappointed that Trump is following through on one of his biggest promises during the campaign. “There’s no issue that’s more gut-wrenching for us,” one tech exec anonymously told Axios’ Mike Allen, adding that some companies are considering smuggling their illegal alien employees abroad. Here’s an idea: How about take the money you would spend on that and use it to increase the wages of your employees?  Trump expected to phase out DACA  North Korean Conflict: By the Numbers 'Food Shaming’ Outlawed in Schools Tip Required for Uber Drivers? Trump expected to phase out DACA ‘James Bond’ Star Dies at 89 Media Compare Trump to Hitler Trump Responds to ISIS Aggression A Glass of Milk a Day? Ariana Grande Suicide Attack: The Latest Media Strain to Slam Trump’s Trip Paris Women Protest 'No-Go Zones' Professor: White Men, Quit Your Jobs The End of Bonnie and Clyde Melania Shines on First Foreign Trip Graduates Walk Out on Pence Celine Dion Celebrates ‘Titanic’ POTUS Stresses Solidarity with Israel Pope Eyes New Cardinals In Baby’s First Year, Forget This Biden: Clinton Wasn’t a Good Candidate Fallon Caves to Anti-Trump Left ISIS Video Features American Militant ‘Great Migration’ Departs for Oregon Conversion Therapy Is Banned Sologamy: Self-Marriage Is for Real ‘Adulting’ School Takes Off First Academy Awards Ceremony President Trump Honors Fallen Officers Trump’s Renewed Focus on Faith Low-Cost EpiPen Alternative in Ohio ‘WannaCry’ Cyberattack: What to Know GOP Worse Than ISIS, Says Professor FLOTUS Expands White House Tour The Left Goes After Miss USA Christians Are Called 'Spiritually Privileged' Benedict XVI Celebrates 90th with Beer ‘Facebook Killer’ Pronounced Dead ISIS and al-Qaida to Align? Remains Found of ‘Lost’ Archbishops of Canterbury SCOTUS Denies Arkansas Execution Requests North Korean Conflict: By the Numbers 'Food Shaming’ Outlawed in Schools Tip Required for Uber Drivers? Trump expected to phase out DACA ‘James Bond’ Star Dies at 89 Media Compare Trump to Hitler  To view this page ensure that Adobe Flash Player version 10.2.0 or greater is installed. Trump expected to phase out DACA The DACA program grants work permits to immigrants who were brought to the US as children. WRTV - Indianapolis, IN        http://studio.ndnmediaservices.com/lifezette?ndn.trackingGroup=92353&ndn.siteSection=polizette&ndn.videoId=32930093  BACK Embed <iframe width="590" height="332" src="http://launch.newsinc.com/?type=VideoPlayer/Single&widgetId=1&trackingGroup=69016&playlistId=19132&siteSection=polizette&videoId=32930093" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" noresize marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen></iframe> Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Frankly, these Silicon Valley Pharisees need to buckle up. The Trump administration has plenty left to do to dismantle the many, many left-wing remnants of Obama's term. Here are three more egregious power grabs that will cause many pearls to be clutched when Trump rolls them back: 1.) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Donald Berwick, the socialist Obama recess appointee who openly advocated rationing, called CMMI the "jewel in the crown" of Obamacare, and it's easy to see why. CMMI is one of numerous cipher offices Obama designed to be unaccountable to Congress, with the goal they could continue pushing the country leftward long after Democrats were out of power. Its key feature in this regard is the authority to rewrite Medicare law simply by conducting a "pilot study" and subsequently declaring the study was a success. Pilot studies are supposed to be small, allowing evaluation before any changes are foisted upon a larger group. In contrast, CMMI's first major experiment messed with the health care of 75 percent of Medicare patients. Even diehard Obamacare defender Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was irate about it. What Trump can do: Issue regulatory guidance defining CMMI's vague authorities very, very narrowly. 2.) Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) This is Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-Mass.) dream agency; she literally came up with the idea for its flagrantly unconstitutional design. It gets its funding by asking the Treasury to print some money for it to use, instead of through congressional appropriations. Its controversial director, Richard Cordray, once performed his best imitation of a spoiled 13-year-old when pressed in a congressional hearing to explain why the CFPB was spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build itself a Taj Mahal headquarters building. "Why does that matter to you?" he snapped. What Trump can do: Fire Cordray yesterday. 3.) Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) Sometimes referred to as Obamacare's "death panels," IPAB is a panel of bureaucrats who are supposed to decide how to ration health care for the rest of us. As if that weren't undemocratic enough, Democrats drunk with the power of their then-60-vote supermajority decided to include a clause in Obamacare that literally makes it illegal for Congress to debate a bill repealing IPAB. Although the "repeal and replace" effort has faltered, there's nothing stopping Republicans from picking up the ball on this and dozens of other issues where the public is hugely on their side. What Trump can do: Personally, I think Trump should propose repealing IPAB at next January's State of the Union, while mocking Obama's impotent and unconstitutional efforts to stop that from being legal. But just repealing it would also be good. In conclusion, repealing DACA is critical, since Congress is supposed to write the laws in this country. (I think it says that in a document somewhere). Liberals who are at DEFCON 5 might want to consider this the beginning of a very fruitful period of ending the flagrant illegality of the Obama era. Edward Woodson is a lawyer and now host of the nationally syndicated Edward Woodson Show, which airs daily from 3 to 6 pm EST on gcnlive.com.Origins Edit Judas theory Edit From the 1890s, a number of English language sources relate the "unlucky" thirteen to an idea that at the Last Supper, Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table.[3] The Bible says nothing about the order in which the Apostles sat, but there were thirteen people at the table. Hammurabi theory Edit There is a myth that the earliest reference to thirteen being unlucky or evil is in the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi (circa 1780 BCE), where the thirteenth law is said to be omitted. In fact, the original Code of Hammurabi has no numeration. The translation by L. W. King (1910), edited by Richard Hooker, omitted one article:[4] If the seller have gone to (his) fate (i. e., have died), the purchaser shall recover damages in said case fivefold from the estate of the seller. Other translations of the Code of Hammurabi, for example the translation by Robert Francis Harper, include the 13th article.[5] Events related to unlucky 13 Edit Similar phobias Edit Lucky 13 Edit Effect on US Shuttle program mission naming Edit [18][19] The disaster that occurred on Apollo 13 may have been a factor that led to a renaming that prevented a mission called STS-13 [20] Alternate mission patch of STS-41C, with a 13 and a black cat, as it landed on April 13th, which was a Friday the 13th and this was the mission originally scheduled as STS-13. STS-41-G was the name of the thirteenth Space Shuttle flight.[21] However, originally STS-41-C was the mission originally numbered STS-13[22][23] STS-41-C was the eleventh orbital flight of the space shuttle program.[24] The numbering system of the Space Shuttle was changed to a new one after STS-9.[25] The new naming scheme started with STS-41B, the previous mission was STS-9, and the thirteenth mission (what would have been STS-13) would be STS-41C.[25] The new scheme had first number stand for the U.S. fiscal year, the next number was a launch site (1 or 2), and the next was the number of the mission numbered with a letter for that period.[25] In the case of the actual 13th flight, the crew was apparently not superstitious and made a humorous mission patch that had a black cat on it.[25] Also, that mission re-entered and landed on Friday the 13th which one crew described as being "pretty cool".[25] Because of the way the designations and launch manifest work, the mission numbered STS-13 might not have actually been the 13th to launch as was common throughout the shuttle program; indeed it turned out to be the eleventh.[26][24] One of the reasons for this was when a launch had to be scrubbed, which delayed its mission.[27] NASA said in a 2016 news article it was due to a much higher frequency of planned launches (pre-Challenger disaster).[25] As it was, the Shuttle program did have a disaster on its one-hundred and thirteenth mission going by date of launch, which was STS-107.[28] The actual mission STS-113 was successful, and had actually launched earlier due to the nature of the launch manifest.[29] At first glance, it may seem surprising that an agency whose focus lies in science and technology should devote such an emphasis to an ancient superstition.. but for one thing: the unlucky voyage of Apollo 13. Tragedy and Triumph in Orbit: The Eighties and Early Nineties By Ben Evans[30] Famous people with triskaidekaphobia Edit See also Edit Notes Edit ^1 ^2 [36] In Spanish-speaking countries, there is a proverb: En martes no te cases, ni te embarques 'On Tuesday, do not get married or set sail'.[37] The 13th card in Tarot's major arcana is Death.The government must act urgently to address a lack of new social housing, and the Grenfell Tower fire shows this is a crisis that can no longer be ignored, according to the head of the organisation representing housing associations. In a speech to the conference of the National Housing Federation, David Orr will say it is “absurd” that the government is spending less on social housing now than in the 1990s while paying increasing sums to private landlords via housing benefit. The tragedy at Grenfell Tower in west London, in which at least 80 people died, highlighted the long neglect of social housing, Orr will say. “The prime minister is right that we’ve not paid social housing enough attention. After the tragic fire at Grenfell, this crisis can no longer be ignored. The government must be bold and make a break with the past by making money available to build genuinely affordable homes. “There’s more than a billion pounds that remains unspent on Starter Homes. Let’s put this money to use and let housing associations build 20,000 of the genuinely affordable homes the nation needs.” Orr, who is chief executive of the federation, is expected to argue for a complete shift in government policy. Since 2010 the government has overseen a massive reduction in the provision of homes for social rent, instead focusing on “affordable” rents, which can be as much as 80% of the market value. A report by the federation, produced to coincide with the conference, says the amount of capital committed by the government to homebuilding has fallen from £11.4bn in 2009 to £5.3bn in 2015. In combination with this, the decision to stop public funding for social rented homes led to a decline in construction of these from 36,000 starts in 2010/11 to slightly over 3,000 the next year. The report says the only new social rent homes now are coming either from previous funding commitments or through cross-subsidies within housing associations projects, amounting to just under 1,000 starts in 2016/17. It says the increase in rented housing stock has instead come from the private sector, with a 57% rise in real terms over the past two decades. The federation says private rents are on average £21 per week more expensive than their social let equivalents, meaning that over the last 20 years the annual spend on housing benefit has risen from £16.6bn to £25.1bn. There is another cost, the report says. “Not only is it 23% more expensive to house someone in the private rented sector than social housing, but none of that money increases the supply of new homes. “Social landlords do reinvest in new homes, building a third of all new homes last year including for social rent from their own funds, but the same does not happen in
680 is enough to deliver 50-60fps frame-rates across a general run of play using the ultra preset (the highest available), while drops down to around 40fps are limited to more intense scenes featuring long distances combined with plenty of explosions and particle effects. Use of super-sampling is of course out of the question in 1080p, where a much higher level of GPU power is required to get the job done. In terms of console performance, achieving a similar level of stability is out of the question - both versions feature fluctuating frame-rates that impact upon the overall experience. However, it is the PS4 that comes closest to delivering a 60fps experience, although frame-rate varies wildly from scene to scene. The opening act provides us with a close comparison across both consoles in a situation that sees the engine being heavily stressed as particle effects, explosions, and scripted environmental destruction litter these early scenes. Here we see similar frame-rates across both consoles, with the PS4 version edging out an occasional 5-10fps lead while remaining solidly v-synced. In comparison, the Xbox One game tears constantly and this generates additional judder and a distinct screen wobble that proves distracting when shooting targets from far away. As we move further into the stage, the differences become more pronounced despite the action shifting into slightly quieter territory, with the PS4 hitting a near-solid 60fps while the Xbox One game trails behind in the mid-40s. [Update: Thanks for the comments, yes, the Xbox One launch day patch adds a v-sync option. It's actually an adaptive v-sync that appears to lock gameplay to 30fps, with occasional tearing when the engine dips below that target, as you can see from the videos below.] Frame-rate tests for Sniper Elite 3 reveal that both versions feature fluctuating frame-rates that impact upon the overall experience. However, it is the PS4 which comes closest to delivering a 60fps while the Xbox One game suffers from constant screen tearing and a lower frame-rate in demanding scenes in its default v-sync off mode. Quieter moments elsewhere also demonstrate a clear gap between the two platforms. Around the halfway point during the second mission we find ourselves carefully sneaking through the undergrowth next to a small lake. Plants, bushes and a light coating of mist populate the area with alpha-based effects, while draw distances are kept suitably long to allow spotting potential targets and vantage points from far away. In these scenes we see the Xbox One demonstrate frame-rates frequently hovering around the 30fps mark complete with tearing, while the PS4 game manages to maintain a solid lead. At other times both consoles stabilise at around 50fps, delivering a smooth experience, although the PS4 does so without any impact to image consistency. The performance analysis suggests that Rebellion wanted to target 60fps on both platforms but simply wasn't able to closely achieve anywhere near that on the Xbox One without compromising image quality. In which case a choice was made to disable v-sync in order to get the fastest controller response possible and to allow for the higher frame-rate, albeit at the expense of some horrible screen tearing. Consistency metrics are revealing here because we actually see more latency during frame drops on the PS4 due to the strict adherence to v-sync - frames are either rendered at 16.67ms or 33.3ms when frames are dropped - but the poor frame-rate and judder caused by the tearing means that Xbox One never 'feels' more responsive in practice, even though frame-time hovers a lot more closely around the desired 16.67ms mark. There's also the issue that the analogue sticks on the Xbox One controller simply don't feel as quick to respond as those on the PS4's DualShock 4. It seems like the overall range is spread across more travel - how far the sticks physically move - resulting in a heavier feel that lacks the twitch sensation available on the PS4. That said, even with these compromises it's clear that Rebellion made the right choice where gameplay is concerned: enabling v-sync would almost certainly have things locked closer to 30fps than would be ideal - affecting controller response in the process - and this would have resulted in a heavier feel to the game that would have set it even further apart from the PS4 and PC versions. Here's how Sniper Elite 3 looks on Xbox One with the v-sync mode active, compared to the standard presentation. Alternative analysis:Image copyright Thinkstock イエス・キリストの外見ならだれもが知っている。西洋美術でキリストほどモチーフにされてきた人はいない。長髪でひげをたくわえ、長袖で裾長の服(白が多い)に衣を重ねている(青が多い)。 「これぞジーザス」とその見た目はあまりに分かりやすいので、パンケーキやトーストに表われてもすぐに分かるほどだ。 けれども本当にイエス・キリストはこういう姿だったのだろうか? おそらく違う。 私たちが慣れ親しんでいるこのイエスの姿は実は紀元4世紀以降、ビザンチン期のものだ。そしてビザンチン時代のキリスト画像は、歴史的に正確な描写ではなく、象徴としてのイエスを描いたものだった。 ローマのサンタ・プデンツィアーナ教会の祭壇に描かれたモザイク画のように、玉座に座り君臨する皇帝をイメージした姿なのだ。 Image copyright Alamy Image caption ローマのサンタ・プデンツィアーナ教会の祭壇に描かれた、教えるイエスのモザイク画。4世紀製作、16世紀修復。頭上の光輪はかつては古代ローマ・ギリシャ芸術でアポロンなど太陽神を表すものだったが、後にイエスの神性を表現するため使用されるようになった このモザイク画でイエスは金色の長衣を着ている。全世界を支配する天上の存在で、オリンポス山の玉座に君臨するゼウス像によく似た長いひげと長髪姿だ。ゼウス像はあまりに有名で、古代ローマのアウグストゥス帝は同じポーズで自らの像を作らせたほどだった(神々しい長髪とひげは省いたが)。 Image copyright Alamy/Getty Images Image caption ペイディアスのゼウス(左)とアウグストゥス帝像 ビザンチン時代の芸術家たちは、全宇宙の王、天上の支配者としてのキリストを描こうとして、若いゼウスのような姿で描いた。それ以来、天上の存在としてのキリスト像が、初期のイエスの姿の標準となった(現代では時折ヒッピー風になるが)。 Image copyright Alamy Image caption ミュージカル「ジーザス・クライスト・スーパースター」のポスター では結局、本当のイエスはどういう姿だったのだろう? 頭からつま先へとたどってみよう。 1. 髪とひげ 初期のキリスト教徒が天上の支配者キリストとしてではなく、イエスを描いた場合、イエスは普通の男性の姿だった。ひげはなく、髪は短かった。 Image copyright Yale Collections/Public Domain Image caption イエスを描いた最初期の作品。ユーフラテス川沿いの廃市ドゥラ・エウロポスの教会から発見された。紀元3世紀前半製作と思われている。 けれども、イエスがさまよえる賢者だったならば、もしかするとひげをたくわえていたかもしれない。床屋に行かないという、それだけの理由で。 全体に身なりを気を遣わず、ひげ。これはいかにも周りとは違う哲学者の風貌だ(見た目よりも高い次元のことを考えていたとして)。古代ギリシャのストア派哲学者エピクテトゥスは「自然にのっとり適切」な姿だととらえていた。 哲学者を例外にして、紀元1世紀のギリシャ・ローマ世界において、ひげをきれいに剃り髪も短く整えておくのは、不可欠のみだしなみだった。豊かな長髪とたっぷりしたひげは、神の特徴であって、一般男性のスタイルではなかった。哲学者といえども、髪は比較的短く刈り込んでいた。 古代世界では、ひげはユダヤ人男性の特徴ではなかった。むしろユダヤ人を迫害しようとする為政者にとっては、ほかと区別がつかないのが問題の一部だったのだ(マカベア書にもこの点の記載がある)。しかし紀元70年のエルサレム陥落後にローマ帝国が発行したユデア・カプタ硬貨に刻まれた囚われのユダヤ人男性は、ひげをたくわえている。 Image copyright CNG Coins Image caption ユデア・カプタ硬貨 つまり「自然な」スタイルの哲学者としてイエスは、ユデア・カプタ硬貨に描かれた男たちのように短いひげをたくわえていたかもしれないが、髪はおそらくさほど長くなかったはずだ。 髪が多少でも長かったなら、周りから何らかの反応があったはずだ。ひげを整えず長めの髪のユダヤ人男性はすなわち、神に誓いを立てたナジル人だった。ナジル人は一定期間、神に仕えてぶどう酒を断ち、髪を切らず、この期間が終わるとエルサレムの神殿で行われる特別の儀式で剃髪にするのがならわしだった(聖書の使徒行伝21章24節)。 しかしイエスはナジル人の誓いを守ってはいない。ぶどう酒を飲む様子が頻繁に記録されているし、反対派はイエスが飲みすぎると批判している(聖書のマタイによる福音書11章19節)。もしイエスが長髪でナジル人のような外見だったなら、見た目と行動が不釣り合いだと何らかの指摘があったはずだ。ワインを飲みすぎどころか、飲んでいることそのものが問題視されたはずなのだ。 2. 服装 イエスの時代、裕福な男性は自分たちの高い身分を世間に知らしめるため、特別な日に長衣を身に着けた。イエスの教えのひとつに「律法学者に気を付けるように。長い衣で歩き回りたがり、市場であいさつされるのをこのみ、会堂では最上席に、宴会では上座に座りたがる人たちを」というものがある(マルコによる福音書12章38、39節)。 イエスが発した言葉は福音書の中でも比較的正確とされている部分なので、この言葉からイエスは長い衣を着ていなかったと推量できる。 イエスが生きた世界では一般的に、男性は膝丈の「キトン」を着ていた。女性のキトンはくるぶしまで届いた。男女が逆のものを着るとしたら、それは何か言外に言いたいことがあってのことだ。ゆえに紀元2世紀の出来事を記録したパウロとテクラの使徒行伝で、女性のテクラが男性用の短いキトンを身に着けるのは、なかなかショッキングな場面なのだ。キトンは1枚布として織られ、肩から裾にかけて色の帯が通っていたものが多い。 キトンの上にはマント(ヒマティオン)をかけた。イエスによる癒しを求めた女性がイエスのマントに触れたという描写もあるので(たとえばマルコによる福音書5章27節)、イエスもマントを着ていたと分かる。マントは大きい羊毛の織物で、厚さはないため、防寒用には2枚重ねる必要があった。 ヒマティオンは現在のショールのように、様々な形で身に着けることができた。膝丈より長く、短いキトンをすっかり隠すこともあった(苦行中の哲学者の中には、キトンなしで大きいヒマティオンに身をくるむことがあった。そうすると上半身の右側が裸のまま露出されるわけだが、それはまた別の話だ)。 Image copyright Wiki commons Image caption ヒマティオンとローマのトーガは似ていたが、トーガは円形で(半円にたたんで着用した)ヒマティオンは長方形だった。画像は、イエスのマントに触れる女性。 人の権力や名声は、このヒマティオンの品質や大きさ、色に表われていた。紫や特定の青は、権勢や社会的評価の象徴だった。紫や青い色を出すための染料が貴重で高価だったからだ。 歴史家ヨセフスは、ユダヤからローマ人を追い出そうとしていたユダヤ人組織ゼロテ派について、「色で染めたマント」で女装した人殺しの集団として描いている。つまり色つきのマントは女性の衣服だったということになる。すると、よほど高貴な身分でなければ、男は色なしの服を着るものだったと推量される。 しかし、イエスは白い服を着なかった。布を脱色するかカルキで白くしなければ、服は白くならないので。そしてユダヤでは、ユダヤの律法を厳粛に守るエッセネ派が着るものとされていた。イエスの服と、真っ白でまぶしい服の違いについては、マルコによる福音書の9章に言及がある。そこでは3人の使徒をつれたイエスが祈るために山に登ると、光を発し始めるのだ。マルコはイエスのヒマティオンが「真っ白に輝き、この世のどんなさらし職人の腕も及ばないほど白くなった」と描写する。つまりマルコは、こうやって様変わりする前のイエスを、普通の服を着た普通の男性として描いているのだ。普通の服とはこの場合、染めていない毛織物の、脱色するためにさらし職人に出すようなたぐいの服だったということだ。 イエスの服装については、処刑時の描写からもいろいろと分かる。ローマ兵はヒマティオンを4つに分ける(この場合、イエスはおそらくヒマティオン2枚を着ていたのだろう)(ヨハネによる福音書19章23節)。片方はおそらく、ユダヤ人の祈りのショール「タリス」だったのではないか。タッセル(糸を巻いた飾り)つきのこのマントは、マタイによる福音書23章5節でイエス自身が言及している。タリスは軽いヒマティオンで、色を染めていないクリーム色の毛織物で作るのが普通で、藍色の縞模様か刺繍が施されていたはずだ。 3. 足 イエスはサンダルを履いていたはずだ。誰もがサンダルを履いていたので。死海とマサダ近くの洞窟からはイエス時代のサンダルが発見されているので、その形もはっきり分かっている。分厚い皮革を縫い合わせた靴底と、足の指の間を通す皮ひもを合わせた、非常に素朴なつくりだった。 Image copyright Gabi Laron Image caption 子供と女性と男性のサンダル。「マサダの物語」1993年展示カタログより。ヘブライ大学、イスラエル考古学庁、イスラエル考古学研究会 4. 顔の特徴 ではイエスの顔の特徴は? ユダヤ人の顔だったはずだ。イエスがユダヤ人だったのは確実で、パウロの手紙など様々な文献に繰り返し記載されている。ヘブライ人への手紙には「わが主がユダ族出身なのは明らかだ」と書かれている。では当時のユダヤ人男性はどういう外見だったのだろう? ルカによる福音書3章には「活動を始めたときは30歳くらいだった」とあるので、それくらいの年齢の。 Image caption BBCドキュメンタリー「神の子」のために作られたCG画像 2001年のBBCドキュメンタリー「神の子」では、法医学人類学者リチャード・ニーブ氏がガリラヤ地方の男性の顔を、実際に同地方で発見された頭蓋骨をもとに再現してみせた。これがイエスの顔だと言ったわけではない。単に、イエスは特定の時代と場所に生きた人物だったことを、視聴者に考えてもらうきっかけにするのがねらいだった。イエスは特徴的な外見をしていたという記載は、文献に特にないので。 Image copyright Alamy Image caption クレタ島のこのフレスコ画では、青い瞳のイエスが描かれている。しかし実際のイエスが青い瞳だった可能性は少ない 大昔の骨から再現できるものもあるにせよ、これこそ実際のイエスの姿に近かったのではないかと私が思うのは、ドゥラ・エウロポスの3世紀のシナゴーグ(会堂)に描かれたモーゼの壁画だ。「ギリシャ・ローマ世界におけるユダヤ人の賢者」を描こうとして描かれた姿だからだ。作者が思い描いたモーゼは、染料を使ってない服を身に着けている。マントのひとつはそれこそ、タリスだ。紅海を分かつモーゼが巻いている布の縁に、タッセルの飾りが見えるからだ。いずれにせよ歴史上のイエスを想像する出発点としては、現在のスタンダードとして定着してしまっているビザンチン版のイエスよりは、こちらの方がはるかに正確だ。このモーゼは短髪に軽いひげで、半そでの短いキトンとヒマティオンを着ている。 Image copyright Alamy Image caption 紅海を割って渡るモーゼ Image copyright Alamy Image caption モーゼと燃える柴。青い縞模様のキトンと、青い模様入りのタリスを着ている。どちらも青色は藍で染めて出したはずだ。 <筆者について>ジョーン・テイラー教授はキングス・コレッジ・ロンドンで初期キリスト教および第二神殿時代のユダヤ教を教えている。「The Essenes, the Scrolls and the Dead Sea」などの著書がある。 (英語記事 What did Jesus really look like?)That new thinking has its critics -- those who say that denying that ethnicity exists merely suppresses the painful ethnic dialogue that Rwanda requires. But the government insists that if awareness of ethnic differences can be learned, so can the idea that ethnicity does not exist. Rwanda has an entrenched culture of obedience, and the populace has been quick to pick up on the government's no-ethnicity policy, at least in conversations with an outsider. To hear Mr. Twahrwa put it: ''Ethnicity is bad. I want it to go away.'' Ethnicity has already been ripped out of schoolbooks and rubbed off government identity cards. Government documents no longer mention Hutu or Tutsi, and the country's newspapers and radio stations, tightly controlled by the government, steer clear of the labels as well. Most dramatic is how Rwanda's eight million people now shun the identifications that seemed to loom so large 10 years ago as Hutu extremists began their mass killings. ''We don't like to use the terms at all in class,'' said Bosco Manishaka, the assistant director of a Kigali primary school. ''The children do learn about the history of the country and how we were divided. We advise them to learn from the past.'' It is not just considered bad form to discuss ethnicity in the new Rwanda. It can land one in jail. Added to the penal code is the crime of ''divisionism,'' a nebulous offense that includes speaking too provocatively about ethnicity. Rwanda's approach contrasts markedly with that employed in neighboring Burundi, which has the same ethnic makeup as Rwanda and the same recent history of ethnic violence. Burundi's transitional government has opted to set aside certain positions for Hutu and certain positions for Tutsi. The two ethnic groups rotate the presidency. A Tutsi held it for 18 months, and now a Hutu fills the seat. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Critics argue that Rwanda's crackdown on ''divisionism'' has turned into a way of quashing dissent toward the governing party of President Paul Kagame, who led the Tutsi rebel movement that swept in from Uganda in 1994 to oust the Hutu militias known as Interahamwe, which were responsible for much of the violence. His administration has shut down opposition parties for being too divisive and jailed journalists and activists for the same. The government does not want to hear suggestions that one ethnicity or the other has too much power. Those are divisive thoughts. It is not possible to know, or even discuss, whether the majority Hutu population is well represented in universities. No such records are kept. To try to repair tensions that still linger from 1994, and reduce a huge backlog in the judicial system, Rwanda has created community courts called gacacas. Locals gather together to rehash the killings. They are encouraged to point fingers at suspected killers. The accused are given a chance to stand up and defend themselves, or to apologize. 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. Confessions can sometimes bring the most extraordinary result: a hug from the accuser and an offer of forgiveness. More often, though, there are arguments. At one such court in the Gikondo neighborhood of Kigali, a Hutu man stood up to deny that he was responsible for the dead bodies that were found in his yard during 1994. He said he had just found them there. A man in the crowd challenged him. ''Tell us what happened,'' the man said. ''You're lying,'' said another. But the accused, fidgeting with his glasses, stuck to his story. Despite the government's policy, the terms Hutu and Tutsi do sometimes manage to come to the surface. ''To deny that ethnicity exists in our country is lying,'' Jean Nayinzira Nepomuscene, a Hutu who ran against Mr. Kagame last fall but garnered just 1 percent of the vote, said in an interview. ''If a person is a Tutsi you can't tell him not to be a Tutsi. A Hutu, you can't tell him not to be a Hutu.'' Mr. Kagame's main opponent in the election was a Hutu, Faustin Twagiramungu, who overtly appealed to the Hutu majority for support. Mr. Kagame's government likened his approach to the techniques used by Hutu extremists in 1994 to foment the mass killings, and threatened to jail him. Advertisement Continue reading the main story When the Belgians ruled colonial Rwanda they favored the Tutsi over the Hutu and issued identification cards to institutionalize the difference. After Rwanda's independence, political battles and periodic massacres revolved around the ethnic labels. Still, intermarriage remained common, with children taking on the ethnicity of their father. Physical differences between the two groups blurred. Abudallah Shabami, another student at the re-education camp, located several hours north of Kigali in Ruhengeri, says he has fought on behalf of the Hutu even though his family is a blend. ''There are both Hutu and Tutsi in my family,'' he says. ''My wife is a Tutsi. My mother was a Tutsi.'' He caught himself and remembered his lessons. ''I see myself as a Rwandan now, because there are no more ethnicities here,'' he said. Ethnicity has not been dislodged from peoples' minds, though. A Tutsi woman, who was raped in 1994 by so many Hutu militiamen in the village of Taba that she lost count, said she has difficulty interacting comfortably with Hutu. ''I don't trust them,'' said the woman, who, identified only as J.J., testified about her ordeal before the international tribunal on Rwanda. François Ngarambe, who is president of Ibuka, a group representing survivors, said his young children had only a vague notion of the ethnic differences that led to the killings in 1994. ''They don't see themselves that way,'' he said. ''That's what gives me hope.''Nominations close with TUSC as the sixth-biggest party on the ballot paper Nominations for the 2015 elections closed on April 9th with the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) having in place 135 parliamentary candidates and 619 candidates contesting seats in the local council elections also taking place on May 7th. Full contact details of our parliamentary candidates and their local campaigns can be found on our new election website at tusc2015.com/tuscs-general-election-challenge while there is a complete candidates' listing at www.tusc.org.uk/candidate So it's official. TUSC will have the sixth biggest presence on the ballot papers issued in less than four weeks' time - but you wouldn't know that from any of the establishment media outlets. The BBC website reported that both UKIP and the Greens are standing more parliamentary candidates than they have done before, while noting that the total number of candidates for all parties and independents across the UK had fallen by over 4% from 4,150 to 3,963. Giving some more details, the BBC also records that the BNP are only fielding eight candidates this time - from over 300 in 2010! - and separately that, alongside George Galloway in Bradford West, there will be three other Respect candidates in May. But there was no mention, of course, of TUSC's record number of candidates. Why give a socialist anti-austerity alternative 'unnecessary' publicity? A working class challenge By any objective measure, however, the scale and scope of the TUSC election challenge is significant. The University College London has researched the background of general election candidates (excluding current MPs) and found that 26% of the establishment parties' candidates were 'political professionals' - advisors, researchers, lobbyists or party officials. One third of UKIP's candidates are from a 'business or commercial' background. TUSC, in contrast, is mounting a working class challenge on May 7th. Three quarters of TUSC candidates are active trade unionists - the rest are anti-bedroom tax activists, students, anti-fracking campaigners and anti-cuts community organisers. One in twelve of our parliamentary candidates are members of the RMT transport workers' union (one of the TUSC constituent organisations). Four members of the National Union of Teachers' national executive committee (NEC) are standing for TUSC in May - there are more NUT NEC members standing for TUSC than there are for any other party - and three members of the Unison public sector workers' NEC. There is a regional president of the Fire Brigades Union standing in the Midlands - and a brigade organiser in Manchester - while 25% of the local and parliamentary candidates are members of Unite, the biggest Labour-affiliated union. And then there are the 22 current or former councillors standing under TUSC's anti-austerity banner, including the former Liverpool 47 councillors - who took on and defeated Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s - Tony Mulhearn, Alan Fogg, Harry Smith and Felicity Dowling. Felicity is one of seven TUSC-approved parliamentary candidates who are appearing on the ballot paper under a joint description registered last December by TUSC and the Left Unity party (with six of the 619 council candidates also using that description) to encourage the most united possible socialist challenge. The local elections campaign In May 2014 TUSC stood a record 560 candidates in the local council elections, to that point the biggest left-of-Labour working class challenge in local council elections since the end of WWII. These included nearly 200 candidates in London, where there are no local elections this year (but where TUSC is contesting 35% of the parliamentary seats). So to increase the number of TUSC council candidates to over 600 is again an impressive achievement. Most of the areas that had TUSC local election campaigns last year have built on them for this year's contests. In Salford, for example, TUSC contested nine seats last year (polling an average vote of 9.9%) but is now standing in all twenty seats this year. Other councils in which 100% of the wards will have a TUSC-backed candidate this year are Medway, Portsmouth, Southampton, Coventry, Bristol, Plymouth and North East Lincolnshire. Just short of a full slate are Sheffield (by one seat!), Leicester, Stevenage and Liverpool, while 40% or more of wards will be contested by TUSC in Manchester (80%), Kirklees (75%), Watford, Lincoln, Nottingham, Carlisle, Gateshead, Brighton & Hove, Exeter, Birmingham, Walsall, Rugby, Barnsley, Doncaster and Leeds. While TUSC is the sixth-biggest presence on the ballot paper this is still only the beginning of the type of challenge needed to the pro-austerity consensus defended by the establishment parties. But TUSC is on the march.Learn how to optimize common design features - such as bridges, overhangs, pins and vertical axis holes - for FDM 3D printing. Introduction As the most affordable 3D Printing technology on the market, Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is a great choice for quick and low-cost prototyping that can be used for a wide variety of applications. It can also be a suitable solution for functional parts, such as enclosures. Like all manufacturing methods, FDM has some limitations and constraints on what can be printed. This article introduces these limitations and discusses methods that can be implemented at the design stage to limit their impact on the quality of a print. An introduction to the FDM 3D printing process Essential Bonus: Download for free the Design Rules for 3D printing poster in high-resolution, full actionable guidelines for the 6 major 3D printing processes. Bridging Bridging in FDM occurs when the printer is required to print between two supports or anchor points. Because there is no support offered for the initial layer being printed (there is nothing to build upon) and it is required to “bridge” a gap, the material will tend to sag. Bridges occur most often in horizontal axis holes found in the walls of objects or in the top layer (or roof) of hollow parts. Printing bridging spans at 25mm, 35mm and 45mm One solution to reduce the impact of bridging is to reduce the distance of the bridge, but this will depend upon the design constraints of the part. Another solution to avoid sagging is to include support. Support offers a temporary build platform for the bridging layer to be built upon. The support material is then removed once the print has been completed. This can leave marks or damage on the surface where the support was connected to the final part. FDM printed puzzle piece with support removed showing surface roughness Key design consideration: Due to the nature of FDM, sagging or marks from support material will always be present to some extent unless the bridge is less than 5mm. An advanced solution is to split the design into separate parts or consider some form of post-processing if a level and smooth surface is required. Vertical axis holes FDM will often print vertical axis holes undersized. The general process for printing a hole diameter and the reason the reduction in diameter occurs is: As the nozzle prints the perimeter of a vertical axis hole, it compresses the newly printed layer down onto the existing build layers to help improve adhesion. The compressing force from the nozzle deforms the extruded round layer shape from a circle into a wider and flatter shape (see image below). This increases the area of contact with the previously printed layer (improving adhesion) but also increases the width of the extruded segment. The result of this is a decrease in the diameter of the hole that is being printed. This can be an issue particularly when printing small diameter holes where the effect is greater due to the ratio of hole diameter to nozzle diameter. The variation in slicer program vs. actual diameter of vertical holes is due to compression of the extruded profile The amount of undersize will depend on the printer, the slicing software, the size of the hole, and the material. Often, the reduction in diameter of vertical axis holes is accounted for in the slicing program, but accuracy can vary and several test prints may be needed to achieve the desired accuracy. If a high level of accuracy is required, drilling the hole after printing may be required. Key design consideration: If the diameter of your vertical axis hole is critical, printing it undersized and then drilling the hole to the correct diameter is recommended. Overhangs Issues with overhang are one of the most common print quality problems relating to FDM. Overhangs occur when the printed layer of material is only partially supported by the layer below. Similar to bridging, the inadequate support provided by the surface below the build layer can result in poor layer adhesion, bulging or curling. The effect of increasing overhang angle (in increments of 5 degrees) on print quality. Max. angle shown is 70 degrees An overhang can usually be printed with no loss of quality up to 45 degrees, depending on the material. At 45 degrees, the newly printed layer is supported by 50% of the previous layer. This allows sufficient support and adhesion to build upon. Above 45 degrees, support is required to ensure that the newly printed layer does not bulge down and away from the nozzle. Another issue that occurs when printing overhangs is curling. The newly printed layer becomes increasingly thinner at the edge of the overhang, resulting in differential cooling causing it to deform upward (see the image above). Key design consideration: Limitations on overhangs can be eliminated by the use of support for wall angles above 45 degrees. For larger overhangs where support is needed, marks will be present on the final surface unless post-processed. Corners Because the printing nozzle in FDM is circular, corners and edges will have a radius that is equal to the size of the nozzle. This means that these features will never be perfectly square. For sharp edges and corners, the first layers of a print are particularly important. As discussed above for vertical holes, as the nozzle prints each layer, it compresses the print material down to improve adhesion. For the initial print layer, this creates a flare often called an “elephant's foot”. This can impact the ability to assemble FDM parts as this flare protrudes outside the specified dimensions. Side view of elephant's foot feature that can occur on the base layers of an FDM print Another issue that is often present relating to the first print layer of an FDM print is warping. ABS is more vulnerable to warping due to its high printing temperature when compared to PLA. The base layer is the first layer to be printed and cools as the other hot layers are printed on top. This causes differential cooling and can result in the base layer curling up and away from the build plate as it shrinks and contracts. The addition of a chamfer or radius along the edges of the part that is in contact with the build plate will reduce the impact of these problems. This will also assist in the removal of the component from the build plate once the print has been completed. Key design consideration: If assembly or overall dimensions are critical to the function of an FDM part, include a 45o degree chamfer or radius on all edges touching the build plate. For high precision form & fit testing, other technologies such as SLA or Polyjet are recommended. Vertical pins Vertical pins are often printed in FDM when assembly of parts or alignment is required. Considering that these features are often functional, it is important to understand the size of vertical pins that FDM can print accurately. Large